Who to sell camera to?

vollie

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I am planning on selling my Nikon F100 plus lense and switching over to a FM3a.
My f100 was bought new and was only used once. I don't need all the bells and whistles and want to get back to a camera style I am more comfortable with. My question is. Where is the best place to sell it? KEH, EBAY or other. need help as I want to get my FM3a soon. I just want to get what the f100 is worth.
Thanks
Vollie
 
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vollie

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Tell me why it is worth it to advertise here and I will subscribe. I just checked KEH and was a bit disappointed with their offer. I also just became aware that the FM3a is going to be hard to acquire.
 

glbeas

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You may also list it to trade or sell. This place is worth the subscription, you'll learn more than you ever thought you didn't know.
 

Dave Parker

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vollie said:
Tell me why it is worth it to advertise here and I will subscribe. I just checked KEH and was a bit disappointed with their offer. I also just became aware that the FM3a is going to be hard to acquire.
Click to expand...

It was worth posting a message to ask for information was it not, I think you have answered your own questions, in reality, you have already posted an ad, without being a subscriber, but again, apparently, there was enough information here to make you ask?

Dave
 

jd callow

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vollie said:
Tell me why it is worth it to advertise here and I will subscribe. I just checked KEH and was a bit disappointed with their offer. I also just became aware that the FM3a is going to be hard to acquire.
Click to expand...

Its a kind of quid pro quo. You get to list your camera for the price you want to a pre-qualified market of 11,151 photographers. No risk of a low bid, or accepting an amount below what you think its worth. It will cost you 25.00.

In addition you will have full access to the site and may be able to help others, make friends or business contacts as well as learn something yourself.
 

photomc

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The ultimate worth of subscribing is really up to you...aside from selling your camera is there anything else you would want from this site? If not you have a few options to sell your equipment...as you have found out KEH and other will offer only a fraction of what you feel the equipment is worth, but that is because they will have to hold onto the equipment until someone else wants to purchase it. you could try to sell it on ebay or another auction site and hope to either sell it for a price you think is fair (but then you have to hope that the people looking would agree with you on that price) or take a chance and let the bidding go where it may. You could also take an ad out in a local paper and hope that someone wants it, and that your audience is at least 11000+. So unless you just find someone that wants to purchase the equipment, it will probably cost you at least $25, and you may or may not reach the same size group....Just some thoughts.

Good Luck either way.
 

david b

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Are you here to sell your gear or to be part of a traditional, non-digital photographic community?

If you are here simply to sell your gear, this is not the place for you.

But if you are here to learn and teach traditional photography, then this is your home sweet home.
 
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vollie

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Wow! I hope you guys didn't think I was coming off as a smart-alec when I asked why it was worth it to subscribe! Seriously, I was considering subscribing just yesterday, not because I wanted to sell something but because I want to look at the galleries.
I will subscribe tonight....I promise...I LOVE this site!!!! I actually waste (utelize) a lot of time just cruising the topics and threads on APUG.
Thanks for the good advice. I will post the camera at this site soon after I subscribe, but before then I will just look at the galleries.
Vollie
 
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vollie

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O.K. Everyone please note. I am "official" now. Now who can direct me to a gallery of macro-photographed insects?
 

David A. Goldfarb

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Welcome to APUG and thanks for your subscription. I don't know who's doing insects on APUG, but go to the gallery and try the search function, and if you turn up any insect photos, click on the photographer's member gallery and see if they have any more, and if that doesn't turn up anything, start a new thread in the forums on insect photography, and maybe a few insect photographers will come out of the woodwork, as it were.
 

Sanjay Sen

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You are funny, David!

Welcome to the site vollie! You will enjoy your time here, as you already found out.
 

elekm

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Some very simple advice:

KEH, B&H and others that sell used gear are interested in making a profit. That means they will offer as little as possible in order to maximize their profit. Good business sense, and it will seem generous to the unknowledgable seller who is getting rid of grandpa's gear.

Your options:

1) Classified ad, either in the newspaper or here

2) Online auction. Set a minimum price, and you're good to go.

3) Private sale.

EBay seems to be the most popular, although with this route, you will pay a listing fee, and if you get paid via PayPal, you'll take another hit.
 

jeffneedham

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ebay would be the best idea. KEH has given me some low bids. not even worth the time spent in contacting them. i sold a nikon coolpix on ebay for fifteen times the bid from KEH. it is worth paying to have a reserve. that way, if you can't get a high enough bid, you don't get shafted.
 
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vollie

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Wow, this is exactly what I wanted to see.....and learn how to do.
Beautiful photos.
The photo of the dandelion with one seed is just....perfect. It is like zen. It is like a haiku. It is simple.
Thanks Anupam
 

gnashings

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Hi Vollie - I am one of the "learn" rather than "teach" contingent... almost a year on this site and the amount of stuff I know is only overshadowed by what I find out daily I don't know. Its a viscious circle - I love it! I think you will love the majority of the people here - I have never had a better on-line experience than APUG, I swear Sean filters who gets in... but I know he doesn't, so I guess film folk are good folk Welcome!

