Discussion Why does no one here mention "Pre-owned" ?

[Hasselblad]

Rarely if ever do people by a new build, the majority of homes are second or more hand...........

It is fine to own a used car, a used camera, I have bought a Hasselblad that cost £18,000 15 years ago, pre owned, £2500, with a FIVE year guarantee from CEX.

I have thanks to my son and amazing help here 👍 "re built his old computer and for me, brought it up to date, to edit 4k, and do all my daily image processing.

So, why when people ask for advice does no one say, "X" or "Y" is perfect for gaming, costs 1/3 the price of new, comes with a 5 year guarantee if bought from the right place, why always suggest new ?

 

[kanewolf]

Rarely if ever do people by a new build, the majority of homes are second or more hand...........

It is fine to own a used car, a used camera, I have bought a Hasselblad that cost £18,000 15 years ago, pre owned, £2500, with a FIVE year guarantee from CEX.

I have thanks to my son and amazing help here 👍 "re built his old computer and for me, brought it up to date, to edit 4k, and do all my daily image processing.

So, why when people ask for advice does no one say, "X" or "Y" is perfect for gaming, costs 1/3 the price of new, comes with a 5 year guarantee if bought from the right place, why always suggest new.

Most of the time because the components that are sold as USED (preowned is just marketing jargon, IMO) is obsolete enough that nobody that is building a "new" computer wants to accept the lower performance. It may even be the case, as with CPUs, that the current OS doesn't support them.
If you are building a Linux host to act as a file server? Knock yourself out buying used.

 

[USAFRet]

Rarely if ever do people by a new build, the majority of homes are second or more hand...........

It is fine to own a used car, a used camera, I have bought a Hasselblad that cost £18,000 15 years ago, pre owned, £2500, with a FIVE year guarantee from CEX.

I have thanks to my son and amazing help here 👍 "re built his old computer and for me, brought it up to date, to edit 4k, and do all my daily image processing.

So, why when people ask for advice does no one say, "X" or "Y" is perfect for gaming, costs 1/3 the price of new, comes with a 5 year guarantee if bought from the right place, why always suggest new.

1. "used" systems rarely come with a 5 year guarantee.

2. Retail storefronts rarely sell "used" systems".

3. The 'used/preowned' market is very location and time dependent. A particular system that is available today may be gone tomorrow.

4. The Dell Outlet (preowned/off-lease/etc) is OFTEN recommended around here.

 

[Hasselblad]

1. "used" systems rarely come with a 5 year guarantee.

2. Retail storefronts rarely sell "used" systems".

3. The 'used/preowned' market is very location and time dependent. A particular system that is available today may be gone tomorrow.

4. The Dell Outlet (preowned/off-lease/etc) is OFTEN recommended around here.

UK

CEX

5 year no quibble on components

 

[LordVile]

Rarely if ever do people by a new build, the majority of homes are second or more hand...........

It is fine to own a used car, a used camera, I have bought a Hasselblad that cost £18,000 15 years ago, pre owned, £2500, with a FIVE year guarantee from CEX.

I have thanks to my son and amazing help here 👍 "re built his old computer and for me, brought it up to date, to edit 4k, and do all my daily image processing.

So, why when people ask for advice does no one say, "X" or "Y" is perfect for gaming, costs 1/3 the price of new, comes with a 5 year guarantee if bought from the right place, why always suggest new.

Because typically it’s older meaning worse support, lack of new technologies etc, places like CEX have a massive up charge making them bad value vs just buying new and you’re not dealing with other issues if you just buy new. I’d like you to show me a GPU for example that is anywhere near 1/3 the price of a similarly priced new product.

There’s a reason why that camera was that price, they’re overpriced cameras to start with and one that old would be outstripped by an entry tier mirrorless now. You literally just paid for the badge.

 

[USAFRet]

UK

CEX

5 year no quibble on components

Maybe so.

But "uk.webuy.com" apparently thinks I am attacker, and will not let me in.
This, from a simple google search for CeX.
So I can't validate any prices.

