Why do people insist if a lens' front plastic (the one with the filter diameter) has become lose, the lens must have been fixed?

[Antono Refa]

I'm trying to sell a used lens. The thin plastic ring in front of the front element, that has the lens model and filter thread, has become lose with time. For some odd reason, a couple of interested photographers insist this is a sign the lens must have been fixed, which it wasn't.

Is it a negotiation technique, or is it a real sign I've never encountered?

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

If the front element is not held securely on certain lenses, it might rotate and then become decentered. Some lenses just have a first element of clear glass, so it depends on the lens model. I can't tell you which lens has actual elements at the front and which has clear glass.

You can run a decentering test to see if it has a issue.

 

[unfocused]

It’s just a case of Buyer Beware. Put yourself in their position. They don’t know you, something seems amiss about the lens. They are going to assume the worst in order not to get taken. You will probably need to pick one of these three: lower the asking price, have it fixed, sell it to someone like MPB and accept less but avoid hassles after the sale.

 

[Del Paso]

Buyer's point of view: in case of doubt, imagine the worst and abstain.
It's human, they don't know you or what happened to the lens...
If the lens is worth it, have it fixed before you sell.

 

[neuroanatomist]

If the lens is worth it, have it fixed before you sell.

Or drop the price. I was preparing to sell my pristine EF 70-200/2.8 II (after getting the RF version), and it fell from a table while I was taking the ‘product pictures’ of it for a CL posting. It was optically fine, but the plastic focus distance window was cracked. I knocked $100 off my planned price and listed it.

It sold in 2 days. The buyer wanted it to shoot pics in a paintball arena.

 

[Antono Refa]

If the front element is not held securely on certain lenses, it might rotate and then become decentered. Some lenses just have a first element of clear glass, so it depends on the lens model. I can't tell you which lens has actual elements at the front and which has clear glass.

You can run a decentering test to see if it has a issue.

It is securely held. Its just the thin plastic with text on it that is a little crumbled, which I think is cosmetic. Both insisted it means the lens was opened in a lab, hence fixed. As nobody else here popped up saying "sure its so", I have to assume one made it up, and the other is his sock puppet.

 

[Antono Refa]

It’s just a case of Buyer Beware. Put yourself in their position. They don’t know you, something seems amiss about the lens. They are going to assume the worst in order not to get taken. You will probably need to pick one of these three: lower the asking price, have it fixed, sell it to someone like MPB and accept less but avoid hassles after the sale.

Sure, I would be worried, which is why I prefer buying used photography equipment from a shop I know does some testing before buying the lens, etc.

My point is the guys came up with a specific claim that the plastic being crumbled proves the lens was fixed in a lab. Not posed a question, stated it as a fact.

 

[Del Paso]

Sure, I would be worried, which is why I prefer buying used photography equipment from a shop I know does some testing before buying the lens, etc.

My point is the guys came up with a specific claim that the plastic being crumbled proves the lens was fixed in a lab. Not posed a question, stated it as a fact.

In some European countries, you could buy this cheap sparepart from Canon. If the part is what I mean, it's just pressed on or held in place via double sided adhesive tape (no need to replace it (the tape, of course!), usually).

 

[LogicExtremist]

That round piece of plastic at the front of the lens that has the lens specifications and the filter threads is often glued down and has to be removed to access the screws underneath to dismantle the lens for repair. People are assuming that because the disc is loose, it must have been opened up, or it was dropped. As others have said here, buyers are being cautious. If you explained why the front ring is loose and chipped in the ads when selling it, buyers who are okay with reason will be more interested.