You have a keen wit, great production values, and tell good stories. Plus, I'm a big fan of Alberta. Thanks for making the world a little better place.
This is the kind of advice that's actually useful, buying cameras with bundled lenses and then selling the lenses is genius, I feel so dumb for not thinking about that before buying my first camera
It is a good idea IF you’re a collector or equipment nut, as many of us are ) BUT TIME IS MONEY, SO you’re now focused on buying and selling, WHICH takes away from your available shooting time. Not advocating, your choice.
@@BeeMichael not everyone has the money i don't make any money because i legally can't work in my country for another year but i can convince my parents to buy me a set of lenses that come with a camera and pay them back by selling the gear than not have it at all i think the advice he gave is actually really useful for me
A risk you need to consider when buying on the grey market is that often manufacturers won’t service those serial numbered items because they were purchased out of channels. Not a deal breaker, just something to be aware of the possibility
I guess it depends on where you are from and the laws in that country. I bought a used Sony A7C, where the shutter button did not work reliably in half-pressed state. The camera was 11 months old and Sony Germany repaired it (for free) without any issues for me.
Patience and research is key. I bought a Canon 200D/SL2 for 200D+lens+case for 200€. I was searching for weeks, but in the end I found a great deal. And in the way I found more good deals.
When looking at Ebay sold prices (when selling off the unwanted components) factor 13% or a bit more for ebay fees. If you see a $200 sold price, translate to $174 actual net into your pocket. The $200 is a composite number. Love your videos.
@@simmo303 Hi. I was paid for a "sold" item yesterday/Nov 30th. Total was 30.19 (item value plus shipping too). Ebay shows 4.68 fees, 25.51 sent to my bank. Doing the math % is 15.5 % but because of ebay discounted shipping I make up some of that. Bottom line is ...listing.... on ebay is free but when you sell it, they instantly/automatically charge fees. If they didn't then they could not survive as business. I've used ebay for 28 years.
i remember your video on that. looking to get a first camera, so it isn't going to work for me. I'm reeeeeally hoping there will be an oly em1 ii for around $400 like I've been seeing this year. i didn't have enough when I had the opportunity to get it at that price point (which would allow me to get a 12-40 or 12-35 straight away)
E-Infin WARNING. They are okay until something goes wrong.I bought a Sony A7iv off them and after three months the sensor needed replacing due to a dead pixel. They told me to send it off to Sony UK and get a quote for the repair which I did. The quote was £630 but E-infin said that was too expensive and they would only pay £400. I was given the option to send it back to Hong Kong for repair which would've taken weeks if not months and a great expense with shipping. Taking into account I'd already paid for shipping to send it to Sony UK and that if I did not have the repair done by them they would charge me £75 just for looking at it. I had to go ahead with the repair in UK and pay the balance myself. For this reason I no longer use them as I feel despite the many thousands of pounds I had spent with them they let me down. I now use Panamoz and from what I am told their warranty is far better. Only time will tell once something goes wrong.
Recently bought the Canon RF 100-500mm lens from Panamoz (grey market). £1850 instead of Canon’s price of £3159. Service was excellent and everyone I know who has dealt with them (including for ‘warranty’ repairs) has nothing but positive things to say. Highly recommended.
I bought my R5 from Panamoz and got it at roughly half price. No extra charges and a longer (apparently reliable given customer comments) than Canon give! Well worth it.
I'd like to vouch for the E-infinity site too. I bought a panasonic G9 from there when they were new and it was about £300-£400 less than the MSRP. The only issue was it didn't come with a UK plug (and the box said oceania only) but everything worked fine. I've heard that manufacturers are less likely to honour any sort of warranty when you buy from grey imports like this though.
Picked up an Olympus E-PL3 with kit lens, 40-150mm zoom lens and the optional viewfinder with all boxes and a carry bag for £160. It’s my first camera and it’s taught me so much already.
In general, if you are relatively new to photography, or even a general hobbyist, it's always worth considering how far back in a digital camera's "ancestry" you can go while still getting what you you need to take photos that you will be perfectly happy with and learn from. Developments in the camera market are offering marginal gains at the top end, not stuff that everyone needs to create a passable photo. You only need the latest version of a camera if you had the previous version and you outgrew it somehow, or if you are a professional and the new gear will make you more money in amounts sufficient to justify itself. For most of us, the latest, fastest auto focus isn't necessary, nor an increase in image stabilization from 3 to 4 stops. You probably don't need the recently superceded model either, or even the last-but-one. It's also worth remembering that Photography (taking photographs) is a distinct hobby from Photography (collecting cameras), and considerably cheaper.
I traded and bought a used LUMIX S5ii from MPB and very happy from the purchase. MPB is in New York and has been very reliable through multiple times I've traded and purchased from them.
Just bought an A7RV on Panamoz, gray import like e-infin but they promise (no idea if it's true or not) 3 years warranty. It's a huge risk but it's also a huge discount (36% cheaper), without which I'd simply not be able to buy that camera in the first place. These tips from the video are gold.
For new equipment it's important to hunt on manufacturer's website, instead of general photo stores. They often offer huge promotions and cashbacks that can't be beat.
