# Where/Who to sell used camera gear



## sanjosedave (Mar 8, 2015)

The big 3 that I know of, B&H, Adorama and KEH, purchase used camera equipment for re-sell.

Among them, or others that you'd recommend, who provides the best service? I'm guessing that the prices paid among the 3 would be pretty close.

I'm getting ready to sell my Mamiya 7 with 65mm and a Canon mount Tamron EF 24-70 2.8


----------



## danski0224 (Mar 8, 2015)

Why not sell it yourself? You keep more of your money that way.


----------



## mgkaplan (Mar 8, 2015)

Post it on FredMiranda.com 

The site has a buy/sell board. I have sold many pieces of photo equipment on this board and have received fair prices. (Prices that are much enter than those paid by used equipment dealers.)


----------



## jdramirez (Mar 8, 2015)

I sell on Amazon. Worldwide market... just buy signature confirmation... they take 8% which seems fair.


----------



## mpphoto (Mar 11, 2015)

jdramirez said:


> I sell on Amazon. Worldwide market... just buy signature confirmation... they take 8% which seems fair.



What kind of protections are there for sellers on Amazon? It sounds like eBay is getting pretty risky for sellers, with eBay/PayPal more likely to side with the buyer than the seller in a dispute. I read somewhere about buyers claiming an item was broken when they actually received the item just fine, and they broke it. The buyer gets their money back, while the seller gets a broken item back. Also, the eBay and PayPal fees are horrible now.

I'm thinking about selling some lenses again. Selling at a KEH event was easy and their offer was fair considering the convenience of it all. They did low-ball me on one lens, and I want to see if I can make more selling it myself.


----------



## jdramirez (Mar 11, 2015)

mpphoto said:


> jdramirez said:
> 
> 
> > I sell on Amazon. Worldwide market... just buy signature confirmation... they take 8% which seems fair.
> ...



There are and there aren't. If the customer claims you sent them a brick and not gear... that's a problem. But I suppose that would be the case with any place. I've sold 200+ times on Amazon... and I never had a problem. If something is expensive, I'll put a signature request on it. If it is less than $100... I take the risk... and I've sold enough sub -$100 items that it is a risk worth taking (assuming 80 sells... signature costs $1.50... = $120). Now if I have two shipments go missing... maybe I'll change my tune. 

I bought a ring flash off ebay... I put it on... I noticed there was a hairline crack that became more noticable when I tightened it to the flash head... I had to fight with the seller a little because he claimed I was the one who broke it. Nope. So that was a pain for me, the buyer, as well. 

Everything is a risk. You could go and meet someone at a taco bell (like one of the member's here did) and the person can run off with your gear... You can send it in to keh and it get lost in the mail. There are very few definitives... but you just try and minimize your risk.


----------



## Mt Spokane Photography (Mar 11, 2015)

I usually end up selling on ebay, I've sold dozens if not hundreds of Cameras and lenses. I had one flash come back because the buyer did not like the hairline scratches on the surface. I resold it describing the virtually invisible scratches. 

When you sell a item yourself, there is more risk, and you get more money, the exception being Craigslist where you get cash. Amazon, as with ebay will side with the buyer in a complaint, and you will lose. With FM, you generally must take PayPal, and they will side with the buyer.

The odds are pretty low of having a problem, assuming you pack a camera or lens properly, but problems do happen. Whatever you are comfortable with is right for you.

I prefer to buy used locally on Craigslist, or New from a local dealer, but have bought new from several authorized dealers all over the country. 

I've driven a 700 mile round trip to purchase a hard to find item from a Craigslist seller, such as my 600mm f/4L or my 1D MK IV with 5000 clicks. I ask sellers to drop the price to cover my gas, and they always have. When I'm looking for a specific hard to find item, I search craigslist daily for about a 500 mile radius. I also check daily just to see if something pops up that catches my interest, like the Nikon 200-400mm f/4G lens that a local doctor was selling for $2500. It was virtually unused and perfect. I even found a used D300S to use with it for a year or so, then I sold both for much more than I paid.


----------



## jdramirez (Mar 11, 2015)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> I've driven a 700 mile round trip to purchase a hard to find item from a Craigslist seller.



700. I think my driving radius is about 50 miles... but the range increases as the price gets better... I've driven 15 hours to St. Louis before... but i was young... and I thought I liked driving... not so much.


----------



## Mt Spokane Photography (Mar 11, 2015)

jdramirez said:


> Mt Spokane Photography said:
> 
> 
> > I've driven a 700 mile round trip to purchase a hard to find item from a Craigslist seller.
> ...



I'm retired, and a 700 mile round trip is not so bad since I got to play with the equipment before coming back home. I'd just spend the night in a motel if I was too tired.


----------

