neatography

Buying used camera gear is a smart way to get high-quality equipment without paying expensive prices. Know how to spot fair prices.

Quick Guide

• Step 1: Check Current Retail Prices
  • Start by finding the new retail price of the item to establish a baseline for comparison.
• Step 2: Review eBay “Sold Listings”
  • Search eBay’s recently sold items to see what people are actually paying (not just asking) for the gear.
• Step 3: Used Retailers such as KEH and MPB
  • Check reputable used gear sites for consistent market pricing and condition-based value benchmarks.
• Step 4: Scan Local Classifieds like Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist
  • Look for local price trends and potential bargains, but be careful. Scams here are more common.

Tutorial

Let’s say I want to buy a Canon R10. Let’s go through the steps above.

Step 1: Check Current Retail Prices.

In the USA I like to use https://www.bhphotovideo.com

Let’s see how much an R10 costs

As of this posting the cost for a brand new Canon R10 is $1,049.00 with no lenses.

Step 2: Review eBay “Sold Listings”

It’s important to focus on sold listings rather than listed/asking prices. Sellers can list items at any price. Sold listings give a more accurate picture of market value. Make sure to check the condition of the item. If a price seems unusually low, it could indicate issues like damage or that the item isn’t fully functional. Always read the full product description to understand what you’re getting.

As of this posting, I see these R10 prices in recently sold ranging from $722.00 to $794.95 from some reputable sellers. Let’s say the going price from eBay is around $750 dollars.

Step 3: Compare with Trusted Used Retailers such as KEH and MPB

Sites like KEH and MPB will often sit between eBay prices and retail prices. However, the gear they sell are inspected and they come with a decent warranty which offers piece of mind. Below is a screenshot from KEH as of this posting. Let’s say the going price from KEH is $840.00

Step 4: Scan Local Classifieds like Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist

I’ll skip the screenshot exercise because this varies by location. However given the info we gathered so far I would expect local marketplaces to go around $700.

• Retail: $1,049.00
• Used Retailer: $840.00
• eBay: $750.00
• Local Marketplace: $700.00 (estimate)