Just a comment about Japanese cameras - don't know how it is going today, but a lot of japanese cameras used to came ONLY with japanese language. Specially older Panasonic m43 cameras used to come only with japanese installed, and changing the firmware did not unlocked new languages. Better be sure that the camera that you want have multiple languages.
Most of my gear is bought this way. As an example I found a bundle with the fuji X-T3 and a bunch of lenses including the 35 f1.4 and the 50-140 f2.8. Kept them almost for free after selling the camera and the other stuff. Also I found my Fuji X70 on marketplace for about $200 😊
Thank enhancing my knowledge. I've been doing the free trick for a bit and I've saved so much. If you want great deals then work in a camera store service department. People will give you so much stuff there.
Since Tom mentioned Canada, it should be noted that for anything over C$100, you'll be dinged for GST/HST/PST, possibly 12% or more. This is unlike in the US, where the threshold is more like US$800.
First of all let me say I like your sense of humor. That "lens kink" was funny AF lol. That being said, my problem when you guys say "this $200 camera" is that you have to follow all this process to get that price. And its fair, but its not as if the camera always goes around that price. But thank you so much for sharing these tips.
I used this method w/ my medium & large format as well. But I can’t do shop for a lens to get the free camera I was gonna buy anyway. Or sell or. A thing to keep in mind for missing bits is to quickly try to look for it & see it’s that’s why the sale is low. The missing part cost as much as the camera. A broken battery changer, or w/ Canon or Nikon , missing battery chamber doors because they have a battery grip in place. Some cost up to £100. Eyecups or finders: try to make sure the bit U want is there or u could be hunting for ages
this is (only) mostly works when you live in developed countries with large enough market of used cameras and such grey market stores in my place was known for selling restored after repair cameras and listing it as "new"
*I trust Japan buyers hundred times more than US/Canadian.* You just need to learn to *translate the translation.* "It's beautiful" = technically it's true! Japanese sellers almost always describe camera gear in 3 sections: Appearance, Optics: Condition. *Appearance* = it will be described "beautiful" as long as it doesn't have obvious dings or cracks, etc. *Optics* = this is what you should focus on in terms of fungus, etc. But still have to cross-reference the photos bc very often they will say fungus and you won't even find it. *Condition* = they will state "works ok" but it doesn't mean 100% works, but they will disclose what functions don't work *or were not tested*. Warning: if you buy digital, there is a chance it will be Japanese language only and no option to switch to English (not always but very often) I tried to be as short and concise as possible. The point is, Japanese sellers are honest (99% of the time) you just need to learn to discern it. I like how they always provide so many photos of maybe every angle of the item. I've gotten Buyee purchases delivered to my address within 3 days. For US/Canadian, I'm lucky to receive an item within 3 weeks.
I got a Sony 100mm STF GM lens for $550 once, it had a scratch on the front housing but glass was fine and works like a charm, I've been hunting for deals ever since and find it hard to justify buying brand new things now
Cameras in Japan are on par with North America now and they've priced them to account for the exchange rate. Source: I was just there and looked pretty damn hard to find any sort of a deal. Maybe if you go into the smaller towns, but the big cities are overrun with tourists and most electronics are no longer good deals.
I got the Sony a6000 one month after released from some rich old man who just didn't want it because he didn't inform himself and thought it had sensor stabilization (the a7 did and he got it) , so he sold it to me for $250 I still have that camera and works amazingly!
I'd assume that RUclipsrs and the used market are tied to each other: Specific model is available for cheap 👉 RUclipsr buys it 👉 viewers imitate 👉 prices go up for that model 👉 RUclipsr buys a different camera for cheap 👉 cycle repeats. If people would buy their used gear independently from current RUclips videos, they could score way better deals.
I don't think sellers adjust their price due to RUclips reviews - that seems highly unlikely. What's more probable is that people just buy up the cheaper cameras for sale, leaving behind the "overpriced" ones and therefore it artificially inflates the price. If you actually go on to eBay and check what cameras sell for (not what they're listed for) you'll see that (broadly speaking) they tend to sell at lower prices more frequently. It's just that the ones that are priced lower get sold quickly and aren't listed for long, whilst the higher priced ones don't get sold and stick around.
The best advantage of owning scratched and banged up things is, they are not as magnetic a personality to thieves as shiny new gear, and that goes for anything you take on the go, including what takes you on the go! I deliberately bought my last jalopy with a cracked windshield, a broken AC switch, a busted plastic handle in the tail-hatchet, and fogged headlights, and got 2000 dollars knocked off the price! I replaced the switch myself for 30 bucks for the original part, the single crack in the windshield is legal, the handle is still busted, and it is not scouted by thieves -YEAH!
As with all Grey market it's the warranty that's important. I had a bad experience with E-infin so now use Panamoz . Not sure how good Cotswold are if something goes wrong but I have bought from them with no problems.
