Never Sold A Lens (Not A Solicitation Thread)

[Jalva22]

Hello all. I am trying to figure out what my best options are for selling a couple of lenses (basically a Canon prime that was purchased for a specific type of shooting that I no longer do, and a Canon zoom that will be replaced with a higher quality zoom and will otherwise just sit in the bag). It seems Fred Miranda or Ebay are good options, but I have never sold anything on their sites (or any other for that matter), so I am guessing I would lose a certain percentage for being an 'unknown' there. I have also looked into KEH, but I assume I am basically getting trade-in rather than retail value there. How did you sell your first lens? What are some considerations/concerns I need to keep in mind? Any suggestions are welcome! Thanks!

 

[SrisonS]

Another place you could look is the Canon Forums... http://photography-on-the.net/ They have a Classifieds sections where you just do a normal forum post, and people will PM you. And there's no middleman (so no paying commissions). It's only communication between you and the buyer.

I actually bought I used lens from there (the seller even initially bought it Used). The seller posted great pictures of the lens, and listed any "problems" with it; like small specks inside that didn't affect images. He didn't have any references or anything. But since he posted those pictures, and actually mentioned that the lens wasn't perfect; I felt I could take a chance. Plus it was hard to even find a used version of that lens for such a decent price.

 

[bob100]

Another place you could look is the Canon Forums... http://photography-on-the.net/ They have a Classifieds sections where you just do a normal forum post, and people will PM you. And there's no middleman (so no paying commissions). It's only communication between you and the buyer.

I actually bought I used lens from there (the seller even initially bought it Used). The seller posted great pictures of the lens, and listed any "problems" with it; like small specks inside that didn't affect images. He didn't have any references or anything. But since he posted those pictures, and actually mentioned that the lens wasn't perfect; I felt I could take a chance. Plus it was hard to even find a used version of that lens for such a decent price.

I'll agree,
http://photography-on-the.net/forum
is the largest buy/sell forum for Canon gear but if you don't have any personal history or feedback it could be a slight problem. Just follow the rules and use caution like ebay or any other online buy/sell site

 

[Revan]

I agree that having a zero feedback on ebay would be a big disincentive for a buyer. I've sold a number of lenses and bodies on ebay in the past and have never had a bad transaction - laptops on the other hand are one of the worst items to sell.

You could also try selling through Craigslist. It's free and as long as you make a swap in a safe, public place you'll do fine.

 

[handicap18]

I'm going to be selling a few lenses soon too. Still not sure on which way to go. I do have an ebay account and have bought many many things, but never sold anything. Let us know how you made out which which ever way you go.


Hey Revan..... got enough snow. Its out of control here isn't it.

 

[Revan]

handicap18 - too funny! I'm done with all the snow - all the roads by me are single lane only at this point! I'm on Russell Circle, at the end, and the plows just push everything straight at me.

 

[Jalva22]

Thank you for all the replies. I wasn't aware of the Canon Forums website, so am glad to be introduced to that! I'm not seeing a great deal of difference in the listed prices on those forums for my lenses and the KEH offer, so I may save myself the headache and just sell to them. It would eliminate the worry of mis-grading or misrepresenting the lenses in any way, since I'm no expert. Still thinking it over though.

 

[Wadecool]

I'll agree,
http://photography-on-the.net/forum
is the largest buy/sell forum for Canon gear but if you don't have any personal history or feedback it could be a slight problem. Just follow the rules and use caution like ebay or any other online buy/sell site

That is a nice looking forum. Do you (or anyone else) know if a forum like that exists for Nikon owners?

 

[handicap18]

handicap18 - too funny! I'm done with all the snow - all the roads by me are single lane only at this point! I'm on Russell Circle, at the end, and the plows just push everything straight at me.

Cool. over by Fox Hill. Nice. We're on the other side of town near Francis Wyman. Our road is pretty much down to one lane too. Have about 6 feet of snow on our side of the road that needs to be plowed. Looking forward to the 20 more inches we're going to get in a few days.



On topic...

Nikonians.com has a sell/buy section. I'm still contemplating how to sell my lenses.