I don't know why there are some people recently bough their lenses then try to resell them here with higher prices than brand-new-5-years-warranty at reputable stores, can some one explain me?
Regarding used or " brand-new", there is no warranty available for second owners and at a higher price, unbelievable !

I'm not trying to become price police nor want to open a war here but this is strange. I think this FS forum is becoming a place of business.
When I sell my items here, I would make a research of brand-new's prices first before I put my asking prices down here.

>I don't know why there are some people recently bough their
>lenses then try to resell them here with higher prices than
>brand-new-5-years-warranty at reputable stores, can some one
>explain me?
>Regarding used or " brand-new", there is no warranty
>available for second owners and at a higher price,
>unbelievable !
>
>I'm not trying to become price police nor want to open a war
>here but this is strange. I think this FS forum is becoming a
>place of business.
>When I sell my items here, I would make a research of
>brand-new's prices first before I put my asking prices down
>here.


I don't understand it either but it happens all the time. I think the mind-set is that people on these boards take care of their equipment and people like to buy used equipment when they know who owned it.

But, if you check out Fred Miranda forum they sell Canon equipment for way more than on eBay. Example: 40D bodies on FM are going for $650 to $700 but on eBay they are selling for as low as $425.

When I sell something I like to sell it here but I do the research and give a value for the dollar. But, selling or buying, I know what the used market is and buy/sell appropriarately.




carlysgranddad (Norm)
Laurel, MD USA

Thanks Laurel,

Even if the used prices here are higher than used on eBay, I can understand or may buy them because people here are very nice and honesty. But higher than or equal to brand-new sold by Amazon or BH is unbelievable and not understandable, IMO.

In the past month I have bought a camera body and two lenses here. I did my homework, checked prices at stores (online and local brick and mortar) and at eBay. I checked used and new prices. In each instance the purchase price here was very comparable to the best price I could find elsewhere. I was willing to pay the price asked and felt I was getting fair value for my money. In each case I received excellent communication from the seller and prompt shipping. My experience, therefore, has been quite positive.

Michael

The answer is simple.....because buyers are paying the asking price. I have seen several items sell at above what B & H has it listed for. People buy used equipment and pay more than what they can get it for new .....this boggles my mind.

I see the same thing at the Circuit City Liquidation. I went to buy a Western Digital Green 1 TB Hard drive and watched three people buying them @ 165.00 when I could get it online for 105.00. I JUST WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND THIS!!!!!

"You never go wrong by doing the right thing"

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

>The answer is simple.....because buyers are paying the asking
>price. I have seen several items sell at above what B & H
>has it listed for. People buy used equipment and pay more than
>what they can get it for new .....this boggles my mind.
>
>I see the same thing at the Circuit City Liquidation. I went
>to buy a Western Digital Green 1 TB Hard drive and watched
>three people buying them @ 165.00 when I could get it online
>for 105.00. I JUST WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND THIS!!!!!

It's called uninformed buyers.

I just went to Circuit City and it was crazy. They wanted retail $299 for a Nikon 55-200 VR and $249 for a non-VR. They went to 10% off then 20% then just the other day now 30% off. They were asking $209 for the VR and $179 for the non-VR. B&H wants (excuse me a moment while I go check) $179.95 for the non-VR and $214.95.

I was ready to rant that they were higher that B&H but now I see they (finally at 30% off) are at B&H prices. But then you don't have the support of B&H (or Adorama or wherever you shop). All you have is the manufacturer warranty.

But up until now, people have been paying more at 20% off than regular retail on line.

Like others have said, I guess it is just a matter of being an informed buyer that does their homework compared to some that jump and buy.

I bought virtually all of my equipment here (body, lenses, tripod, etc) I didn't ( I won't reveal who) but I am satisfied with the fact that my equipment was in excellent condition and the prices I paid are still good prices. I am happy and hope they are. All in all this is a good site but there are some to be wary of. (I stumbled over one while bidding). To those I bought from, thanks.

In the end, buyer beware still applies.

Nikonians is the Smithsonian of Nikon knowledge. If there is a question they can't answer, I want to see the question.

My Gallery: www.HLDPhotos.com
My Blog : www.HLDPhotos.blogspot.com

The last year I've bought a 14-24, 24-28, 200-400, 50 AFS mostly from B&H because the used prices where about the same or a couple hundred lower than brand new. I wasn't willing to buy at the seller's asking price.
I don't have issues with the prices. I just buy else where and let the selling market supply the demand.
Every once in awhile you score a great buy

Dave
My Nikonians Gallery

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

It must be the law of supply and demand. I have the supply, so I can demand what I want!

Seriously, no one is forced to buy here, at B&H, at ebay, or from any other retailer or private party.

