Why throw away the Box!!

I've purchased numerous second hand items over the last few years and can't recall getting a box with any of them.

It doesn't bother me not getting a box, but there may be some truth in the theory that items without a box attract lower prices. But why would anyone pay more for a second hand item just because it has a box? That makes no sense to me.
 
Makes perfect sense for those who prefer the item being sold to be so with its original box and contents.
There's a perception that those who retain their boxes, even years after, tend to be conscientious and look after their items more/better, than someone who slings the box in the bin 5 minutes after opening it.

At the end of the day, there are those who don't care about the box, and those who do - different strokes for different folks.
 
I always keep the box, I like the thought that's gone in to the packaging, if need be I have boxes around, and I've paid for the box, I wouldn't throw away a £20 note, so why throw a box?
 
RichardtheSane said:
Some folk simply don't have the required space to store their boxes.
Some people simply don't want the clutter.
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I pay £x for my apartment, it has y cubic metres of space, I live in the city centre so x is high and y is low- so it costs me a lot of money to keep boxes, maybe I lose £10 if I come to sell but I lose more than than on living space every week if I keep the boxes. People think box=well looked after, that is definitely not the case for the one thing I do have the box for...
 
mrjames said:
People think box=well looked after, that is definitely not the case for the one thing I do have the box for...
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It is not always going to be the case but it does give a feeling that the person owning the item shows more care. Only a perception thing but whatever helps my sale prices I will take. When my garage starts to overflow I may rethink...
 
Given that people are disposing of boxes due to practical reasons such as space, how do you get to the conclusion that people who retain boxes look after their gear better. This may be the 'perception' but I very much doubt such a correlation exists.

If a boxed second hand item offered a cast iron guarantee that it had been better looked after then I could understand paying more for it.

But if no correlation between box retention and care exists, then all you are paying extra for is the box which makes no sense to me.
 
I'm a hoarder of boxes. Anything substantial I buy or I think I may have a small chance of needing the box for some reason, I keep it :-/

Lens and camera boxes aren't too bad but an av amp and mitre saw box can take up some space!

I do take it into consideration when buying second hand too.....always nicer to but with the box.
 
I think I chuck out at least three in every four, and yet I'm still drowning in the things. The attic and much of my office space is taken up with them.

When I venture into the attic, I keep finding boxes for kit that's been sold or scrapped.

I guess I'm buying too much kit.
 
Steve said:
Given that people are disposing of boxes due to practical reasons such as space, how do you get to the conclusion that people who retain boxes look after their gear better. This may be the 'perception' but I very much doubt such a correlation exists.

If a boxed second hand item offered a cast iron guarantee that it had been better looked after then I could understand paying more for it.

But if no correlation between box retention and care exists, then all you are paying extra for is the box which makes no sense to me.
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I didn't say there was a correlation, I said there was a perception. It clearly makes no difference to you but it seems to matter to others which is important to me as that is who I am selling too.
It also makes it much easier to package and you already have "made to measure" packaging rather than having to bodge an expensive item using other packing material.
As I said earlier, if I have no intention of selling the item (i.e. a lawnmower) then the box is discarded. However for camera gear, guitar gear etc,. I know myself only too well and nothing is safe. Stuff I love one week is sold the next. I am the consumerist dream...
 
I've got the boxes for all my camera if I ever have to send away lenses for servicing and the like I'm guaranteed to have a box that fits! Don't bother with anything else though.
 
I flat pack all the boxes and keep them in the loft.

Having said that, my 1Dx box was crushed when it arrived so Ii'm not best pleased!!! Do you think Canon would give me a new box if I ask nicely?
 
Alan Clogwyn said:
I've got the boxes for all my camera if I ever have to send away lenses for servicing and the like I'm guaranteed to have a box that fits! Don't bother with anything else though.
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This. I store boxes for things that are delicate and complex. In my mind these things have a higher likelihood of being sent back for servicing or repair.
 
I don't understand how all of you that chuck your boxes away can build a good fort.
 
