Used gear market

[Wander]

I am wondering about the valuation of used gear and if there is a "standard" way of setting price. In another hobby of mine, guitars, the usual used value is 45-50% of the retail value for a used acoustic on very good-excellent condition. This mostly relates to Martin guitars but also applies to others unless it involves something scarce like a pre-war Martin in which they are valued much, much higher. For the new Martins there are many dealers that will discount the guitars 40% so the difference between new and used is really only about 10-15%.

Is there a similar pattern for lenses, bodies, and other camera gear? I can see that pro glass holds value at an impressive rate so I am suspected there is a sliding scale if one exists.
My main reason for asking is that I like to shop with local, independent sources whenever I can. I would like to have a way to figure out if the price the local guy has on a used lens is within reason. I do prefer to shop locally but I also have a real world budget and when a lens is $250 less from a large on-line source that is hard to justify.

Sorry for the long question but I've never dealt in the used gear market before.

 

[C-Fish]

Not sure if this will help...

KEH buys used gear. They have a gear calculator on their site.


This could at least get you in the ballpark for local prices either with a shop or an individual...

For instance, I just submitted a D70 in excellent condition with all accessories and was quoted $210. This is about what I could sell it for on Craigslist. I've seen D70's for sale in local shops for ~$275-$300.

 

[ywen]

Digital SLR bodies are very good buy as used.. They depreciate rather quickly and will offer many years of trouble free operation as long as it has not been abused by the previous owner.

Keep in mind that, of all the components that wear out on a DSLR, the moving shutter and mirror is basically the only thing that could go wrong over time. A shutter replacement is less than $300 by the manufacture when out of warranty... You will surely save way more than $300 by buying used.

 

[Overland Hadley]

Check what B&H is selling for, that place does an amazing amount of business.

 

[Wander]

Thanks, I was wondering if B&H was lower than normal due to there size but I guess they are a big part of what the going rate is. This tells me the local shop I went to is way above the market which is a shame as it is the only shop in town. I guess B&H and the other large on-line sources will get my business.

 

[Every Miles A Memory]

I agree with Nathanel

When ever looking at anything used, the first thing I do is go to B&H's site and see what they sell it for new, and see if they have any in their Used department.

B&H isnt always the cheapest price, but I would never buy anything brand new from any other company. I'd rather apy a few more dollars, but know I'm getting it from someone who I can trust.

Now when I shop used, I compare between Fred Miranda and POTN and I can usually see what the going rate is for a used piece of equipment.

Of all the items we've ever bought used, which is 90% of our gear, we've yet to ever be scammed. So I'm thinking that Photographers are pretty honest when it comes to the way they describe what they're selling

 

[dzzz]

The buy and sell forum on fredmiranda.com is probably the best place to see used Canon and Nikon.
The getDPI buy and sell forum has become more popular and is free. KEH is on the high side for more popular used items.