It is the old end-of-life thing.
You know, 'accumulate for fifty years then dump it all'
The question is how - except by the 'bay, or KEH. Ideas?
Me mate's welfare is my concern. I am almost done.
TIA
It is the old end-of-life thing.
You know, 'accumulate for fifty years then dump it all'
The question is how - except by the 'bay, or KEH. Ideas?
Me mate's welfare is my concern. I am almost done.
TIA
JAC, the best way depends on how much you have and how valuable it is.
We went through this several years ago before and after Charlie Barringer died. He collected Zeiss lenses and Zeiss-Ikon cameras, also other cameras that used Zeiss lenses, and good optics and optical devices of all sorts. Some of his gear was quite valuable, some wasn't. He consulted all of his friends and the consensus was that the only way to dispose of everything was to sell it all to Westlicht. And that's what the estate did. Too much to sell on eBay in one lifetime, more than US dealers like Ken Hansen or Stan Tamarkin could pay for.
If you have a heap of valuables, consult a lawyer specializing in estates. Its been ages since I looked into the matter, but when I did the rule was that gains from sales of appreciated assets are taxable if you sell 'em while alive, and not taxable if y'r estate sells 'em after you've died. Whether this makes much of a difference depends on how much you have.
Centuries ago Andrew Glover offered to take everything I had on consignment and to sell it for quite a reasonable cut. The world's changed since then; I don't know whether Andrew's up for such a deal now. There are consignment shops that will sell on eBay but none, as far as I know specialized in photographic equipment or particularly knowledgeable about it.
Did u notice the for sale forum here?!?!?!Originally Posted by Jac@stafford.net
Of course, and for the time being it does not seem a promising path. We shall see.
Why not????? You're trying to sell photography gear. This is a photography forum.?????????
As you know, selling via the forum or ebay is piece-by-piece and thus labor intensive, but usually provides good prices.
My experience selling to KEH (limited to MF, 35mm, and digital gear) has been very positive. They are upfront about what they will pay for the equipment and if after their review they decided to offer less, they provide a decent explanation. It was great that I could send them my whole collection of 35mm lenses, I just didn't want to sell them piece by piece. However, I got about about 30-40% less than what I could have gotten on ebay. Also, for truly rare equipment their offer was much much lower than I could have gotten elsewhere. For most of my equipment, it was totally worthwhile. Other ways? Local auction houses or large camera stores (National Photo perhaps?) may buy collections, and Dan mentioned a few also. Best of luck.
Jac, I'm in the same boat. It somewhat depends where you are going with your photography interests. In my case, all of my work, until it ends, will be silver gelatin. That said, I need to keep the equipment necessary for that process, but divest the inventory where it becomes redundant.
My impulse has always been to nurture those entering the medium, so large profits have never driven my sales. However, instead of three 8x10's, now one will suffice. And so on down the line with 4x5's.
It really depends on what you have to offer. If you want the largest profit, it seems natural to expect that to occur from the largest audience. This forum would probably not give adequate exposure. You, of course, know the familiar places for selling photo gear on the internet and places outside of this forum. Only you know what you have to sell and its value, so can make the determination of marketplace.
I will probably use our local photo swap to sell off my collection of large format cameras, lenses and related equipment. I can't be bothered with packing and shipping, and prefer the recipient to see and handle what they are getting for their buck.
I wish you well, and if so inclined, please report back with your chosen path.
This business buys whole lots of large format gear:
Quality Camera
Atlanta, Georgia
404-881-8700 (9:00am to 5:30pm Eastern time)
www.qualitycameracompany.com
Email: qualitycam@mindspring.com
I thought the traditional way was to just die with all your stuff still packed away in boxes..then your relatives sell it off for pennies on the dollar at a garage sale while they toss your negatives and prints into the trash
I've been on the other end of that so many times, I figured that's where my stuff is going
I'm in the process of testing and cleaning up a lot of stuff I bought from one of these. I was perhaps the 3rd buyer they'd brought into the house, so I got the dregs of the photo-related stuff. I got just about every Rollei projector there is, including the MF ones, because the other buyers in town think projectors don't sell. I got Russian Contaxes, a broken Autoreflex, a stereo Viewmaster projector, etc. But everything personal had been purged from the house. There were thousands of photo-related bits and bobs (it took me 3-4 hours to go through the house), but not a single photograph or anything that might have told me what he did and what he was interested in. Just a comment from his daughter that they had found "topless photos of his secretary." What I would have given for a peek at his negs!
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