Don't throw away the box, it helps keep the value of your camera if you sell/trade it in

:)
 
Looks like people are very split on this discussion with good points from both sides.
 
surely if you want to beat the "eco friendly" drum you will have recycled all your packaging..:shrug:

(y)
 
antihero said:
All the boxes I have for my Camera gear have card innards. Do they still use polystyrene? Not very eco friendly!
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I somehow doubt that lens and camera production is eco friendly any way so any polystyrene is the box is not really going to add to the issue...
 
Alan Clogwyn said:
I've got the boxes for all my camera if I ever have to send away lenses for servicing and the like I'm guaranteed to have a box that fits! Don't bother with anything else though.
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I keep the boxes (in the loft) for everything while they are under warranty,
the trouble is I never get around to throwing them out!

I sold off loads of my old well used and abused Nikon film cameras and lenses recently, many for 'spares or repair' but I still had all their original boxes, packing and manuals (the latter still sealed in plastic bags) - I got far more money for everything than I had expected.
 
I'm a box keeper, the boxes used by manufactures are designed to protect the items inside and as you can not be sure that you will never need to send the item though the post wether for repair or sale it makes sense to me to keep it,
and as been pointed out by others here some people are prepared to pay quite a lot more for boxed items so you are effectively throwing away money.
The only reason I can think of for not keeping them is a serious lack of space in which case you don't really have a choice.(y)
 
I am a box keeper as well. Just for me though! I will always know that it is 'complete!'...sounds odd, but in a round about way, I paid for that box. So, technically it is mine! And that is why I keep it!
 
I tend to keep all my boxes for at least the warranty period as it has been useful to have them when sending bits back for servicing or selling on.
 
Think i have a box fetish have a loft full of boxes and dont even have the stuff what was in them lol.....but when buying secondhand always like to have the box just one of them things for me ....i have a problem lol
 
I keep boxes for electronics for a year then I tend to throw them out. I don't normally buy electronics with the intention of selling them on. Saying that I still have the boxes for some of my lenses (the new ones) and SLR.
 
People throw watch boxes away and paperwork too and that really does affect resale values
 
Since I do sometimes sell things on, I keep receipts (to prove I'm the rightful owner) and I keep boxes and all packing materials. I've sold several lenses and a camera this year...and potential buyers love opening the box and unpackaging the item. They always comment on how well kept the item is...how it's like new. I think I get a higher price for my items, and sell them faster.

If you don't ever sell things...then saving the boxes is a waste of time, unless your heirs might sell them on. LOL
 
I did like keeping boxes until I ran out of space lol.
 
Pretty sure keeping the box for my 24-70 f/2.8 Sigma got me a far better trade in price than lobbing it would have. Effectively it cost me a tenner a year to own it!
 
Yeah, I keep mine for camera kit and electronics such as laptops, as I realised years ago that none of these things are for life, and it's easier to sell & post such gear with a box than without.

Was there not a spate of box sales happening on ebay for a while? As in people genuinely selling empty boxes to people who wanted them, not scams whereby folks are led to believe they're buying something but end up with only a box...

Besides, Nikon boxes are gold(!), and seeing a big load of them actually gives me more of a fuzzy feeling inside than seeing the contents all laid out. Odd, I know :D
 
A full attic and a fuller bedroom where my boxes are kept (and any I've had for 6 months are now... well, crumpled) makes me consider chucking mine, not everyone has enough space. By the time you're also meant to keep big boxes from all TVs, DVD players, computer bits, electric toothbrushes and everything else you buy, I think the average person must need a box room to actually use for boxes.

Edit: Do keep receipts though for proof of purchase/ownership/cost.
 
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I always keep the boxes for stuff I might resell, things like cameras and phones definitely sell better boxed than unboxed.

Just recently I sold a phone on another site for £100, and was getting messages along the lines of "as it isn't boxed I'll offer £70". I then sourced a box and it sold the first day it was relisted as boxed :shrug:.

I've sold quite a bit over forums and eBay and have almost always experienced this, a boxed item sells much quicker and for more, unboxed tends to bring the low ball offer buyers out.
 
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