From what I read if you buy sony cameras from Japan, you cannot change the language as it's locked down in Japanese. This also applies to appliances as I've had first hand experience
Been getting my stuff free for years. Once bought a camera at a local pawn shop. They were selling it for way less than it was worth because it was a big corporate shop that are clueless how to price stuff. They either want more than new or way under. Too lazy to look online to see what’s it’s worth. Anyway They wanted $1150 I offered $950 they accepted the offer I took pictures of it spent $100 put it on layaway posted it on eBay at $3850 it sold within an hour went and picked it up the next day and pocketed about $2700 after eBay fees Then I went and bought some camera gear a wanted for free.
I forget the exact number but there is a threshold that must be passed before import/duty taxes (16-20% ish) kick in. I think it has to be over $80~100? Otherwise it's zero import/duty.
eBay fees can cut into your profit. Allow $100 plus in fees even for cheap cameras. Grey market watch out as some Japanese cameras menus are locked to Japanese only menu
It's interesting that e-infin is much cheaper for you. In a lot of cases it is cheaper for me too, but in some, Amazon is much cheaper. But thank you!! I will keep looking between the two from now on to get the best deal. :)
I think ultimately the lesson there is, make sure you shop around for the best deal. But knowing where to look is sometimes the hardest part when you're new to all of this 😅
Please be careful when buying cameras in Japan. There are brands where the language of the cameras cannot be set to a western language! You will then have a camera whose menus you cannot understand at all!
As an Asian photography enthusiast, seeing this video gives me Age of Discovery nostalgia😂 You British/European/American/Canadian took away our crops, spices,silver, AND NOW OUR USED CAMERA GEARS!!!
What happens is, you as influencer recomend some cheap gear, and people start looking for it and the market tightens for that particular model, and the price rises...
One thing I can think about is that when you or other creators share "I bought this and that for $200", many people will outright go and do the same. And in for example MPB's case, if the next price tag is $250, people just think you lied.
Interesting buying strategy. What third-party batteries and chargers do you use? Are there any particular brands you trust? I've heard Watson batteries are good. A friend of mine uses them in his Sony cams. But this company doesn't make batteries for every camera brand.
Honestly (and this probably isn't going to be a popular answer) when it comes to camera batteries, I just buy whatever is cheapest and has good enough reviews on Amazon. Sure, some won't last as long as others, but if they're cheap enough, once they start to die you can either buy more and just recycle the old ones. I've personally never bought a brand that after using them I thought "I would NEVER get these again" because they were that terrible. They've all lasted long enough to get plenty of value out of them.
@@TomCalton I see. Thanks for your honest opinion here. I'm glad to hear that you've have good experiences with third-party batteries. I've used Digi-Power batteries in a Canon camera. They don't hold as big a charge as the manufacturer's batteries, but they charge and work fine. Unfortunately, Digi-Power doesn't appear to make camera batteries anymore.
I think some camera manufacturers only offer Japanese language in the menus on their cameras in the Japanese market? I think this is the case for Sony, no? Plus - buying from Japan (or anywhere internationally, really) can have implications when importing into the destination country, whether it be VAT or import fees, or both.
I bought a Nikon Z8 second hand (650 shots only) for 2.500€ in a camera shop in Osaka. Basically the whole trip to Japan was paid off with the savings of that camera 😅 Check the websites of those shops as they usually list all those items online but not in eBay. At that time they had a Sony A7Rv for the same 2500€
Can you research why some Leica and Fujifilm cameras seems to be forever on "back order." It is incompressible that they have a product in high demand and are not capitalizing on said product being availability.
Unfortunately, you really can't benefit from the used market in Japan at all if you're from the EU, because of duties and import taxes. It all just ends up being more expensive than if you just got it locally.
Same with Canada. Depending on the province, you'd be paying about $350 (plus any BS courier handling fees if you don't self clear customs) on a $2k purchase.
Just browsed some Nikon 28mm f1.4E ED lens prices on their used market, looked to be very high, even higher than on ebay without tax, or customs included.
I teach Photography in my local community and often I take small Fujifilm cameras with me to give to students to learn with but today I gave one of my students my $8000 GFX camera for about 15 minutes with no instructions except for I set it in F8 in aperture priority mode so it was kind of almost automatic given that the GFX doesn't actually have an automatic mode. I then took possession of a tiny $200 Sony RX camera he was using (mark 1 made in 2010...20 Mps) and then we proceeded to take photos. Well guess what happened the professional photographer took better photos with the Sony RX camera then the amateur did with the $8000 GFX.....gear doesn't really matter. It matters in certain circumstances when you get really good in fact the better you get at Photography the more useful it is to upgrade but when you are middle tier or just beginning you don't need to upgrade..... it sounds funny but you need to upgrade when you get better. Don't upgrade to get better. Get better first..
Will this generally work for accessories? Ive been on a kick with your older camera reviews and ive come to a conclusion i need a flash and a sigma 135 1.8 lol
i do this as a side bussiness to my photography.. but.. being from out of the US.. takes the whole buying used gear a lot riskier.. because returning an item for a refund becomes a whole lot more difficult.. and.. more often than not.. cheaper gear bundles, means stuff is not actually in the best of shapes.. i bought a huge Canon bundle that would've cost me about 2k for all (if i bought everything separately).. for about 1.1k only.. but.. upon arrival... turns out every single lens.. AND the camera.. had a TON of fungus... like.. a LOT.. the camera viewfinder even had black fungus spots.. in the end i had to spend around 500$ cleaning everything.. and im still trying to sell some of the lenses so i can get some of the money back..
