big camera broker

[johnielvis]

is there anyone that knows of a big camera broker in chicago area--someone that can take a huge lot of equipment and sell it at a decent price? what are peoples' experiences...there are ebay auctioneers but that looks like dimes for dollars in the end..better to donate to a thrift store you know?

how is the best way to eliminate a bunch of BIG stuff and not get shafted cause you're not a salesman? WITHOUT going through classifieds selling piece by piece? All at the same time...anybody done this?

[chriscrawfordphoto]

Any dealer is going to give you pennies on the dollar. Expect 1/4 to 1/8 of what they'll sell it for at retail. Better off ebaying it yourself or selling in the classifieds here.

[johnielvis]

piece by piece will not work
this is all-or-nothing
dimes for dollars sharks are less desirable than throwing it all in a dumpster
maybe this is for a donation then but there's no place that wants the stuff
ok...what worthy institution would WANT stuff like this?

[bdial]

If a dealer doesn't make money on the stuff he buys, he doesn't stay in business. His markup needs to be at a level that will keep the lights on, employees paid, and the doors open.
The longer stuff sits on his shelf, the more money it costs him, and there is a limited market for LF and ULF gear, especially ULF.

Generally speaking, in the buying and selling of used stuff arena, the larger the lot, the less money per item. Another rule of thumb is that the retail price of a single piece of the lot should be enough to fund the lot price. The reason is that it make take years to sell the rest of it.
If you anticipate a problem selling all the stuff, a dealer will have the same problem. To get the best price from a dealer you'll need to sell in small quantities, maybe one or two cameras at a time.

If you need to get the best return you can quickly, the best choice might be a local auction. If you have some time available, and you can transport the gear, you might consider tables at some of the camera shows, or try contacting and orgainziation like PHSNE to see about including the gear in their auctions.

[Sirius Glass]

Your best bet is contacting KEH. Go to keh.com and call their telephone number.

[Jeff Kubach]

I would call KEH also. Don't expect a lot money for used cameras.

Jeff

[eclarke]

What are you getting rid of?

[rich815]

Yup, either catalog, photograph and describe it all for the auction site or a For Sale forum like here (and get paid for all that effort), or take less and in essence pay someone else to do all that work.

Am actually discussing the same with my 11 year old son today. He wants ME to put a whole bunch of listings on eBay for his Nintendo DS and about 20 different game cartridges. Not gonna happen. I told him we can go to the local Game Stop, be in and out in 5 minutes but get 30-40% of what he could sell on eBay. He wants more money so he's learning today how to do eBay auctions...

[Len Middleton]

how is the best way to eliminate a bunch of BIG stuff and not get shafted cause you're not a salesman? WITHOUT going through classifieds selling piece by piece? All at the same time...anybody done this?

Somewhat moot seeing you have changed your mind, but you have already identified how best to do it except a little nuance could be helpful.

If you really NEED the money, then the options get short in a hurry and KEH and others become your solutions, but for a fraction of the value for the reasons so well covered by others (overhead, profit, holding costs versus how quickly it will move, etc.). Also having stock that does not move can negatively reflect and impact the pricing of the rest of the inventory...

If you have a full system and are prepared to part it out yourself, you can do much better, but time and patience are basic requirements.

You are better to use a phased approach in parting it out, by selling some of the less common but desirable pieces (e.g. ULF wide angle lenses, extremely long lenses, etc.). You could then sell off some accessories (extra film holders, film, etc.), and finally sell a basic kit consisting of camera with one lens and a couple of holders.

Otherwise you will be paying directly (commission or profit margin) or indirectly (reduced price to you) for someone to do that for you.

While there may be a number of people interested in some of the more interesting stuff (WA and long lenses), few will want to take everything unless they think they want it themselves or can quickly and easily part it out themselves, hence reduced price to you...

And yes, I have been one of those who in the past (less so now) who have bought a total system to get a few items I wanted and parted out the rest. The result was often getting the bits that I wanted for little or even free after it was all done, so I know the scenario well...

Good luck with whatever you decide,

Len

[mgb74]

KEH (as mentioned)
Also try National Camera in Minneapolis ("shutterbug" dept at bottom of http://www.natcam.com/camera-store-mn.html)

assuming it's (to put it somewhat inelegantly) more than garage sale items. I assume that by "big stuff" you mean fairly high value large format equipment. It's a small, specialized market.

From my experience, both will treat you fairly as long as you expect them to resell at price that will cover what they pay you, plus salaries and overhead, plus allowance for defective cameras that might come back to them, plus a profit. That generally equates (from what I've seen) to paying 50% of their selling price for items in reasonable demand. Since their selling price should be higher than a private party selling price, perhaps 60% of what you would get selling it yourself.

Whether that's a dime-for-dollars shark is something you have to decide. You can look to see if they're selling something you have and get a sense of % if they've quoted you a price for your equipment.

KEH travels to a lot of camera shows to buy equipment (http://www.kehblog.com/p/keh-road-schedule.html) but I don't see Chicago area coming up soon.

I would avoid those places that sell your items on ebay. First, I think that since they know so little about the equipment and it's functional condition, buyers factor that into their bids. Second, from what I've seen recently, they have high shipping charges which also affect what buyers are willing to bid. And then, of course, there's the commission they take.

Good luck whichever route you take.