The Memory Card - What Can You Do With Old Photo Gear?

Digital camera manufacturers are constantly improving their equipment. Suddenly your old equipment, so recently the latest and greatest, is now yesterday's news. Often the upgrades are so dramatic as to encourage, if not force, you to replace the cameras or lenses you've been using. So what can you do with your old equipment?

The easiest solution is to sell it to a local dealer, who'll give you a low price and resell it for a hefty profit. A better alternative is to sell it online. We've used four online marketplaces, e-bay, Craig's List, Photo.Net, and Fred Miranda's site.

E-Bay (www.ebay.com) reaches the largest audience, but only a small fraction is made up of potential purchasers of professional or semi-professional camera gear. In addition, their system is complex, and there are fees involved. But if you want to give it a try, eBay for Dummies, by Marsha Collier (Peachpit Press, 2006, $21.99), or eBay: The Missing Manual, by Nancy Conner (Pogue Press/O'Reilly, 2005, $24.95) will lead you through the steps and around the pitfalls. Or turn the sale over to a TA (Trading Assistant), someone who sells on eBay for others, typically for 20 to 25 percent of the selling price plus eBay and PayPal fees.

Another option is Craig's List, a free location-based online marketplace. Instead of trying to market nationwide, you're presenting your wares in your own community. Go to www.craigslist.org and click on your city name. If it's not on the list, click on your state and—unless your community is extremely small—it'll be there. No shipping hassles or charges, and payment is usually in cash, eliminating any uncertainty or risk in the transaction.

Another other free option is www.photo.net (click on "classified ads," then on "new topic"). Just describe what you want to sell and state your asking price. Many who respond will offer less than that. We've often been successful by saying we can't reduce the price, but that we'll pay shipping and insurance. You'll probably be dealing with serious photographers, so fraud is unlikely. However we always insist on a certified check from their bank, or a postal money order, and promise to ship the same day we receive it (with a stop at the bank first).

Finally, you might want to consider www.fredmiranda.com. There's no charge for buyers, but to post items for sale you have to be a subscriber ($25 per year). If you're selling high end or specialized equipment, however, it can be worth it. For more typical items, however, our favorites are Craig's List and photo.net.

How much should you ask for used camera gear? For equipment in excellent equipment, in the original boxes (always save those boxes!) we check the current price at www.bhphotovideo.com and take 20 to 30 percent off of that. Then, to make sure we're in the ballpark, we check what others are asking and use that as a guideline.