I have to say, I buy almost everything used, although I usually get cameras or lenses through MPB. Even though the prices might be a bit higher, it feels safer to me. However, I’ve also found some good deals on eBay or eBay Kleinanzeigen. These are a few really great tips here. But when there’s a missing charger and the price is too good to be true, I always wonder if the item might have been stolen. That said, I should probably stop buying them altogether, or my wife will throw me out :P
Why not just post the honest/realistic market rate on your videos? Is it because people won’t be interested unless you clickbait? It would be a breath of fresh air if you titled a video “I got this camera for $500, and when I go to eBay, the average price is $400” Anyways, hopefully you change your aweful ways, and giving your audience a constant feeling of fomo
Always buy with lens attached... I got a GF1 with two lenses, optional viewfinder, case, two batteries, charger and 64gb card ... all pristine and in box for £130 ... bargain. The downside of using Japanese suppliers is the extra charges from tax and duties if a full description of the item is used ... There are a few UK Ebay sellers who insist on taking gear in complete and sell on without supplying the batteries or chargers, and don't show screens on in the photos ... ie:Olympus EP-1 sold as perfect, working order with no screen shown, but the IS doesn't work (common on Olympus bodies) and that would have shown on a photo of the screen. Buyer beware.
Great advices. I also bought some bundles which contained more than I was interested in and sold the rest so that the effective price was much less. Last item was a Nikon F3 with 3 Nikkor lenses for 350€, which is slightly more than the body alone.
cameras will ALWAYS jump in price after a video is made about them, its only natural, ive had luck just going to local stores and asking what they have, ive gotten stuff for free because "you would be freeing up space its taking up"
You have a keen wit, great production values, and tell good stories. Plus, I'm a big fan of Alberta. Thanks for making the world a little better place.
You are way too kind and generous! Thank you - it is deeply appreciated
This is the kind of advice that's actually useful, buying cameras with bundled lenses and then selling the lenses is genius, I feel so dumb for not thinking about that before buying my first camera
Glad you think so!
It is a good idea IF you’re a collector or equipment nut, as many of us are ) BUT TIME IS MONEY, SO you’re now focused on buying and selling, WHICH takes away from your available shooting time. Not advocating, your choice.
@@BeeMichael not everyone has the money
i don't make any money because i legally can't work in my country for another year but i can convince my parents to buy me a set of lenses that come with a camera and pay them back by selling the gear than not have it at all
i think the advice he gave is actually really useful for me
A risk you need to consider when buying on the grey market is that often manufacturers won’t service those serial numbered items because they were purchased out of channels. Not a deal breaker, just something to be aware of the possibility
Sony uk repaired my 3 month old Grey A7iv replacing the sensor . So I dont think a service would be a problem here in the UK
I guess it depends on where you are from and the laws in that country. I bought a used Sony A7C, where the shutter button did not work reliably in half-pressed state. The camera was 11 months old and Sony Germany repaired it (for free) without any issues for me.
@@simply-the-max manufactures will not repair grey market gear under warranty in the UK for free but they will for a price.
Patience and research is key. I bought a Canon 200D/SL2 for 200D+lens+case for 200€. I was searching for weeks, but in the end I found a great deal. And in the way I found more good deals.
I don't know if I can unsee Tom "playing" with his equipment!😂
When looking at Ebay sold prices (when selling off the unwanted components) factor 13% or a bit more for ebay fees. If you see a $200 sold price, translate to $174 actual net into your pocket. The $200 is a composite number. Love your videos.
Selling on eBay has been free for several weeks now.
@@simmo303 Hi. I was paid for a "sold" item yesterday/Nov 30th. Total was 30.19 (item value plus shipping too). Ebay shows 4.68 fees, 25.51 sent to my bank. Doing the math % is 15.5 % but because of ebay discounted shipping I make up some of that. Bottom line is ...listing.... on ebay is free but when you sell it, they instantly/automatically charge fees. If they didn't then they could not survive as business. I've used ebay for 28 years.
@@simmo303 Worldwide? Afaik it's UK only.
Excellent advice, I use similar strategies when buying used computer hardware, whether to use or flip.
Oooh i love a bargain hunt. Im partial to a game of "ending soonest" on eBay for that adrenaline-fuelled questionable purchase high
i remember your video on that. looking to get a first camera, so it isn't going to work for me. I'm reeeeeally hoping there will be an oly em1 ii for around $400 like I've been seeing this year. i didn't have enough when I had the opportunity to get it at that price point (which would allow me to get a 12-40 or 12-35 straight away)
E-Infin WARNING. They are okay until something goes wrong.I bought a Sony A7iv off them and after three months the sensor needed replacing due to a dead pixel. They told me to send it off to Sony UK and get a quote for the repair which I did. The quote was £630 but E-infin said that was too expensive and they would only pay £400. I was given the option to send it back to Hong Kong for repair which would've taken weeks if not months and a great expense with shipping. Taking into account I'd already paid for shipping to send it to Sony UK and that if I did not have the repair done by them they would charge me £75 just for looking at it. I had to go ahead with the repair in UK and pay the balance myself. For this reason I no longer use them as I feel despite the many thousands of pounds I had spent with them they let me down. I now use Panamoz and from what I am told their warranty is far better.
