Forgot Password
Pentax Camera Forums Home
 

Reply
Show Printable Version Search this Thread
  #1
Some serious photographer's kit for sale...
Posted By: mgvh, 10-15-2012, 10:35 AM

(If this post is inappropriate, I trust the moderators will delete it. The link is to a Goodwill sale, so I have no connection to the sale, and it would be for a good cause. Sale ends 10/17/2012)

Some serious photographer's Pentax kit is for sale at Goodwill. In addition to the ME Super, there is a lot of other gear, but check the lenses:
  • SMC Pentax K 50mm f1.2
  • SMC Pentax M 85mm f2
  • SMC Pentax-M Zoom 80-200mm f4.5
Price is already too rich for me, but some of you would probably be interested!
Views: 3,118
10-15-2012, 10:52 AM   #2
Loyal Site Supporter
Loyal Site Supporter
boriscleto's Avatar

Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: North Syracuse, NY
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 16,464
Way too much money to spend on shopgoodwill. You have no idea what kind of condition the lenses will be in, the people at goodwill have no clue, and no real possibility of returning it. It's at $337 right now and it will probably be sniped for more than $500.
10-15-2012, 10:53 AM   #3
Veteran Member
Docrwm's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Somewhere in the Southern US
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 12,285
QuoteOriginally posted by boriscleto Quote
Way too much money to spend on shopgoodwill. You have no idea what kind of condition the lenses will be in, the people at goodwill have no clue, and no real possibility of returning it. It's at $337 right now and it will probably be sniped for more than $500.
+1. Goodwill is the biggest crapshoot there is when it comes to gear in my experience.
10-15-2012, 11:06 AM   #4
Moderator
Site Supporter
Blue's Avatar

Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Florida Hill Country
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 17,377
QuoteOriginally posted by boriscleto Quote
Way too much money to spend on shopgoodwill. You have no idea what kind of condition the lenses will be in, the people at goodwill have no clue, and no real possibility of returning it. It's at $337 right now and it will probably be sniped for more than $500.
If the glass is clean, it would be a good snag for the 85 and 50. However, it could also be some very expensive gourmet mushrooms.

10-15-2012, 11:09 AM   #5
Veteran Member




Join Date: May 2010
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 5,901
QuoteOriginally posted by Docrwm Quote
+1. Goodwill is the biggest crapshoot there is when it comes to gear in my experience.
Yeah, it is, but sometimes you win the crapshoot, grin....

(MK gently pats her beautiful black KX and Vivitar 100MM....)

Actually a good portion of the MF lenses in my kit came from Goodwill one way or the other. Not all, but probably 3/4 and most of them were in good shape. Camera bodies, that's touch and go. I've had a few good ones, more bad ones probably, but I've only once or twice gotten a lens from there that had fungus or that had mechanical issues so I really cannot complain. If it were not for Goodwill, CL, and other local thrifts I'd be much less well outfitted for my job than I am now. Except for the odd black Pentax I rarely take a chance on cameras alone or with kit 50's. I'm on there looking for lenses I don't have, lenses I think are good and can use.

If a good camera comes with so much the better. But my top reason for bidding is lenses not cameras usually. I tend to go for a lot of off brand stuff besides. I don't automatically think Takumar every time I am perusing the auctions on there. There are often a lot of good lenses to be had for less that are not Taks. I always look up the lenses I am eying before I put them on my watch list. It pays to do your homework on there. But you really have to watch the shipping because of late it can be very high for camera gear...

As for that auction I suspected it would do well but not that well. The 85mm was the draw there, obviously. Those cameras they're on there by the dozen so is that 50 and the zoom. That 85mm goes for like $200 something normally, doesn't it? Must be someone wants it REALLY bad....

