Selling photography gear – Photofocus

Got a kit sitting on your shelf not doing anything? What do you do as your photo gear ages out and replace it with new photography gear? Selling photography gear like cameras and lenses to upgrade can be fraught with hassles. I’ll share my experience on changing out gear.

Selling one to one

If you have specific people who you know and are sure that they’re interested in buying your gear, that’s awesome. After that, problems can occur all too often. You also need to factor in your time of marketing. Answering the “Can you sell it to me cheaper?” “Is this in good condition?” Can you ship it to my brother’s mother?” questions can chew up even more time.

Scammers

Not to forget the scammers who are always knocking on the door of a potential sale. We’ve read about this all too often. I won’t go into details here. If you are willing to deal with and suffer the problems above you are on your own.

Camera buyers

I’ll not mention any specific names but I have not had a lot of luck with getting decent pricing from camera buyers. After getting a quote I’m often of the mind, “I’d rather keep the gear or donate to a school or young photographer who is in need as opposed to selling it that cheap.”

I’ve found my solution for selling used gear: MPB.com I’ve used it several times and have been extremely satisfied each time.

MPB started in 2011 and now moves more than 300,000 pieces of gear each year. You can buy, sell and trade photography gear on a web platform that is transparent and safe. Here’s the promise from the site. “Our unique platform means that we can offer the right price for every piece of kit based on make, model, condition and market, across a huge selection of camera bodies, lenses, filters and accessories. At MPB, there’s something for everyone who wants to try something new, hone their skills, or pursue their passion — and it won’t cost the earth.”

The MPB process

Painless and safe are the watchwords. First step, rate your gear. Upload your list and rating to MPB. Wait a moment or two and they will give you a price. Like the price. Tell MPB and they will send you a prepaid Fed EX shipping label . Pack up your gear and send it. Less than a week later MPB will either agree with your ratings or give you a new price based on their rating. Agree and a few days later you are paid. If you disagree they will pay to ship your gear back to you. I’ve only had MPB disagree with a rating I gave on one lens. They rated it higher and offered a bit more money. Can’t beat that.

MPB sells or trades photo gear as well

While I’ve had solid positive experience selling photography gear to MPB I have not purchased from them. So I have no experience with the other side of the coin but they stand behind their sales with a six month warranty. See the MPB full warranty details here.

Final thoughts

I’ve recommended MPB to a number of fellow photographers and they also have had a good experience working with MPB. If I had more than two thumbs I would put them up.

Yours in Creative Photography, Bob