Getting money for used gear

Getting Money for Your Used Gear

Photographers frequently upgrade their equipment, consolidate lenses to carry a lighter load, and change interest in photography (say from macro to birds in flight). That may require more gear. Another scenario is, you used to do studio work but now you don’t have the space for it and there’s too much money tied up in the equipment not to use it for something else.

If you are nostalgic and don’t need the money, then hang on to your old gear and enjoy reminiscing. I’ve always sold cameras, lenses, lighting equipment, etc. when I had no use for them anymore. (Having said that, I do wish I had my first camera, a Canon FT QL, purchased in 1968 from money I made by selling an album of American mint postage stamps.)

If you want to sell used gear, there are a number of excellent options. You’ll make the most money if you sell it directly, but if you opt to sell your gear to a camera company, you will net less money but it’s pretty much hassle free.

Craigslist. This is a free service, and it reaches tens or hundreds of thousands of people in your area. It’s all done online, and you communicate directly with anyone interested. You keep all of the sales price that you negotiate.

eBay. eBay is a huge presence online, and it reaches millions of people. They charge a fee for posting an item for sale, and they also charge

a percentage of the sale price. Their fees have increased quite a bit since I’ve used them. At this time, they charge 12.55% of the sales price.

Birds As Art. Arthur Morris is a well-known bird photographer, and he has established a marketplace for used gear on his website. Art’s listings is seen by thousands of photographers. I’ve sold a number of items using his service including a Canon 500mm f/4 telephoto and a Canon 1Dx Mark II body. He charges 5% of the sales price. You can contact him through his website, birdsasart.com.

KEH. This photographic company sells used gear, and they also buy it. They will give you less than the market value because they have to turn around and sell it for a profit. They are very reputable. I have purchased equipment from them, and I’ve also sold items to them. When you buy gear from them, they rate each item so you know the condition it’s in.

This is a no-hassle, easy way of selling your gear. You never have to interact with the public, and all you do is send the equipment to them for their valuation and that’s it. They will either send you a check or give you store credit. Your choice.

B&H. I’ve been buying from B&H since 1970 when they used to have about 8 pages of advertising in the back of photo magazines. I’d never sold them anything until a few days ago. I wanted to buy the new 1.4x teleconverter for my 100-500mm telephoto, and I thought I’d sell them some items I hadn’t used for years. Just like with KEH, the process is easy. You send them the equipment using a label they provide, and they tell you what they’ll pay. §

PANTANAL PHOTO TOUR

Nov. 8 - 15, 2022

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