Best, safest way to sell these days?

[karateisland]

Yeah ebay buyer scams can be anything from claiming you shipped them a box with a brick in it, to taking parts off what you sent them that they need, then claiming bits missing/it is broken.

My friend sold a Sony A7, which has a notoriously bad viewfinder (color tearing, etc). The buyer claimed that he sold them a faulty camera, and ended up getting it for free even though it was in perfect working order (just a crappy camera). Since then, I've tended to stay away.

 

[aizan]

Since you’re selling a Nikon Z6, I’d add Nikonians to your list, in addition to Fred Miranda. The Luminous Landscape if you need a third option.

Facebook marketplace and groups are worth a try, too, though I got a lot of lowballs like Craigslist.

 

[oftheherd]

Good advice.
Ebay is pretty great for buyers if you are reasonably careful about checking feedback before purchasing.
Ebay will never take the seller’s side in a dispute however, so for sellers the deck is stacked against you, and you are pretty much at the mercy of the buyer’s honesty. I sell a lot on ebay, and will continue to do so, but am careful, which eliminates most potential problems. Most sketchy buyers are obviously so from their feedback or profile. Just cancel the BIN sale immediately if you don’t feel completely comfortable with the buyer. Ebay gives you several default reasons you can pick for doing so, and they never question it. Once you ship it though, you are completely vulnerable to the whims and desires of any scam artist or garden variety dirtball out there, because ebay won’t have your back, no matter what the truth of the matter might be.

I never sold on ebay but used to buy things I wanted. My last purchase was about 10 or so years ago. For a long time everyone talked about how ebay favored the side of the seller. What happened?

I was only really scammed once, and that was for a $17 item. I just wrote if off after a few superficial searches. I did have a lady who didn't send a 4x5 camera with I think a couple of lenses for just over $200. After a few emails and some phone calls to relatives, it suddenly appeared.

I did have one seller who related no USPMO was in the envelope. No biggy, that why I used USPMO. I got my money back.

That was all during several hundred purchases. I finally just decided I didn't want/need anything else. I don't think I would touch ebay these days from what I have heard. I did donate a few items last year, but that is iffy based on the small amount you can hope for with current IRS rules.

But now it is time to get rid of some again. So thanks everyone for this thread. Sounds like some good ideas here.

 

[stompyq]

Never had an issue selling on Fredmiranda. Just stick to established members with good feedback and you are fine. I don't sell on ebay anymore because the fees are so high. Avoid selling the BH/adorama unless you want to give the gear away

 

[ornate_wrasse]

I've had good luck selling on Fred Miranda and here on RFF. Not too long ago I advertised my Leica M6 and Voigtlander 75mm lens both here and on Fred Miranda. I received no offers at all on RFF but was able to sell them both fairly quickly on Fred Miranda. I have also had great experiences buying cameras and lenses on Fred Miranda. If I am selling a Nikon camera/lens, I will use Nikonians.

I avoid both Ebay and Craigslist like the plague for photography items. I have read about too many scams where buyers try to cheat sellers on Ebay so I won't touch that place with a ten foot pole.

 

[Bolo Kukus]

I consider Ebay and Paypal as online hyenas working together to feed off sellers.

After 10+ years of dealing with reputable Ebay buyers and a 100% selling score, I had three camera sales go bad in the same month in 2019.

Two were 'remorse' buyers who decided they didn't want the cameras and made up bullcrap stories to get their money back. Paypal hit my bank account without warning and took the funds, leaving me overdrawn and with a bank fee (which my branch manager kindly cancelled). Fortunately I was able to get the two cameras returned and quickly sold one privately, which minimized the damage but affected my trust in Ebay and buyers in general.

The third buyer damaged a camera I sold him by trying to force-mount a 90mm lens and then claiming the camera was faulty when received. He refused to return it until I refunded the camera price and postage both ways. By then I had blocked Paypal from raiding my accounts so they couldn't pillage my balance (they tried four times). Most of the refund money was in my Paypal and of course this was grabbed. I agreed to transfer the balance of the refund to Paypal but I was still locked out of Ebay and Paypal for three weeks.

The buyer eventually returned the G1. He then emailed me and demanded I pay for his lens repair (for something he did!), which I refused. He didn't follow up on this. My repairman found minor damage to the camera, but fixed it without charge.

After these disasters I decided enough was enough and vowed never again to have anything to do with Ebay or Paypal until hell freezes over.

The (pleasant) surprise I've had since was discovering that by shopping carefully I buy all the (admittedly small) items I need for my photography and computers, more cheaply from retail suppliers here in Australia than on Ebay.

Knowledge is power.

Bye bye, Ebay and Paypal, you are not at all missed by me.

I now have a few cameras and other accessories to sell and am looking at other options. To all who have posted in this thread, many thanks - your information is useful.