Only time will tell once something goes wrong.
Shame they did not test it before selling it and state this and lower the price then. That's the common practice.
…and now you can paste the link to this video in response to every silly price comment (that’s why I made the video). Thanks for the shoutout :-)
🤣 I never even thought of that! Hope you're keeping well brother 🤜🏻🤛🏻
1:17 has scarred me, I don't think I can ever buy an used camera gear off you Tom...
Sometimes I buy used stuff, abuse it sexually, and then return it to the owner. It's a weird kink, but it makes me feel alive.
Bro ☠️ @@TomCalton
@@TomCalton your too professional for this comment 😭
@@EFG010 did we both watch the same video 😂
@@UnfilteredObserver10 😂
Recently bought the Canon RF 100-500mm lens from Panamoz (grey market). £1850 instead of Canon’s price of £3159. Service was excellent and everyone I know who has dealt with them (including for ‘warranty’ repairs) has nothing but positive things to say.
Highly recommended.
I bought my R5 from Panamoz and got it at roughly half price. No extra charges and a longer (apparently reliable given customer comments) than Canon give! Well worth it.
1:16 This may be the funniest thing I've ever seen 🤣 😂😂😂😂😂😂
You only need the lens for this
I could have went on with my day without seeing that, but here we are. lmao
That needs to be a GIF. Someone please make that into a GIF.
My eyes
Good thing I only use primes now ... sorry for those who just recently bought zooms 😬
I'd like to vouch for the E-infinity site too. I bought a panasonic G9 from there when they were new and it was about £300-£400 less than the MSRP. The only issue was it didn't come with a UK plug (and the box said oceania only) but everything worked fine. I've heard that manufacturers are less likely to honour any sort of warranty when you buy from grey imports like this though.
I had to repair a 3 month old Sony A7IV at a cost of £630 E infinity refused to pay the full amount and only paid me £400. I now use Panamoz
Picked up an Olympus E-PL3 with kit lens, 40-150mm zoom lens and the optional viewfinder with all boxes and a carry bag for £160. It’s my first camera and it’s taught me so much already.
In general, if you are relatively new to photography, or even a general hobbyist, it's always worth considering how far back in a digital camera's "ancestry" you can go while still getting what you you need to take photos that you will be perfectly happy with and learn from. Developments in the camera market are offering marginal gains at the top end, not stuff that everyone needs to create a passable photo. You only need the latest version of a camera if you had the previous version and you outgrew it somehow, or if you are a professional and the new gear will make you more money in amounts sufficient to justify itself. For most of us, the latest, fastest auto focus isn't necessary, nor an increase in image stabilization from 3 to 4 stops. You probably don't need the recently superceded model either, or even the last-but-one. It's also worth remembering that Photography (taking photographs) is a distinct hobby from Photography (collecting cameras), and considerably cheaper.
@ I’d say the iso performance isn’t too great but really I need a faster lens. 12mp photos in good lighting are still very useable.
I traded and bought a used LUMIX S5ii from MPB and very happy from the purchase. MPB is in New York and has been very reliable through multiple times I've traded and purchased from them.
Just bought an A7RV on Panamoz, gray import like e-infin but they promise (no idea if it's true or not) 3 years warranty. It's a huge risk but it's also a huge discount (36% cheaper), without which I'd simply not be able to buy that camera in the first place.
These tips from the video are gold.
10:14 bro violated that camera 😮
That was the PG version too... 👀
For new equipment it's important to hunt on manufacturer's website, instead of general photo stores. They often offer huge promotions and cashbacks that can't be beat.
Just a comment about Japanese cameras - don't know how it is going today, but a lot of japanese cameras used to came ONLY with japanese language. Specially older Panasonic m43 cameras used to come only with japanese installed, and changing the firmware did not unlocked new languages. Better be sure that the camera that you want have multiple languages.
When using buyee, I recommend paying for the upgraded protective packaging.. the one time I didn't the package arrived with contents smashed to bits.
Most of my gear is bought this way. As an example I found a bundle with the fuji X-T3 and a bunch of lenses including the 35 f1.4 and the 50-140 f2.8. Kept them almost for free after selling the camera and the other stuff.
Also I found my Fuji X70 on marketplace for about $200 😊
Thank enhancing my knowledge. I've been doing the free trick for a bit and I've saved so much. If you want great deals then work in a camera store service department. People will give you so much stuff there.
I’ve had a ton of fun going to goodwill, buying an old point and shoot for $8.00. The film and development costs are several times more 😂.
@@robertharvey2580 sadly Goodwill is becoming expensive as it considers itself more trendy second hand, rather than a garden variety thrift store.
Since Tom mentioned Canada, it should be noted that for anything over C$100, you'll be dinged for GST/HST/PST, possibly 12% or more.
