Rent or buy?

Rent or Buy?


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And-s0n

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Mar 26, 2006
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If you have an event coming soon and u lack the proper equipment, would you rent or buy it?
 

Just rent it unless u need the equipment for subsequent jobs?
 

whether rent or buy, you need to factor the cost of gears into your charge.

let say a piece of gear is $1000, usually rental cost is about $35-$40 per day, you need x3 and factor that into your charge, why? you need to make a trip to collect and return, time is money, in case you not free to collect a day before or return on the next day, additional cost will also involve too.

if you decide to buy a piece of gear, the cost is $1000, you need to add 50% of the cost for maintenance and repair, the gear will have to write off and replace after 3 years. So it is $1500.00 in total 3 year life span or $500 per year.
let say you will need it for 10 assignments each year, it will cost you $50.00 for using it on each assignment.


so it is make perfect sense beside just charging for your labour, you will have to add all the expenses into your rate if you plan to do it freelancing or full time.
there is no such thing as shooting for FREE, that is only applicable on the receiving party, on the photographer side, it is always 倒贴.
 

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Depend on the number of days which you need the lens. It's not so logical to rent an item for a oversea trip cause you might damage it, lost it etc.

But if you want to rent it for an assignment, still worth cause after which, you might not be using. But if you know you are going to use it again, just buy it.
 

well..what i know is ..some will buy from the BNS forum.
Use it. then sell back on the BNS forum at the same price. (of cos there are some pple selling back at higher or lower price too).
In this case.. usually u would loose less money as compared to buy or rent. But u have to make sure somebody would buy from u..else..:)

Buy it only if u really like it/can afford/ or its a requirement for you ie u cant do without it.
 

If you have an event coming soon and u lack the proper equipment, would you rent or buy it?

What kind of event? Your kid's 1st month celebration? Context – Professional or personal?

Professional: Compare costs of rental vs cost of acquisition vs expected ongoing usage (see catchlight's post). It's a business decision.
Personal: Either. It's your money, you can do what you want with it. If having 'an event coming soon' gives you a good reason to buy gear you've always wanted to get, carry on :bsmilie:
 

I agree. Gotta weigh the outcome of it. If this equipment is going to be used again and again, then the depreciation and investment costs will cover it but if its going to be used very occasionally, then renting may be a better choice.
 

Assessing an item that I'll definitely need for 2 upcoming assignments (1 day each).

Unit cost: $800 // Rental cost: $60 ($30/day) // Estimated working life: 2-3 years

Conclusion: Will purchase it if it's something that will be used at least 27 times/days within 2-3 years. Taking in mind the convenience (that's 27 trips to collect/return) and risks (damage/theft/loss/maintenance) of ownership. Alternative consideration, whether possible to sell for at least $740 after I'm done with these upcoming assignments.
 

I agree with silvermoon1407. Buy 2nd hand, sell it after the event. No monetary losses, but a load of experience gained.
 

I agree with silvermoon1407. Buy 2nd hand, sell it after the event. No monetary losses, but a load of experience gained.

That's assuming you have and can afford to have that $$ missing from your account for whatever time till you sell. And afford the effort/loss time to deal. Experience (good/bad) gained indeed.
 

It really depends on how much disposable income you can fork out right? some people have no worries about spending and some have tighter pockets, so based on your own finances you have to measure the difference between owning a piece of expensive glass or renting it.

most of the time people would advice to rent if you're not using it frequently or you just want to test it out.
 

Long term potential use, can't compromise on quality - buy new

Long term potential use, have time to evaluate quality - buy 2nd hand

Short term or one-time use only - rent
 

for me i buy if ure going use it more than once in ur life
 

If you have an event coming soon and u lack the proper equipment, would you rent or buy it?

For me it depends on the amount of cash flow that I have.

If I just want to try out a new lens and don't really need it - just rent. Otherwise I'll fork out to purchase the equipment if it's to serve me in the long run on a daily basis. Just my opinion.