What to look out for when buying second-hand equipment

Tuesday 3 March 2020, 20:40 by Marije Weterings | 5,656 views | 1 comment

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

In my previous article, I referred to the best times to buy your camera and accessories in 2020. One of the comments also asked for an addition about second-hand gear and offers. So I decided to write this addition.

For many years, people have naturally been using sites such as Marktplaats or Facebook Marketplace for second-hand electronics.

But what about photographic equipment? When buying a second-hand camera or accessory, you want reliable sources for photographic equipment. So what should you take into account?

Opened box

At some webshops, you can buy a new device that has been used as a demo model or returned, meaning that only the box has been opened. There is often nothing wrong with these devices, but of course the excitement of unboxing is gone.

Sale of older models

A camera or lens can quickly lose value. This is because newer models come onto the market, for example, causing older models to be sold with large discounts.

You can keep an eye on this by signing up for, for example, press releases from your favourite camera brand. This means you will know in time when a newer version of a particular product is coming, allowing you to anticipate when the price of your desired equipment may start to fall.

Newsletters from various webshops will also inform you about price reductions in time.

Shutter

A camera wears out. Especially the shutter. Replacing a shutter can be an expensive affair. And of course, you want to avoid this.

Depending on the type of camera and how it is used, a shutter can be rated for 100,000 to 400,000 clicks. So the lower the number of clicks, the lower the risk of costs.

Have you found a second-hand camera that meets your requirements? Ask the seller how many clicks the shutter has made. You can have this tested via various websites such as Camerashuttercount and Shuttercounter.com. You can read more points to consider when buying a lens in this article.

Warranty

When buying through Marktplaats from a private seller, there is usually no warranty. You also do not know whether a lens has been dropped, for example, or whether a sensor has been cleaned by hand, and what condition the sensor is in.

If you buy a second-hand camera or lens from Cameranu.nl or Coolblue, for example, you can often still get a year's warranty. This also shows that the equipment has been properly checked.

I think this is something you should take into account when making your decision, because photographic equipment is very expensive, and repair costs even more so. You want to be able to avoid those costs.

Do you have any more suggestions about what to look out for? Feel free to leave them in the comments below!

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