This is unlike in the US, where the threshold is more like US$800.
First of all let me say I like your sense of humor. That "lens kink" was funny AF lol.
That being said, my problem when you guys say "this $200 camera" is that you have to follow all this process to get that price.
And its fair, but its not as if the camera always goes around that price.
But thank you so much for sharing these tips.
I used this method w/ my medium & large format as well. But I can’t do shop for a lens to get the free camera I was gonna buy anyway. Or sell or.
A thing to keep in mind for missing bits is to quickly try to look for it & see it’s that’s why the sale is low. The missing part cost as much as the camera. A broken battery changer, or w/ Canon or Nikon , missing battery chamber doors because they have a battery grip in place. Some cost up to £100. Eyecups or finders: try to make sure the bit U want is there or u could be hunting for ages
this is (only) mostly works when you live in developed countries with large enough market of used cameras and such
grey market stores in my place was known for selling restored after repair cameras and listing it as "new"
I do it! Bought some older Samsung and Lumix cameras. with chargers and battery, all working!
Nice!
*I trust Japan buyers hundred times more than US/Canadian.* You just need to learn to *translate the translation.*
"It's beautiful" = technically it's true! Japanese sellers almost always describe camera gear in 3 sections: Appearance, Optics: Condition.
*Appearance* = it will be described "beautiful" as long as it doesn't have obvious dings or cracks, etc.
*Optics* = this is what you should focus on in terms of fungus, etc. But still have to cross-reference the photos bc very often they will say fungus and you won't even find it.
*Condition* = they will state "works ok" but it doesn't mean 100% works, but they will disclose what functions don't work *or were not tested*. Warning: if you buy digital, there is a chance it will be Japanese language only and no option to switch to English (not always but very often)
I tried to be as short and concise as possible. The point is, Japanese sellers are honest (99% of the time) you just need to learn to discern it.
I like how they always provide so many photos of maybe every angle of the item.
I've gotten Buyee purchases delivered to my address within 3 days.
For US/Canadian, I'm lucky to receive an item within 3 weeks.
I got a Sony 100mm STF GM lens for $550 once, it had a scratch on the front housing but glass was fine and works like a charm, I've been hunting for deals ever since and find it hard to justify buying brand new things now
Great advice! That’s what I’ve always done. Essentially got a Lumix S5 for $180.
Cameras in Japan are on par with North America now and they've priced them to account for the exchange rate. Source: I was just there and looked pretty damn hard to find any sort of a deal. Maybe if you go into the smaller towns, but the big cities are overrun with tourists and most electronics are no longer good deals.
I got the Sony a6000 one month after released from some rich old man who just didn't want it because he didn't inform himself and thought it had sensor stabilization (the a7 did and he got it) , so he sold it to me for $250
I still have that camera and works amazingly!
“Japan is known as the home of consumer electronics”
shows pictures with big Zeiss and Leica signs 😂
I'd assume that RUclipsrs and the used market are tied to each other: Specific model is available for cheap 👉 RUclipsr buys it 👉 viewers imitate 👉 prices go up for that model 👉 RUclipsr buys a different camera for cheap 👉 cycle repeats. If people would buy their used gear independently from current RUclips videos, they could score way better deals.
I don't think sellers adjust their price due to RUclips reviews - that seems highly unlikely. What's more probable is that people just buy up the cheaper cameras for sale, leaving behind the "overpriced" ones and therefore it artificially inflates the price. If you actually go on to eBay and check what cameras sell for (not what they're listed for) you'll see that (broadly speaking) they tend to sell at lower prices more frequently. It's just that the ones that are priced lower get sold quickly and aren't listed for long, whilst the higher priced ones don't get sold and stick around.
The best advantage of owning scratched and banged up things is, they are not as magnetic a personality to thieves as shiny new gear, and that goes for anything you take on the go, including what takes you on the go!
I deliberately bought my last jalopy with a cracked windshield, a broken AC switch, a busted plastic handle in the tail-hatchet, and fogged headlights, and got 2000 dollars knocked off the price! I replaced the switch myself for 30 bucks for the original part, the single crack in the windshield is legal, the handle is still busted, and it is not scouted by thieves -YEAH!
that furious zooming made me laugh wayy more than i probably should have 😂😂😂
Cotswold Cameras are my favourtite if you are in UK.
As with all Grey market it's the warranty that's important. I had a bad experience with E-infin so now use Panamoz . Not sure how good Cotswold are if something goes wrong but I have bought from them with no problems.
How much for the lens at 1:17
🎉excellent advice. Thanks
I got a Minolta Maxxum with two nice lenses at a thrift shop recently. And those lenses work on my Alpha 100.
From what I read if you buy sony cameras from Japan, you cannot change the language as it's locked down in Japanese.
This also applies to appliances as I've had first hand experience
Been getting my stuff free for years. Once bought a camera at a local pawn shop. They were selling it for way less than it was worth because it was a big corporate shop that are clueless how to price stuff. They either want more than new or way under. Too lazy to look online to see what’s it’s worth. Anyway They wanted $1150 I offered $950 they accepted the offer
I took pictures of it spent $100 put it on layaway posted it on eBay at $3850 it sold within an hour went and picked it up the next day and pocketed about $2700 after eBay fees
Then I went and bought some camera gear a wanted for free.
