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Sell a kit or break it up??
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 3:43 pm    Post subject: Sell a kit or break it up?? Reply with quote

Would you sooner sell a complete kit or do you think its better to break up the kit and sell the items individually.
I cant decide what to do, I have a few to get rid of but not sure what gets the best price?

Steve.


PostPosted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 3:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sell in piece if you have time and want to maximize the profit.


PostPosted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 3:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Some kits came together originally, and I've found keeping those together gets best pricing. A kit assembled by an enthusiast, with many individual components which all work well together but may be difficult to find individually, is prime for selling piecemeal. Few folks appreciate the full kit's value, and any enthusiast who does appreciate it probably already has many of the components and would really only be looking for the individual pieces not already owned. I've purchased several full macro kits on eBay, and they always sell for less than I would have paid for the individual pieces, which ends up being justified because I bought the kits for specific items they contained.


PostPosted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 3:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You're normally going to get more if you split a kit up.


PostPosted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 4:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Really, it depends on the kit. If it is just a camera with a collection of lenses, etc, you'll make more money by breaking it up than if you sell it as an outfit. If however it was sold new as a kit, it will probably be better to keep it together as a kit. Breaking up a kit or outfit into its component parts can often negatively affect price, especially if it has some intrinsic value or popularity as a kit.


PostPosted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 4:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sell individually, selling kits is hopeless. Buyers see a kit for sale and expect it to be sold at charity shop / yard sale prices. I have had someone get angry and abusive because I wouldn't accept an offer of £10 for a perfect Canon A1 with three good Canon lenses and a flash that I had for sale 'open to offers' on a Facebook group.


PostPosted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 4:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think I'm leaning towards selling individually but for some reason I find myself wanting to construct a good kit for someone Confused

I think I may take out any 50mm lenses and replace with a generic zoom of some sort in view of your advice. They seem to go for as much for just a lens sale as they do with a camera. Is it just me or does there seem to be a lot mors manual focus and film gear on the market over the last couple of years.

steve


PostPosted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 5:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It really depends on what you are selling - some stuff is better to break up, and some stuff is better to bundle as kit.


PostPosted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 5:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I sell cheap things as kit Wink


PostPosted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 10:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nordentro wrote:
I sell cheap things as kit Wink


Me too, you can get more than they are worth.Cool

A kit is fine but nobody will pay what its worth individually. Also, a kit may contain 2 or 3 items that a buyer doesnt want. Yes take out a prime or two and swap them for a zoom. Your idea for giving someone a nice kit is fine but collectors know what they want


PostPosted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 10:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

As everyone else has said - break it up and sell individually.
Your idea of a great kit may not be what others are looking for, or they may already have some of the items in the kit.
You will make more and save yourself having to deal with morons if you sell it individually.
Cheers
OH


PostPosted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 11:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you have the time, try and sell the kit for the price you want(reserve), if it doesn't sell, break it up.


PostPosted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 12:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lightshow wrote:
If you have the time, try and sell the kit for the price you want(reserve), if it doesn't sell, break it up.


+1 I think the best price can be got if there is time enough for somebody to figure out how much time, effort, and shipping costs can be saved -- especially for a well-cultivated collection, with selections from multiple copies, etc..


PostPosted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 4:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Guys, this thread is kind of timely for me. I have an outfit that, after some thought, I decided to list as a kit rather than separate on eBay. Some of you have heard of the Lester Dine macro, aka the Kiron 105mm f/2.8 1:1 macro? And you may also know that it originally came in a kit that consisted of the lens, a Yuzo brand ring flash and a camera. I have a Vivitar/Kiron 105/2.8 and Yuzo flash that were components of a Dine kit. They came with a set of instructions that included basic operating instructions for a Nikon N60. Well this kit has an N80, plus the Lester Dine/Kiron 105mm f/2.8 macro lens and Yuzo flash, all in a nice plastic case with complete instructions. The lens has the reccommended settings based on the part of the mouth that is being photogrraphed. If you're familiar with the Dine, you know what I'm talking about. Everything is in mint shape -- looks like it was never used. I'm figuring that this is probably one of the last sets that Dine offered before going digital.

My plan is to figure up what the pieces are worth individually and to ask that for the kit -- probably around $400. The main reason why I'm interested in offering it as a kit is I'd just as soon be finished with it all at once. I don't want to sell this piece and then that piece and then that other piece over there, all at different times.

I'm thinking that, just because it's a Dine kit and because they have a good reputation, somebody might spring for the price I'll be asking for it. So, what do you think? Keep it as a kit or bust it up?

Here it is:


As I was doing some online research on this kit I discovered an interesting factoid: Did you know that Lester Dine invented the ring flash?


PostPosted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 9:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

^^^^ A classic example of where it really is worth keeping the kit in one piece.


PostPosted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 9:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

barryreid wrote:
^^^^ A classic example of where it really is worth keeping the kit in one piece.


