So many replies, I like a good conversation on this forum.
It is true that almost all things should be bought with the expectation that sooner or later, their value in actual money terms will be less, sometimes much less, than the original price, even taking inflation into account, but as Terry says above, there is residual value in almost all things. Motorbikes are a case in point. one might pay thousands for a new one and the price will drop and drop over the years but, unless there is irreparable damage to the frame, they will always have value as they are like a more complicated version of the broom -- had the same one for twenty years only ever changed the head or the handle. Motorbikes will sell forever while there is fuel to run them.
The problem with modern photographic gear though is the complexity. If something goes wrong there is every chance that it might be impossible to repair therefore any residual value is totally lost, I sense this is less of a problem the older and more mechanical the camera is (although a repair may be possible but still uneconomical).
It is a fact of life that things get older and are worth less I suppose. It's a bit like me, when I was working I was worth far more dead than alive with various insurances, job protection, earning potential etc. but now I'm retired I have my pensions and am now worth far more alive than I am dead (where, apart from a potential source of fertiliser, I would be utterly worthless) so I do have some residual value, at least for now; I'm starting to envy the simple broom though
