Do you consider Resale Value/Opportunities due to Brand Recognition? (1 Viewer)

[Jonas328]

Hello,

I am a new forum member and also quite new to binoculars. I bought my first one about 6 weeks ago, bought some more, returned some and even sold some*. I have the feeling that selling used binoculars made by Zeiss, Leica or Nikon is somehow easier and faster than selling binoculars by lesser known brands or manufactures (e.g. GPO, Opticron or DDoptics in Germany).

At the moment I am thinking about buying either a Nikon Monarch M7 8x42 or GPO Passion ED 8x42. I have read contradictory statements about which has better optical quality. But the Nikon has some advantages at the moment: A bit cheaper to buy, a bit less weight, and possibly more people interested to buy in case I would want to sell it at a later point in time. On german kleinanzeigen.de, which is like local classified ("Craigslist") and which I have used myself to buy and sell binoculars, there are 2 used GPO binos offered and about 85 used Nikons (obviously most rather cheap). Does that difference correlate to how many people are searching for those binoculars? Do you consider this when buying binoculars?

Kind regards,
Jonas

* In case you are interested, now I have: Nikon Prostaff P7 8x30, Opticron Adventurer T WP 10x50, Pentax Papilio II 6.5x21 and Bresser Pirsch 8x26.
I have sold or returned: DDoptics Ultralight 8x34 (was bothered by chromatic abberations), Nikon Travelite EX 9x25 (very nice but would rather get 8x25 perhaps in the future), Nikon Sporter EX 10x42 (not very sharp and 10x too shaky for me) and SvBony SV202 ED 8x32 (optically worse than Nikon P7).

 

[Bentley03]

Welcome Jonas!

If you intend to buy and sell or trade binoculars, then brand is important. You left Swarovski off your list.

I bought a made in China binocular from a non premium brand not so long ago. For reasons which are irrelevant, the binoculars were literally never used, apart from a standard mechanical and optical check, to make sure the binoculars functioned correctly. I was offered approximately 26% of what I paid for them in part exchange for a different binocular.

I enquired with a different optics retailer if they would take Meopta binoculars (Meostar) in part exchange. No, they're not really our thing, was the reply.

So yes, brand is definitely important, in my experience.

 

[Binastro]

Perhaps not in context.

We used to change our British made cars every year as BMC etc. were unreliable.

One was a Riley Mini.

We asked a fair price in the large local paper.

We had about one hundred phone calls begging for the car, some offering way more than we asked.

But I said that if the first buyer bought it it would go to him, and the second and so on.

The first buyer bought it for cash at the asking price.

So yes Brand matters.

Also with binoculars, with Leica, Zeiss, Zeiss Jena, Swarovski, Minolta, Nikon, Pentax, Olympus selling easily.
Canon also, but there are few non IS and the IS may be a little slow.

Regards,
B.

 

[Maljunulo]

I’m not sure what your goal is, so perhaps you could clarify.

Mine is to have a binocular which offers the best image (since the whole point is to see better) and to use it in all situations.

There will always be a bird (or other subject) which is too small, well hidden, poorly illuminated, or too far away for whatever instrument you are carrying.

The solution is to accept this and carry on, unless you plan on dashing about festooned with different magnifications and apertures so as to have available an “optimum” instrument at any time. Perhaps an attendant, analogous to a golf caddy, to hand you the most suitable glass for the moment.

In my opinion, it descends into absurdity, but that’s just my opinion.

 

[Pinewood]

Hello Jonas,

Yes!

The strange thing is that I have resold only two binoculars in the last twenty years, both Nikons. I have three Zeiss binoculars and one Leica surplus to my needs but I have yet to seek buyers.

Stay safe,
Arthur Pinewood

 

[lisamerlot]

Hello Jonas,

Yes!

The strange thing is that I have resold only two binoculars in the last twenty years, both Nikons. I have three Zeiss binoculars and one Leica surplus to my needs but I have yet to seek buyers.

Stay safe,
Arthur Pinewood

Would you say Nikon is the top brand?

Lisa

 

[chill6x6]

So no, not really WITHIN REASON. And it also matters exactly for how long of a time period...but I'd say most binocular brands in a particular price bracket hold their value pretty much the same regardless of brand. There may be a slight difference but I think the difference is trendy. So I don't really think a $1000 Leica, $1000 Zeiss, $1000 Kowa, $1000 Nikon, etc retain their value much differently. AND also IMO a $400 Zeiss Terra ED is worth no more than just about anything else at the same price point, maybe less. There might be an exception or two and some are trendy in the way they retain their value. Some models value increases the moment they are discontinued. Of course Johnny come lately brands may falter/fail and value may plummet. But there are a LOT of brands that have been around long enough that offer a decent binocular at various price points and not really lose their value more than normal...Opticron, Maven, Vanguard, GPO, lesser priced Nikons, Vortex, et al.