The main reason for my posting: you can't hold it against KEH for being a little low with their offer, the are a business (with a pretty stellar rep, I might add!), and they have to turn a profit. But, of course, that is NO reason for you to not apply the same principles to your sale!
I would suggest first and for most to post an add here - you may get your asking price, you may not - but one thing is almost certain: you are very unlikely to have a horror story about a buyer.
Secondly, there is eBay. Viewed by some as evil personified and/or the money grabbing arm of some ancient Masonic/Illuminati conspiracy, its actually a pretty good way to sell stuff. I have one suggestion, though:
From my (waaaay to frequent) scans of their listings, I found that items offered with reserve tend not to generate many bids, or fewer than items with no reserve. I think most buyers find it annoying that there is a price the seller has in mind, but is unwilling to be up-front about. Fortunately, you can control the minimum price buy entering a starting bid - its a lot more open and from my experience seems to generate a better response. In the end, if you hae a good, well described item with quality pictures, I find that most itmes seem to maintain a very even price level. If nothing else, you will find out how much the public is willing topay for your camera. It also helps that the F100 is a very desireable piece with a great reputation and well deserved following - make sure you point out its excellent shape and "low mileage" and I think you will do well.
OK - I am the guy who rambles on and on and on, by the way...

Peter.
 

jeffneedham

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i wouldn't be so concerned about "less bids" due to a reserve. the number of bids aren't important as long as you get a bid that counts...one that offers a price you can live with. start with a higher asking price and less people will try. better to have less bids than to part with a piece of equipment for fiteen bucks and change, right?

i realize keh is a business trying to turn a profit, but bidding $78 for an F5 in good condition is attempted rape...
 

gnashings

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Jeff, I agree - the rate you quoted is ridiculous. Its kind of insulting to your intelligence to be offered that for a camera like an F5.
But I have to say, from my observation, I still find that an open starting bid generates better response than a reserve - but that is hardly a scientific study on my part!

Peter.
 
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vollie

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I understand that KEH is a business and can offer what they want. I also realize that my camera is not going to sell for as much as I would really like to get for it. However, even after my conservative and realistic estimate of what my camera is worth, KEH wanted to offer nearly 50% less than that. 50% profit is alot. Does it really cost them so much to shelve it etc. I can't tell them how to run a business, and I do love to look through their catalog in my throneroom. I just choose not to "give" my equipment away to them. I will likely buy from them in the future but not sell.
I am going to try ebay and APUG I suppose. I will glean what advice I may from all these good postings.
Thanks everbody.
Vol
 

Dave Parker

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50% is high if your talking new equipment, but it is quite normal in the used equipment business..companies like KEH that stand behind their used equipment also figure in the time and possible parts they may have to invest to make an item salable, even with the claim of being in excellent condition by the seller, they take repairs or recondition costs into their buy offers.

Dave
 

jeffneedham

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Hey Peter, I was thinking that since I'm about to sell a bunch of random stuff on ebay, i'll try the scientific method and see what works best and try to share some results.

i guess that you have to set a bottom line. sometimes it is a bit scary to see a high starting bid amount.


to change the topic... selling photo equipment is not always the best idea. if you think about what you paid, and the percentage you'll lose, plus the time you've spent learning that equipment, it may be better to just hang on to it.

going back to the ebay topic... there are also some real losers out there that will buy your equipment, which you know works, and try to shaft you by claiming it doesn't work properly. for any possible ebay seller, i'd suggest requiring postal insurance. it will save you some heartache.

time to stop rambling.
 

gnashings

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Jeff,

I would love to see the results of your experiment - I am not at all sure I won't be surprised. Until one measures something, its often like the case of cars: ever notice that when a friend or someone you know has aprticular car in a particular colour, it seems that the majority of them are that colour? Perhaps I am just exposing my insanity here...
I also think you make an excellent point about making the initial decision to sell - with photo gear its a really, really slim chance that you get what the gear is actually worth to you, regardless of what the market value is. Add to that the aspect you mention - learning and getting used to it, and its rarely worth it. Plus, not to sound preachy, but from my (again, very non-scientific) observations most people regret selling their cameras. The return is not that worth while and just see these pages for all the posts that start with: "I really wish I NEVER got rid of that camera..."

Peter.
 
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vollie

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I impulse bought the F100. It is too much camera for me or maybe I am just a Luddite. I have no problem using a nice manual camera. I don't even want to use (the F100) it after reading the manual. I have only shot one roll through it. I want to get a FM3a or maybe a FM2n, two cameras that I can enjoy operating. I used to have fun with my K1000. I am afraid of my F100.
Sooooo....I don't think I will regret selling the F100.
As a matter of fact I will be happy because with the proceeds, I am back to cameras I can enjoy.
I enjoy my Olympus 35RC, my crappy-ass Yashica TL Super, my crappy light seal Yashica Electro GSN, And my FREE Nikon F Photomic FTN.
Ya know what I mean?
 
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