Do you keep all your boxes?

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#41
Jack56 said:
I like to know if you keep all your lens boxes? I can imagine that it's useful to keep the camera box , but do you keep all the other boxes too?
Keep in mind that I am a minimalist ;)
Click to expand...

I can see the attraction if your intention is to sell later, but a Box is a box, if it doesn't attach somehow to the Camera, it gets chucked.

Most of my gear gets hammered, so resale value, with or without a Box isn't a priority when considering a new purchase, I rarely sell gear, still have my old 5DMK II, 5D, 1DsMK III.
 
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#44
I'm currently selling a 2006 1D MkIIn. What is it with boxes? I lost a certain sale last night just because I didn't have the original boxes. That's completely nuts.

It's a spill-over from the market for genuinely collectable items that jackpot in price if offered with original packaging. Better still if it's unopened. Honestly I've never understood the mind of "The Collector."

Possibly to my own slight financial loss, I'm perverse in that I'll throw away packaging after a day or so once the item has established itself as not being a DOA, as a refusal to kowtow to this completely irrational, storage-space consuming trend.

-pw
 
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#45
I definitely keep everything that came with the new equipment, primarily for the opportunity of getting a better price when selling well cared for gear.

Don't most of us like the illusion of buying something used that appears to be almost as new because the original owner kept it clean and pristine, with all original packaging?
 
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#46
Heck yes. This stuff is expensive. And if I sell it online and have to ship it, it needs to be protected. Why would anyone throw away a specially made container for something delicate that costs thousands of dollars?

I also prefer to buy my used vehicles from engineers. Why? Because they are OCD about maintenance and vehicle care. Most photographers are typically OCD about the care of their gear. If a seller has all the boxes, everything is organized and they have that look in their eye like they might not sell to me if they think I will hurt their "babies", I know I am buying from the right person. In most cases, unless it's a sweet deal and looks okay, I prefer to buy my used lenses with boxes.

Since I think I am one of these OCD gear perfectionists myself, I figure I relate to them pretty well and I understand why others like me will keep the box to a $2000 lens. It's not like it's that hard. All my gear boxes (for most anything that cost me over $100 and may be sold someday) are kept on shelves in the attic under some plastic. Not a big deal.
 
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#47
Hi,
Yes... I keep all my original packaging and invoice or receipt. There are some reasons why people prefer buying used item that had the Original packaging and IMHO, the most important reason is to reduce the risk of buying a stolen camera or lens. When the seller had the original boxes, it's less likely that the camera or lens is a stolen item... some buyer will request a copy of the original invoice or receipt for proof of purchase.

Have a nice day.
 
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#48
When I first started out I unpacked everything and stores, manuals, cables etc with my equipment. Now I leave all the stuff in the box - including the warranty card. Much easier to find when it is time to sell.

What is this extra stuff worth? Not sure, but I think it adds a bit to resale value.
 
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#50
Box for sale on Craigslist

If you happen to need a box for a 5D2, a guy has been offering one on Craigslist (Portland, OR) for $30. Either he has more than one box or he keeps advertising the same one for the last few months. Maybe people think it isn't playing fair if you buy someone else's box? LOL

I only keep boxes if I think there's a good chance I will wish to sell or return a product.
 
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#51
I keep all the boxes, manuals, CDs and plastic bags that come inside the box plus the original receipt for every photographic equipment I bought since 2001. I think it might help if I want to sell the item in the future, even if I have never sold a piece of equipment. When I buy used equipment, I prefer to buy from someone who kept the boxes. I think that someone who does this must have taken good care of the equipment.
 
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#52
Silly or not it's the reality that boxes included is perceived to mean a better condition item. Maybe there's truth in that box keepers are more careful. And it's a great way to ship used gear. I keep mine and it does influence me when I buy used, irrational or legit, and I've bought mostly used gear over the years.
 
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#54
I throw everything away less the warranty card, and sell off the lens pouches that come with it (even the big, nice ones that come with L tele zooms like the 70-200 2,8.

I think I'm the only one who does? ???

I sold my 16-35 II two years ago w/o box on ebay, and it didn't sell for noticeably lower than boxed used lenses at the time of sale.

Less boxes means more room for lenses, cameras, etc ;D
 
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#55
I generally keep my boxes for the resale value thing, but could not keep those for my 24-70II, 35L, 135L, TS-E 17mm and the 1.4xIII and 2xIII tele-converters because they got shipped to my family home.

Now, hopefully I will not have to resell any of these (confident about the 24-70II, TS-E 17mm and the tele-converters not so much about the others), and the space saving has been enormous. However, it does worry me. Where can one get used boxes? Would it not have a different serial number? If detected, wouldn't that create a worse impression than not having a box? Dunno...
 
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#56
Jack56 said:
I like to know if you keep all your lens boxes? I can imagine that it's useful to keep the camera box , but do you keep all the other boxes too?
Keep in mind that I am a minimalist ;)
Click to expand...

I cut the UPC/bar code off the box with a pen knife as proof of purchase (along with the receipt) & chuck out the rest.

As much as keeping boxes around to potentially increase resale value is tempting:

- I have a small apartment where space is at a premium; there's no place for empty lens boxes here. The available space in the cabinet is worth way more than the few extra bucks I could potentially make several years down the road.

- I usually end up keeping my glass for a long time, and 5 year old lens boxes tend to be so beat up that they're not presentable anyway.
 
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#58
pwp said:
I'm currently selling a 2006 1D MkIIn. What is it with boxes? I lost a certain sale last night just because I didn't have the original boxes. That's completely nuts.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear about the loss of a sale, and I fully agree with you.

I do not keep any of the boxes, and if I was buying something second hand (unless it is v. expensive jewellery and/or watches) then I would not care if the seller has the original box or not. I presume I can email CPS and ask whether the serial number of the item has been stolen or not if I am concerned about that.

How much extra was the buyer willing to pay for the box, and how much would it cost for you to buy one off ebay or wherever?
 
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