I've bought and sold on nikonians many times, and with the exception of the one jerk (not a registered member) who scammed me by claiming he never received the MB-D200 I sold him (I learned the hard way to use Delivery Confirmation on Priority Mail), have had fair and honest dealings. I've even maintained contact with some of those members and we've exchanged information and pictures long after the sale.

I'm one of those people who would never buy an item without doing the research, reading the reviews and checking prices first. The old dictum, "caveat emptor" still applies to every transaction.

Now let's get out there and shoot!

Point is everyone will vote with their interest in the selling item.

And you're right, as someone else in this topic has already also commented that its a supply and demand thing, and honest judging of fair value.

Being from Australia, my disadvantage is the exchange rate which deem goods here a bargain or not.

Considering that a used D200 this time last year was still around US$900-US$1000, and now US$650-700, same mileage/actuation count, supply is the cause driving the prices down.

But have you noticed prices of FX lenses have gone up, as numbers converting to D700/D3/D3x grow!

$0.02 (with FX rate of 0.65)

>I don't know why there are some people recently bough their
>lenses then try to resell them here with higher prices than
>brand-new-5-years-warranty at reputable stores, can some one
>explain me?
>Regarding used or " brand-new", there is no warranty
>available for second owners and at a higher price,
>unbelievable !
>
>I'm not trying to become price police nor want to open a war
>here but this is strange. I think this FS forum is becoming a
>place of business.
>When I sell my items here, I would make a research of
>brand-new's prices first before I put my asking prices down
>here.

>I don't know why there are some people recently bough their
>lenses then try to resell them here with higher prices than
>brand-new-5-years-warranty at reputable stores, can some one explain me?

In many cases, I think it's very simple and not remotely get-what-you-can-get motivated. Often, I see people with equipment that they bought (new) for $1200, keep it and treasure it for a couple years, and then want to sell it in order to upgrade. They check out the prices of what they're trying to buy, but not necessarily the current prices of what they're trying to sell. All they remember is that it cost $1200. So in their minds they ask for a perfectly fair price of $900 or so, not realizing that the current B&H price is that low or even lower.

Even if they do think to check the price of what they're selling, they don't necessarily realize that the "going" rate is only seen if you actually put it into your shopping cart — something relatively new to me, particularly at discounts this large. It's an extremely easy mistake to make if you're the type who isn't constantly upgrading your equipment, but make such major purchases only every couple years or so.

When I got my D200 I wanted to sell my D80, but wanted to do it "right." So I took it to the Nikon Service center to get it inspected and cleaned, so that even though I'm a newbie with no personal experience in this sort of thing, I could know deep in my heart that these were immaculate goods I was selling.

Between the time I took it to the shop, and the time I got it back, Nikon released, and SHIPPED (!), the D90 — the camera release that took even those of us who had been LOOKING FOR IT, daily, for over a year, completely by surprise. In the space of time while my soon-to-be-for-sale D80 was in the shop, I took almost a 40% hit on the price that I could reasonably ask it.

Had I not spent so much time researching the prices of D200's round about the time that the D300's shipped, and watched them plummet (hence my owning a D200 at all), I never would have known to do the same thing after I got my D80 back. I would have listed it either for a fraction of what I paid for it, and looked like a major fool, or I would have listed it for what I had discovered (just before sending it to be serviced) to be its "going price" … and looked only like an opportunistic seller trying to prey on clueless buyers.

Since regardless of what I put in my profile, my main hobby actually is shopping , I knew better. I still haven't sold the D80, hoping that after the initial craze the D80 price would go back up. Well, the D700 (and trickle down effect) killed that. Now I've just gotta see that I get my D80 listed before the PMA announcements.

But that's what I've learned on account of I'm becoming somewhat of a Used-Photography-Equipment seller on the side (not for profit, but to get my credit card off life-support ), rather than somebody who just has a camera to sell. I think this is an almost unique situation. There really aren't that many markets in which I might be selling off my own used goods, without automatically trying to enlist the aid of a professional middle-man, in which the value of my goods can drop so suddenly, and so dramatically, in some cases over the course of a couple weeks. We all have learned that a car loses up to 20% of its value just by being driven off the lot, but not too many of us would try to sell our year-old-car on eBay either.

People who don't realize the kind of research needed just to list a "fair" price for a p-e-r-f-e-c-t-l-y-p-e-r-f-e-c-t, truly indistinguishable from new, piece of photo gear, I don't remotely hold it against them. I think it's a truly honest, if not almost noble, mistake for people who are NOT in the business of making money for a living, or making money off their gear. A lot of people are just honest photographers, who spend more of their time and energy taking pictures, without being aware of what a nearly cutthroat market the "used camera equipment" has become. This is simply what happens when you have clueless, but in the most admirable (if there can be such a thing) way, sellers just trying to recoup a couple bucks on their not-for-profit gear used in their not-for-profit free time.

