Smaug01
Veteran Member
...because I'm not directly supporting the mfr?
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Should I feel bad about buying used gear?
- Thread starter Smaug01
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Nigvo
Guest
I buy second hand at a price I can justify for certain specialist items, like my shift lenses or second bodies. Th maker loses nothing because I would not buy those items new.
I would have voted No, but chose Other since the description associated with it does not apply to me. While I’m not unsympathetic to the manufacturers, I often buy used simply to save money, and don’t need to justify the purchase by thinking it will indirectly benefit a manufacturer.
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Alan Clark
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Alan Clark
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MediaArchivist
Veteran Member
I have purchased several A-mount Minolta lenses, my only choice was used since new ones were not being manufactured. I answered "other" because my purchase of used gear almost certainly had no effect on the business fortunes of Minolta.
yardcoyote
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No,. Your responsibility is to manage your budget in the best way for yourself and your family.
If the manufacturers wanted to make good cameras with lower specs and fewer features at more modest price points, they could certainly do so. As it stands, they have chosen to pursue a different course and abandon the low and mid price market to the phones and the secondhand cameras. I don't feel it is my responsibility to pay a price I can't afford for an overly elaborate camera I don't really want, even if I had the money. Which I don't.
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If the manufacturers wanted to make good cameras with lower specs and fewer features at more modest price points, they could certainly do so. As it stands, they have chosen to pursue a different course and abandon the low and mid price market to the phones and the secondhand cameras. I don't feel it is my responsibility to pay a price I can't afford for an overly elaborate camera I don't really want, even if I had the money. Which I don't.
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InkedMarie
Senior Member
Great reply.
Something here that I hesitate to even mention, but I am often really amazed by the dollars people tie up in photography equipment this day and age. If one is a pro, the sky's the limit, but for a hobbyist spending upwards of $5,000 on a body and even more on a lens just is not something I can comprehend. I know there are all manner of folks involved in photography, and there are apparently a lot of people that have more money than I could ever hope to have seen or touched in my entire life, so it should not surprise me, but it still does. I do not consider myself poor, but spending even $1,000 on a lens or body for hobby use is simply not a consideration for me personally.
That's exactly why I voted other. New equipment is overpriced, and it's hard for me to feel any loyalty to manufacturers.
If camera manufacturers eventually go out of business, it'll be their own fault.
Michael Benveniste
Veteran Member
I voted “other” for a different reason. When you or I buy used equipment, it’s the most efficient form of recycling there is.
JohnSil
Senior Member
You should NEVER feel bad about supporting the earth and it's environment as opposed to the greedy manufacturers that are only interested in profits at the expense of increasing they're destructive foot print.
All products should get at least TWO uses!
So buy all the used that you can but DO feel guilty with every new product you buy!!!
John
Rambow
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Buying used gear has no effect on the success of a company, also the notion of "supporting" a corporation by making a point out of buying its products is completely ilogical.
You support your local shop by buying there, not a multinational company worth billions.
Corporations don't depends on acts of kindness to survive and expand, even if all the camera forums and stores would boycott corporation X that doesn't mean they will soon go bankrupt, it's a bot more complicated than that.
There is a certain interdependence inside the camera industry which many are unaware of and companies ultimately rely on their leadership to survive.
Example, just because Ericsson stopped making phones and Olympus sold off their camera business that doesn't mean they were not supported, it just means others were more competitive on the market and Olympus decided to invest in something else.
Buying 3X more gear from Olympus in any given year wouldn't change all this, there are larger forces at play here.
You support your local shop by buying there, not a multinational company worth billions.
Corporations don't depends on acts of kindness to survive and expand, even if all the camera forums and stores would boycott corporation X that doesn't mean they will soon go bankrupt, it's a bot more complicated than that.
There is a certain interdependence inside the camera industry which many are unaware of and companies ultimately rely on their leadership to survive.
Example, just because Ericsson stopped making phones and Olympus sold off their camera business that doesn't mean they were not supported, it just means others were more competitive on the market and Olympus decided to invest in something else.
Buying 3X more gear from Olympus in any given year wouldn't change all this, there are larger forces at play here.
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donaldsc
Senior Member
NO!!!
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Don
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Don
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bobn2
Forum Pro
I don't see why anyone would feel a moral obligation to support a manufacturer. They are companies there to make a profit by selling us goods that we want to buy. If they don't do that, they go out of business, that's how it works. No-one owes them a living. Part of selling goods that we want to buy is that those goods retain some value for some reasonable amount of time. That value comes from other people wanting to buy something when we're finished with it. If you look at the car business, most car manufacturers actually support the secondhand market, because they know it supports their business.
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Nielk Mike
Guest
What a question! Consumers are not around to support manufacturers. In a capitalist market, it is only your own interest that counts. If used gear is cheaper but works just as well, I go for it.
I think that's a legitimate way to feel about it, and if that applies to you, then buy new and be happy.
My personal preference, whenever possible, is to buy new from a local specialist shop. I like the hands-on shopping experience, local support, and warranty coverage; I like supporting a local business that I'd like to see stay successful; I like that my purchase supports local business as well as the manufacturer, importer/distributor, and transport company. I also simply prefer starting out with a shiny new item that has not been subject to mishandling/abuse by a previous owner and that has its full service life ahead of it for me.
Then again, anytime you buy something, new or used, that purchase is supporting someone, even if it's just a single person through a private transaction, and there's nothing wrong with that, either.
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As I read the OP I could feel the breath of Orwell on the back of my neck raising goose bumps. Talk about Doublethink.
I should buy new to support the original manufacturer in the future - but, I should buy used to save money to support my family in the future.
I have guilt over feeling guilty about wanting a new camera.
Big Brother has an enigmatic smile as he whispers, 'My work here is done - but I will be watching you'
I should buy new to support the original manufacturer in the future - but, I should buy used to save money to support my family in the future.
I have guilt over feeling guilty about wanting a new camera.
Big Brother has an enigmatic smile as he whispers, 'My work here is done - but I will be watching you'
Mackiesback
Forum Pro
Interesting. If consumers don't support manufacturers, manufacturers go away.
Capitalist markets are harsh. That's why main streets have become useless antique shops while the former tenants are unemployed because of Amazon and Walmart. For better or worse, that's what it is. There is nothing wrong when considering where your money goes when buying something.
Whenever I see a post from someone complaining about Amazon's packing or personless customer support, I say "this is on you".
That said, used gear is fine. That market is financing new gear, so no guilt required.
robgendreau
Forum Pro
Um, when the manufacturer feels badly about me and drops price then yes, I'll buy from them.
Meanwhile, and while awaiting the freezing over of the nether regions, I'd continue to buy used, which supports my fellow photographers, rather than MegaCorpPhotoCo.
Meanwhile, and while awaiting the freezing over of the nether regions, I'd continue to buy used, which supports my fellow photographers, rather than MegaCorpPhotoCo.
I second that. Why should I feel bad about not supporting a multi million dollar manufacturer? So I'm going to purposely buy new to show them my support? Not. I buy second hand all the time. This is a very odd question to begin with. "Yes I feel horrible, I'm in the corner now hanging my head in shame for buying used. Now what will all the folks at the manufacturer do?"
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"A composer is a guy who goes around forcing his will on unsuspecting air molecules, often with the assistance of unsuspecting musicians."- Frank Zappa
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Nigvo
Guest
I will add that I often trade in old gear to buy new products. Again the used market helps the manufacturer sell goods as the trade in value I get makes the purchase of a new camera possible.
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