Would you buy from a bloke down the pub?

StewartR

StewartR

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So there's this bloke down the pub and he's heard or overheard that you're a keen photographer and he just happens to know a bloke who's got a 70-200 or a 100-400 or a 16-35 or whatever floats your boat, and he only wants £100 for it.

It's obviously dodgy. Probably stolen from someone like you. What do you do?
 
I would Politely say no thanks and leave it at that
 
Personally, no I wouldn't touch it. :| I doubt I'd enjoy using it knowing that it was once someone elses (hard-earned,) pride and joy.
 
Id ask to see it and try it out on my own camera. then take his photograph and tell him it doesn't quite have the range you were looking for then send the photo to the rozzers and post it all over the internet.
 
Gary Bagshawe said:
Id ask to see it and try it out on my own camera. then take his photograph and tell him it doesn't quite have the range you were looking for then send the photo to the rozzers and post it all over the internet.
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:D :lol: Nice one, Gary! :thumbs:
 
having just had £2.5k of camera nicked shortly after having my bike nicked i would politely punch him in the face, and glass anyone who had bought anything off him.

if people didnt buy stolen stuff then people wouldnt steal it. Buying stuff you think is nicked is as bad as nicking it yourself. In fact it would be easier to save yourself some money and go steal it yourself.

apologies if i'm lacking in sense of humour with this subject at the moment.
 
Totally agree with you xynamic, especially after reading your post re your stolen camera. Buying stolen goods is just as bad, and you will probably get bad karma anyway :gag:
 
Having been burgled twice in the past, I know only too well what it feels like to lose things youve worked hard for.
So no matter how cheap the article or how much I want one, I can genuinely say I wouldnt touch stolen goods with a barge pole!
 
no way

:agree: with xynamic & inaglo having been a victim of theft myself in the past.
 
Only if he was selling BEER :beer:
 
As for doggy gear its not worth it, as said, at the end of the day its someones pride and joy (and hard earnt) more than likely :nono:
 
rwotton said:
is this your way of saying I have one, anyone interested? ;)
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Ha ha, no.

You may have seen in other threads here that I'm starting up a lens rental business. This week I'm looking at security issues and I'm curious to know whether lenses might be as nickable as things like laptops and playstations.

My suspicion is not, despite them being more expensive and more portable, because:
(a) crims probably don't know how valuable they are;
(b) most people don't use them, so they're not so easily converted into cash;
(c) there is a certain sense of community amongst photographers and they might be less likely to buy dodgy goods than your average member of the public.

Obviously I'm testing (c).

Keep those responses coming, folks. Especially if the answer is anything other than a flat no.
 
Obviously I go to the wrong pub as I've never been offered camera gear in my local.

I would expect entertainment electronics to be much easier to dispose of than camera gear - dvd players, games consoles and so on. Compact cameras probably, SLR accessories - less likely. A photographer would probably start asking too many questions about the 'product', that the vendor may not know the answers to.

Ebay and free-ads papers are probably the main areas for disposal, unless thiefs have established fences for disposing of unusual gear -ie people who can give a more convincing cover story.

However, saying that, there will always be someone tempted, and until the item goes in for service or the serial number gets logged for insurance purposes, then how do people know what gear they buy is legit or not?
 
I'd barter him down to £80 and then take whatever he could get hold of. :thumbs:




My Chasm has a ledge, please be careful of this on your way down.
 
Yes I would buy it off him.....

Then I would arrest him for handling stolen goods, take him down the station, book him into custody and get my money back from the property !

But thats my job !!
 
"You may have seen in other threads here that I'm starting up a lens rental business. This week I'm looking at security issues and I'm curious to know whether lenses might be as nickable as things like laptops and playstations."

I wish you luck with your venture, security will be a huge issue, granted a lens is not as popular as a laptop but there are a lot of outlets already doing laptops not many for what your looking at getting into, unless you can come up with a very good system all of your large IS will go walkies, I might sound jaded but I had 10 years in the hire game (tools) and peoples ingenuity in stealing and covering up breakages still astounds me. Regards Jim
 
But shirley you'd need a damn sight more than a comment such as: It's obviously dodgy. Probably stolen from someone like you.

Or maybe not.
 
Smartwater could be used as one security method, serial numbers is obvious, and stencilling in StewartR lens rental on items such as lens hood would serve as both advertising and a deterent. Get your white 'L' lenses painted pink...
 
nope . wouldnt touch it.someone tried to sell me stolen bike parts once in a pub.gave his contact number to the cops who locked him up for six months a few weeks later. when he came out , the bikes former owner , a very large hells angel , "had words" with him.
 
I hate thieving ****ers. Had stuff stolen before and think the people that did it should be strung up by their danglies and left to rot.
 
