Whether you’re looking to upgrade your camera or switch systems altogether, getting the most value out of your used equipment can be tricky. I recently completed a pretty significant sale of gear, and actually ended up selling via each major method – used equipment retailers, online forums, eBay, and in-person sales. They all had some pros and cons. In this guide, I’ll look at how you can prepare your camera gear for sale, how you can earn the most on each item, and what you should know when selling used camera gear.
Table of Contents
Where to Sell Used Camera Gear
Trade Ins
Trading in to a vendor, like B&H’s Used Department or a dedicated used marketplace like KEH or MPB, can be a great option if you want the easiest experience possible. Unlike selling to a private individual, the sale is quick, easy, and on your schedule (assuming they’re currently buying the equipment in question).
For all this convenience, however, you’re going to take a hit on the value you receive. Compared to a private sale, trade-ins were running anywhere from 20 to 40% lower on the gear I was selling.
Still, there are a number of reasons to consider going this route instead of selling on something like eBay or Facebook Marketplace. First, you don’t need to wait. These retailers will typically process your gear and offer a quote immediately after buying. Second, you don’t need to take the time to post multiple listings on eBay or elsewhere. You can practically throw everything in a box and send it to these companies, so it’s the best way to get rid of large amounts of gear quickly.
There’s also virtually no counterparty risk with this approach. Unlike a private sale, you don’t have to worry about chargebacks, getting counterfeit cash, Zelle scams, or any other of the possible issues that can crop up when dealing with a private individual. And even the markdown on your gear may not be that bad when you consider all the costs of private sales, such as shipping, gas (and time) to drive to an in-person exchange, PayPal fees, and so on. Especially for cheap equipment, the math shifts in favor of trade-ins.
By the way, don’t forget your local camera store. Some of them buy used gear or sell it on consignment. And also, be willing to shop around – I saw a huge variance on offers for the same lens at the same quality rating.
Lastly, take into account the value of promotions. Many stores like B&H, KEH, or MPB will run promotions where they give you more value if you buy new camera gear while trading in old equipment. Sometimes camera companies like Nikon or Sony run this sort of promotion, too.
Online Forums and Websites
There’s a wide range of websites where you can sell your gear directly to other photographers. This includes dedicated marketplace like eBay, dedicated buy/sell forums like the very active one on fredmiranda.com, or social media like Facebook’s Marketplace.
Before we get into the risks of selling online, let’s first consider the main advantage: better prices for both buyers and sellers. Without the middleman markup, sellers can get a better return, while buyers can pay the same price or even less than going through a dealer. Even pricing in membership fees and other costs, this advantage holds true. Especially for high value equipment, I think that selling directly online makes a lot of sense.
The downside, compared to both dealer trades and in-person sales, is increased risk. This can be from outright scams, to “friendly” fraud and fraudulent chargebacks – any of these scenarios can leave you out money, gear, and even with payment penalties from chargebacks.
eBay has become particularly problematic for this from a seller’s perspective. There are many stories where, even with documentation and goodwill, sellers lose their fight against a chargeback. To that end, I’ve avoided eBay in my recent efforts to sell gear. Instead, I’ve found that selling via a reputation-based community (like Fredmiranda.com or dedicated photography groups on Facebook) has done a good job of filtering out illegitimate buyers.
In Person
Selling in person can be a great option, if you live in a suitable area. Even in the major metropolitan area I’m in, finding a buyer for something like an anamorphic lens is difficult. While selling in person can fetch the highest return, as it eliminates payment and shipping fees, you may have to deal with a much thinner market.
Selling in person presents a different set of risks, too: you’re selling something that costs hundreds of dollars or more, and meeting someone you have no connection to. As such, make sure you’re taking smart precautions. Meet in a public, safe place, during a busy time of day. Check out your local police department’s website, as many departments will offer a “safe meeting place” in the public parking lot of a nearby station. Also, understand how to check money for counterfeits. A cheap UV light or counterfeit pen can be a great guard against losing hundreds to fake bills.
