I regularly troll the local (DFW) Craigslist photo page looking for potential bargains to add to my kit.  Unfortunately, I’ve never found anything that seemed like something I’d want to spend my money on.  And that’s probably because almost everything on there is being sold by people that have unrealistic expectations of the valuation of their gear.  I’m sorry, but just because you spent $900 on a Canon Rebel XTi with the kit lens four years ago doesn’t mean that it’s still worth $900.  Anyhow, I thought I’d share a few of the dumber ads that I found today.

Well, that’s nice and generic.  No description or model number or anything…just a demand for you to email them and fork over $250.  I’m sorry, but I can pick up a Canon 35mm camera on eBay for less that $50.  The only way I’d spend more than that on a Canon film camera is if it were a EOS 1, 3 or 1v (which is Canon’s last film camera and currently runs for $1,700, in which case, if you have one, I’ll take if for $250).  But I’m guessing, since you didn’t include any information in your ad, either you’re clueless about photography or are a scammer of some sort.

This one is confusing, because in the header, they have the price as $250, but in the body, they’re asking for $300.  But it doesn’t matter…you can buy this lens brand-new for $200.  “But their price includes a hood!” you say.  So what?  That hood is only $25.  Or get a perfectly fine knockoff for less than $5.  So why would I want to pay a premium for a lens that you’ve probably dropped a couple of times and violated in other ways?

So you want me to trade my $1700 lens for your $1400 one? Oh, you’ve had a UV filter on it since you got it…that makes up for my $300 loss…