Lessons Learned: Precautions When Buying Equipment

| PERG News: February 2017 |

It has got to be a bad feeling to buy equipment and then find out the equipment you purchased is stolen gear. Since good title cannot be transferred from a thief, the purchaser is out their money.

We have now heard a number of accounts like this, including one that happened in December. Some lenses were stolen down in Mexico. A local police report was filed but the items were not immediately posted on Rental Guard. A potential buyer in the US saw a lens for sale on line and checked with the manufacturer to see whether or not they showed the lens listed as stolen, which they did not. After the buyer remitted their money and received the lens, they found that there were stickers covering the engraving of the Mexican rental house.

The buyer was now suspicious and contacted the Mexican rental house and confirmed that this particular lens had in fact been stolen. The lens was ultimately returned to the company from whom it was stolen

The lessons that can be learned from this fact pattern are threefold:

1. Always know who you are buying equipment from and make sure they have a return policy that allows for a full return of funds if the merchandise is not as specified and/or it turns out to be stolen.
2. Always post stolen equipment on RENTAL GUARD immediately after a theft occurs to allow the best chance for a recovery by law enforcement and to forewarn potential buyers of the gear. Also, notify the equipment manufacturer and, in the US, ask the police to enter the serial numbers in the their national database.
3. If you must deal with an unknown seller try to have the gear inspected by a reputable third party who specializes in the sale and repair of camera equipment.

These guidelines are included in a flyer that is available for download from the PERG website.