How much is the shipping cost from Japan though?
Good advice! ☺️
My biggest problem is not having enough money to start with, and the extra taxes when importing! 😕
Thanks! But yeah, I feel you. Unfortunately you usually need money to make money 😔
Now that you're here in Canada, how it's been the taxes when you buy from Ebay Or Buyee?
Yeah, custom charges are certainly a thing, but they only really tend to be like $20-30 extra, so not too bad
I forget the exact number but there is a threshold that must be passed before import/duty taxes (16-20% ish) kick in. I think it has to be over $80~100? Otherwise it's zero import/duty.
Thanks for the quick response everyone 🙏
Do you have some recommendations for a beginner camera for taking photos of nature and sports?
eBay fees can cut into your profit. Allow $100 plus in fees even for cheap cameras. Grey market watch out as some Japanese cameras menus are locked to Japanese only menu
It's interesting that e-infin is much cheaper for you. In a lot of cases it is cheaper for me too, but in some, Amazon is much cheaper.
But thank you!! I will keep looking between the two from now on to get the best deal. :)
I think ultimately the lesson there is, make sure you shop around for the best deal. But knowing where to look is sometimes the hardest part when you're new to all of this 😅
Please be careful when buying cameras in Japan. There are brands where the language of the cameras cannot be set to a western language! You will then have a camera whose menus you cannot understand at all!
@@KarstenMeyer in particular Panasonic cameras. The Pentaxes, Olympuses, Nikons are fine.
@@markyteo Sony, too!
What has been seen, cannot be unseen...I'm never going to buy a "used" zoom lens ever again!😱😂
As an Asian photography enthusiast, seeing this video gives me Age of Discovery nostalgia😂
You British/European/American/Canadian took away our crops, spices,silver, AND NOW OUR USED CAMERA GEARS!!!
🤣🤣🤣
What happens is, you as influencer recomend some cheap gear, and people start looking for it and the market tightens for that particular model, and the price rises...
You still into halloween vibe yo?
Once an emo kid. Always an emo kid.
@@TomCalton Pulling out shi off the history book
One thing I can think about is that when you or other creators share "I bought this and that for $200", many people will outright go and do the same. And in for example MPB's case, if the next price tag is $250, people just think you lied.
I have buy Amazon used gear, with all benefits of return options... and have found great bargains
Top tier? More like top shelf Tom. Great vid great tips. I said tips
You said tips too many times. Now it just sounds erotic.
Interesting buying strategy. What third-party batteries and chargers do you use? Are there any particular brands you trust?
I've heard Watson batteries are good. A friend of mine uses them in his Sony cams. But this company doesn't make batteries for every camera brand.
Honestly (and this probably isn't going to be a popular answer) when it comes to camera batteries, I just buy whatever is cheapest and has good enough reviews on Amazon. Sure, some won't last as long as others, but if they're cheap enough, once they start to die you can either buy more and just recycle the old ones. I've personally never bought a brand that after using them I thought "I would NEVER get these again" because they were that terrible. They've all lasted long enough to get plenty of value out of them.
@@TomCalton I see. Thanks for your honest opinion here. I'm glad to hear that you've have good experiences with third-party batteries.
I've used Digi-Power batteries in a Canon camera. They don't hold as big a charge as the manufacturer's batteries, but they charge and work fine. Unfortunately, Digi-Power doesn't appear to make camera batteries anymore.
I think some camera manufacturers only offer Japanese language in the menus on their cameras in the Japanese market? I think this is the case for Sony, no? Plus - buying from Japan (or anywhere internationally, really) can have implications when importing into the destination country, whether it be VAT or import fees, or both.
Mate, can you give me alternatives to that fuji camera that is cheaper than lord victorinox compact
I bought a Nikon Z8 second hand (650 shots only) for 2.500€ in a camera shop in Osaka. Basically the whole trip to Japan was paid off with the savings of that camera 😅
Check the websites of those shops as they usually list all those items online but not in eBay. At that time they had a Sony A7Rv for the same 2500€
Can you research why some Leica and Fujifilm cameras seems to be forever on "back order." It is incompressible that they have a product in high demand and are not capitalizing on said product being availability.
cool info. no thoughts on refurbished gear?
Unfortunately, you really can't benefit from the used market in Japan at all if you're from the EU, because of duties and import taxes.
It all just ends up being more expensive than if you just got it locally.
How about Japan?
even though the yen is low, we still have to pay custom for importing goods.........thats another pain in a....
If you buy in Japan, what about import duties or taxes? I think that in the EU everything above € 150, even used goods, we have to pay import duty.
Same with Canada. Depending on the province, you'd be paying about $350 (plus any BS courier handling fees if you don't self clear customs) on a $2k purchase.
very very useful video, thanks 👍
I made a fair buck on Ebay splitting up camera lots. It's a good strategy
If you're looking at equipment in a store, you can also just walk out without paying for it.
