Buying And Selling Camera Gear On eBay

Olympus E-30 close up - large images let you and buyers check the condition of items.

While you can certainly find some great deals on ePHOTOzine classifieds and also sell your equipment there, sometimes you only find rare equipment on eBay. Here we outline some hints and tips for selling and buying on eBay to get the best deals and also get the most for your equipment when selling. Where we mention eBay UK, these principals also apply to eBay US.

Why buy second hand? Well it lets you try a different lens without the expense of paying full price from a dealer and also should allow you to sell it on afterwards for a similar price should it not be what you are looking for.

Buying a 6-12+ month old digital camera means you can save a large amount of money compared to buying the latest model and the rapid rate new cameras are introduced means older models hold their value less. Use sites like this to find out about the camera or lens and see if it will meet your needs by reading the reviews available.

Buying on eBay:

• Know what you want, be specific
• Check item condition, New, Used, Parts etc
• Try spelling errors / search description if rare
• Search international location as more chance of finding what you want
• Pay attention to seller feedback, 100%, recent feedback, a good number
• Or take a risk for lower prices and new sellers (CAUTION advised)
• Make sure you have a working paypal account or that the seller will take bank transfer so that you have a suitable means of paying before comitting to buy
• Check to see if the item is covered by "paypal protection"
• Look for cheap accessories or second hand items to save money.
• Pentax 50mm f/1.7 can be bought for £39.99 (or less), pick up a Panasonic Lumix G1 for around £200 with kit lens, compact digital cameras, accessories, spare batteries, lens filters, adapters, macro reversing ring, teleconverters etc
• Research the market by looking at completed listings to see how much items sell for and why something has sold for more than other items

Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm f/4.0-5.6	Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm f/4.0-5.6

Selling on eBay:

• Have a look at other sellers listings
• Use clear detailed photos, show everything included in the sale, as well as close up detail, with white backgrounds, as shown above
• Use clear detailed descriptions, let them know if the original box is included
• Let buyers know your payment and postage conditions
• Use the correct categories
• For high popularity items and for a quick sale (Cameras, lenses, mainstream items) use short listings (ie 3-5 day listings) as all the action happens on the last day
• For rarer items consider a longer listing time 5-7 days or longer or set a price (although it may not sell if unrealistic, also beware of under pricing it)
• For high popularity items, minimise listing fees by starting the auction price at 0.99p
• List at the weekend as often there are zero insertion fees
• If you are selling high price items but have low or no feedback then why not buy or sell low price items to build your feedback
• Ending listings on Sunday evenings or Wednesday evenings are said to give the highest prices due to the most people staying in at home (and able to bid), likewise listings that end first thing in the morning on a Sunday can result in low buying prices
• Avoid spelling mistakes and make the title clear
• Research the market by looking at completed listings to see how much items sell for and why something has sold for more than other items
• When it's sold send an invoice straight away and give them a week to pay. Send another invoice if payment isn't received after a week.
• If the payment is paypal (it usually is these days) make sure the buyer has a confirmed address with paypal. It says so on the email that comes telling you you have funds. If they do not have a confirmed address read the T&Cs very carefully - it's easy to get stung.
• Be aware of the fees of selling items on eBay: these vary but be prepared for around 10% selling fees based on what the item sells for and 3.75% fees from selling through paypal. Work out if you would be better off selling it for a lower price through ePHOTOzine classifieds.

Olympus E-30 and Box

Posting the item: It's at times like this when you wish you'd kept hold of the original box. There is a 2kg limit for Royal Mail and above this it gets expensive. You can use a website like parcel2go to find the cheapest collection / delivery options, often around £9 for 24hr insured collection from your house, although be warned you will need to know the package weight and dimensions so have packaging ready.

Getting help: Ask in the ephotozine forums, or you can even call eBay these days as they have a support phone number.