Agreed
OH


PostPosted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 5:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I, on the other hand, think that this kit will not get one penny more than the top price for the lens alone.


PostPosted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 5:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

barryreid wrote:
^^^^ A classic example of where it really is worth keeping the kit in one piece.


I think we were all thinking it may be a body, 3 or 4 primes, winder etc. Not this. Yes it could be better to sell this as a kit. maybe...


PostPosted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 5:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gardener wrote:
I, on the other hand, think that this kit will not get one penny more than the top price for the lens alone.


+1 (read careful!)


PostPosted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 5:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the feedback, folks. Well, I'll know soon enough, and it won't cost anything for me to try listing it as a kit. If it doesn't sell after giving it a decent interval of availability, then I'll break it up. Most likely I'll wind up with another case for photo gear as well.

Oh, and that ring flash has sold in the past on eBay for as high as $150. Perhaps not anymore with the wide availability of all the Chinese made LED ringlights. But it'll still sell for a decent amount -- in addition to the top price for the lens. And the Nikon N80 was an advanced amateur model film camera when it was first offered. This one has received almost no use, so whatever N80s go for on eBay, this one should fetch. In addition to the top price for the lens.

So obviously I don't share this pessimism.


PostPosted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 5:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Michael, I think I have a good approach to the general decision making process here. I think before making up ones mind it is utterly crucial to sit, quietly sipping a good single malt or similar and ponder.

This sometimes takes hours if your lucky Cool

Steve.


PostPosted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 9:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good idea, Steve. No single malts handy, curse the luck. I wonder if a few pints of a good porter wound suffice.


PostPosted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 10:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Another for breaking kits up when selling. As others here have stated, if your kit involves anything beyond manufacturer "kit" gear like the traditional intro zooms (18-55mm, 55-200mm, etc.), your selection of items will be lost on others as their ideal kit may not match your selections. I personally tend to buy kits because I am interested in one of the items and can usually get the whole kit for the cost of that one item alone, then sell off the other items individually which ultimately reduces the cost of the original item I wanted. Again, this is my personal general understanding and there certainly are exceptions to this rule.

Michael, wow, nice setup! The fact that it has the whole case, and foam to match, to me, lends itself to this being a good candidate for a kit. Though I can find myself also sharing Gardener's thoughts, that this thing could go off, on auction, for about $250-300, about the cost of the Dine by itself. I'm in the market for a Dine but I couldn't justify the added cost for the N80 (Though I owned this camera for several years and loved it dearly), and the ringflash which I would likely little, if at all. I still think it's no sweat to try since you have time!


PostPosted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 11:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nordentro wrote:
I sell cheap things as kit Wink

+1


PostPosted: Mon Mar 30, 2015 10:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

David, you've described a practice I've followed for the past 25 years or so. But I would not generally call them "kits." Outfits would be more appropos. Often, I'll buy an outfit to obtain one or two items in it, then I'll sell the rest off. It is not unusual at all for me to end up with the item or items for free -- sometimes I'll even do better than that -- I'll end up turning a profit while still getting what I was after for free. I've done this many times. Most recently, I bought a fairly well used old Canon F-1 with a 55mm f/1.2 SSC. I wanted that lens but I already owned a couple of old F-1s, and both were in better shape than this oine. I talked the guy down on the price and ended up buying the "outfit" for what I later sold just the camera for. So I got an FD 55mm f/1.2 SSC for free. I love it when I can pull stuff like that off. When I bought that 55mm f/1.2, I sold another FD 55mm f/1.2 I had, a first model, chrome nose, which I wanted less than the SSC. I had bought the chrome nose 55/1.2 with a T90. I sold that 55/1.2 for more than what I paid for that outfit, so I wound up getting the T90 for free plus about another $30. So because of this sort of maneuvering, I've wound up with a T90 and a 55/1.2 SSC for free, plus enough green to take the wife and me to a Chinese buffet for dinner. Woot!

But this kit is different because it was sold new as shown -- it wasn't an assemblage that someone put together. Now, frequently you'll see the Dine kits broken up where the lens and sometimes the lens and the flash are sold together. That's how I found mine. I found the lens and flash at a local camera shop. The lens is a Vivitar S1 105/2.8 with the Dine labels for the teeth. For some reason my Vivitar wasn't relabeled a Dine and neither was the flash. But the set had paperwork, which included Dine instructions for a Nikon N60, so that's how I know it was originally part of the Dine kit. I paid good money for my lens and flash -- $200, but considering what just the lens sells for, I thought that was a very fair price.

You know if I don't have any luck selling it as a kit, I'm seriously thinking about keeping that N80. There's something about it that I just like; hard to explain. I have an F4, so I've got AF for Nikon covered, but still, I just like it. I think it's because it's lightweight and compact -- not a huge monster like the F4 -- but it also just feels comfortable in my hands. Ergonomics score high with me. After looking through the N80s insruction manual, there isn't much I would need that it can't do.