I just stole a Fuji GS645S from KEH...

blockend

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I don't know KEHs business model, but I take a different approach between trading with commercial and private sellers. The sole aim of business is to maximise income and minimise expenditure. Buy low, sell high is the whole point. If the shoe is on the other foot, it'll be a rarity and I don't think the OP should upbraid himself too much, though he may be naive about broadcasting the deal before the camera is in his hands.

The fast turnover nature of photography as a whole means prices do sometimes resemble "cheats", especially Black Friday and other seasonal deals. Dealing with individuals is another matter entirely. If a widow asked me how much her late husband's photographic collection was worth, I'd feel morally bound to get her the best price. There's too much hoarding of classic cameras for purely mercenary purposes to feel sorry for the hoarders.
 

AgX

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blockend said:
If a widow asked me how much her late husband's photographic collection was worth, I'd feel morally bound to get her the best price. There's too much hoarding of classic cameras for purely mercenary purposes to feel sorry for the hoarders.
Click to expand...

Price is dependend on situation.
In case that is a sale situation, the price would be what I would offer her that moment. If she takes the hassle to offer it on the net, the local paper or a dealer she likely will get another price, higher or lower. Or even no sale at all.
 

blockend

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Most film cameras are worth next to nothing as we well know. The problem is when individuals treat the few that aren't as obsolete ornaments and abuse the trust of those who don't know better. KEH are well placed to price everything that passes through their hands correctly, and if they mess up it isn't like giving a widow twenty quid for her husband's M3. A long standing business based on extracting the maximum price from a camera consistent with turnover of stock, isn't the same as ripping off an old lady, in my opinion.

The law in the UK is on the side of the trader, and objects that have been mis-priced can be withdrawn at any point, as test cases have shown. Once the item is in the hands of the customer it would be difficult for the shop to retrieve value. I was recently sent a bulk load of reversal film when I requested negative emulsion. The tins were virtually identical, but I didn't know until I processed the first two rolls. I was prepared to send the roll back for the one I'd ordered (minus postage) but the shop presumably took the view that my time and cost shooting and processing, and the difficulty of re-selling a slightly used bulk roll wasn't their worth retrieving, so they let me keep the slide film and sent me the one I'd ordered. Good trading practice on their part, which ensures I'll continue to purchase from them.
 

Richard S. (rich815)

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Actually an opened bulk roll is pretty much worthless to them at that point. And certainly not worth paying return shipping. They did the right thing by just sending you the correct bulk roll but did little if any favor by letting you keep the one sent to you by mistake.
 

MattKing

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Here in Canada (at least outside Quebec) a price on a price sticker, or ad, or presumably an internet listing is known as an "invitation to treat". It is essentially an invitation to make an offer at that price. The contract is only made when you offer to buy at that price, and the store accepts that offer.

In the internet case, most sites actually "process" your order after you click, and before they ship. That gives them the opportunity to catch pricing/listing errors and to either cancel the sale or make the business decision to honour the price, despite the error.

There is separate legislation to deal with with intentionally deceptive pricing practices.
 

Sirius Glass

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My KEH experience, which is slightly less than very considerable, is that if one orders a piece of equipment at one grade and the order has been taken, then if the item at that grade is not on the shelf when the order gets fulfilled, KEH will send the item at the next higher grade that is available. KEH does not like to tell a customer that what has been ordered is not available. I almost always order EX or EX+, and instead have received EX+ for EX or LN- for EX+. One time I ordered a lens at EX and received an LN lens instead. My only complaint is that several times I received equipment that was at the proper grade or higher, but even though the label said that it had been tested it had to be sent back for a CLA. I did not have to pay for the additional shipping; I only lost time. But the equipment has always been at the described grade or HIGHER.

Once I ordered a polarizing filter at EX and it came with a scratch. I called KEH and told them and also said that I was a week from going on a trip and I needed the filter for the trip. Rather than have me take the trip without the filter, they shipped the new filter and told me not to ship the scratched filter until I had received the replacement.

That is why I am a repeat KEH abuser, oops I mean customer.
 
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Kirks518

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As I stated earlier, I have gotten some ridiculously low priced items from KEH. I'm typically struggling to get to the $49 point to get the free shipping. Albeit, I typically only buy Bargain, Ugly, or As-Is stuff, but we all know their grading is very conservative, and only 3 items (film backs) of the 30(+/-) items I bought listed as As-Is weren't actually working. Bargain grade is usually EX or better, with a minor cosmetic blemish.

As an example, I paid $12 for an As-Is M645, with finder, and have been using it weekly for the last year without any issues. The only 'problem' is that there is brassing and wear, but everything is working 100%. And that wasn't even my best buy from them!
 
OP
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z a n e

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I do not feel the slightest bit guilty. I got a amazing deal on a camera I'm going to be using a lot.
 

TooManyShots

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z a n e said:
I do not feel the slightest bit guilty. I got a amazing deal on a camera I'm going to be using a lot.
Click to expand...

Did you receive the camera yet? If not, anything could happen to your order..hehehehe....LOL
 

Old-N-Feeble

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While this purchase is NOT like shoplifting... the effect is the same. The retailer must make up those losses somewhere... and that somewhere is on the pricing of their other merchandise... that we all buy.
 

ic-racer

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Did KEH cancel the order because of the "Wrong" price? I'm confused. What is the talk of "stealing?" I'm still confused. None of the posts in this thread seem to make any sense.

Anyway KEH offers some great deals on film cameras. Got a like new, looks unused, Nikon N55 for six dollars at KEH a while back.
 

Old-N-Feeble

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As feeble and damaged as my Parkinsonian brain is, I'm still often amazed at how some people miss the gist of things. I fully understand and accept that folks won't agree with my opinions, especially when discussing morally ambiguous topics. But when they completely miss clearly-stated ideals, it hopelessly confuses my worthless mind.
 

Sirius Glass

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Old-N-Feeble said:
While this purchase is NOT like shoplifting... the effect is the same. The retailer must make up those losses somewhere... and that somewhere is on the pricing of their other merchandise... that we all buy.
Click to expand...

Except that KEH deep discounts anything that does not move quickly enough for their schedule. They do not want to be stuck with a camera that no one seems to want.
 

Old-N-Feeble

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Sirius Glass said:
Except that KEH deep discounts anything that does not move quickly enough for their schedule. They do not want to be stuck with a camera that no one seems to want.
Click to expand...

That's true too.
 
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z a n e

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Saying that I "stole it" from KEH was an exaggeration because of how cheap the camera was.
 

Sirius Glass

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Well, I understood you when you first posted it. I cannot say what the others thought.
 

MattKing

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Try: "Made out like a bandit"
 

pbromaghin

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You got lucky. No need to be ashamed. You've been screwed enough in the past. It all evens out. It's not like they're going out of business because of this transaction.
 

Jager

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Little different from the cashier giving you too much back in change. A lot of people will just pocket their "good luck." They'll rationalize it six ways to Sunday, usually with the sorry canard that they've had to pay high prices at that vendor before. Failing to appreciate that they went into all those exchanges voluntarily and with both eyes open.

Just goes to show you that ethics and morality are, with some people, 'fluid.'

I sure as hell wouldn't be crowing about it on a public forum.
 

Old-N-Feeble

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That reminds me... about twenty years ago a cashier accidentally handed me a one hundred dollar bill instead of a ten. He was very thankful when I pointed to the error. But you're right. Many people these days would just quickly pocket their "good luck".
 
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