Why is everyone so fascinated with camera boxes????

Ok, I'm sure somebody has posted this before, but really.

Whats the deal? Do you know how much we could all be saving on shipping in the buy and sell section if everybody did away with this silly love of colored cardboard?

I didn't know it was a deal, except when seeing a camera for sale as, perhaps, proof of provenance? Silly love? First I have heard of that.
John

Ya, I end up keeping all my boxes for lens and bodies and such just because people tend to want them when I sell it again.

Otherwise they'd be recycled. Oh well.

...they look purty.

Simple - secondhand buyers have the misguided view that someone who has kept the original box has taken better care of their equipment. I keep all my boxes in case I have to sell (but I do take good care of my stuff, haha).

Grimes wrote in post #8513073
Simple - secondhand buyers have the misguided view that someone who has kept the original box has taken better care of their equipment.

I sell a lot of crap on ebay.. I can say for sure that things labled "LNIB" (Like New In Box) sell for more than things just labled "Like New".

The orriginal boxes make a wonderful shipping container. the foam was specifically cast to conform to the lens.

I like stacking up my boxes and thinking how pretty they look.

Saving the boxes drives our wives insane.

gjl711 wrote in post #8513585
The orriginal boxes make a wonderful shipping container. the foam was specifically cast to conform to the lens.

I don't think I'd slap a fedex pouch on a shiny lens box though, thats just saying steal me. Plus the buyer would likely have a heartattack "OMG, there is damage to the cardboard edge!!"

Gear Freaks!

My opinion: This is one of the most silliest and ridiculous things that many buyers expect, but... you can't tell them any different, and it does make a difference in sales, so I play the game.

I think its a representation of how much the previous owner value his possessions. Its a very broad generalization, but its one of the very few things a buyer is left to go by to judge the seller on.

Remember, buying over the internet, on forums like these are risky propositions. The buyer is trusting a complete stranger that they will stand to their word and send them the money before the item is even shipped.

Its like requesting a picture of an item the seller claims is brand new. The buyer knows what the item he is buying looks like. The picture is a small confirmation that the item he is about to pay for does indeed exist.

wyofizz wrote in post #8514925
Saving the boxes drives our wives insane.

^^^What he said

I, for some reason, saved the boxes my 20D and three lenses came in. I guess I saved them for shipping if there were a need for an in-warranty repair or something.

I have not sold a camera or lens since about 1968, so I certainly don't have the boxes for "resale value".