ShareGrid has made a name for itself as a peer-to-peer camera rental system. Now, they want users to buy and sell their gear as well.
Now that I’ve been using the DJI Ronin-S, my Ronin-M hasn’t been getting much love. I’ve considered using ShareGrid to rent it out, but because I find myself travelling so often, it wouldn’t work out. I should probably just sell it on eBay or Facebook’s marketplace. However, I’ve heard awful stories about the former, and don’t feel much safer with the latter.
This is what ShareGrid is fixing, and I find it very welcome. Bringing their community from the rental market, to the selling kind, brings a certain level of trust. They also have verified users, which adds another layer to that. Apparently, over half a billion dollars worth of equipment has been rented on the platform so far. Suffice to say that they’re starting off with a pretty hefty market, which won’t suffer from trust issues.
The new platform is exactly how you’d expect. A little bit like eBay, with a focus on camera and audio equipment. It feels exactly like ShareGrid has in the past, a hodge-podge of oddities and camera rigs. Currently, ShareGrid’s rental prices are very competitive. For some of the most popular items, prices are lower than most rental houses. As a result, I’d expect this new platform to be more competitive than eBay, since there’s more competition.
The Logistics
ShareGrid is also offering better rates than their alternatives. They’re charging a 5% on each sale, which is about half of what you’d pay elsewhere. I hope that this is sustainable because it’s probably the main reason to sell here.
If used goods aren’t your jam, AbelCine is selling on the platform too. We’ll be seeing a steady stream of exclusive bundles that they’re negotiating for ShareGrid members. This is alongside 17th street Photo and Deals All Year, who have also made accounts to sell gear. I hope that prices remain competitive here, since it’s somewhat of a closed marketplace.
Finally, they’re selling SmallHD 702 monitor with a $500 discount right now. A smashing deal that probably won’t last too long. This is being sold through AbelCine. So if you’re in the market for a new monitor, then this is the best deal in town right now. I’ve also found a pretty good deal on the Canon 1D C, which comes in a couple hundred bucks less than everything else I’ve seen.
I’m looking forward to seeing how successful this becomes. Mainly, I wonder if the specific needs of filmmakers, photographers and otherwise will be better met at ShareGrid. Perhaps customer service will trump other platforms, since it’s a smaller marketplace that has a community already. If you need any assistance prepping your gear to sell before the holidays, we’ve got a short write up on that to help you along.
You could also check out Gear Offer. We're focused exclusively on peer-to-peer used camera gear sales. https://gearoffer.com/
For anyone looking for a place to sell their gear, and keep the most amount of their money, I'd recommend selling your gear on Grid50: http://grid50gear.com/
The selling fees are only 3.5% compared to 10% on eBay. Plus, it's a site dedicated to only photo and video gear.