My 2¢ anyway.

— LaDonna

_________________________________
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing

I love the "get my credit card off life support." That is sometimes what the real estate people describe as a "motivated seller" and it describes me to a t.
I have made purchases here and sold a couple of items. I have learned that the asking price and the selling price are often different. The problem here is that noone gets to see the final price. Unlike e-bay. The only negative experience I have had was some jerk being price police and actually not having the correct price. I think that a high asking price is a mistake. I know that when I see it, even if I am interested, I don't bother.

>I love the "get my credit card off life support."
>That is sometimes what the real estate people describe as a
>"motivated seller"



— LaDonna

_________________________________
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing

I have learned alot recently about used lenses pricing and I would just warn people to really do your home work if buying off ebay. Since they have the "list an item like this function" alot of lenses are being sold as things they aren't. Example....Prisine 50mm 1.4af-d listings that have actual pics posted. Low and behold when you really look at the pic the item isn't even af let alone a d model. I asked a couple of sellers if that was really a pic of the item for sale, and it was. They are the typical uninformed seller. If they have no idea what the item is in the first place, how could they have the ability to assess the lenses actual quality and condition? And they can go for more than a new d version. In that respect I still think Nikonians beats ebay hands down. I don't worry about my purchases off of here nearly as much as ebay. I learned about the price police policy first hand, but totally by accident. Now if I don't like the price of an item I just move on. It isn't the last one on earth, Nikon made alot of this stuff, but people just get wrapped up in auction fever and end up paying too much sometimes. Remember it is their money and they are grownups. If they want to spend it unwisely it is on them. I usually won't pay more than 75% the current new price for a used item. Oh by the way I have a lovingly used older D200 I would part with for 1499 plus shipping and paypal costs....hehe. Isn't it wonderful how technological advances kill the value of our toys.

>Example....Prisine 50mm 1.4af-d listings that have
>actual pics posted. Low and behold when you really look at
>the pic the item isn't even af let alone a d model. I asked a
>couple of sellers if that was really a pic of the item for
>sale, and it was. They are the typical uninformed seller. If
>they have no idea what the item is in the first place, how
>could they have the ability to assess the lenses actual
>quality and condition?

This "defect" of eBay sellers can work both ways. Yes, YOU have to make good and sure you know your product and precisely what you're looking for, not only what it actually looks like and is actually called, but details such as precisely which model (Cubelite: white rims or blue? Arca Swiss B1: black screw or silver?).

Many of the sellers, however, are selling off somebody else's stuff, or a gift they received from a clueless giver. No, they don't know what they're selling, but if I know enough to ask the right questions I can often get a handle on how much risk I'm running.

I recently bought a Nikon Vestrap that way, for $5. Hel-loooooo!! SELLER!!!!! He simply had no idea what it was he had. And for $5, what do I care whether it turns out not to be in the never-used condition the seller thought it was?

(It was, by the way; awesome, just AWESOME!).

So yes, sellers can be clueless, but that doesn't automatically mean a DIS-advantage for the buyer.

— LaDonna

_________________________________
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing

I'd avoid ebay for buying used lenses and bodies. You never really know the original source of the equipment.

I'd rather pay a few extra bucks and buy from KEH, knowing that they have checked out and fairly graded the equipment. KEH prices also fluctuate with the market. The trick is buying at the "right" time.

I've had numerous excellent transactions here on Nikonians.

>I'd avoid ebay for buying used lenses and bodies. You never
>really know the original source of the equipment.
>
>I'd rather pay a few extra bucks and buy from KEH, knowing
>that they have checked out and fairly graded the equipment.
>KEH prices also fluctuate with the market. The trick is buying
>at the "right" time.
>
>I've had numerous excellent transactions here on Nikonians.

Do keep in mind that "ebay" is not the seller - individuals are. I had a D40 with two VR lenses (18-55 and 55-200) posted here first, simply because I joined Nikonians and felt this is the first place I should try. No bites, even after a price reduction. Then sold it on ebay. Everyhing was exactly as described, gave free shipping w/insurance and offered a 7 day return policy. This was a setup bought new in November 2008. Less than 1K clicks. Perfect condition. I just decided to go to a D90 and the 24-85 and 70-300VR rather than the D40 w/18-44/55-200.

But when you say something like "I'd avoid ebay for buying used lenses and bodies." you are damning people outright for no good reason. A little research, maybe a couple of emails reauesting more photos etc. can make all the difference.

It is not a matter of AVOIDING ebay. it is a matter of UNDERSTANDING ebay.

