good place to sell used lens

[Pandawan]

Hi All,

Just curious where do you usually sell your old lens other than ebay. The 10% fee in ebay is making it harder to get decent return :(

Handoko

[ricktas]

We have a forum here (hidden to you) for members to trade gear. It is only available to regular active site members, so you cannot even see it at present. So perhaps if you joined in here more than every year or so, you might find this site has a lot more to offer. Otherwise..try gumtree.

[Pandawan]

Hi Rick,

Yes I understand that the forum for trade gear is still hidden for me. I was hoping to hear from other member on how they are selling their gear, my apology if this is something that should not be discussed here :)

[Mark L]

I've got no idea really. Probably depends on what quality the lenses are.
You could try some of the bigger camera name retailers that sell second hand stuff, but you loose the chance of someone one ebay offering over the odds.
It's an interesting question. I have a few really old lenses sitting in a cupboard. They may be good :confused013 but without adapters they would be no use to anyone with a DSLR. They may be not good also. Such a waste.

[farmmax]

Gumtree is free and seems to have a good selection of lenses for sale. As a buyer, the problem I have with Gumtree is that contacting the seller is very hit and miss. This means you may have your lens for sale, and I desperately want to buy it, but the contact system fails and I cannot get into contact with you :(

A lot of people apparently buy and sell on Facebook, so perhaps that is an option.

Feed the name of your lens into Google, adding "for sale" after it, and see what comes up in the top searches. If any of those are a classifieds/forum/blog, join the website if necessary and post your lens for sale there :D Don't laugh, that worked for me selling something else :)

[freelancer]

Didn't relise ebay takes 10%, im always selling things on there and hadn't noticed.
Jon

[Lance B]

I've used Gumtree and have found that works for me.

[I @ M]

Just a quick note for all those who may not know.

Gumtree is purely ebay without the fees and the "protection" for sellers and buyers.

( scroll to the bottom r/h side of http://www.gumtree.com.au/ )

Gumtree is widely regarded as the biggest overall scam site in Australia.

[ameerat42]

...( scroll to the bottom r/h side of http://www.gumtree.com.au/ )
...

Ta for the timely tidings I @ M. Specifically, go to the little dashed box that says "...Ignore SMS messages that ..."
and then click on "Learn more".

[Analog6]

There are some useful groups on FaceBook, have bought and sold on them

[Pandawan]

Thanks all for the input :)

- - - Updated - - -

As for gumtree, yes I agree that there are no protection for both buyer and seller, but the problem is (as a seller) there are minimum protection as well in ebay :( .. I would say that selling in gumtree is as risky as selling in any forum/facebook group

[ricktas]

Thanks all for the input :)

- - - Updated - - -

As for gumtree, yes I agree that there are no protection for both buyer and seller, but the problem is (as a seller) there are minimum protection as well in ebay :( .. I would say that selling in gumtree is as risky as selling in any forum/facebook group

On gumtree, I only sell to locals. I meet in a mutually agreed place, and only take cash. The buyer has no idea where I live. The get to see the item, check it is working etc, and then it is theirs..and the cash is mine. I would never agree to post something etc to anyone on gumtree.

Your other option in most of the bigger cities is a camera dealer who will sell stuff for you on commission.

[ameerat42]

Pandawan.
How desperate are you to sell this lens? You have 16 posts to go before you can sell it here. Instead of mulling over this and that in this thread,
post some pics, give some critique, and... - and pretty soon you'll be able to post it here in the classifieds.
Am.

[Warb]

Common sense is the main requirement for any buying and selling.

When selling, never let anything out of your hands unless you have the money in your account (or cash in your hand). If the buyer requests anything other than a straightforward payment, simply walk away. If sending an item through the post, take pictures of the item being wrapped (proof of condition and good packaging) and always use registered post to avoid people claiming they didn't receive the item. On eBay don't accept bids from people with little or no feedback, they may be repeat offenders who create new account to avoid bad feedback. Always be totally accurate with descriptions - "as new" means completely immaculate, not scuffed and scraped. ANY damage, even the slightest marks or lack of functionality should be clearly stated in the ad, and shown in pictures. If the item has been repaired, that should be stated. Unedited pictures of the item from all angles, and a movie of it in use are evidence that it was in good condition and working when it left you. If a buyer complains, respond politely and include photo's that disprove the claim. Most scammers won't bother to contest a case if it's clear you have good evidence that what they are saying is false.