But a 5 year warranty on "used parts" is quite unusual.

 

[COLGeek]

Maybe so.

But "uk.webuy.com" apparently thinks I am attacker, and will not let me in.
This, from a simple google search for CeX.
So I can't validate any prices.

But a 5 year warranty on "used parts" is quite unusual.

Same here. That is a bit odd.

 

[JeffreyP55]

Rarely if ever do people by a new build, the majority of homes are second or more hand...........

It is fine to own a used car, a used camera, I have bought a Hasselblad that cost £18,000 15 years ago, pre owned, £2500, with a FIVE year guarantee from CEX.

I have thanks to my son and amazing help here 👍 "re built his old computer and for me, brought it up to date, to edit 4k, and do all my daily image processing.

So, why when people ask for advice does no one say, "X" or "Y" is perfect for gaming, costs 1/3 the price of new, comes with a 5 year guarantee if bought from the right place, why always suggest new.

It has already been mentioned but obsolescence in the PC world is, for some is from 1 to 2 years. If you are a big gamer in search of the ultimate FPS you are upgrading once a year, maybe 2. Although my RTX3080 ti OC is 4 years old, it is considered way past it it obsolescence date.

 

[USAFRet]

It is fine to own a used car, a used camera, I have bought a Hasselblad that cost £18,000 15 years ago, pre owned, £2500, with a FIVE year guarantee from CEX.

In addition, camera performance does not change as much as PC component performance.

I'd put my 10 year old Fuji X-T1 up against anything "new".

 

[USAFRet]

The MAJOR reason 'CeX' is not mentioned around here more is that it is UK specific.

CeX (retailer) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

As noted above, I can't even go to their site to verify anything.
And the "5 year warranty" might need to be taken with a grain of salt.

https://www.reddit.com/r/CeX/comments/1ggsldq/how_does_the_2_year_now_5_year_warranty_work_in/

 

[Gururu]

I am sure there is a lot of used equipment out there that would be great to use. Sad to say my level of trust is low however because of the abuse a small fraction of this equipment endures at the hands of miners and overclockers. Auctions might be the best place for whole systems but those would mostly be 1–5-year-old like business systems from Dell, HP, etc. Refurbished can be promising. I did get my motherboard at a 30% discount as refurbished from Amazon. I think it was just opened and sent back though so not used much.

 

[mitch074]

There’s a reason why that camera was that price, they’re overpriced cameras to start with and one that old would be outstripped by an entry tier mirrorless now. You literally just paid for the badge.

Optics in reflex cameras were and are expensive, thus why these retain a high value. Hybrids and compacts are effective, but they don't allow the kinds of optical effects a reflex can make.

 

[LordVile]

Optics in reflex cameras were and are expensive, thus why these retain a high value. Hybrids and compacts are effective, but they don't allow the kinds of optical effects a reflex can make.

Guessing you’ve never heard of photo editing even if your argument isn’t actually real.

Also you are aware that SLR means single lens reflex? SLR and DSLR cameras are reflex cameras the name means you’re bouncing the viewfinder image off of a mirror.

 

[VizzieTheViz]

For a work laptop used/refurbished can be a good deal (especially so if the battery is replaced) because business software mostly doesn’t require that much performance.

For gaming used hardware is generally either so expensive you might as well buy new or so slow you might as well just buy a console.

That’s without reckoning with overlocking and mining wrecking stuff and in most places there not being a reliable supply of systems to recommend.

 

[mitch074]

Guessing you’ve never heard of photo editing even if your argument isn’t actually real.

Also you are aware that SLR means single lens reflex? SLR and DSLR cameras are reflex cameras the name means you’re bouncing the viewfinder image off of a mirror.

