So when do you look at what's on the shelf in your studio and say, "I haven't mounted that lens in two years.", or, "That battery pack has never even come out of the box.", and decide to start selling off equipment?
I bought a bunch of macro equipment a while back and I never got time to explore the genre thoroughly, and have since lost interest. I've got the Canon 100, the 180L, and the funky little 1-5X that's never been mounted on a camera. Plus I've got the twin-lights with a 72 mm adapter and 2 each of Bogen and Kirk Photo focusing rails and a couple of Wimberly macro light arms.
Oh, I've also got 2 and 3 stop Singh-Ray soft and hard ND filters and a really nice Cokin P filter holder (77 mm) that was north of $100 laying in my sock drawer since moving to Savannah in October. And I wasn't kidding about the Quantum battery pack that has never come out of the OEM packaging.
I believe it is true that less is more. Time for a garage sale?
As long as these items are part of a modern system and not considered rare classics, you can probably buy them again in the future for about the same price you can sell them. If they're not serving any purpose, may as well get some cash and reconsider at a later time.
Guy
Posted by Kent Staubus on March 23, 2007 at 6:27 PM
I agree with Guy. Get your money out now before the stuff becomes a generation out of production. I knew a guy once who a few years ago bought a Pentax 645 and a lens. He used it a few times, then put it in a closet. As digital cameras began ramping up, I told him to sell it, but he didn't. He said he paid $1,500 for it but now it would only bring $800 on eBay. I told him a $700 loss was better than a $1,500 one. Sure enough, that camera hardly brings a bid on eBay now. Get money out of things you don't use. It's money that's tied up and not doing anything for you. Turn it and put it into something else.
The best time to sell on eBay is about mid May. It's warm and people are thinking summer vacations and photography again. You could use the macro gear to take nice sharp photos of the stuff you need to sell.
Kent in SD
Posted by John W. Wall on March 24, 2007 at 8:59 PM
Just a note about ebay. I've been buying and selling there since '99 and thought I'd seen and knew how to avoid all the scams, but a scammer last week managed to win my lens auction. Being a "fast shipper," I had the lens in transit and the paypal funds transferred to my bank before ebay/paypal figured out and notified me of the scam.
It has become a real swamp of scammers over there. Be very careful. Wait a day before shipping anything. Proceed from the assumption that any correspondence you get is a scam. Obviously, never follow a link in an email. Always enter at ebay.com.
Anyway, I got the lens back very quickly thanks to FedEx and re-sold it, on ebay, by the next day. I now accept only paypal, and the buyer must inititate the purchase through ebay. No invoicing, no money orders, nada. I won't even bore you with the headaches this scam caused. Let the buyer (and the seller) beware.
Posted by Kent Staubus on March 25, 2007 at 12:02 AM
J.W.--
The only problem I ever had on eBay was from a PayPal seller. PayPal KNEW the guy was a crook, but he didn't have enough complaints on him yet. So, PayPal let him rip me off. I hate Paypal. I won't use them for nothing! Ever! They are crooks. I insist on U.S. Postal money order and make sure it clears before shipping. PayPal is false security. I refuse to bid on auctions that require it.
To Kelly Rowe - I'm interested in a couple of your items. Sanford504
To Kent in SD: I agree with you 100% concerning PayPal. I also will only accept US Postal Money Orders when I sell on EBAY
Discussion
5 repliesI bought a bunch of macro equipment a while back and I never got time to explore the genre thoroughly, and have since lost interest. I've got the Canon 100, the 180L, and the funky little 1-5X that's never been mounted on a camera. Plus I've got the twin-lights with a 72 mm adapter and 2 each of Bogen and Kirk Photo focusing rails and a couple of Wimberly macro light arms.
Oh, I've also got 2 and 3 stop Singh-Ray soft and hard ND filters and a really nice Cokin P filter holder (77 mm) that was north of $100 laying in my sock drawer since moving to Savannah in October. And I wasn't kidding about the Quantum battery pack that has never come out of the OEM packaging.
I believe it is true that less is more. Time for a garage sale?
Sorry for the long boring muse...
Guy
The best time to sell on eBay is about mid May. It's warm and people are thinking summer vacations and photography again. You could use the macro gear to take nice sharp photos of the stuff you need to sell.
Kent in SD
It has become a real swamp of scammers over there. Be very careful. Wait a day before shipping anything. Proceed from the assumption that any correspondence you get is a scam. Obviously, never follow a link in an email. Always enter at ebay.com.
Anyway, I got the lens back very quickly thanks to FedEx and re-sold it, on ebay, by the next day. I now accept only paypal, and the buyer must inititate the purchase through ebay. No invoicing, no money orders, nada. I won't even bore you with the headaches this scam caused. Let the buyer (and the seller) beware.
The only problem I ever had on eBay was from a PayPal seller. PayPal KNEW the guy was a crook, but he didn't have enough complaints on him yet. So, PayPal let him rip me off. I hate Paypal. I won't use them for nothing! Ever! They are crooks. I insist on U.S. Postal money order and make sure it clears before shipping. PayPal is false security. I refuse to bid on auctions that require it.
Kent in SD
To Kent in SD: I agree with you 100% concerning PayPal. I also will only accept US Postal Money Orders when I sell on EBAY