Should you buy used photography gear on the net?

Budget optimisation

When you buy used gear, you will not get the pleasure of unboxing a brand new product that now one has used before you. But you will potentially be able to save a lot of money and lay your hands on some gear that you would never be able to get hold on if bought from new. My Nikkor 70-200mm lens is such an example in my case.

What do you need?

Be careful that the low price is not a pitfall: make sure you really have a need for the product or that its features are important to you.

You may think that a f/1.2 lens is super nice and can render soft backgrounds and all that, but when you then look at the stats in your Lightroom database, you may find that the f/1.2 lens is used 99.9% of the time stopped down. So you’ll find that you bought a lot of glass that you are in fact not using.

Be honest and write a list of requirements before you start searching for gear. It is OK to buy gear that you really don’t need, just because you – say – enjoy owning top level gear, but be honest about it: are my requirements from a rational need (2 card slots for an event photographer) or are they more driven by emotion (a camera that looks cool). There are no wrong requirements, only requirements.

Look and feel

The issue with buying anything online is that you cannot touch and test the product prior to buying. Many producers of furniture have physical shops where you can try and test the product before buying, so you know exactly what you get. That is not so easy when buying used.

If it in any way is possible for you to try and test the product before buying, then that is the best way to get assurance that things are as they should be. Provided of course that you know how to test the product: if you buy a lens but you have no idea how to test the sharpness or if potential fungus influences the image quality, then the point with trying and testing the product is lost. So when you test used ger, it is important you know what good looks like, otherwise the test is of no value.

Returns

If it is not possible to test the product, then the first thing to look for is the ability to return the product if it does not match your expectations. This is probably where I have seen the most photographers being disappointed: the product has shortcomings, but it is not possible to return it.

If you are a consumer buying from a professional, then you typically will be protected and allowed to return the goods if it does not match your expectations. You need to check the legislation in your area, but this is the way it is in many countries. So I always buy from a professional vendor where I can return the goods if I want to. Make sure to check the terms and conditions before you buy.

Now, now, now!

The oldest trick in the handbook of a salesman is: put time pressure on the client! Create a sense of urgency! And many salespeople do. My guess is that it works, otherwise they would not do it.

So you may find that you are tempted by an offer that seems like a really good one and the seller tells you it is a one time offer that is exceptional, but you have to make your decision NOW! But as most who have bought on Black Friday know: the offer may not be so special after all.

So my advice is never to buy a product without having followed the prices for some time. This way, you build a baseline and an understanding of the price level before making the purchase. Yes, it is an investment in time and effort, but IMHO it comes back to you when you get an offer that is really exceptional: you know what good looks like, because you know what average looks like.

To sum it up

So the sum of my wisdom (it is short) is:

• Plan your purchase. Know what your decision criterias are.
• Never rush into that “exceptional offer”. Take your time. Get to know the market. Get to know the price level.
• Make sure you can return the goods, especially if you cannot try it.
• Be careful buying used if you are not competent to assess the quality of the product – get help if you can from someone independent with the required skill set.

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