Where is the second hand market ?

[Niels - NHSN]

I buy and sell mostly through local classifieds. I am lucky to live in a metropolitan area so it is easy to go at check things out. I send only if pre-paid through bank transfer which is non-reversible.

I also keep an eye out for estate auctions. The condition is mostly a gamble but experience and intuition has served me well.

[john_cooper9]

My Ebay experience has been mostly good both buying and selling the past 24+ years.

 

Expensive items that I really want are often priced too high, so when they are open to offers I start with a reasonable (to me) offer and we go back and forward to negotiate an agreed upon price.

 

When selling something I can do without I usually start with a low price. When reluctant to sell but need the money for other stuff the starting price is higher, or very high if I really don't want to sell.

 

It pays to know what you are looking at before buying, although sometimes I take a chance that the seller is honest and knows the value of an item in today's market.

[glen_h]

(snip)

 

It pays to know what you are looking at before buying, although sometimes I take a chance that the seller is honest and knows the value of an item in today's market.

 

Well, there are those that know, and those that honestly don't know.

 

I often buy from Goodwill, which will tell you how much they didn't check them.

 

The ones you don't want are the ones that dishonestly know the poor condition, but don't say.

 

Before Covid, I would buy from the local Goodwill, pick them up, and they were good

at taking them back for full refund if they didn't work. (That didn't happen often.)

(They closed local pick-up during Covid, but I think open again.)

 

But if you have to pay shipping both ways, then it gets more expensive.

 

Well, I tend to bid low, so shipping will be a big part of the cost.

[stuart_pratt]

You can also try your local Facebook Marketplace. I keep an eye on this and have had some reasonable hits for a CZ Flektogon 35mm f2.5 for £30, and more recently a CZ Sonnar 135mm, 50mm Tessar and F2.4 35mm Flektogon all for £35. The Flek turned out to have fungus, but I sold it on ebay fro £55, and fixed up the other two lenses.

 

Charity shops in the UK can be good. I price things for one of our local shops and have been advised to price for what I would think is a bargain. Had a fully working Spotmatic, accurate meter, 50mm f1.4 in great condition a week or so ago, with a 135 Super Tak in mint condition. £50? I would have bought it myself, but I've already got one. Nothing quite beats the buzz of getting some new camera kit for a song!