Is it okay to ask for price ideas for used items?

[dylandingo]

I have a camera body and a couple lenses I need help pricing out but I wanted to make sure it was okay do so first. I am going to try to sell it local first but I will probably end up posting it in the buy/sell forums soon(I live in a smaller town with a very small market for this stuff.) Thanks

 

[tosvus]

Why don't you search in the Buy&Sell section of this forum if it is 43 or m43 equipment. For other brands it might be better to find forums that talk more about those brands. Also, check what similar items sold for on ebay (you can filter by "sold" property). I think it is safe to expect you will get less (unless you are really lucky) when selling locally. Prices on Craigslist etc tend to be lower because people want to get rid of things without the hassle of shipping, paypal etc.

 

[psknapp]

Maybe it's because I live in a big city, but the craigslist prices here are, in general, significantly higher than forums and ebay. But I agree that the forums (here, POTN, fredmiranda) are a good resource as well as ebay's sold listings. That's what I use when I try to determine what I'll likely pay for something as well...

 

[klee]

yeah feel free. people do it in the form of "feeler" threads to gauge interest in what you have.

 

[dylandingo]

Thanks. I have posted it on facebook since I do have a few photographer friends and I have sold a couple items to friends from there. I've looked on ebay but some of the prices were all over the place(and mostly buy it now) and with my camera body I have a few items to bundle with it. I have an Black Olympus E-P3 with a black leatherette wrap in great shape and I want to bundle my VF-2, two batteries(one name brand, the other is an off brand), two 16g SD cards, and it comes with a black leather Gordy wrist strap. Then I just have an Olympus 17mm 1.8 lens(in black) and an Olympus 45mm 1.8(silver), both comes with aftermarket lenshoods. Again I am trying to sell it locally but pretty sure it won't happen so there will probably be an ad up here soonish.

Thanks

 

[dylandingo]

bump

 

[budeny]

IMO, forum is poor source for prices.
You will get much better idea by searching "Sold" items on ebay and Amazon price histories on camelcamelcamel.com

 

[Amin Sabet]

People tend to sell for lower prices in the forum because Ebay charges ~10% in fees, thus the need to sell higher there for the same profit.

The best indication of what to charge on Ebay is to search completed sales on Ebay. The best indication of what to charge on the forum is to search completed sales in the forum.

 

[budeny]

Lets be realistic - ebay and amazon expose to much more people than any forum of any kind.
It's good to sell on forum something that is new, hot or rare - because it's direct exposure to right audience. But with older and less popular gear, ebay and amazon will likely provide faster sale and better price (for seller), even counting in all fees.

Exaple: my EPL5 body sold on Amazon for $364 (net $320) and 14-42 kit lens sold on ebay for $110 (net $90) just a month ago. Both in around 2-3 days. Those prices are impossible on forum.

 

[pellicle]

My view is to search eBay for the items and tick the box "sold items" after you have narrowed your search to be getting what you are selling. Then you'll get a good idea of the market.

I always sell on eBay.