Used Canon lens prices

This is well known. Many people overpay on eBay. Some people call it "auction fever." My suggestion: decide in advance how much savings it would take to get you to buy a used lens, without a warranty and with no assurance about how it was handled. If you can find that price, go for it. If not, buy new, or buy used from a retailer who offers a guarantee on used lenses.

Surely there are good deals on EBay, but you would not find me wasting my time looking for deals. I've read too many horror stories about EBay purchases. If I cannot afford it new, I do not get it. And that is usually the case. I never buy lotterty tickets so maybe that is a clue as to why I have nothing to do with EBay. Many people will contend they have bought a lot on EBay and have had no problem and no doubt would be torqued up by my thoughts. That is ok, continue to purchase, but it is not something I care to try.

I find ebay useful for extremely hard to find things, or extremely cheap accessory things. (need 2 umbrellas with stands and attached strobes with bulbs? 60 bucks on ebay)

Kijiji is the real place for deals, I find. A visit once in the morning and at night when I get to and leave work has netted me some excellent deals. Cleaned out an unsucessful pro's lens arsenal a couple months ago, $900 for what would have cost 2300 new.

I agree and disagree, yes you can get burned on ebay, and i have bought lens on there, but only the ones i call throw aways, something that just gives me a the idea of what the lens can do in general, otherwise I will always by new ,or from the rental store as, there are just to many people willing to make a buck at anyone who is unsuspecting off of ebay, i was burned really bad a few years back for 1100 bucks , and never again will I be the victim of my being to trusting or nieve.

Richard, for the lenses you are interested in, you are better off just buying new. High quality Canon (and Nikon) glass hold their value really well and there is not much money to be saved when buying used. Used prices keep step with the inflation in new lenses as well.

FM Buy & Sell is a much more pleasant place to buy gear than Fleabay: mostly knowledgeable photogs, less clutter & fewer problems (sellers & buyers are members of the FM forums). It's not a bidding site so prices don't spiral out of control. I sell most of my gear there and things are usually sold in a matter of minutes.

In demand lenses hold their value well. If it's a mint piece with boxes, accessories, manuals, etc., you can expect it to sell close to 90% of retail. I used to throw my boxes out. Not anymore. It's amazing how much more having all the original packaging adds to the resale value. Some guys will pay big bucks just for the friggen box! You could get at least a benjamin for a minty EF 50 1.0L USM box...

For my taste, used prices are too high, so I usually buy new. Besides, I can recoup most of my money later if I decide to sale it. The exception being older pieces , gear without packaging and well worn equipment. These go for 30 to 50% off retail.

For example, I recently sold these items (mint w/boxes/manuals):
70-200 4L: $500
50 1.8: $225
24-85 USM: $225

I have just been through this and will share my findings. With the current Canon rebates buy new from B H now. But, if you live in a large metro area Craigs list has some good deals, tread carefully here. I also go to local camera shows and pawn shops and look for local estate sales. I want stuff that is very like new and cheap 50% off retail NY prices or I get very skitish. Ebay is good for other things like bags filters tripods and heads or a good place to sell high dollar for items you got cheap. Since eBay seems to provide high prices on lenses for sale, it is wise to sell items there and buy them elsewhere. I am willing to buy just about any high value item cheap if I know I can peddle it for a large gain on eBay. Then I use that cash to buy new at B H or other mail order store with low low prices.I also do buy nice trade- ins from my local photo shop and do use them as much as possible so they can stay around. The warranty you get from new makes it wise to buy new now and shop for the lowest prices.

Barely OT, I've been wondering, now that the EF 70-200 IS MkII is out @ $2400, if MkI prices will creep up over original retail.

I would have to disagree with you. You can find really good deals on eBay if you are patient enough. Especially with Bing cashback. For example I bought 24-70 2.8 for $950 and after Bing (it was 10$ discount at that time) it came out to $855. I only buy from sellers with 100% positive feedback and NEVER had a problem. Sometimes if seller has Buy it Now item I contact them and ask them if they could lower the price for a fast sale. In 90% of cases they do not refuse.