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by James W. Milligan on Thu Nov 16, 2017 6:55 pm
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I just finished selling a lens on a photo web site. Normally, this is a rather simple process with the usual back and forth with a variety of questions. However, this round was a bit of an ordeal and I received several offers at a significant reduction in price and the request for no fees. I normally pay shipping and collect the Pay Pal fee. This go around seemed to bring out a group of buyers that were looking to flip the item and net around a 20% profit. Not sure this is a one time event or is the new normal?   
 

by E.J. Peiker on Fri Nov 17, 2017 6:18 am
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I've found it increasingly difficult to sell more than the basic things on the open market and have resorted more and more to the resellers which of course give you much less since they need to turn around and make a profit but it is a way to at least get some money without having to sit on your gear. eBay is about the only place where I've consistently been to sell stuff but the pain in the butt and the fees both on the PayPal end, the eBay end and then the bill you get at the end of the month for using eBay, the scammers, not to mention the extremely high return rate on eBay due to people having second thoughts or buyers remorse makes it just not worth that hassle. I have been using MPB primarily after trying to sell things here on NSN first. 10 years ago it was easy to sell things here but nowadays it is very rare for anything to sell here unfortunately as it is a relatively specialized audience and very heavily skewed towards Canon shooters and bird photographers. Long story short, it's the new normal.
 

by mikeojohnson on Fri Nov 17, 2017 7:04 am
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I used to have good luck with FredMiranda.com but haven't sold anything for awhile. Does anyone have current experience with FM?
Mike
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by Primus on Fri Nov 17, 2017 11:08 am
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I've been a long time FM user. Sold some lenses and my Canon 1DX-II earlier this year. No problems at all. Yes, you do get low-ball offers at times, but the turnaround is very quick if you price the item correctly. That is a bit hard to determine since you always want a bit more but if you are willing to ask for close to the lowest sale price for your item in the past four weeks you are bound to get a quick sale.

There are some who will want to do paypal gift but that is illegal I am told. The best strategy is to price the item to include paypal and shipping, that way the buyer does not have to worry about additional charges.

I've also sold many things at Adorama last year, including my MF gear. Big advantage is that they will take anything including lenses with fungus inside (one guy brought such a lens while I was waiting) and you get your money instantly as a cashier's check. Big disadvantage is the trip to NYC and of course  you get a price that is at least 25-30%% less than what you would get through FM, but then they too have to make a living.

For a hard to sell item that is not popular, I would go to Adorama (or B&H, KEF etc). For the popular stuff FM is still a good option.

A couple of years ago I offered my near-new Canon 600 f4 MkII here for sale. It did not generate much response, but sold in 24 hrs on FM.

Pradeep
 

by E.J. Peiker on Fri Nov 17, 2017 2:12 pm
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Like I said in an earlier thread, I have been significantly more satisfied with MPB over KEH of late.
 

by antonoat on Fri Nov 17, 2017 4:32 pm
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E.J. Peiker wrote:Like I said in an earlier thread, I have been significantly more satisfied with MPB over KEH of late.
Hi,
Are you referring to MPB based(or at least originating in the UK)?
regards
tony
See my photos at...www.pbase.com/wildoat
 

by E.J. Peiker on Fri Nov 17, 2017 5:04 pm
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antonoat wrote:
E.J. Peiker wrote:Like I said in an earlier thread, I have been significantly more satisfied with MPB over KEH of late.
Hi,
Are you referring to MPB based(or at least originating in the UK)?
regards
tony
Yes, they also have a USA based operation out of NYC but they originated in the UK.
 

by Ed Cordes on Sat Nov 18, 2017 10:10 pm
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After reading E.J.'s comment in the earlier thread I tried MPB to sell my Canon 300 F4 and was very pleased. Only hesitation was their paying via direct deposit to my bank account. However, I have a small account set up for these tings so the risk was minimal. Price offered was fair and transaction was smooth. they also paid significantly more than KEH offered.
Remember, a little mild insanity keeps us healthy
 

by E.J. Peiker on Sun Nov 19, 2017 7:44 am
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Ed Cordes wrote:After reading E.J.'s comment in the earlier thread I tried MPB to sell my Canon 300 F4 and was very pleased. Only hesitation was their paying via direct deposit to my bank account.  However, I have a small account set up for these tings so the risk was minimal.  Price offered was fair and transaction was smooth.  they also paid significantly more than KEH offered.
And KEH rarely pays what they offer when you first initiate online contact.  After they have your gear, they lowball you knowing that most people don't want to deal with getting the gear back and then trying a different way to sell the stuff.  Then a few days later you can see what sold them go up for sale with about a 100% profit for them.  They used to be great but my more recent experience with them had me feeling like they no longer act in good faith.  MPB, on the other hand, if your gear is as you described, pays what they initially offered.
 

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