 

[Pinewood]

Would you say Nikon is the top brand?

Lisa

Hello Lisa,

I would not say that Nikon is the top brand. On this side of the Pond, that Austrian brand gets the most loyalty.

However, among the top brands, Leica, Zeiss, Nikon and that Austrian brand, personal preferences in colour, durability, field of view, and ergonomics are important considerations.

Stay safe,
Arthur Pinewood

 

[ArchStanton]

A couple people advised me to only by an Opticron Aurora at a heavily discounted price because here in the states Opticron is not a well known brand, and they wouldn’t retain much of their value compared to Zeiss or Leica. Needless to say I didn’t buy them because wasn’t able to find a good price and didn’t want to take a chance. However, I did buy the Opticron Oregon 8x42 binoculars, and IMHO they’re a darn good pair of binoculars for under $200 and better than binoculars I bought costing more than twice as much. I don’t plan on selling them but if I did, it wouldn’t bother me if I got less than half of what I paid for them.

 

[chill6x6]

A couple people advised me to only by an Opticron Aurora at a heavily discounted price because here in the states Opticron is not a well known brand, and they wouldn’t retain much of their value compared to Zeiss or Leica. Needless to say I didn’t buy them because wasn’t able to find a good price and didn’t want to take a chance. However, I did buy the Opticron Oregon 8x42 binoculars, and IMHO they’re a darn good pair of binoculars for under $200 and better than binoculars I bought costing more than twice as much. I don’t plan on selling them but if I did, it wouldn’t bother me if I got less than half of what I paid for them.

If I buy a binocular NEW...and I sell them...about 50-65% of what I paid is about it. Now if I buy USED and resale...much closer return to what you paid.

 

[ArchStanton]

If I buy a binocular NEW...and I sell them...about 50-65% of what I paid is about it. Now if I buy USED and resale...much closer return to what you paid.

That’s a good rule of thumb to go by. It sounds like buying used is a better option if you can find what you’re looking for. Cheers!

 

[Chris Pringle]

No, I don’t think of resale value unless I’m having to buy and then resell often. Personally, I don’t enjoy the whole process of having to resell something, plus losing money on it.

New binoculars are inevitably depreciating goods. The math is simple - the more often you have to resell one, the more money you lose with each sale. If I find myself in that scenario, then it’s time to go back to drawing board and deeply re-evaluate. Maybe I need to be seriously thinking about the much more expensive binocular that ticks all the boxes. Even pastimes like birding can become a money pit when it comes to hardware.

 

[Ignatius]

Resale value (due to brand recognition) did not interest me in the 30 or so years I collected wristwatches or in any of the cars or motorbikes I have ever owned, and it does not interest me now that I have an interest in optics. I am not the sort of person that is c.o.d. about buying new, so usually I have been able to avoid the pitfalls of major depreciation by taking my time and looking for solid 2nd hand offers. The camera equipment I am currently getting rid of to move to a different brand/system is fetching almost what I paid when I bought it used. I tend to look after my stuff which helps.

 

[Maljunulo]

I do not buy things with the idea that I will be able to “get my money back” when I tire of them, or something else catches my eye.

It is a flat-out purchase, not an “investment” and it is “worth” not a penny more than you can persuade someone to give you for it.

 

[Patudo]

Whenever this subject comes up lots of folks are keen to say that resale value doesn't matter to them. But a quick search for "resale" on this forum reveals hundreds of results. It would be funny to see how certain individuals reacted if for whatever reason (maybe as everyone gets plugged into the Matrix...) binoculars did indeed have no resale value.

In my case I've always bought secondhand, as doing so let me get a better binocular for less money. I think that's more important than resale value to me, as I can only remember selling three binoculars over the years.

I bought most of mine because I thought they would work well for the birding I did (and were within the budget I wanted to spend). In some cases there was something about them I admired or desired (workmanship, field of view). I don't, in all honesty, need all the binoculars I have: I could probably narrow it down to two or three and be just as effective (although might enjoy certain outings a little less).

Your current collection will certainly let you enjoy birding and general observation. If you desire better optical performance or build quality that's a different story - but for the simple task of seeing and identifying (and enjoying) birds, you'll be fine.