 

[David Murphy]

Good advice.
Ebay is pretty great for buyers if you are reasonably careful about checking feedback before purchasing.
Ebay will never take the seller’s side in a dispute however, so for sellers the deck is stacked against you, and you are pretty much at the mercy of the buyer’s honesty. I sell a lot on ebay, and will continue to do so, but am careful, which eliminates most potential problems. Most sketchy buyers are obviously so from their feedback or profile. Just cancel the BIN sale immediately if you don’t feel completely comfortable with the buyer. Ebay gives you several default reasons you can pick for doing so, and they never question it. Once you ship it though, you are completely vulnerable to the whims and desires of any scam artist or garden variety dirtball out there, because ebay won’t have your back, no matter what the truth of the matter might be.

All true, clearly spoken from experience. There is one rather serious problem about eBay's buyer centric favoritism: this will drive sellers away and raise prices. It's already happened in fact. This means fewer choices for buyers, and higher prices, though perhaps this was actually eBay's plan. Smart sellers eventually learn to offload a portion of their costs to buyers, in any business - it's how business works.

 

[Fraser]

I've mostly sold on ebay even with the fees (but try and wait for fee offer deals) I think you will get the highest prices, I've had a few returns but I just take things back less hassle in the long run, after selling lots of high end stuff funnily enough the most hassle I've had was quite recently with a pair of Billingham end pockets and it was my fault I hadn't noticed one of the drawstring had pulled out so apologised and said just return them and I will pay for return. Thats where the trouble started the seller wanted me to pay for a repair not a local shop repair but a return to Billingham. I think by the end of the discussion I was to refund around £20 I said no just return them. I think I only sold them for £25-£30 and they sell for £40ish each and these had never been used they got annoyed and left me with negative feedback and kept them. So out of more than 700 feedback I have one negative !
I would advise lots of pictures don't say good condition etc as some peoples good condition can be unrealistic just say working etc see pictures for condition and don't expect much support as a seller from ebay!

 

[Pherdinand]

if you feel insulted by offers then you should not be selling secondhand stuff...
just sayin

 

[Pherdinand]

by the way try catawiki . might be a better/safer ebay alternative.

 

[karateisland]

if you feel insulted by offers then you should not be selling secondhand stuff...
just sayin

I guess I should avoid the risk of being insulted and just dump it all in the trash, then!

All jokes aside, I get why some places offer extremely low amounts in exchange for a kit. I just won't be going back to them any time soon.

 

[splitimageview]

I don't bother with craigslist for selling, although I've gotten some amazing deals when buying.

The problem with CL is so many buyers will waste your time, not show up, etc.

Ditto with fb market...received some nice stuff at great prices, but won't bother with sales.

Fb groups, on the other hand, can work well, at least those focused on specific brands.

Try joining one of the Nikon groups there.

Other than that, RFF, FM, brand-specific forums, depending on what the gear is. I've posted stuff here that never got any inquiries but it sold on other forums quickly, and vice-versa. Depends on the type of gear and who frequents those forums.

Still sell a lot on ebay, that's where you'll get the highest price, and most of the time it more than covers the fees. Have enough experience there over 20+ years that I consider it safe, although I understand those who don't have that experience wanting to stay away.

 

[f.hayek]

Tony Rose/PopFlash in LA, one of the sponsors here, sells items under consignment and charges 20% for the sale. Probably the safest way to sell along with getting a fair return on the item.

Sold many items over the years through Tony and never a glitch. Honest, serious grader of kit. The long-standing reputation of his business gives potential buyers the confidence to trust his assessment.

 

[Zonan]

I favor fredmiranda, with RFF next in line. I have had poor results with craigslist, ebay better but still problematic at times. Lately, I have not had much success here at RFF, listings seem to be much reduced from a few years ago and items slow to sell (if they do at all). YMMV
Also check out MPB, they seem to offer more than KEH, B&H et al, if you decide to go the "wholesale" route.

 

[karateisland]

I favor fredmiranda, with RFF next in line. I have had poor results with craigslist, ebay better but still problematic at times. Lately, I have not had much success here at RFF, listings seem to be much reduced from a few years ago and items slow to sell (if they do at all). YMMV
Also check out MPB, they seem to offer more than KEH, B&H et al, if you decide to go the "wholesale" route.

This is great advice! I checked in with MPB and got a very reasonable offer. Not as much as I could get elsewhere, of course, but the amount is attractive given all the potential pitfalls of selling yourself. Happy to pay them a commission if I don't have to worry about it.

Thanks everyone, this has been very educational.

 

[karateisland]

FWIW, I've been fielding offers on Fred Miranda and Nikonians for a few days, and I'm having a devil of a time getting anyone interested in paying more than MPB would. I am trying to offer a reasonable price to help another enthusiast get a good deal, but once I factor in shipping, I'm looking to lose money selling on either of those forums vs. MPB.

Strangely, with a recent mirrorless camera, MPB might have been the best choice. YMMV.