When buying, exercise the same caution. If anything is not to your liking, walk away (before agreeing to the sale!). Anything that is not completely clear should be queried in a traceable manner (i.e. email not phone!). Keep all records of communications. Do not accept packages (that need to be signed for) that are damaged, or note the damage on the docket before signing.

Using PayPal, as either a buyer or seller, DOES have advantages. The payment is traceable, and there is a dispute process. The dispute process does tend to favour the buyer but only if the seller cannot prove their case. PayPal charge commission, but also avoids direct bank interactions.

My experience has been that almost every "bad" transaction that I have heard of has been avoidable. I know a few people who, as sellers, have experienced the buyer claiming they never received the goods. This has always been when the seller has tried to save a couple of dollars by using regular (not registered) mail. Registered mail provides proof that the item has been received, which in turn indicates it arrived in good condition because a sensible person wouldn't accept a damaged package! It is always possible for an item to genuinely get damaged in transit, but saving a few cents by not packing it securely increases the risk massively. Most claims by buyers that the item is "wrong" will only hold water if the description was ambiguous or misleading, it is not the sellers fault if the buyer failed to read a clear and accurate description.

I actually know more people who have had trouble as buyers than as sellers. Most often the problems are due to an inaccurate description of the condition of the item (i.e. the seller is lying or has a very skewed/rose-tinted opinion of what constitutes "perfect"). The buyer has no choice but to complain! There may be a grey area around what constitutes "fair wear and tear" or "age appropriate wear", but "as new" is fairly clear cut. These problems wouldn't occur if the seller included good photos and an accurate description - trying to make a few more dollars by failing to disclose damage, or over-estimating the condition of an item is asking for a dispute!

It is also important to keep an eye on the calender. Some sellers (especially the off-shore ones) will procrastinate, ask for another week etc. If you allow them to carry you past the end of the "complaint" period, you basically lose your right to dispute the sale. If your items haven't arrived, tell them clearly that you WILL raise a dispute before the deadline. I have actually had a seller agree to refund my money, but "our refund process will take 3 days"...... 2 days before the end of the dispute window! Simply replying that I was aware of the deadline, and that I would be raising a dispute 24hours before that deadline, caused their refund process to only take 12 hours!

Gumtree does involve posting your contact details to the general public, which always carries risks. But no more than posting them on a forum, or anywhere else where they can be harvested! Bad things are only likely to happen if you let them! Any land line phone number can be reverse-lookup'd to an address by anyone with internet access. So the bad guy now knows your address, and that you have nice toys for him to steal. And yet hundreds of people post their phone numbers and even addresses on Facebook "buy swap and sell" groups every day. Better yet, they also post that they won't be at home at x o'clock so the buyer can't pick the item up! Tell the world when your house is unoccupied, why don't you!

Common sense, and a dash of paranoia, goes a long way to ensuring trouble-free online trading. Stupidity, greed, carelessness and laziness will always be punished.

And, of course, any buying and selling always carries the risk of an item being "hot". When buying an expensive item, I always like a copy of the sellers driving license especially if they don't have an original receipt. If they're genuine, that shouldn't be an issue when I'm handing over hundreds of dollars!

[Pandawan]

Pandawan.
How desperate are you to sell this lens? You have 16 posts to go before you can sell it here. Instead of mulling over this and that in this thread,
post some pics, give some critique, and... - and pretty soon you'll be able to post it here in the classifieds.
Am.

Hi Am,

I am responding to this thread because someone share their experience/tips in selling their gear in respond to my question. I think it is only polite for me to thanks them and give my thought on what they share. As you said, if my sole intent is to just increase my post count, I can easily post pictures/critiques to other threads.

Not so desperate on selling, they are just lying around for some time now that I move from one system to another :)