As Black Friday approaches day by day, we’re all excited about the massive discounts on photography gear this 2022 peak season. Indeed, there have been many exciting new products from many camera brands that make this season unlike any other. If you want to find out how you can afford all the cool purchases, then this article is for you.
Despite the price drop, photographic equipment is very expensive. As a used buyer, I still spend quite a bit of money on equipment. The camera alone costs more than a thousand dollars. Sure, you can buy a 5D Mark II for $300, but let’s be honest, a lot of people are looking forward to fall/winter with peak sales and discounts on new gear. Regardless of your money habits, freeing up money for peak season deals should be on the priority list if you want to buy new gear in 2022. To that end, I have A simple tip for you – sell your old device for a decent penny now. And do the same with MPB.
Selling old equipment alone can be a problem, here’s how it almost went bad for me
Before you click away, let me tell you just how bad selling used equipment has become for me. As someone who has never bought a new camera, or to put it bluntly, has very little new gear, I think I know a thing or two about selling used cameras and other gear. In short, it will be difficult if you have to do all the work yourself. So much so that I’ve been threatened before, and this time almost got scammed. Both nearly missed which I could have fallen in. All of that could have been avoided if I had been smarter about selling my gear and sold via MPB. 
The story when I was threatened was as follows: I was selling a semi-active lens. In the advertisement for the aforementioned lens, I made it clear, in black on a white background, that the lens was the problem. Sure, that means I sold it for a lower price, as well as having trouble finding a buyer. It took me several months before I found anyone interested. Having sold the lens, I received a message saying the lens was not working. Yes, I answered, no, as stated in the ad (screenshot attached). Followed by a series of threats to find me and get my money back.
Quick and easy way to sell used equipment: MPB
As you can see, selling used equipment can be bad for me, that’s why I should use a service like MPB. MPB makes it super simple to sell, but also buy used equipment.
Even if you’re not like me and don’t take the slightest risk of buying a used device, you should give up your old device altogether. It’s not easy and I know exactly how it feels to sell your first DSLR, lens, etc., but it’s towards a bigger goal: better equipment. Let me describe to you the easy step by step process that will make you money ahead of the 2022 seasonal deals. 
The first step to making money is to login to MPB.com and select “start trading/selling options”. First, you need to let the site know what you’re going to sell. Most of the time, MPB will have the item you’re selling in their catalog and that item will show up in a drop-down search window. If you’re selling something rare, you can always select the “I can’t find the model” option and specify the exact details of what you have. Next, you have to choose the condition of the item you are selling. The equipment I own is all in “good used” condition, so I wouldn’t mind telling anyone it has no scratches, because it does. For the sake of the example, we’ll set the condition to “good”, since that’s what most photographers will have. If you are unsure, see the description that will help you choose the right condition. If you don’t however, no worries. MPB will inspect your device and if they think it is in better condition than you say they will increase the quote. This also works the other way around.
Another feature that I find particularly useful is the ability to add multiple items. For those who are looking to upgrade from one system to another, or can switch kits from one brand to another, this is extremely helpful. In a way, it’s almost like talking to a friend, except that your friend is the MPB who will give you a 6 month warranty, not just “an honest word”.
After you add your item, you can even choose something that you will buy in exchange. This can be anything from the catalog on the website. In my example, I will upgrade my Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8 from version I to version II.
Step two is to get your quote. As of the time of this writing, I would be getting $480 for my Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8 and just paying $779 to upgrade to version two of the lens. While the amount MPB is paying may be slightly less than you might get from selling your equipment privately, you need to take into account the amount of work they put into selling your equipment. you, as well as the prepayment. The biggest advantage is that shipping to and from MPB is free. The final step is to have your item shipped to MPB or arrange for a door-to-door pickup service, which is particularly comfortable.
My lessons learned and why I will use MPB in 2022
MPB offers extremely good deals, and I don’t need to guess and invest time in the trouble I would have gone through if I tried to do the same otherwise.
Just imagine, I need to create an ad for my lens, find a buyer, ship it, pay for the shipping, etc. I won’t get my money until someone buys it and I can’t buy it. new lenses until I sell my old lenses and find a new lens seller. Overall, this can take weeks, if not months. It all depends on how the market is in your area. MPB makes it easier, faster and more comfortable to sell, buy and exchange devices.
You can see MPB is probably one of the easiest and best ways to sell your device afford to buy new items during this high season of 2022. All you need to do to get paid is: create a quote and let them pick up your device. That is easy.
