When to sell?

[psreilly]

Does anyone have any tips on good timing for selling camera bodies? (the regulars like Nikon/Canon)

I just noticed on Ebay that some Nikon D810s are being sold used in the 1800-1900 (with a lens) area which is surprising considering I bought mine for 2400 new a month or two after it initially came out (with 50mm)

Just kind of got me thinking how strange that seemed. The D810 has been out for awhile now. Is it just whenever the companies announce a new model in the same family? Is there a good time frame like no more than a year after release? etc

I've got the D810, which seems like it retains a lot of value. I've also got a few other Nikons too. Just curious of the experience of others in selling gear to buy newer gear and how to maximize profit

 

[Gary A.]

I'd sell my camera(s) when I feel the camera I own is holding me back from easily and consistency capture the images I seek.

 

[psreilly]

I'd sell my camera(s) when I feel the camera I own is holding me back from easily and consistency capture the images I seek.

Yeah of course. I'm not saying sell a D810 cause Nikon just announced some amazing new camera. I just meant there must be tricks to trying to get the most of the camera, if you are selling it. Personally I'm considering selling my D810 cause I kind of need the money and the market seems very very high for some reason. Maybe I got a deal on it when I first bought it, but for it to only be selling for 400-500 dollars less 2 years after I bought it is surprising

 

[KmH]

Well made photos of whatever you're trying to sell go a long way to minimizing the gap between your asking price and the selling price.
Pristine condition, low shutter count, having all the original boxes, documentation, hot shoe cover, etc also help support your asking price.
In other words, the seller's salesmanship skills, or lack of, are a factor.

Also germane is if the seller can wait for the right buyer or wants/needs a quick sale.
In the case of needing/wanting a quick sell the asking price needs to be lower.

 

[smoke665]

I'd sell my camera(s) when I feel the camera I own is holding me back from easily and consistency capture the images I seek.

Seriusly?? If I followed that reasoning I'd still be using a hammer and chisel to chip stone tablets!!

 

[zombiesniper]

I just noticed on Ebay

This is the error of your way. Looking at eBay asking price is akin to swimming against the stream. It can be done but rarely ends up like it began.

Plain english. Bay asking prices are guaranteed not to be used as the basis of what you can expect to sell a product for.
Why? Most of the things like camera bodies that show on the high end of the scale are just trying to sell it to someone that doesn't know any better. If it doesn't sell so be it.
Ebay should list the sold price and I'll lay money on it that it's on average a decent amount less then asking price.

 

[Gary A.]

I'd sell my camera(s) when I feel the camera I own is holding me back from easily and consistency capture the images I seek.

Seriusly?? If I followed that reasoning I'd still be using a hammer and chisel to chip stone tablets!!

Seriously. I tend to look for a good reason before I sell something. If I was afraid of losing money on a tool ... then maybe I should be buying something else ... like land, or gold.

A good reason for me to upgrade photo equipment, is to improve my photography. Considering upgrading my photo gear because of depreciation is not a good reason to me.

"Damn it Jim, I'm a photographer, not an accountant."

Photographically-wise ... extreme familiarity with you equipment will greatly improve your photography in genres where the image desired to be captured is fleeting. As a former news photog, speed is everything. Being able to quickly see the story, then quickly position yourself for the critical, all-encompassing ... all telling image, getting in and out of the camera bag is critical, shooting with two cameras is critical, changing lenses, swapping cameras, changing settings all on the fly with no to minimal time of your eye leaving the viewfinder is critical. Knowing the look of every focal length at each aperture ... et cetera ... is all critical. Knowing the camera so intimately that the camera is an extension of your hands and the lenses an extension of your eyes ... knowing the camera to the extent that you automatically and/or semi automatically adjust aperture and shutter speed to reflect not only a proper exposure but also reflects your previsualization of the final image you seek to capture ... will improve one's photography.

This intimacy only comes with camera usage. Depending on how often one shoots. Selling off equipment every year or two, the photographer may never reach this level of intimacy or if it was reached, then the photographer would have to start all over again with a new camera and a new learning curve.

If all you shoot are static scenes, studio work or landscapes, then speed and camera familiarity isn't as important as shooting in a plastic, evolving environment.

