Buying and Selling Camera Equipment
With the recession looming over us, many people are selling their camera equipment for extra cash.
In times like these, you can get some great deals buying second-hand camera equipment.
With some exotic and collectible camera equipment going for much less than usual.
However, selling your unwanted camera equipment can be quite challenging depending on what you are selling and who is the Buyer.
I have found Leica, Hasselblad, Rollei TLR's, Nikon manual focus SLR cameras seem to hold their value with no significant price drops.
Lenses for Canon/Nikon DSLR bodies in good/mint condition hold their value and are well sought after.
Although, the grey market always offers a significant price drop than everywhere else.
There are some good deals to be had.
However, there are some important things to remember when buying camera equipment on the grey market.
Some of the items do not always offer International warranty.
Which means the item may not be covered by the manufacturer in your country, the warranty only covers the country of purchase.
Also customs tax, some sellers state in their ads there is no customs tax.
So beware, read the seller feedback reviews to find out about the seller from other buyers before you bid or buy.
My own experience, I bought a Nikon D200 for £1100 from Jessops in December 2007 and I sold it to a reputable camera dealer for £250.
00 in November 2009.
Which was quite heart wrenching at the time considering the amount of money I paid for the camera.
It shows how quickly the technology can become obsolete in the ever competing and developing Digital age.
If sell your camera to a high street shop expect to lose 40% on commission sales for second-hand camera gear.
Some camera shops will part-exchange your camera gear with other camera equipment, but still include the 40% commission sale in the part-exchange.
Bear in mind, they are always trying to maximise their profit!!.
So it is important you stick to the price you have in mind or pull out of the deal if you think you are not getting a fair price!! Alternatively, you can advertise your camera gear for sale on Photography websites/forums/classifieds, or even eBay.
With eBay it does offer some protection against fraudulent buyers than classified ads.
When selling items on eBay it is important to describe your items for sale as clearly as possible with the use of photos and a detailed description.
I have found when selling expensive camera equipment it is important that bidders have a high feedback score of 98% or above.
This suggests the bidder is a good buyer and will pay promptly at the end of the auction, and also this reduces amount of time wasters/fraudsters bidding in your auction.
For expensive goods eBay offers buyer and seller protection relying on the buyer giving positive feedback, before any funds are transferred to the Seller.
If you go onto the eBay forums there is a whole host of information on selling and buying on eBay which is worth reading before you sell or buy items on eBay The main thing to remember is to stick your selling price!! Do not sell the item if you are not completely happy with the deal.
Do some research on other Sellers selling the same equipment to gauge how much your item is being sold.
This is a good indication of what asking price you can expect for your camera equipment.
It is also worth noting within your ad/auction whether you will return goods if the buyer is not happy.
This is very important this is mentioned in the ad/auction.
As it tells the buyer before they bid or buy the item the terms of conditions of the sale.
Also, if the buyer can return goods if they are not happy with the item.
You must state under what conditions will you offer a refunds.
It is worth mentioning to the buyer in the ad/auction they have 7 /10 days to return the sold goods from the date the auction ended or when the item was sold.
The items must be in the same condition as they bought it, and they must cover shipping costs before you can offer a refund.
With all business deals you want to feel both seller and buyer are happy with the deal.
In times like these, you can get some great deals buying second-hand camera equipment.
With some exotic and collectible camera equipment going for much less than usual.
However, selling your unwanted camera equipment can be quite challenging depending on what you are selling and who is the Buyer.
I have found Leica, Hasselblad, Rollei TLR's, Nikon manual focus SLR cameras seem to hold their value with no significant price drops.
Lenses for Canon/Nikon DSLR bodies in good/mint condition hold their value and are well sought after.
Although, the grey market always offers a significant price drop than everywhere else.
There are some good deals to be had.
However, there are some important things to remember when buying camera equipment on the grey market.
Some of the items do not always offer International warranty.
Which means the item may not be covered by the manufacturer in your country, the warranty only covers the country of purchase.
Also customs tax, some sellers state in their ads there is no customs tax.
So beware, read the seller feedback reviews to find out about the seller from other buyers before you bid or buy.
My own experience, I bought a Nikon D200 for £1100 from Jessops in December 2007 and I sold it to a reputable camera dealer for £250.
00 in November 2009.
Which was quite heart wrenching at the time considering the amount of money I paid for the camera.
It shows how quickly the technology can become obsolete in the ever competing and developing Digital age.
If sell your camera to a high street shop expect to lose 40% on commission sales for second-hand camera gear.
Some camera shops will part-exchange your camera gear with other camera equipment, but still include the 40% commission sale in the part-exchange.
Bear in mind, they are always trying to maximise their profit!!.
So it is important you stick to the price you have in mind or pull out of the deal if you think you are not getting a fair price!! Alternatively, you can advertise your camera gear for sale on Photography websites/forums/classifieds, or even eBay.
With eBay it does offer some protection against fraudulent buyers than classified ads.
When selling items on eBay it is important to describe your items for sale as clearly as possible with the use of photos and a detailed description.
I have found when selling expensive camera equipment it is important that bidders have a high feedback score of 98% or above.
This suggests the bidder is a good buyer and will pay promptly at the end of the auction, and also this reduces amount of time wasters/fraudsters bidding in your auction.
For expensive goods eBay offers buyer and seller protection relying on the buyer giving positive feedback, before any funds are transferred to the Seller.
If you go onto the eBay forums there is a whole host of information on selling and buying on eBay which is worth reading before you sell or buy items on eBay The main thing to remember is to stick your selling price!! Do not sell the item if you are not completely happy with the deal.
Do some research on other Sellers selling the same equipment to gauge how much your item is being sold.
This is a good indication of what asking price you can expect for your camera equipment.
It is also worth noting within your ad/auction whether you will return goods if the buyer is not happy.
This is very important this is mentioned in the ad/auction.
As it tells the buyer before they bid or buy the item the terms of conditions of the sale.
Also, if the buyer can return goods if they are not happy with the item.
You must state under what conditions will you offer a refunds.
It is worth mentioning to the buyer in the ad/auction they have 7 /10 days to return the sold goods from the date the auction ended or when the item was sold.
The items must be in the same condition as they bought it, and they must cover shipping costs before you can offer a refund.
With all business deals you want to feel both seller and buyer are happy with the deal.