Because manufacturing a perfect prism is oh so easy. What do you think the mirror is for ? It's to direct the light to the viewfinder until it's time to actually take a picture (then the mirror flips down to let the light reach the film/sensor).
If you use a screen as a viewfinder, your perception of light is limited to what the screen can show. Current screens SUCK compared to what the eye can perceive.
And that's why, yes, pro photographs prefer reflex for pictures. Current sensors finally have become comparable to film.
As for photo editing, no, I don't know about it. After all, I've only done some for 20 years now... And no editing can fully salvage a badly-taken picture while a good picture doesn't need much if at all editing.

 

[LordVile]

Because manufacturing a perfect prism is oh so easy. What do you think the mirror is for ? It's to direct the light to the viewfinder until it's time to actually take a picture (then the mirror flips down to let the light reach the film/sensor).
If you use a screen as a viewfinder, your perception of light is limited to what the screen can show. Current screens SUCK compared to what the eye can perceive.
And that's why, yes, pro photographs prefer reflex for pictures. Current sensors finally have become comparable to film.
As for photo editing, no, I don't know about it. After all, I've only done some for 20 years now... And no editing can fully salvage a badly-taken picture while a good picture doesn't need much if at all editing.

Yes it’s not the 1800’s? But even so it doesn’t affect the image just the viewfinder.

So do mirrors because it’s not 1:1, I’d take a solid OLED viewfinder over a mirror any day, I’d rather have to slightly tweak colour than have poor framing. It’s not film you can alter any small deviations and colour grade quickly in post. Oh and actually being able to see what you’re taking in video formats.

No they don’t? Mirrorless cameras have exceeded DSLR in image quality and areas such as autofocus because that’s where all the money is going from manufacturers.

JPEG sure but are you just going to take a RAW file and use that without looking at it then?

 

[CyberFlash]

Because used computer parts are usually unreliable. For example, you could get used 4090s for half of their original price which sounds like a good deal on paper, but they were probably used for mining or other hard-core wear and tear purposes due to which they wouldn't last long.

 

[Hasselblad]

Because typically it’s older meaning worse support, lack of new technologies etc, places like CEX have a massive up charge making them bad value vs just buying new and you’re not dealing with other issues if you just buy new. I’d like you to show me a GPU for example that is anywhere near 1/3 the price of a similarly priced new product.

There’s a reason why that camera was that price, they’re overpriced cameras to start with and one that old would be outstripped by an entry tier mirrorless now. You literally just paid for the badge.

Sorry you are talking to someone with years of photographic experience and someone who DOES their research before buying and I totally disagree with you. The Hasselblad camera I bought was typical of the H5D40 and the price was 100% genuine as compared to MPB and LCE but comes with a 5 year guarantee, when it comes to photography as a 50+ year photographer and so called "professional" in the photographic field I know what I am talking about.

As for computers I have been building them since Dos 6.2, SX33's and whilst it has taken me a couple of weeks to get back to speed, my son is thanks to his autism way ahead of the game, and it takes just knowing what you need to use google and spend time checking sites like "THIS" for advice.

Finally it appears you have a good armature knowledge of photography not a good professional knowledge when you believe mirrorless is better, which is like saying a Porsche is better than a range rover, "for what" sorry.

View: https://youtu.be/Ic7dPJWQzRM

 

[Hasselblad]

Yes it’s not the 1800’s? But even so it doesn’t affect the image just the viewfinder.

So do mirrors because it’s not 1:1, I’d take a solid OLED viewfinder over a mirror any day, I’d rather have to slightly tweak colour than have poor framing. It’s not film you can alter any small deviations and colour grade quickly in post. Oh and actually being able to see what you’re taking in video formats.

No they don’t? Mirrorless cameras have exceeded DSLR in image quality and areas such as autofocus because that’s where all the money is going from manufacturers.

JPEG sure but are you just going to take a RAW file and use that without looking at it then?

