Many of us have had a horror story or two from purchasing used camera gear. Here are some scary stories, but also some tips on how to minimize your chances of this happening to you.

Purchasing used

I purchase a lot of items used, not just photography gear. I have never purchased a new car. I sometimes purchase clothing, tools, musical equipment, audio recording equipment, and furniture used. It’s typically in great shape. I clean everything thoroughly and test it just to be sure.

However, every once in a while, it does not go your way. I’ve been rather lucky. Others, not so much.

Rattle rattle, clunk clunk!

Pentax K-1 and 15-30mm f/2.8 lens, both purchased second-hand for significantly less than their new price.
Pentax K-1 and 15-30mm f/2.8 lens, both purchased second-hand for significantly less than their new price. The camera survived rattling around in an unpadded cardboard box. I am still using it several years later!

After several months of searching for a used Pentax K-1 Mk I DSLR camera, I found a private party on Amazon selling a used one. As a bonus, it came with a Pluto trigger and seven or eight batteries. 

When the shipment came, my excitement turned to anxiety. All the contents were loose, and everything was shifting around in the package. I immediately grabbed my camera phone and started taking photos as I unboxed it. The camera was thinly layered in bubble wrap. However, the box was considerably larger than the camera and had no padding. 

Worse, all the batteries were loose, rattling around inside the box!

To my surprise, everything worked. I tested everything for several days. While I am lucky that I got something for a great price, this could have been a disaster.

Cuh-raaaack!

I didn't smash this lens just for a Photofocus article on horror stories. No, in fact, this is not a photo. It's a Firefly AI-generated image.
I didn’t smash this lens just for a Photofocus article on horror stories. No, in fact, this is not a photo. It’s a Firefly AI-generated image.

Many horror stories seem to center around packaging. I have had friends who have had their camera lens arrive in the cardboard box with no packing material. In all instance, the front element was cracked or scratched. One of my friends found the front element completely detached from the lens.

“Hey, where’s my money?”

Some of you may have heard of Jennifer Khordi. She is a photographer who sold her camera to someone using Venmo in January 2018. She received a message from Venmo that her bank transfer has been initiated. Great, right?

Not for long. Her transaction failed. Venmo froze her account later. 

The man and the camera? Nowhere to be seen. 

Venmo later confirmed that she had been the victim of a scam. 

However, at this point we do not offer any buyer or seller protections: this is why we prohibit merchant transactions on Venmo (per section B.1.b. of our User Agreement).”

Things were looking grim for Khordi.

A happy ending

Thankfully, due to Khordi submitting the camera’s serial number to numerous camera stores, the scammer was apprehended by B&H Camera Store security.

B&H had paid the man $1800 for Khordi’s DSLR. However, the camera store incurred the loss and returned the camera to Khordi.

And now, a fantastic segue from those horror stories

Since we’re discussing B&H, now is the perfect time to discuss how to minimize packaging horrors and scams. One sure thing is that when you purchase from these retailers, you can be really sure that you will not receive your camera and batteries bouncing around inside an unpadded box.

B&H

I would never overlook B&H for used photography gear. They are a large second-hand tech seller that is headquartered in New York City. Visiting there is almost a rite of passage for photographers on the East Coast. B&H have large inventories of used items. They go through and inspect the equipment carefully. And as you might expect, they’re quite good at packaging their items. 

MPB

Of course, there’s also places like MPB. Large places such as this inspect the equipment carefully. Some of them, such as MPB or KEH, also have repair facilities. And most places have warranties on their used items, such as MPB’s six-month warranty. 

Like B&H, MPB sells not only cameras and lenses, but also remote controls, batteries, battery grips, charging cases, drones, camcorders and more. For each product, they provide an assessment of the condition, what’s in the box, and a warranty. If you want, you can lower the cost by trading in some of your old gear. They are very thorough with evaluating used equipment. However, that’s one aspect that makes them a good place to purchase used gear.

They go through all the gear, clean it up and then sell it. And you get to see a photo of the actual piece of gear you are purchasing. They also service their warranties in-house. They have a five-star review on Trustpilot with tens of thousands of reviews. Chances are, they’re doing something right.

Convenience and safety

If you want convenience and want to maximize your chances of purchasing used gear that works like new, purchasing from places such as these is the way to go.

I’ve purchased cameras, tripods, camera bags, cases, lights, flashes, lenses, photography books, and more – all used. Over time, I’ve saved thousands of dollars. And that’s a beautiful thing.

More thoughts on purchasing second-hand

If you want to read more on purchasing cameras used, you may want to read Getting great cameras for cheap: Buying used. And of course, if you want to read about the Best places for purchasing used camera equipment, you’ll want to click on that. And while you’re at it, consider reading Top 3 second-hand camera gear picks for savvy photographers. 

Do you have any horror stories to share? Do you have some tips on how to purchase second-hand gear safely?

Light painting a Buick in Old Car City USA, GeorgiaIce cream truck, Old Car City USA in Georgia. Night photo with light painting.Using the Sirui Dragon Series Bendable RGB Panel Light B25R

Above: These are gratuitous and vaguely ominous long exposure night photos. I used my second-hand gear to create these photos, but otherwise, they have little to do with the article. Wheee!