KEH gives low lowball offer on my Gitzo GT5561SGT

[dh003i]

I called for a quote on my Gitzo GT5561SGT (in excellent condition) from KEH and they offered $250! That was quite surprising to me, seeing as how market value is still worth around $1k, even though Gitzo recently superceded it by the GT5562GTS (which is why I called KEH, as I think that with a good sale of my pod and a Nikkor-SW 90/4.5, I can trade up on the pod without any net cash outflow).

GT5561SGT: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...ematic_6X.html
GT5562GTS: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...YSTEMATIC.html

The new one supports 88 lbs instead of 55 lbs, but the idea that somehow makes the older one worth $250 -- instead of a discount off of the almost $1200 its going for on PhotoCraft -- is ludicrous.

I wonder if that pricing is because they don't have much tripod business.

[SamReeves]

You could always try Adorama or B&H to see if they will quote you a better price.

[Brian Ellis]

I'm no fan of KEH, I was unhappy with their final offer on some 35mm Zeiss stuff I shipped to them years ago after they gave me a much higher telephone offer (long story, no need to repeat it here). But did their offer cause you some harm or damage? I wouldn't think so since you didn't ship it to them, you just got an offer by phone. And if not then why do you care enough about what they offered to start a thread on it? I don't see that KEH did something wrong by offering what they're willing to pay for it. If you don't like the offer just sell the tripod somewhere else.

Any retailer is going to give you a wholesale price. You should be able to do much better using ebay or somewhere else and get a retail price.

[dh003i]

You could always try Adorama or B&H to see if they will quote you a better price.

Thanks for the suggestion! I didn't realize they made offers on used equipment.

[BrianShaw]

Any retailer is going to give you a wholesale price. You should be able to do much better using ebay or somewhere else and get a retail price.

My thoughts, exactly.

[dh003i]

I'm no fan of KEH, I was unhappy with their final offer on some 35mm Zeiss stuff I shipped to them years ago after they gave me a much higher telephone offer (long story, no need to repeat it here). But did their offer cause you some harm or damage? I wouldn't think so since you didn't ship it to them, you just got an offer by phone. And if not then why do you care enough about what they offered to start a thread on it? I don't see that KEH did something wrong by offering what they're willing to pay for it. If you don't like the offer just sell the tripod somewhere else.

Any retailer is going to give you a wholesale price. You should be able to do much better using ebay or somewhere else and get a retail price.

No, I certainly didn't mean to imply they did me any harm or that I'm really upset about it; it is just kind of a laughable offer, considering exactly what you said: it is still selling on the market for near retail price. Also, KEH doesn't sell stuff at prices much better than eBay or other used retailers (what they offer is quality assurance), so it isn't like that is necessary to make a profit.

I was actually calling KEH hoping to establish a floor price, below which I won't sell it ($250 isn't even close). My best guess as to why they'd offer something like that -- which no one would take -- is because they think they'd have trouble moving it, because tripods aren't typically on KEH. The reason I posted the thread was kind of out of curiosity / entertainment as to why their offer was 1/5 to 1/4th market-value. I'll try B&H and Adorama and see if this is more up their alley, and if so, use that and the last eBay sale price (discounting to account for eBay & Paypal fees) to see if anyone here would like to buy it.

[DrTang]

that somehow makes the older one worth $250 --

no..it makes it worth that to them

they have to resell it as used..with a newer model out

they sell it for what? 450? 500 maybe?

maybe they carry it for 6 months before it sells.


stick it on ebay and see exactly what the market is

[Frank Petronio]

If you get stuck, I'll give you $360 cash for it and I'm local.

[lenser]

They did the same thing to a friend of mine who had shipped them a bunch of Hasse gear. Phone estimate of $1100.00 turned into an offer on just over $100.00. He later sold it privately for nearly $1,700.00 which was a realistic retail for the items he had in the kit.

Bottom line is, they are great to buy from, but not so good to sell to even at a reasonable wholesale price.

Sell your tripods here or on the bay.

[false_Aesthetic]

Hrm.

I really just think of those guys as the reputable version of a pawn shop. $10,000 diamond ring gets you $350. Pawn shop will sell it for $3500.