mudduck

Adorama contacted me via email about purchasing used equipment. I was willing to sell then a Hasselblad H3D II 39mp kit. I had purchased the body, prizim, and back from them a couple of years ago for $3495 . I had added a 80mm lens, Imagebank, extra batteries, AC power adapter and a zero halibuton case. i have shot less than 500 images with this camera since purchase. There offer was a $1000 for the whole enchilada. The lens alone is going for 800-1100 on ebay. I understand they have to make a profit but this is kind of excessive, other photogs at UH I'm sure have used them, are yall ok with taking this kind of beating and is this standard procedure from the used equipment buyers?

Grey Ghost

It’s your choice whether or not to sell it to them. Maybe you should offer it on eBay or UHH!

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Your equipment isn't worth anything until you find a buyer. Then you know what it's worth.

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

BINGO

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

Try KEH and B&H then compare the three offers. That will give you a better idea of what your gear is worth.

mudduck

Of course, I'm just glad they gave me an estimated price before I sent it to them for evaluation, I've always been Leary of shipping delicate equipment , I didnt realize they're expectation of the profit margin in our used cameras and acc.

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

Try KEH and B&H then compare the three offers. That will give you a better idea of what your gear is worth.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

That amount sounds like it is on the low side but it depends on a lot of factors. Was all this equipment purchased new by you or was any of it used? What was the original purchase price of all your gear put together? Assuming your gear is all in very good working condition with no scratches or scuffs, and depending on its desirability in the used market, probably the most that you're going to get from any trade in is between 25% to 33% of the original cost.

First, 500 shots or 50,000 shots, it is still used equipment and has to be resold as used equipment by Adorama at a significant enough discount from new to make it worthwhile for somebody to buy it. I'm not sure how much time and effort Adorama puts into refurbishing used equipment before they resell it, but the cost of any refurbishing has to be recouped by them.

Second, they take on a risk that it could be weeks, months, or possibly even years before all the items you trade in are sold. When they resell it they will also have to offer some kind of a short-term warranty.

Have you researched what all this gear sells for used? Go on eBay and see if you can find out how much these items ended up actually being sold for, not just the asking price. Take that sold price and cut it in half, and that's more or less what you'll get offered for your equipment if you trade it in.

It is always more cost effective to sell gear privately because you're cutting out the middle man. For many people however it is just not worth the effort and the risks involved and they are willing to accept much less for their gear to avoid all the hassles.

mudduck

I bought the camera used from Adorama and is in the same condition as I purchased it, plus the other items that weren't part of the 3495 initial price. I know private party sales will garner more money but being a business owner myself that sometimes deals in used items I dont look for 3 or 4 hundred percent profit margin.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

The additional information you provided in this post changes the picture a bit. All things being equal, I'm guessing you would have expected something closer to between $1500 to $1750 or even $2000. Have you looked at other dealers? There is B&H of course, KEH, and here in New Jersey we have our own smaller camera superstore called Unique Photo.

I sold two Canon cameras and lenses to them not too long ago and got almost $1500 for that gear. It was much more than I had expected for an 8-year-old Canon 7D Mark II and a 10-year-old Canon t3i.(with over 70,000 actuations each) and around eight lenses, with only one of them a Canon premium L lens. Most of the lenses had been well used and I got my value from them over the years. I was expecting an offer of less than $1,000 for all this well used gear which was still in very good condition. i was very pleased when they offered me more than $500 more than I had anticipated.

Of course, being in New Jersey I was able to bring everything with me to Unique and have it inspected in person, and they gave me a price and a check immediately.

mudduck

Thank you for the info. If I really decide to push selling it I may give them a call, its a great camera but I have so many and its really a little to big and bulky to use on hikes in Big Bend National park where I like to shoot scenics.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Of course, I can't say what Unique would give you for your gear, and for all I know, depending on it's marketability for them, they may even decline to give you an offer. They are a large and reputable camera and optics only store in Northern New Jersey and unlike stores like Best Buy, Unique is mostly geared towards professional and advanced amateur photographers. I believe they've recently opened a second store in or near to Philadelphia.

DRM Loc: NC

In addition to KEH and B&H, get a quote from MPB (US).

wireloose

I found them to offer about 35% less than either KEH or MPB, and slower to respond. Won’t try the, again.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

I’ll give you $1200. 😜🤪