Michael
*There is so much to learn in this digital world!*

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

>I had a D40 with two VR lenses (18-55 and
>55-200) posted here first, simply because I joined Nikonians
>and felt this is the first place I should try. No bites, even
>after a price reduction. Then sold it on ebay.
I'm curious: how does the final eBay selling price compare to what you were asking here on Nikonians?


>It is not a matter of AVOIDING ebay. it is a matter of
>UNDERSTANDING ebay.
This is the best formulation of this truth that I've ever read. Touché! And thanks for the post.


— LaDonna, another happy eBayin' Nikonian

_________________________________
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, particularly on eBay!

Well, it sold on ebay for $535. I was asking $525. So less but the ebay fee brought it down to about $515. Close enough!

Michael
*There is so much to learn in this digital world!*

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

>Well, it sold on ebay for $535. I was asking $525. So less
>but the ebay fee brought it down to about $515. Close enough!

I wasn't asking from the point of view as to whether you lost money on the deal. I was asking from the point of view of potential buyers.

I've found that Nikonian sellers often ask more than what I know is the going eBay price, on account of they know that selling here on Nikonians often gives buyers more confidence and thus more willing to part with large chunks of change. In effect, buying from a Nikonian gives you (on average) a sort of soft guarantee that the seller actually understands the condition of the equipment that they're trying to describe.

But for the most common gear (like D40 kits) and the most expensive (like seriously long lenses), I think it can get out of hand. Nikonians often ask prices for this gear that there's no way I'd pay, keeping in mind that the stuff still is USED, and I'm still taking a risk in buying it, particularly if I can't even inspect it myself.

So that's why I asked. But what your prices show is that the failure of your kit to sell here on Nikonians is NOT the result of an inflated asking price.

Congratulations on your sale!

— LaDonna

_________________________________
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing

Well, in the last 2-3 weeks, the prices from Adorama and B+H on good Nikon glass have gone up about $100 a week. I've been tracking the Nikon 105 mm AF-S VR f/2.8, and 3 weeks ago everyone had it for about $700. Last night I checked, and both places are up to almost $900.

Online here often mirrors when you can get from a retailer, if the product is sterling and the demand is high. And if you are a seller, you look for a motivated buyer, and vice versa.

I got what I thought was an extremely good price here in October on a D3/ 14-24 combo that really was 95% close to LNIB. I probably wouldn't get that deal again today, since retail prices are up. In fact, I bought the Nikon 24-70 2 weeks ago from B+H for $1469 and today it is $1699 and back ordered. All in 2 weeks time.

Supply and demand.
Mary
... making waves

my galleries: http://www.pbase.com/heartsleeve

D3
D300
Nikkor AF-S 14-24 f/2.8
Nikkor AF-S 70-200 f/2.8
Nikon 18-200 VR
Nikon 18-70
50 f/1.4

>All in 2 weeks time.

Yep, that's the problem all right! Particularly with what the pound sterling has been doing lately, there really is no way to set a "fair" price, something that is fair to both sides.

About a month ago I posted a little piece of nothing on eBay UK for a 10-day auction, to get as much visibility for my little-piece as possible. I use eBay UK to take advantage of the much larger visibility than I'd have if I were to use eBay Netherlands (where I live). But that means I price the shipping in euro, convert to pounds, and post the shipping price in pounds.

In the ten days the thing was up, the pound took such a nosedive that by the time it sold I took a LOSS on the sale. I don't mean that I sold it for less than I paid for it. I mean, it cost me more to ship it (in euro) than I received from the entire sale, without even taking into account the eBay and PayPal fees. Even if you consider the little-piece to be a complete write-off, my net worth decreased in the process of my getting rid of it.

Yes, I had built in some padding. I had intended for the padding to cover my packing supplies and a round-trip on the tram to the post office. So when I say the pound took a nose dive, I do mean spaceship crashes down somewhere in the middle of the Pacific style.

Ouch.

So the next week I posted my next little bits of nothing, converting the shipping prices (higher now, on account of the rates went up in the new year … ouch!) to pounds, and coming up with truly outrageous shipping rates (from the point of view of the average UK buyer), and scrapping the idea of "padding" altogether. Another 10-day auction.

In which the sterling recovered in a manner so spectacular as to remind us of the True Meaning of Easter, and so I had a couple little bits of nothing listed with Gouge-Me-Harder-Will-You shipping costs. Not to mention the "you must be kidding, right?" starting bids.

Yep, I come off looking like quite a clueless seller. Oh well, you can't please all of the people all of the time, even, it seems, buyers AND sellers on the same sale.

— LaDonna

_________________________________
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing

P.T. Barnum said it all!