Finding an in-person buyer can be a bit of a challenge, but don’t forget to check out things like local camera groups, classifieds, or Craigslist-style listings. The best situation is finding someone in your camera club or extended network of photographer friends who needs the gear you’re selling. Depending on the item, finding the right in-person buyer may be well worth the time and effort.
Tips for Preparing Your Gear for Sale
Whether you’re selling online or in person, having your gear in good shape and well-photographed can help catch the eye of buyers. Even for trade-ins, it can help to have a record of the condition and quality of gear. There’s nothing worse than getting a surprise markdown when they notice a scratch you didn’t catch!
To prepare your gear, start with a good cleaning. Dust might not seem bothersome in person, but it looks bad in photos. You can use a blower, an electric duster, or just a clean microfiber cloth. Remember to be careful with lens elements and sensors, since aggressive cleaning can ruin coatings or cause scratches.
Next, take a few sample photos. Shooting at f/22 against a uniform backdrop like a cloudless sky can help you spot both sensor issues and major sensor dust. These photos can also be used to check your shutter count. Similar to a car odometer, informed buyers will want to know the shutter count of camera bodies, and you can provide this information right in your listing.
When your gear is ready for product photos, you’ll want to capture all the angles. Having uniform lighting and a white backdrop for all these photos is a big help. Remember, these aren’t works of art, but just tools to help the buyer understand the condition. Avoid editing the shots, and make sure you’re not cloning out things like scratches or damage.
Show all the angles of your camera equipment in your photos. I can’t count the number of times that I skipped buying a used lens because there was no photo of both the front and rear elements! Also, a number of buyers are really particular about having the original boxes, so if you’ve kept them around, grabbing an extra shot of them can help. The same goes for all accessories included with your gear.
Once you’ve made the sale, don’t forget to pack the equipment securely for shipping! Using the original box and packing materials is best – the custom foam or cardboard really does a good job of securing camera equipment. If you don’t have the originals, however, consider combining an inner and outer box, instead of letting the gear rattle around in a single box. Using packing material like peanuts, foam, or the airbags are great options. Consider saving the leftovers from your Amazon or B&H orders just for this purpose.
I recommend shipping with tracking, insurance, and signature required. It may be annoying to deal with these extra costs, but a few dollars spent here can save you a lot of headaches later on, particularly when fighting a chargeback or a claim of damage in shipping.
Pricing Your Gear
To get an idea of the price of your gear, I like to look at the eBay sold prices, or the going rate on sites like Fredmiranda. There’s no way to know if the highest prices were “real” sales in the first place or were negotiated lower. But speaking of that, it’s often better to list your gear for a slightly higher price with the expectation of negotiating down.
Also, consider getting an exploratory quote from B&H, MPB, or KEH. While you’re under no obligation to sell to them – you may just have to deal with an annoying email or two until you opt out – this price can act as a great bottom line number.
Some obscure equipment may not have great references, so consider pricing by gut, or just start at a discount of 40% over new, and walk the price down from there. But for more frequently traded lenses, like 50mm primes or 24-70mm zooms, the range of prices should be pretty narrow.
Finally, if your equipment has more signs of use, consider pricing it to move. Even when you’re totally honest about the condition, buyers sometimes get cold feet once they receive a well-used piece of gear, and are more likely to ask for a return or even file a claim against you. Pricing low will help manage expectations and not lead to buyer’s remorse.
Selling your gear can feel like a bit of a pain, but it’s important to do as photographers in order to recoup some of your costs and avoid cluttering your home. If you’re on the fence, take the time to get a few quotes from used vendors – they’re both the easiest to get prices from, and the easiest to sell to.
Finally, however you choose to sell your gear, do it sooner rather than later! Most equipment will lose value over time, and there’s no sense in putting off something that you have to do at some point anyway. When you do end up selling, you might be surprised just how much some of your unused gear is worth.