Open box or demo.
Open box or demo.Some people just buy stuff to try it out and return it if don't like it. So I can see a no return sale. Frankly, I don't know how companies selling new products with guaranteed return policies make any money at all. How do they handle a new camera that is returned? It's not new any more. How do they re-sell it?
Some folks don't read the descriptions fully, or examine the photos. The might make assumptions based on vague descriptions of condition. The seller is basically saying, you get what you see and take your chances.It doesn't really matter either way. If a seller says 'no returns' and the item you receive is not as described, eBay/PayPal will ensure you are refunded.
I don't know why eBay sellers bother with this 'no returns' thing. It just turns off potential buyers (well, it turns me off anyway) since the seller is essentially saying that they are not willing to stand behind what they're selling.
Because at the time no one was selling one on Ebay in North America. Everyone knows Japan inflates their prices because often they are the only option. If they listed them on an auction instead of Buy It Now, they wouldn't often get the prices their BIN list for.
Consider that in Japan there is a considerable market on used gear, and their prices reflect that demand!
If selling same goods to non-Japanese (i.e; US bargain hunters) users, their requested prices may seem to be unreasonable high.
Sure, if you get what you see and it's as described then you have no basis for a return. But if it's not as described you will be refunded despite the 'no returns' policy. In the case of a camera, getting what you see in photos may still not be a working camera.Some folks don't read the descriptions fully, or examine the photos. The might make assumptions based on vague descriptions of condition. The seller is basically saying, you get what you see and take your chances.
Could it be you can get it for less if you live in Japan and visit the store directly and make a deal and they charge less? When I was stationed in Japan (OK fifty years ago), I bought a Nikon F Photomoc T for $189 and it was selling for almost $500 in America.Consider that in Japan there is a considerable market on used gear, and their prices reflect that demand!
If selling same goods to non-Japanese (i.e; US bargain hunters) users, their requested prices may seem to be unreasonable high.
Offer less than they;re asking. I did that once and got $75 knocked off a lens.And keep in mind that nobody is forcing you to buy something if you think the price is too high, especially if it's something you want and not something you need.
I've watched many high-priced BIN items sit for months without selling. Apparently many Japanese dealers don't feel a lot of pressure to make a sale. Many seem happy to let listings just sit, and I always wonder how they're making a living. Some will occasionally drop a price, sometimes substantially, you just have to be patient and vigilant.
You also need to be very clear to distinguish want versus need. If it's something you absolutely must have for some assignment, then you pay the necessary price and move on. If it's something you want, maybe you can afford to wait. And you should never look back as the market changes all the time and both supply and prices go up and down (usually in opposite directions). An item was worth, to you, what you paid for it when you bought it, all things considered. If the market price changes later, well, that's life.
So dozens of little Japanese retail stores conspire and call each other and rigged the prices. And you know this how? Don't you think competition enters the process at all?I wouldn't buy from them, that would just make me part of the problem, and I'm not. If I sell gear, it's at fair prices.
While it may be true that no one is forced to buy these overpriced items from the Japanese sellers, it's also true that their ads monopolize the eBay pages. Page after page of basically the same items, all priced about the same, and it's price fixing pure and simple. That is true whether someone buys it or not. It's illegal in most countries, and highly unethical.
The market will decide the prices, but not if they're rigged.
So dozens of little Japanese retail stores conspire and call each other and rigged the prices. And you know this how? Don't you think competition enters the process at all?
So dozens of little Japanese retail stores conspire and call each other and rigged the prices. And you know this how? Don't you think competition enters the process at all?
Frankly I didn't know what the real value of the camera was when I bought it. Only after trying to resell it, did I find out what people were willing to pay on my side of the pond. I would have waited if I knew I could have gotten it cheaper. Not long after I bought, my camera store was selling the same thing used also with the 110 lens included for what I paid for the body only from Japan.
It doesn't really matter either way. If a seller says 'no returns' and the item you receive is not as described, eBay/PayPal will ensure you are refunded.
I don't know why eBay sellers bother with this 'no returns' thing. It just turns off potential buyers (well, it turns me off anyway) since the seller is essentially saying that they are not willing to stand behind what they're selling.
If I was going to sell my large format lenses that I bought from Japan originally, I would go to the Japanese eBay Pages now and see what they're asking for and be a lemming and basically use their numbers. I have no idea what these lenses are worth today since I'm not in the business.
You might be right. I had asked a couple of sellers in Japan if they would check the shutters and they told me the lenses are in the depot and they have no way of checking.Before the internet, Shutterbug was the price guide for gear.
Del's in Santa Barbara, CA was the barometer for Nikon gear pricing.
Plus ça change....
It also appears to me that there are camera stores (sort of like warehouses) in Japan, and multiple independent Ebay sellers list their items, perhaps selling on commission...but that's speculation on my part, I could be wrong.
With stuff I've sold, especially electronics for computers, etc, I don't accept returns. Mainly because if they install it wrong and fry it, they try to send it back to you not in the condition you sent it to them. It also weeds out scammers a bit, especially when I won't accept BIN's from zero feedback buyers.
Four digit prices for Pentax 6X7's? - hardly, unless you feel you absolutely need a mint II version with its extra handful of bells n' whistles. I prefer the previous ordinary MLU body anyway. The most common potential problem in otherwise clean used versions of those is that the light seal gasket material sometimes gets gummy and needs replacement. You should ask about that specifically when seeking to purchase one. But replacing the light seals yourself is fairly easy to do, if needed. Avoid the very early bodies without the mirror lock-up feature. Many superb P67 lenses are an utter bargain these days, even in immaculate condition. There are a few notable exceptions like the fast 75/2.8 and the optically stunning EDIF series of telephotos, which still command high prices.
Most equipment are not longer expensive , comparing to 10 years before.
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