Several years ago I dropped a few thousand dollars on a bunch of camera equipment, a Canon Digital SLR, and a bunch of rather pricey lenses and flashes to go along with it. I was hoping to get back into photography as a hobby, but that never really materialized, so now I'm looking to unload this stuff - but I don't know of the best way to do so. I definitely don't want to just bring it to a pawn shop, because they likely won't give me crap for the stuff - nowhere near what they are worth. But I'm also nervous about selling them online - because who's to say the recipient won't damage the item, then demand a refund saying I sold them faulty merchandise? Also I want to make sure the potential customers know fully what condition these items are in, before buying, because with lenses in particular, that is extremely important - but it seems like it's going to be hard to show with just some pictures in the listing. I've seen some camera shops which will buy these items from you, but I have no idea if they offer you a decent amount vs. what you could get selling them directly yourself. Any of you sold stuff like this online? Your experiences?
Amazon might give you a gift card through its Trade-In program, which would alleviate any worries about having a refund demanded. On the other hand, it's probably a better idea to sell it through Craigslist and bring a friend along so as to not get robbed. You'll get the highest price possible with a little extra leg work, and then the buyer can inspect each item. There might be buyer's remorse in that situation, but you don't have to refund anyone in that case. Selling online is convenient, but the refund issue is a very real possibility because online marketplaces favor the buyers for whatever reason.
I would look around for local Facebook groups for photography and photographic equipment. They are the people who would know the value of the items, and it's a built in market, so you shouldn't have to do as much work as if you listed it on ebay or another site. I feel safer selling in the Facebook groups, since at least I can track back the account name to previous posts, see how long they've been on FB, and it gives me a more secure feeling than selling to some random person on Craigslist. Also, I have heard that some police departments have passed rules letting citizens complete Craigslist and other transactions in the lobbies, in an attempt to increase security, and decrease the likeliness of robberies or other issues.
