Where to buy a used Hasselblad

Searching for a solid resource in used Hasselblad's

 

seeking a 500 series

Have you tried keh?

Yes, KEH or B&H (link). Keep in mind that B&H is on holiday at the moment, until April 28.

In USA, KEH is probably the safest bet in terms of standing behind used vintage cameras and accepting returns without drama. They aren't quite the "miracle dealer" they used to be pre-internet and pre-eBay: 20 years ago they were famous for incredibly vigilant pre-sale inspections and accurate descriptions of cosmetic wear and optical/mechanical functionality. Today, not so much: to remain competitive they've become a bit more sloppy. In a broad sense, if they rate something like a 500cm as "Exc+" it is very likely to be perfect, but the promise of perfect will cost you. You can save a great deal of money opting for Exc, Exc-, or "Bargain" but this incurs much higher risk they missed a serious defect that would make you want to return/exchange the item.

 

In their heyday, KEH was beloved for "under-rating" most of their stuff: items they rated and priced as "Bargain" were considered "Exc+" by all other buyers/sellers. KEH was like a secret goldmine of reasonably priced, sure fire camera gear. Today, the volume and speed of web transactions prevents KEH from doing such meticulous pre-screening, so the more affordable items you might occasionally need to return or exchange (I think they do still carefully vet anything they rate Exc+ or Mint-). That said, KEH is probably still THE used camera dealer in North America in terms of stock and customer service. Go to their own website for best selection: they mostly list their lowest-rated "Ugly" stuff on eBay.

 

B&H is cool if they have what you want, ditto their next-door competitor Adorama (which lists some really nice stuff on eBay as well). Setadel Studio lists many fine Hasselblad pieces on eBay, knows Hassy very well, and has a great rep for accurate condition ratings. Unfortunately they ship from Canada which increases final costs a bit. I've picked up several nice 'blad lenses from Bromfield Camera in Massachusetts (also sells on eBay).

I have used Roberts Camera Used Photo Pro a good many times - condition of items always better than described. Good photos of the actual item from all angles. The one item I returned was no problem - nothing wrong with the item except it did not fill the role I intended for it. B&H excellent as well over quite a few purchases, only used KEH a couple of times, but very satisfied.

Just went thru into my spreadsheet to log a recent Mamiya purchase, and had my memory jogged that some of my best Hasselblad bodies, lenses and backs came from Henry's Camera in Vancouver Canada (odd how Canada seems to have a nicer stockpile of Hassy gear than USA). Henrys has their own site and sells on eBay too. Very nice staff, accurate condition ratings, reasonable prices, great customer service, and they do an excellent job of packing for shipped orders. Agree with Sandy Vongries recommendation of Roberts Camera: I've picked up some very good Nikon and Mamiya pieces from them. Edited April 22, 2019 by orsetto

Just make sure to research accessible repair resources before you pull the trigger on any Hasselblad film camera purchase.