Last edited by magkelly; 10-15-2012 at 11:17 AM.
10-15-2012, 12:49 PM   #6
Loyal Site Supporter
Loyal Site Supporter
boriscleto's Avatar

Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: North Syracuse, NY
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 16,464
The best buy I ever got on a lens was on shopgoodwill, an Auto Sears MC 50/1.7 (Chinon) for $5.00 ($10.00 after shipping). My A50/1.4, A28/2.8/ A135/2.8, F35-70, F70-210, and FA28-105 all come from goodwill and were good deals. But I also gambled and lost on a broken Zenit-E with a S-M-C Takumar 50/1.4. The camera had obviously been dropped and more than the filter ring had been bent. The damage to the camera and filter ring were in the description, but the stiff focusing ring was not.

But to gamble more than $150? No way. And I've seen Leica's and medium format stuff on shopgoodwill, not just 6x6 Rollei's, there was an entire Bronica kit on there one time.

Last edited by boriscleto; 10-15-2012 at 12:57 PM.
10-15-2012, 01:08 PM   #7
Otis Memorial Pentaxian
stevebrot's Avatar

Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Vancouver (USA)
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 42,007
QuoteOriginally posted by magkelly Quote
Yeah, it is, but sometimes you win the crapshoot, grin....
Yep...My Ricoh XR7 with two zoom kit for less than $25 USD including shipping. Traded the zooms for a CLA on the body and came out feeling pretty good on the purchase. OTOH...I would be hard put to lay down anything but bargain cash there!


Steve

10-15-2012, 01:24 PM   #8
Veteran Member
Docrwm's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Somewhere in the Southern US
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 12,285
Oh, I have won once or twice on Goodwill.Com, but most of the time its a huge waste and the items go into the trash. I have a 35-70 that is a gem, and have gotten several Quantaray zooms that were like new. However, I have also gotten lenses that were said to be fungus free that were FULL of mold, cameras that were literally falling apart that were listed as cosmetically in good shape but they didn't know if they worked because of no working battery - yeah right. Sorry, on a 50/1.2 lens that will go for $500+ - pass.
10-15-2012, 02:04 PM   #9
Pentaxian
Sagitta's Avatar

Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Maine
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 3,081
I've had luck with my local Goodwill. The website always has made me leery though.
10-15-2012, 04:57 PM   #10
Veteran Member
Julie's Avatar

Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Illinois
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 1,069
I've had bad experiences with shopgoodwill - not just camera gear. Lets say that I won't buy from them again.
I personally wouldn't gamble more than $125-150 for the whole lot.

I once saw a red Pentax K-x body sell for $450 (back when the K-x was a current model), it was listed "as Is", untested, and no returns. In the description it said that the camera was untested because they didn't have batteries to test it. Umm, the K-x takes AA batteries. They either knew that it didn't work and wrote that on purpose or they are really stupid and didn't even bother to read up a little bit about the model.
10-15-2012, 05:06 PM   #11
Loyal Site Supporter
Loyal Site Supporter
boriscleto's Avatar

Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: North Syracuse, NY
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 16,464
QuoteOriginally posted by Julie Quote
Umm, the K-x takes AA batteries. They either knew that it didn't work and wrote that on purpose or they are really stupid and didn't even bother to read up a little bit about the model.
If the camera doesn't have batteries when it comes into the donation center they won't bother to find any. There may be someone who knows something about cameras at one or two goodwills around the country, but most know nothing about what they are listing. The majority of lenses are listed as whatever filter is screwed into it.
10-15-2012, 05:15 PM   #12
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
ramseybuckeye's Avatar

Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Hampstead, NC
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 17,276
I've got a couple of good buys there, but you better see a good photo. Lately the prices on ShopGoodwill are higher than the items are worth, and the shipping is nearly always double what it should be. However, I still look at it nearly every day.
10-15-2012, 05:20 PM   #13
Veteran Member




Join Date: May 2010
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 5,901
It generally is Goodwill's policy to sell things as is, and Goodwill Online is actually a whole network of stores. Some are better than others about testing things. There are some stores who charge crazy shipping for almost anything who will try to sell anything they get in. My local Goodwill is one of them.