I think you need to join a professional photography site for a real life view, lol I work in the field,

 

[Moonstick2]

And the "5 year warranty" might need to be taken with a grain of salt.

https://www.reddit.com/r/CeX/comments/1ggsldq/how_does_the_2_year_now_5_year_warranty_work_in/

No, CeX have always been very good in my experience. In that Reddit thread I can't see anything that would give me pause; the negative comments seem to be from those who don't understand UK consumer rights already or have a bee in their bonnet because of a perceived wrong, which happens with all companies ever discussed on Reddit. I've read the nuts and bolts of the T&Cs and I can tell you they're as much as you'd expect for anything you'd buy new, except that failure in the 0.5 - 5 year range means a refund of the current or original value, whichever is lower. But this is second hand stuff and a more generous warranty than new, after all.

@Hasselblad I've never seen posters here trying to discourage anybody out of buying 2nd hand, and certainly in some specific cases I've seen people suggest or advocate for it. That doesn't mean it should be evangelised in all cases.

As explained by others, CeX is UK specific and unusual in the length of warranty; plus prices and stock can be highly variable. You're also way off-beam claiming 1/3 price of new like that's across the board. My current graphics card (Sapphire Pulse 6700XT 12GB) cost £325 new, and currently on CeX it's £285. I bet I'd get a far better new card for £855.

 

[Hasselblad]

This will be my last post as you can please all the people some of the time and .........................

You have just lost your own argument

I would rather have a USED card at £285 with a 5 year guarantee than a new one at £325 and a 12 month guarantee, even you can't argue with that logic.

As for I bet I'd get a far better new card for £855., then surely you would get a better one for £5000 and the point is !

Oh and by the way, I do "like" your post

 

[LordVile]

I think you need to join a professional photography site for a real life view, lol I work in the field,

From you posts you seem to value what something cost when it was new and the brand stamped onto it rather than how it performs. For example Hasselblad cameras which are just a waste of money for something that doesn’t perform as well as a more modern mirrorless at half the price when you factor in glass. There’s a reason why professionals have used Nikon and Canon for decades rather than Hasselblad and Leica and are now migrating to Sony and Fuji depending on function. Also with wanting to spend 8 grand on a PC with specs that sound nice but ultimately don’t really matter like 128GB of RAM for gaming and a £1000 motherboard because more expensive is surely better regardless of the benefit right? Just because something costs more doesn’t make it inherently better.

Also in the UK consumer protection lasts 6 years so the limited warranty on products really doesn’t do much

 

[Moonstick2]

I would rather have a USED card at £285 with a 5 year guarantee than a new one at £325 and a 12 month guarantee, even you can't argue with that logic...As for I bet I'd get a far better new card for £855., then surely you would get a better one for £5000 and the point is !

You need to understand that your original post was ambiguous as to whether you meant 1/3 of the price of that card when it was new or you meant buying a current new card. I was covering both bases: it's not 1/3 of the price of when it was new, and it's not going to be anywhere as good as a current card costing 3x as much. Feel free to clarify exactly what example you were giving re 1/3.

And it's pretty easy to argue with that logic. I bought the Sapphire several years ago for £325. My choice today isn't between a £285 CeX and a £325 new one, it's between a £285 used 6700XT 12 GB and a £330 (closest price point I can find new) 9060XT 16 GB (faster, newer generation and more VRAM). Think your logic takes you to the 6700XT just to save £45?

I've only ever had one new card fail personally, and that was within 1 year (poor thermal design). Also if the CeX card fails at 10 months and they can't repair or replace it, I get the value of the card then, not what I paid for it when I bought it.

 

[Moonstick2]

Also in the UK consumer protection lasts 6 years so the limited warranty on products really doesn’t do much

Six years, if you can demonstrate that the product had a fault at the time it was sold. That's very much not the same as saying that a product has to last for six years. If e.g. a circuit board fails in a washing machine after five years, you'd have to be able to show that it was a design fault in the board present at the time it was purchased. If it just died through what would be considered "wear and tear", there's no basis to claim.

 

[Flayed]

Often, the discount you get on used/pre-owned isn't that great. I did buy a used motherboard and RAM, which I have had no problems with. I also bought a Sat Nav from CEX which also seems to work ok.