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

A big reason that some prices are higher here than actual retail prices is because there are a fair number of "closet dealers" here on Nikonians and other photo website classifieds who wheel and deal in used camera gear. They make it sound like they're "just cleaning out the camera bag" or "just upgraded--now need to find this a new home" but the truth is that they buy used camera gear in pawn shops, at estate sales, or off of Craigslist, and then go to the photo forum classifieds to sell the stuff that they usually know very little, if anything about because they never actually used the item--they just bought it to resell at a profit.

I like to buy from places like Nikonians because it's a small community and I like feeling like I "know" the seller and thus the equipment they're selling. I know that if a real private party seller here tells me that "it's a sharp copy" it really is because they actually used it--as opposed to the wannabee dealers who wheel and deal and say the lens they just picked up off Craigslist or at a flea market is a "sharp copy" because they know that claim will make the item sell faster even though they've never even used the lens and don't know if it's a sharp copy or not.

When I see an item here for sale that interests me, I always search the forums by the seller's username to see how much gear they buy and sell. There at at least 10 names that come to mind that seem to be selling something here every week--it doesn't take a genius to realize that most of these guys are just buying and selling to make some extra money--and I personally don't like buying from people like that myself as they rarely have first hand knowledge of the item's history and/or performance, and, I find that most of the closet dealers are inherently dishonest in their claims about "cleaning out the camera bag" as their reason for selling their 8th D300 in two months.....To me, if they misrepresent how they came to acquire the item and fail to disclose the fact that they are really just acting as a dealer and not a private party seller, then I have a hard time believing ANYTHING they say and choose not to do business with them.

Just my $.02

NP

"No photographer is as good as the simplest camera."

While there may indeed be some "closet dealers" on this site, I have to believe that the majority of nikonians are legitimate photo buffs who are looking for a fair deal from a fellow photographer.

I've bought and sold a fair amount of equipment over the years. Some of it worked out and met my needs, some didn't. Some was purchased to be used for a specific photo opportunity and then resold after use. Some was bought on impulse.

In every instance I've been very satisfied with the equipment I purchased and my buyers have been very satisfied with the equipment I sold them. As long as people are honest and fair, I will continue to trade here.

I've taken the time to get to know the nikonians I've dealt with and maintained contact with some of them long after a sale. That's the real purpose of this community.

I think that nonprophet meant that there are closet dealers elsewhere, who are selling things without really knowing what they are. Hence the cheaper prices away from here, and slightly higher prices often seen here. Sellers here are more knowledgeable with regards to what they are selling and therefore tend to have asking prices that are higher than what are found elsewhere.

Having said that, I've found prices here to be reasonable and not significantly different than other places I have looked, but I haven't been buying any high end, fast glass lenses either.

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

Hate to disagree but I think nonprophet has it correct. When I was looking for my D300 I had some dealing with somebody who for some reason suddenly backed out of the deal. Then I did some research (should have done first) and found he has sold a number of D200s and D300s. He also owns a camera place on the west coast. Glad it didn't work out.

As I said earlier, I am very happy with the equipment I bought from people here and highly recommend buying here but recommend people exercise due caution Do a simple search in the for sale section for that seller and see if they have sold 8 D200s and 3 D300s, that's a clue.

Nikonians is the Smithsonian of Nikon knowledge. If there is a question they can't answer, I want to see the question.

My Gallery: www.HLDPhotos.com
My Blog : www.HLDPhotos.blogspot.com

Ever go the grocery store and see something in a bin marker Sale, and then go up the isle and see it for a cheaper price. Stores do this all the time and it's a well known sales tactic. Just because someone says it's going for a "Sale" price doesn't make it so. People always think they're getting a deal because it's USED. You have to do your homework and check prices. It's only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it. If a lens or camera body is selling used and the price is only $50 - $100 less than new, I'd much rather buy new a get the warranty.

Since Nikon has raised the price on some of their products, the prices on a lot of "for sale" sites is going up. But a lot of equipment is not being sold for anywhere near the asking price. My local craigslist prices are just nuts lately but they aren't selling much. I've watched the prices go down week after week. When it gets down to a reasonable price it will usually sell or they get tired of trying and jerk the ad.

gunfighter48
A steady hand works good for cameras and guns.

Not to beat a dead horse, but I think what surprises me most, vis a vis the sales price at retailers like B+H and Adorama for new stuff, vs here for used equipment (even if gently used), is the wild price fluctuations.

I am used to the price of gas fluctuating wildly due to the world market, but I dont think I've ever seen another commodity, esp camera equipment, fluctuate so wildly in the space of a few weeks.