Edit: I'm in jail.
🤣
good content, and so funny, tomorrow I will be still laughing!
Some mental b-roll there!
hehe
Just browsed some Nikon 28mm f1.4E ED lens prices on their used market, looked to be very high, even higher than on ebay without tax, or customs included.
I was just looking for X e4 review and i get it from my favourite reviewer and photographer
I teach Photography in my local community and often I take small Fujifilm cameras with me to give to students to learn with but today I gave one of my students my $8000 GFX camera for about 15 minutes with no instructions except for I set it in F8 in aperture priority mode so it was kind of almost automatic given that the GFX doesn't actually have an automatic mode. I then took possession of a tiny $200 Sony RX camera he was using (mark 1 made in 2010...20 Mps) and then we proceeded to take photos. Well guess what happened the professional photographer took better photos with the Sony RX camera then the amateur did with the $8000 GFX.....gear doesn't really matter. It matters in certain circumstances when you get really good in fact the better you get at Photography the more useful it is to upgrade but when you are middle tier or just beginning you don't need to upgrade..... it sounds funny but you need to upgrade when you get better. Don't upgrade to get better. Get better first..
Will this generally work for accessories? Ive been on a kick with your older camera reviews and ive come to a conclusion i need a flash and a sigma 135 1.8 lol
why didnt u put m200 and xe4 review?
Gray importing to the Nederlands is not a good idea. Tax and import cost can be more than the product. Unless the price is lower than 30 euro.s
Hahaha dude! You should warn people with that shot😂
I think this whole channel should come with a warning label tbh
i do this as a side bussiness to my photography.. but.. being from out of the US.. takes the whole buying used gear a lot riskier.. because returning an item for a refund becomes a whole lot more difficult..
and.. more often than not.. cheaper gear bundles, means stuff is not actually in the best of shapes..
i bought a huge Canon bundle that would've cost me about 2k for all (if i bought everything separately).. for about 1.1k only.. but.. upon arrival... turns out every single lens.. AND the camera.. had a TON of fungus... like.. a LOT.. the camera viewfinder even had black fungus spots..
in the end i had to spend around 500$ cleaning everything.. and im still trying to sell some of the lenses so i can get some of the money back..
last tip works as i bought a new sony a6400 with kit lens for about £660 with like over £150 of accesories
I love old cameras Olympus have some great options the Fuji XM1 is awesome but Fuji cameras are all daft prices at the moment
Cameras that come without charger are often the ones that have been stolen :D
I have to say, I buy almost everything used, although I usually get cameras or lenses through MPB. Even though the prices might be a bit higher, it feels safer to me. However, I’ve also found some good deals on eBay or eBay Kleinanzeigen. These are a few really great tips here. But when there’s a missing charger and the price is too good to be true, I always wonder if the item might have been stolen. That said, I should probably stop buying them altogether, or my wife will throw me out :P
Why not just post the honest/realistic market rate on your videos? Is it because people won’t be interested unless you clickbait?
It would be a breath of fresh air if you titled a video “I got this camera for $500, and when I go to eBay, the average price is $400”
Anyways, hopefully you change your aweful ways, and giving your audience a constant feeling of fomo
Thanks for the advice, I'll start breastfeeding my cameras. ;)
Thanks to this video, none of the gear will be cheap anymore hahaha
Always buy with lens attached... I got a GF1 with two lenses, optional viewfinder, case, two batteries, charger and 64gb card ... all pristine and in box for £130 ... bargain.
The downside of using Japanese suppliers is the extra charges from tax and duties if a full description of the item is used ... There are a few UK Ebay sellers who insist on taking gear in complete and sell on without supplying the batteries or chargers, and don't show screens on in the photos ... ie:Olympus EP-1 sold as perfect, working order with no screen shown, but the IS doesn't work (common on Olympus bodies) and that would have shown on a photo of the screen.
Buyer beware.
Great advices. I also bought some bundles which contained more than I was interested in and sold the rest so that the effective price was much less.
Last item was a Nikon F3 with 3 Nikkor lenses for 350€, which is slightly more than the body alone.
5 finger discount? Assault? That would be free too right?
You'd also get free room and board for a few years if you're caught doing that 👀
cameras will ALWAYS jump in price after a video is made about them, its only natural, ive had luck just going to local stores and asking what they have, ive gotten stuff for free because "you would be freeing up space its taking up"
I looked at a camera on auction. It was 14 dollars and 800 shipping
1:17 i'm sorry, WHAATT?!?!?!?!?
How do i delete something from my memory??
😭😭😭
You can't. I'm there now. Rent free. Forever 😈
@TomCalton
💀⚰️
Cheap or inexpensive?
Depends on the going rate for the camera you're buying
Yeah i bought a canon r with kit lens for £899. Sold the lens for £220 making the camera body £679. Sweet deal.
Thrift shops have lots of cameras and lenses
It's incredibly hit and miss though. And a super slow process if you're looking for something specific.
OK this is weird. I just found people selling used camera with 17-70mm with an unbelievable price but the camera is very old.
1:16 I would pay now even more for that lense!!
Who wants to start the bidding?