Fair trade?

Wednesday, August 9th, 2006

I bought my first digital camera back in 2002. It was a compact 2-megapixel Fuji with no optical zoom, and it cost me £179 (I know, because I saved the receipt). I got it the day before going to Finland, where I dropped it on concrete (it survived with only a minor scratch on the body). It was a trusty little camera that subsequently went to Ireland, Scotland and America, to Paris, to Bologna, and all around London. I used it for years and was always pleased with the pictures it took.

But technology moves on, and I eventually graduated to a camera with more megapixels and more zoom, and my little Fuji A201 was put back in its box and set aside until I could think of something to do with it.

I finally got around to dealing with it a few days ago. A shop with the unforunate name of Cex recently opened up down the street, and after putting it off for ages, I brought my camera in and took them up on their offer to buy or exchange old electrical goods. So in exchange for my camera, which was in perfect working order, in its box, with all the documentation, cables and software CDs, and for which I paid (as mentioned earlier) £179 back in 2002—I got a whopping 6 (six) pounds worth of store credit. I got another 6 for the 64 MB memory card I traded in at the same time. Woo-hoo!

I promptly turned around and used the store credit on an old Xbox game I’ve been looking for. I’m not sure having gotten the game for “free” makes me feel any less ripped-off about the camera, but at least I’ll be able to forget my woes while I play.

Comments

1

The sad fact is that a 2 megapixel camera is somewhat of a dinosaur. Just last year, I updated to a Sony 7.1 megapixel with Zweiss lens for all of $260. I could barely give away my old Sony at 4 megapixels and nowhere could I sell it …

Then again, I still have my Canon AE1 which I keep telling myself I’ll use someday to do "artsy" shots …

It’s a difficult decision to give up the old in surrender to the new but in the long run it works out for the best - usually.

Thankfully, my wife hasn’t figure out how to trade me in yet!

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