Digital Photography Info

Image by Stacy Lynn Baum via Flickr

While getting second hand cameras or lenses ‘face to face’ is relatively easy, getting it on-line can be a bit more tricky.
It is essential to check the condition of used camera equipment, but how can you do this remotely? Well… you can do this by questioning the seller or examining the photos and descriptions posted on-line, or you can trust the dealer’s repair department assessment (usually a detailed grading system is used for this).

There are many photo specializing dealers on-line who can help you sell your gear and offer great prices on second hand cameras:

http://www.usedcameras.com/
http://www.adorama.com/
http://www.keh.com/
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/
http://www.usedcamerabuyer.com/
http://www.usedcamerasonly.com/

An advantage of dealing with these places is that they tend to have warranties on the gear they sell or have ‘No Questions Asked Money back Guarantee’.  Sometimes they can offer a possibility to purchase Mack Camera and Video Service Warranties.
Even though the seller lists all product flaws in the product description it is always better to assess its condition in your own hands, and if you are not satisfied with the product you can send it back.

You can still buy your used camera equipment on-line from individual users on eBay, Yahoo! Auctions and Craigslist, but usually those deals don’t come with a warranty. You may want to double check the seller on eBay or Yahoo! Auctions (look for other photo gear listed in his description, pay attention to the language he uses (if its professional or not). This way you can verify if this is actually a photographer releasing his gear or some middle man. And although eBay guarantees their purchases it’s better to validate this up front than later deal with the problem of getting a refund.

As for Craigslist I would be more careful. There is no guarantee there, or ability to get a refund, in case you are disappointed. It is always good to ask the seller for a serial number of the used camera equipment, so you can verify if the serial number is legit and not stolen. Usually people post an entry with a stolen camera or lens serial number on a blog somewhere for the search engine to pick it up. Running the number in Google is a good way to validate if the camera or a lens has not been stolen.

There are also on-line registries for stolen equipment, for example:

Photo.net

Stolen-property

Or you can use Stolen Camera Finder tool that uses the Exif data record in your pictures on the web to find your camera:

stolen camera finder

My advice – When buying your used camera equipment on-line use reliable dealer that provides warranties on the gear they sell or have ‘No Questions Asked Money back Guarantee’ to save you time and hassle.

Do you have more tips on buying second hand cameras on-line? Feel free to add a comment below. Your contribution will be highly appreciated!

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