For that reason, I am way less likely to buy a piece of good glass here, used, when the market jumps high, when I am reasonably certain the price will fall again on the retail market if I wait it out. Again, I am not trying to play "price police," but for instance, there is a Nikon 105 VR lens for sale here now, and the asking price is in the mid-upper 700s. Three weeks ago, that's the price I would have given B+H or Adorama for a brand new piece of glass. So I would NEVER buy it here at that price, when I know that sooner or later, the retail price will come back down.

My 2 cents and/or buying rationale.
Mary
... making waves

my galleries: http://www.pbase.com/heartsleeve

D3
D300
Nikkor AF-S 24-70 f/2.8
Nikkor AF-S 70-200 f/2.8
Nikon 18-200 VR
Nikon 18-70
Nikon 50 f/1.4
Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Di

I could not agree with you more on this point. They can raise the prices of new retail glass all they want to, it will not boost sales nor will it help their bottom line in a poor economy, and they sure as heck won't get my money with a price spike like they just pulled!

Mundy Hackett
www.mundyhackett.com

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

>I could not agree with you more on this point. They can
>raise the prices of new retail glass all they want to, it will
>not boost sales nor will it help their bottom line in a poor
>economy, and they sure as heck won't get my money with a price
>spike like they just pulled!

I expect to see a pretty healthy rebate program pop up shortly. I doubt that a price increase will solve any possible cash flow issues which Nikon is having. They will need to go to volume. I think that the price increase was a shortsighted move at this time.

Wow, lots of commentary going in all directions.

The bottom line is the reason for the discrepancy in prices is impulse buyers. They are everywhere, even on this forum.

They don't shop either because it is convenient to take what is in front of them or in many cases, don't want to know they can get it somewhere else cheaper because it kills their spur of the moment new toy buzz.

Usually, an item is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. No more, no less. New or used.

Alaska Nikonian

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

>Usually, an item is worth what someone is willing to pay for
>it. No more, no less. New or used.
>
>Alaska Nikonian

Visit
>my
>Nikonians gallery>.

>Usually, an item is worth what someone is willing to pay for
>it. No more, no less. New or used.
>

Agreed - what's killing me is teleconveters. I've been looking for a TC-17E2 -there must be some worldwide shortage or something as I yet to find a used listing for much less than a new one. Several seen (on various boards) in the $350-$375 range, when a new one goes for $390.

So they definitely seem to hold value, as they sell at those prices. For the $25-40 difference I would rather just buy a new one, but maybe that's just me.

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

There are some that like a smaller group to buy from . Others used money orders with a slower easier site . This you cant quantify with price alone . Not waiting till an auction is over, you don't see much "buy now" Nikon gear on Ebay.

Its bad enough to be over charged by some web store . But a private party posting over retail ,,,, COME ON . I have had great deals here
from very nice people , so I have not seem higher prices.

Those who post their new purchase price / a site link and their screen Name/ Ebay history . Save buyers time and speed up review of the item.

If you want the cheat people go back to the stock market.

Hans K.

My Gallery

Visit my Nikonians gallery. nikonus@nikonians.org

Dumb and dumber. Dumb seller, dumber buyer.

Gator Bob Santa Fe New Mexico
*D800E *D700 *SB800 *RRS 24L & BH-55
Nikkors: *14-24 *24-70 *70-200 VRII *T-20E III *50 f/1.8 *PC-E 85 *28-300 & Tamron 90mm Macro

>Dumb and dumber. Dumb seller, dumber buyer.


Nail on head! Buy a D200 brand new for $599 or buy one used for $600-700. Just makes me shake my head when I see some of the used prices here and there...

>Its bad enough to be over charged by some web store . But a
>private party posting over retail ,,,, COME ON .

The point is that you don't have to buy ...

People can post at whatever price they want. If it's too high or too close to retail then common sense says that they'll have a hard time selling. If it does sell, well in that case the buyer has nobody to blame but themselves for paying too much.

Also folks, when selling goods there are typically two different prices to consider - the ASKING price and the SELLING price. You are free to negotiate ...

As mentioned earlier though, "caveat emptor"

------
Graham

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

Well I go back now and then to check the prices of what I bought here and so far they are holding, down a little which is expected with the economy. I know the professional reputation (beyond buyer/seller) of some I have bought from. I have very pleased with the transactions I made here but I will say I researched history of what has been paid in the past and did some homework.

In contrast to the OP question about things being overpriced, I have some things sold low enough that either they had been hit by a Mack truck or the buyer didn't know the going price (Wished I had seen them in time). I know that at the moment SB-800s are overpriced, being sold for more than they retailed for but then again, Nikon discontinued production so they have become whatever the market will bear. I suspect that with time they will come back down as the 900 comes down a little and people accept it more. The economy may be influencing the non-acceptance/NAS of the 900 for the time being. (just my $0.02)

I feel with doing some homework on prices and watching the board and not jumping, I would rather buy here. I am sure there are come crooks and unreputable people lurking here but I think the percentage of camera loving decent people is much higher here that at EBay (where one company is selling SB-800s for $700+ !!!)

