Spring Clean Your Gear by Selling to MPB

Have you got equipment you don’t use? Do you need to upgrade your gear bag? There are surprising reasons why MPB is the answer to clearing your clutter, bringing in some welcome cash, and enhancing the tools of your visual storytelling craft.

Why You Should Use MPB

You have probably heard of MPB, even if you haven’t used it. It has an excellent reputation in second-hand camera and lens retail. It’s a service I’ve used myself both to buy and sell gear. But there’s a lot more to the business than you might realize.

MPB is not a marketplace. We’ve all heard horror stories of buyers defrauding sellers, and sellers cheating buyers by abusing the inadequate protections in place on those websites. Then, there are the hefty commission charges now levied, and those costs are often hidden; we only find out when it's too late. There’s also the increased risk of buying stolen goods that can later be repossessed when using those unmoderated channels. Goods bought that way rarely come with guarantees, either.

In comparison, MPB’s trustworthiness is a breath of fresh air. If you have equipment that you no longer use and want to sell it, then it is much safer to sell it to MPB than via online auctions and marketplaces. They buy our redundant gear. Then, they sell or trade this used photography and videography equipment to their other customers.  

Selling and Trading Your Gear With MPB

It’s an easy process to sell or trade your gear. In fact, you can do so without even leaving your home. After entering the equipment’s details and condition on the MPB platform you get an instant free quote from MPB that is valid for fourteen days; there is no difficult negotiation process. Once you accept it, the parcel you send it in is collected for free; MPB never adds hidden fees.

The prices MPB offers and sets for selling are based on a data-driven dynamic pricing engine, software that looks at supply and demand. It constantly studies wider market data and different pricing factors, positioning values accordingly. The age and popularity of the model, brand, or product type, plus the cosmetic condition of the gear, affect both the purchase and selling prices. Therefore, it can offer a fair price both to sellers and buyers. A team of product specialists then evaluates each piece of equipment, ensuring it meets their required standards.

Buying Equipment from MPB

That pricing process means that, on average, you can buy gear at around a third less than the current new retail value. Meanwhile, those who want to pass on equipment get an average of $900 each time they sell to MPB. In other words, it’s a fair system. You are not going to be cheated by being offered too little when you sell your gear or paying too much when buying.

Buying from the MPB Platform is safe and easy. The photos on the platform are of the actual item you are buying and not generic images, so you can inspect the equipment. There may be a variety of options for a particular model depending on its cosmetic condition and previous use; the better the condition the higher the value. There is a shipping fee to add, but this is reasonable and reflects the cost of an insured courier service.

Importantly, the equipment you buy from MPB comes with a six-month warranty. That’s far longer than you will receive from many retailers and plenty of time to check that it is working properly. Returning faulty equipment to them is done without any quibbling. I've found their customer service is first class.

How MPB Check Equipment

MPB is comfortable offering that six-month-long warranty because they undertake a thorough ten-point inspection process of their cameras before being approved for sale by their product specialists.

1. Quote & Condition
2. Components
3. SD Card
4. Settings
5. Sensor
6. Cosmetic Condition
7. Functionality i: Shutter, Drive, Flash, Buttons, Auto focus, Stabilization
8. Functionality ii: High ISO, Aperture, Zoom
9. Shutter Count
10. Battery Recharge RateVideo Cameras have a similarly comprehensive checking system.
11. Quote & Condition
12. Components
13. Sensor
14. Glass
15. SD Card
16. Functionality i: Record image, ISO, FPS, Button response
17. Functionality ii: Zebras, Frame Rate, Audio Recording, 4k/8k Recording, ND filter
18. LCD
19. Cosmetic Condition: Mount, Surfaces, Tripod Mount, Eye-Cup, Hot-Shoe, Buttons
20. Hour count & Battery Recharge rate

All lenses undergo a thorough 8-point inspection process before being approved for sale.

1. Quote & Condition
2. Internals: Fungus, Dust, and Marks
3. Functionality: Auto Focus, Manual Focus, Stabilizer, Zoom, Aperture Ring
4. Front Glass Condition
5. Rear Glass Condition
6. Cosmetic Condition: Grips, Barrel, Filter Thread
7. Further Cosmetics: Distance Indicator, Window, Contacts, Mount
8. Components

MPB Buys and Sells Recently Released Equipment Too

It seems obvious that older gear will be available from MPB. It’s a good thing it is because those on a restricted budget can pick up pro-grade cameras and lenses from several years ago, often for less than new entry-level equipment. I’ve pointed art students to MPB when they have longed for a good-quality camera to use for their studies and haven’t been able to otherwise afford one.

However, more recent models are available from MPB too. On average, newly released items are available within three months of them appearing on the market. If you have bought something and since changed your mind about it, using MPB is a fabulous way to trade in that gear and buy something different. Furthermore, camera retailers can use MPB for passing on their barely used demonstration models.

The choice is huge. In the US, there are over 16,000 pieces of equipment for sale on their website, and they sell over 8000 items there every month. Globally, there are over 47,000 products available. It’s not just cameras they sell. Camera grips, tripods and monopods, shoulder rigs, gimbals, bags, audio equipment, drones, and a host of accessories for all these items appear on the platform too.

Looking at these figures, it comes as little surprise that MPB is the largest global platform to buy, sell, and trade used photo and video gear.

MPB is an Ethical Business

Sustainability is an important factor for many photographers. I always check that and the overall ethics of any company I want to use write about. MPB is a business I happily use.

There are clear environmental benefits to buying used equipment instead of new, and MPB actively promotes what it calls “circularity.” That means it promotes sustainability, diversity, and inclusion in everything it does. All its packaging is 100% plastic free. MPB sends zero inbound or operational waste to landfill, and its cloud-based platform uses 100% renewable energy.

Like most businesses, it has further to go to reach a zero-carbon footprint. It should reach net zero carbon for all its buildings within two years and its data centers by 2030. It plans to fully switch to using carbon-neutral courier services by 2035.

MPB prioritizes inclusive recruitment, and it supports its employees with extensive training and development, which is clearly reflected in its high level of customer service and the depth of knowledge of its gear experts whom you can speak to or chat with online. After all, MPB has served over 625,000 visual storytellers. It also has excellent employee reviews on Glassdoor and Indeed, and its robust recruitment and interview process ensures it recruits the best staff. It is little wonder they are trusted by customers in the US and worldwide seen in the enviable 5-star rating on Trustpilot

So, if you are a photographer, videographer, or content creator looking to lighten your gear bag and find new equipment to expand your craft, the MPB platform is a fantastic place to start. It's spring cleaning time, after all.