 

[Derrel]

Higher-end cameras tend to hold value pretty well until such time as they are VASTLY out-spec'd by newer models, or once lower-priced models vastly outperform the older, higher-cost cameras. The D3 and D3s and D700 were once top cameras in the 12-MP era, but the D4 and then D4s and D5 and D500 have all caused those three cameras to drop a lot in used price. Once the D800 hit, at 36-MP, suddenly 12MP cameras seemed passe (Remember, Nikon went from D700 and D3 at 12MP directly to 36MP in affordable cameras: the D3x was $8k and an anomaly that had almost no bearing on sales.). The D2x and D2Xs at 12.2 MP and APS-C format were made passe by FX format cameras with double the MP count, first with the $7995 D3x at 24MP in 2009, bust mostly by the revolutionary D800 in 2012 at three times the MP count, or 36MP, and then by even cheaper, consumer-body FX offerings, the D600 and then D610, and finally by the D750.

It basically comes down to, "Sell as soon as a new model that will obsolete your camera hits the market, or is announced. The cheaper your camera was initially, the faster it will depreciate. High-end cameras (D3,D4,D5) hold value for a bit longer than consumer bodies--until the lower-tier models really out-perform the earlier pro level cameras.Mid-level cameras (D800,D700,D750) can vary from model to model, and era to era."

A D3400 is going to drop like a rock in value; a D5 will be worth some money for a few years, just because of its initial price. Now 12 years old, a D2x that was $4995 when new is $500 or so used.A new D3400 has BETTER image quality than a 12 year-old D2x has. The D810 is STILL "current", in that Nikon has not "topped it" with a 42 or 45 or 50 MP model, so the D800 and D810 values are holding pretty well, for now.

As far as cameras being traded off: I like to keep a good camera around for a LOT longer than I do a lesser camera. Once you get to know a camera, you shoot better with it, you get to know it inside and out, get to know how it does in all conditions. I personally think the higher-grade Nikon cameras are better shooters than entry-tier models; better controls, better in-camera computing power, higher torque AF motor in the body, better viewfinder and pentaprism, bigger battery,etc.

 

[psreilly]

I just noticed on Ebay

This is the error of your way. Looking at eBay asking price is akin to swimming against the stream. It can be done but rarely ends up like it began.

Plain english. Bay asking prices are guaranteed not to be used as the basis of what you can expect to sell a product for.
Why? Most of the things like camera bodies that show on the high end of the scale are just trying to sell it to someone that doesn't know any better. If it doesn't sell so be it.
Ebay should list the sold price and I'll lay money on it that it's on average a decent amount less then asking price.

Oh believe me I know haha. There's a reason I look at Ebay first. If you try selling with B&H/Adorama/KEH you get the comfort of knowing the person buying it is safe and reputable. Problem is those are businesses and they need to make a profit, so you get kind of low ball offers.

Even still the prices on Ebay still seem high, but given there's no apparent successor to the D810 as of now that explains it I guess. I still have the box too, which i've read adds a lot of value to it surprisingly. Up until now I've only ever sold two of my cameras, a Mamiya Rz67 pro ii for $700 on Ebay and a Hasselblad H1 to Adorama (got peanuts for it). The Hassy is a tough camera to move on Ebay, damn near impossible

 

[Overread]

In general a cameras worth will only ever depreciate in the digital market. They are mass produced and designed to have a limited shelf life before newer versions offer superior upgrade features. So they will only ever go down in price.

So for selling the sooner the better.

It would be very rare for a camera body to go up or maintain a secondhand price for a very long period of time unless it offers something nothing else does; or if the replacement has a VASTLY higher price tag. Otherwise they will go down so the sooner the better for the best reselling rate.


Heck from canon and nikon I suspect the only way to have bodies go up in price would be a shutdown of the company or a massive scale-back in production

 

[greybeard]

When is the best time to sell? When you get tired of it and want something else.

 

[Gary A.]

I'd sell my camera(s) when I feel the camera I own is holding me back from easily and consistency capture the images I seek.

Yeah of course. I'm not saying sell a D810 cause Nikon just announced some amazing new camera. I just meant there must be tricks to trying to get the most of the camera, if you are selling it. Personally I'm considering selling my D810 cause I kind of need the money and the market seems very very high for some reason. Maybe I got a deal on it when I first bought it, but for it to only be selling for 400-500 dollars less 2 years after I bought it is surprising

If you need/could use the money for something more important than photography ... then sell it immediately. Low shutter count, pristine body and the original box and paperwork ... might get you a couple extra dollars ... it will certainly make the camera sell faster. That's all I know.

 

[Gary A.]

When is the best time to sell? When you get tired of it and want something else.

Another good reason to sell.