Nikonians is the Smithsonian of Nikon knowledge. If there is a question they can't answer, I want to see the question.

My Gallery: www.HLDPhotos.com
My Blog : www.HLDPhotos.blogspot.com

I went over to the bay last week to check it out and did not like what I saw:
- D3 'packages' which included 4 pro lenses, one DX, and 2 of which were some kind of wide-angle adapter and telephoto 'adaptor' - yuck!
- DX lenses such as 18-200 'packaged' with D700 etc. and for big $ too.

I buy my stuff here at Nikonians.

Best regards, SteveK
My Nikonians gallery
'A camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.' -- Dorothea Lange

I use my local pro-dealer as they pretty much price match anything B&H can offer, sometimes cheaper.

If I were buying pre-owned then I do prefer affinity sites like Nikonians - I may be wrong but in general the folks here have a similar outlook and are not just here to make a fast buck off of others in buy & sell. Also, being registered here probably means that getting a bad reputation on a sale will put you in the sin-bin (if only by being exposed to your peers).

Those 'deals' on StealBay are just begging for trouble.

------
Graham

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

I guess there are people who think "used" is always cheaper than new. Like last week I saw a post for NIB D200 for $599 at BestBuy, where in here used D200 goes for same or little higher prices.

Me? I just sold something I bought brand new 8 mo. ago for 1/2 of what I paid for.

To me, that is what this "I want to sell forum" supposed to be, a place for "really good deals from a trustworthy online community"

Wen

>> to me, this "I want to sell forum" is supposed to be a place for "really good deals from a trustworthy online community" <<

It CAN be, but that isn't always the case. So it comes down to buyer beware no matter where you are in a negotiation. And a good deal comes down to what you are willing to pay and not complain about later.

Mary
... making waves

my galleries: http://www.pbase.com/heartsleeve

D3
D300
Nikkor AF-S 24-70 f/2.8
Nikkor AF-S 70-200 f/2.8
Nikon 18-200 VR
Nikon 18-70
Nikon 50 f/1.4
Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Di

>And a good deal comes down to what you are willing to pay and not
>complain about later.

Amen!

Pete

>To me, that is what this "I want to sell forum"
>supposed to be, a place for "really good deals from a
>trustworthy online community"

Here's where I have a little frustration with this community. It is so common for folks to wax poetic about what a great and trustworthy bunch of people are here (which is of course mostly true from what I can see), yet playing the "price police" (effectively helping many unsuspecting and trusting/clueless buyers to not get ripped off by unscrupulous or clueless sellers) is looked upon by the rules as well as a seemingly large portion of the members as dirty for some reason.

Buyer beware? Of course. But what is wrong with the community watching out for each other and throwing out reality checks when it is appropriate?

I couldn't agree with you more. And I've weathered the wrath of the various mods on occasion when I've ventured a comment on a price that is clearly price gouging or way out of proportion. You'd almost think the site was getting a piece of the action, the way they come to the aid of some of the more egregious sellers.

But, it's their site so I often just grumble in silence.

Mary
... making waves

my galleries: http://www.pbase.com/heartsleeve

D3
D300
Nikkor AF-S 24-70 f/2.8
Nikkor AF-S 70-200 f/2.8
Nikon 18-200 VR
Nikon 18-70
Nikon 50 f/1.4
Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Di

I don't have a problem with the rules against price policing.

True, there's the instinct to warn or advise ("it's not worth that much!" or "you'll never sell it at that price"). But stopping outright fraud (which thankfully is rare here) is one thing and getting into other people's business is another.

Having said that, does anyone want to buy a rare, collectible Coolpix 5700 for $1,500? Act now, before the price goes up!

Pete

>But what is wrong with the
>community watching out for each other and throwing out reality
>checks when it is appropriate?

that is where the hard part is, drawing that fine line between appropriate and obtrusive.

>Buyer beware? Of course. But what is wrong with the
>community watching out for each other and throwing out reality
>checks when it is appropriate?

Everything is wrong with that approach. I myself have been the victim of some self righteous protector of pricing in which some fool posted an objection to a price which I had asked for an item. He in fact did not know what he was talking about but managed to create so much foolish confusion that I ended up not selling the item. Pricing generally begins at an asking level and a final price is negotiated. I believe that the policy is an excellent one and if anything should be stronger. I believe that there are far too many busybodies in the world as it is, I am pleased that Nikonians does not permit that sort of behavior. A far more helpful change would be to post selling price of a sold item. If one thinks that an item is priced excessively, they are free not to buy or negotiate a better price.