At that store I once saw a camera lens combo that that was obviously dunked in suds, still had soap scum all over it with an $89 ticket on it. Right now there's a bag with 2 old Kodak rangefinders, nothing special or particularly collectible, and a mini tripod that's been sitting there for a month marked at $120. I seriously doubt looking at them that either works. But I've also walked into that store and found $65 lenses for $5 in beautiful condition. Two of the Taks and all of the Ricoh's in my bag are there because of that store. I never buy from them without a walk outside and/or a bright light check though, and they know that at this point. I tend to bring batteries for most of the old cameras that I collect with me actually so that I can check things out.

There are stores both offline and on though where they do seem to know what they are getting and where they do check and they will tell you so in the details section. I do tend to buy from certain stores because I know they tend to check more and seem to know more, but I'm also pretty careful to look at the pic, to blow them up in Photoshop if need be to see as much as I can. There is always a risk factor when it comes to buying from a thrifts online though. It's no different than at the flea market sometimes. You just have to eye things, make an educated guess and take a chance once in a while.

In the past few months I've gotten two MF lenses that normally sell for over $200 for about $25 a pop. I've gotten several worth at least $45-75 for probably about the same or less. I've gotten two beautiful cameras in fine shape and one dud. But at least with the dud I got my money's worth in terms of lenses. Like I said, I can't complain. It is a crapshoot though. But no more so I think than Ebay and I feel a lot safer buying from Goodwill than doing Ebay actually....
10-15-2012, 05:21 PM   #14
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
ChrisPlatt's Avatar

Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Rockaway Beach NYC
Posts: 7,682
It's not a Pentax K-x DSLR, but a Pentax KX film SLR.
The KX uses a pair of 1.5V 44, 76 or 357 button cells.

Chris
10-15-2012, 05:28 PM   #15
Loyal Site Supporter
Loyal Site Supporter
boriscleto's Avatar

Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: North Syracuse, NY
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 16,464
The Rochester area Goodwill, aka Goodwill of the Finger Lakes, is particularly comical to me. They put a reserve price on everything and never lower it, even if the item is nearly worthless and doesn't sell for months. It's very hard to get to a reserve price when an item only draws 1 or 2 bids.

I've never actually been to a Goodwill store. There is only one in Syracuse and it only opened in the last year or so. It's also in a part of town I wouldn't go to unless heavily armed. The donation center is in a much nicer part of town. I think they will be disappointed though. The only stuff that gets donated in Syracuse is garbage that won't sell at a garage sale. Plus they have a lot of competition from the Rescue Mission and Salvation Army who have big donation center / stores all over town.

Last edited by boriscleto; 10-15-2012 at 05:40 PM.
Reply

Bookmarks
  • Submit Thread to Facebook Facebook
  • Submit Thread to Twitter Twitter
  • Submit Thread to Digg Digg
Tags - Make this thread easier to find by adding keywords to it!
goodwill, kit, pentax, pentax deals, sale, smc
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
For Sale - Sold: I WANT A Q!! My K7 Kit is all for Sale Pioneer Sold Items 7 08-15-2012 10:21 PM
For Sale - Sold: Pentax K-x w/kit lens - WHITE (sale pending) stormtech Sold Items 7 05-16-2012 08:09 PM
Pro Photographer G. Lewis (Shutterfinger) Chooses... the kit lens? Aegon Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 10 08-30-2010 02:23 PM



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 11:15 AM. | See also: NikonForums.com, CanonForums.com part of our network of photo forums!
  • Red (Default)
  • Green
  • Gray
  • Dark
  • Dark Yellow
  • Dark Blue
  • Old Red
  • Old Green
  • Old Gray
  • Dial-Up Style
Hello! It's great to see you back on the forum! Have you considered joining the community?
register
Creating a FREE ACCOUNT takes under a minute, removes ads, and lets you post! [Dismiss]
Top