Joseph T Lewis III
Senior Member
Many people (including me) have questioned why someone would ever want to sell used equipment to KEH Camera. The primary argument has been that you can ALWAYS make more money selling the items yourself, via Amazon, eBay, or equivalent.
However, after having sold off my entire inventory of Sony Alpha gear (plus 2-3 old legacy lenses), my perspectives have changed. Based on my experience, when everything is said and done, you may end up pretty close to what you’d get on Amazon / eBay, by selling to KEH instead. And, it is not impossible that you might even come out a bit ahead in some instances. Here’s why:
-KEH picks up the tab for shipping your camera, lens etc. when you sell an item to them (you get a free FedEx shipping label when you accept and print their price quote). This can amount to an $18 to $25 savings PER ITEM, compared to you shipping the item yourself via FedEx or UPS to a private individual. (The savings quoted do take into account the pittance for shipping that Amazon charges the end customer and pass along to you, by the way.)
-When you sell an item to KEH, you do not have to pay a commission on it. On Amazon or eBay you do. Depending on the final sale price, that can be a pretty good chunk of change. Commission plus shipping could easily add up to $50 or more. That’s money that is taken away from your bottom line.
-When you sell to KEH, you don’t have to worry about somebody getting buyer’s remorse or just not liking the item and wanting to return it, even if it works perfectly. If you have rated your item objectively and realistically, and if it functions the way it should, KEH will buy it from you at the quoted price.
-When your item is shipped to KEH, there will always be someone there to receive it (no nightmare scenarios about an item disappearing from someone’s front porch). This is not a major concern but I did want to mention it.
-You might get a better price than you’d expect from KEH. For example, I recently sold on Amazon a Sony 35mm prime lens I bought new, and used for maybe 200 shots. It was in absolutely perfect condition but I had to sell at a reduced price, because I lost the lens hood that was supposed to come with it (replacement hoods were $20 and up, and I could not find any cheap 3rd party hoods that fit it). After I sold and shipped the lens, I belatedly did a “what if” price quote for it at KEH. Their purchase price was within $2.80 of what I sold it for on Amazon! So, in that case, I would have actually have come out AHEAD selling to KEH, due to free shipping and no Amazon commission charges.
-Sometimes an item just won’t sell on Amazon or eBay for whatever reason. You might not get the top price for it, but you WILL be able to sell it to KEH.
-Selling to KEH is very easy. You go to their online quote system, fill in the info, rate your item realistically and objectively, and it will tell you what they will pay you for it. If you accept the quote, you print the shipping label, ship the item to them, and you are done. A check will shortly arrive in the mail. No worrying about whether or not the item will sell; no having to go in and reduce your price (and reduce your price…) until it finally sells, which is frequently the case if you're selling on Amazon. No worrying about whether your "no reserve" eBay auction will turn out OK.
-Finally, KEH is a top notch, reputable outfit. They are a pleasure to deal with and their staff are knowledgeable, responsive and competent.
Am I saying that everybody should always rush to sell their used stuff to KEH? No, of course not. However, what I am saying is that you probably should not dismiss them out of hand, without at least seeing what they would give you for your gear.
Disclaimer: my selling approach has always been to price my items at the low end of the scale, so as to move them quickly and get on with my life. I sell gear in perfect condition at the price required to move it quickly. I could probably make a bit more money if I wanted to play the game, but that’s just not me. If you are one of those individuals who is willing (and able) to take weeks to squeeze the very last nickel out of an item, and actually know how to do that consistently, then KEH is probably not for you. For everyone else, I’d recommend you at least take a look at KEH.
NOTE: I am not affiliated with KEH in any way; I just had an epiphany of sorts after recently selling three lenses to them.
Thanks
However, after having sold off my entire inventory of Sony Alpha gear (plus 2-3 old legacy lenses), my perspectives have changed. Based on my experience, when everything is said and done, you may end up pretty close to what you’d get on Amazon / eBay, by selling to KEH instead. And, it is not impossible that you might even come out a bit ahead in some instances. Here’s why:
-KEH picks up the tab for shipping your camera, lens etc. when you sell an item to them (you get a free FedEx shipping label when you accept and print their price quote). This can amount to an $18 to $25 savings PER ITEM, compared to you shipping the item yourself via FedEx or UPS to a private individual. (The savings quoted do take into account the pittance for shipping that Amazon charges the end customer and pass along to you, by the way.)
-When you sell an item to KEH, you do not have to pay a commission on it. On Amazon or eBay you do. Depending on the final sale price, that can be a pretty good chunk of change. Commission plus shipping could easily add up to $50 or more. That’s money that is taken away from your bottom line.
-When you sell to KEH, you don’t have to worry about somebody getting buyer’s remorse or just not liking the item and wanting to return it, even if it works perfectly. If you have rated your item objectively and realistically, and if it functions the way it should, KEH will buy it from you at the quoted price.
-When your item is shipped to KEH, there will always be someone there to receive it (no nightmare scenarios about an item disappearing from someone’s front porch). This is not a major concern but I did want to mention it.
-You might get a better price than you’d expect from KEH. For example, I recently sold on Amazon a Sony 35mm prime lens I bought new, and used for maybe 200 shots. It was in absolutely perfect condition but I had to sell at a reduced price, because I lost the lens hood that was supposed to come with it (replacement hoods were $20 and up, and I could not find any cheap 3rd party hoods that fit it). After I sold and shipped the lens, I belatedly did a “what if” price quote for it at KEH. Their purchase price was within $2.80 of what I sold it for on Amazon! So, in that case, I would have actually have come out AHEAD selling to KEH, due to free shipping and no Amazon commission charges.
-Sometimes an item just won’t sell on Amazon or eBay for whatever reason. You might not get the top price for it, but you WILL be able to sell it to KEH.
-Selling to KEH is very easy. You go to their online quote system, fill in the info, rate your item realistically and objectively, and it will tell you what they will pay you for it. If you accept the quote, you print the shipping label, ship the item to them, and you are done. A check will shortly arrive in the mail. No worrying about whether or not the item will sell; no having to go in and reduce your price (and reduce your price…) until it finally sells, which is frequently the case if you're selling on Amazon. No worrying about whether your "no reserve" eBay auction will turn out OK.
-Finally, KEH is a top notch, reputable outfit. They are a pleasure to deal with and their staff are knowledgeable, responsive and competent.
Am I saying that everybody should always rush to sell their used stuff to KEH? No, of course not. However, what I am saying is that you probably should not dismiss them out of hand, without at least seeing what they would give you for your gear.
Disclaimer: my selling approach has always been to price my items at the low end of the scale, so as to move them quickly and get on with my life. I sell gear in perfect condition at the price required to move it quickly. I could probably make a bit more money if I wanted to play the game, but that’s just not me. If you are one of those individuals who is willing (and able) to take weeks to squeeze the very last nickel out of an item, and actually know how to do that consistently, then KEH is probably not for you. For everyone else, I’d recommend you at least take a look at KEH.
NOTE: I am not affiliated with KEH in any way; I just had an epiphany of sorts after recently selling three lenses to them.
Thanks