>A far more helpful change would be to post
>selling price of a sold item.

I agree with this. Information is what capitalism is built upon.

(... fools rush in...)

But doesn't that just prove the point? The fact that your item didn't sell tells me that it was priced too high, and others figured that out, probably without the "help" of the "self righteous protector of pricing."

And I don't think there is ANY prohibition of stating the SOLD price. That certainly would enlighten those fools among us who raised our eyebrows at the offering or opening price.

Mary
... making waves

my galleries: http://www.pbase.com/heartsleeve

D3
D300
Nikkor AF-S 24-70 f/2.8
Nikkor AF-S 70-200 f/2.8
Nikon 18-200 VR
Nikon 18-70
Nikon 50 f/1.4
Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Di

>(... fools rush in...)
>
>But doesn't that just prove the point? The fact that your
>item didn't sell tells me that it was priced too high, and
>others figured that out, probably without the "help"
>of the "self righteous protector of pricing."
The listing turned into a large number of people objecting to the poster who had posted regarding the price. He had been looking at those rip of deals. You know the ones, Nikon D3, $2,199.00 or similar.
I pulled the listing.
>
>And I don't think there is ANY prohibition of stating the SOLD
>price. That certainly would enlighten those fools among us
>who raised our eyebrows at the offering or opening price.
I actually thought that it should be a requirement to list the sold price. You would then have a real world idea of value. That is the case with E=bay.
>
>Mary
>... making waves
>
>my galleries: http://www.pbase.com/heartsleeve
>
>D3
>D300
>Nikkor AF-S 24-70 f/2.8
>Nikkor AF-S 70-200 f/2.8
>Nikon 18-200 VR
>Nikon 18-70
>Nikon 50 f/1.4
>Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Di

>I actually thought that it should be a requirement to list the
>sold price. You would then have a real world idea of value.

I would have no problem supporting a requirement like that. Are there any obvious downsides to either buyer or seller, esp given that we are a "community" as opposed to an auction or reseller-based forum?

Mary

I'm with Iceman - if you aren't involved in the sale then keep your nose out. If the pricing is wrong then the free market will sort that out.

Hijacking someone else's sale is totally out of order IMHO.

------
Graham

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

My pet peeve is when sellers go back and update their original posting to remove the price they even asked! I.e. in their eagerness to mark it SOLD they remove part of the history. In that case, not only can we not see the final transacted price, we cannot even see where the process started from!

I would like to see sellers at least leave their original asking price, helps those following along afterwards, both sellers and buyers. I don't think you can enforce sellers posting the settled price though - too many potential issues for seller or buyer.

Best regards, SteveK
My Nikonians gallery
'A camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.' -- Dorothea Lange

>My pet peeve is when sellers go back and update their
>original posting to remove the price they even asked! I.e. in
>their eagerness to mark it SOLD they remove part of the
>history. In that case, not only can we not see the final
>transacted price, we cannot even see where the process started
>from!
>
>I would like to see sellers at least leave their original
>asking price, helps those following along afterwards, both
>sellers and buyers. I don't think you can enforce sellers
>posting the settled price though - too many potential issues
>for seller or buyer.

I know final price information would be complicated but it would be an excellent tool to determine true price. I can't say much good about E-Bay but the ability to see what the free market thinks that an item is worth is an excellent tool.

>>My pet peeve is when sellers go back and update their
>>original posting to remove the price they even asked!


I like to post my inquiry to the seller with a quote of their asking price at the time I read the post. So incase they decide to change it (which is their preogative), I will have a direct quote they can't update on.

P.T. Barnum said it all.

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

People just have to shop around, I mean right now most D90's on this site sell for about $750-$800.....right now you can pick one up for $680 at Newegg.....As others on this thread have said, its the uninformed buyer who pays the higher price...

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

>People just have to shop around, I mean right now most D90's
>on this site sell for about $750-$800.....right now you can
>pick one up for $680 at Newegg...

That would be a heck of a deal but I show it at $950 body only or $1140 kit...maybe it was a one day sale or something? Or a refurb maybe?

What I need is a good deal on a TC-17E II

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

It was an Open Box, limit of 2 per customer....wish I would have waited till that deal came up..LOL....but I love my D90!!!

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

Mark, you may want to buy a TC17E from a Canadian supplier, which works out to approximately $325US for a new one at this price. Nikon lenses and teleconverters also carry a 5 year warranty in Canada and since it is a converter there should be little to go wrong with it in the first place.

http://www.thecamerastore.com/search/products/results/taxonomy%253A12.377

Best regards, SteveK
My Nikonians gallery
'A camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.' -- Dorothea Lange