I think most people are generally honest and would avoid buying anything (other than beer and crisps) from the pub. But how many people who have bought second hand kit from an online aucion and have asked for the serial numbers before buying and then attempted to check their history (anyone know if there is even anywhere where you can check a SN?).

StewartR, I think all your points may be true about the majority of the scum out there not knowing what the value is of what they are knicking but with the rise of the online auction it is much easier to fence stolen property. Even for the most vigilent person is unlikely to be able to identify what's kosher. This is especially true the with the auction system as the old reliable indicator of a dodgy deal is price but the online auction will usually starts low and will rise to what the market will take and even the most thick of scroats can figure out that the starting price can be set based apon what previous items have gone for. However, I think the biggest risk to your business plan is not the opportunist theives but ones who will target you knowing that you are renting high value relatively easily shiftable kit, and will flog it to unsuspecting people at market rates.
 
Ask him if he can also get hold of a 400D/30D/40D/5D (obviously not worthwhile asking for anything other than canon :D ) as you have a mate who is keen to buy.

Arrange to meet next evening with mate in tow - promising to have the readies ready.

Then introduce him to your 'mate', the rozzer.
 
Apart from the moral issue, it's really not worth it - the wording is "....knowing or believing the goods to be stolen" If it's a silly price then you'll have a hard time convincing the judge and jury that you didn't have your suspicions. Judges tend to take the view that without receivers there wouldn't be any thieves, which is why receiving carries a higher penalty than theft.

Sad really - when these thickos are really struggling they'll drop this gear for the price of a few pints or their next fix.
 
But can we really be sure of items on Escam or in the local rag?
Do we do any greater checks on these items than we would down the pub?
 
andrewc said:
Ebay and free-ads papers are probably the main areas for disposal, unless thiefs have established fences for disposing of unusual gear -ie people who can give a more convincing cover story.
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Ratty said:
But can we really be sure of items on Escam or in the local rag?
Do we do any greater checks on these items than we would down the pub?
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Indeed, good points both.

What's even more worrying is that there are companies that will sell your stuff on eBay for you - like auctioning4u. From the point of view of a criminal, this service offers convenience and anonymity. It even takes away the need to give a cover story: "Our staff of dedicated experts in ... photographic equipment ... research and write professional listing about your items to make sure they are presented in the best possible light."

I'd like to think that companies like this take the time to check that they're not inadvertently acting as fences for stolen goods. But how can one know?
 
In all honesty, if someone is trying hard enough, you'll never know. I'd like to think, even though I've only been on here about 5 minutes ;) that most togs are fairly honest, and most of us will know when something sounds "too good to be true". I.E. a £1000 lens being offered for £200.

Common sense and gut feelings are usually right, if something seems dodgy, it probably is.

Does anyone have any figures etc on camera gear thats stolen etc? I can't imagine the figure being too high, when compared with other, more easy to sell goods like laptops etc.

DSLRS etc are mostly specialist kit, and not everyone (you know what i mean) has got one.

I'd liken thieves to magpies, they steal shiny stuff ;) but it's got to be harder to get rid of a specialist lens than it is to shift a dodgy laptop?

my 2p
 
Ratty said:
But can we really be sure of items on Escam or in the local rag?
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If you mean ebay, then yeah you can be much more sure that the items arent stolen. Thats what the feedback system is for (and paypal protection). If someone offers you a 1Ds mk2 in the pub then you know very well its half inched.

best place to buy stuff safely is the police auction. at least you know they didnt nick it :)
 
xynamic said:
If you mean ebay, then yeah you can be much more sure that the items arent stolen. Thats what the feedback system is for (and paypal protection). If someone offers you a 1Ds mk2 in the pub then you know very well its half inched.

best place to buy stuff safely is the police auction. at least you know they didnt nick it :)
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Sorry Gary but that's utter nonsense.

Feedback for stolen items is only relevant if you actually know it's stolen. So no difference at all.

somone down the pub may have just overheard you talking about getting a camera (or somesuch) and just happens to be sellign one.
That doesn't make them dodgy or the item stolen.
Co-incidence maybe but it can happen.
you seem to be saying this isn't possible.
 
StewartR said:
So there's this bloke down the pub and he's heard or overheard that you're a keen photographer and he just happens to know a bloke who's got a 70-200 or a 100-400 or a 16-35 or whatever floats your boat, and he only wants £100 for it.

It's obviously dodgy. Probably stolen from someone like you. What do you do?
Click to expand...

Grass up the thieving [PLEASE DON'T TRY TO BYPASS THE SWEAR FILTER] - Call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 and just tell them you know, not who you are (unless you want a "reward" but even that will not affect your anonymity)
Paul ;)
 
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