It is never easy to let go, whether it’s your favorite camera, light, or shoes that are just beyond repair. I’m the worst at letting go and don’t recall the last time I sold a light, if ever. The process seemed tedious and simply unnecessary. However, letting go can be much easier. Here’s the best way to let go of old equipment.
There has been a lot of change behind the scenes in my work and how I light my images. What used to be complex lighting consisting of many sources has now been replaced by a much cleaner setup. This brought about a few changes in the lights I prefer to use on set and the equipment I rely on.
Seeing as this year could easily be called the year I fell in love with Briese, I found that I didn’t use my other lighting equipment nearly as much. It’s been sitting, collecting dust. Where it was useful and crucial last year, this year it didn’t come on a single shoot with me. This is natural in every photographer’s career. One day you need something, the next day you don’t. Given that we are nearing a recession, I can think of very few people who want to hold on to unused equipment. Besides, there’s always someone out there who needs the very thing you don’t, and vice versa.
I am the queen of hoarding. Just today, I was writing out a list of all the equipment I own, and I realized I have six Profoto heads, while only two, maybe three, are in active use. Frankly speaking, the light I use the most these days is the Briese 77 reflector. It’s by far the best light for the work I do but also the least portable light I own. I won’t go too deep into the Briese in this article, as it deserves a separate article altogether. My evaluation of all the gear I own uncovered a certain Profoto B1X that I relied on all of last year but barely used this year.
Why Did I Choose To Let the B1X Go?
Well, it was a hard decision to make. I had been toying with the idea of selling it off for the past ten months. I wanted to sell it quickly without any extra worries about shipping it to a private buyer or even the buyer scamming me on the sale. There’s a lot of work that goes into selling a flash. If I choose to let something go, it has to happen quickly because I might change my mind about selling. One place that allows you to sell and let go quickly is, of course, MPB, which this piece is about.
MPB is a service that allows you to let go of old equipment as quickly as if you were buying it new. This is what attracted me to MPB and why I chose to sell to them. The process of selling is what I want to talk more about.
The entire offer-to-sale process took no longer than a week, not counting my many trips between getting the offer and my assistant shipping it off to MPB.
From Initial Offer To Shipping To Final Offer
Getting an offer from MPB is instantaneous. This is what made MPB so great from the very beginning. I simply entered the equipment I had for sale, and within seconds, I had an offer in my inbox. Carefully considering the offer and seeing that their price was comparable to those on the secondhand market, I accepted it. Sure, their offer might not be the highest such a unit was sold for on the secondhand market, and it’s a fraction of the brand-new price for a flash like the Profoto B1X, but it was still decent considering the speed and hassle-free process of selling to MPB. What made it even better is that they offer a discount for buying and a higher offer if you are currently pursuing studies, which I made full use of. It must be said that although this is a sponsored piece for MPB, it was my idea to sell a flash unit to them, and I believe that I was treated the same way any other customer would.
After accepting the offer, I received a return label and simply had to bring the flash to the nearest DHL office (as I’m based in Germany). Shipping didn’t take longer than three days, and MPB notified me as soon as the flash arrived in their office. Afterward, it only took them a couple of days to check the flash’s condition and send me a final offer, which, in my case, was even higher than the initial one. Why so? Well, I take care of my flash equipment, and because the B1X was barely used, with a brand-new flash tube, and even came with a dome, which was an extra. This was a pleasant surprise, as initially MPB was unsure about the extra cost for the dome.
Offer Accepted, Money On Its way
At the time of writing, I’ve accepted my offer and am waiting for the money to show up in my account. I expect it to be there in a few days, as I’m writing this only a few hours after receiving and accepting the offer. Of course, should the offer from MPB not be to your satisfaction, you can request your gear be returned.
My experience with MPB has been extremely positive. They take care of you every step of the way and offer quality customer support should you have any questions. Their offers are high enough for you to be happy with the money you get from the sale, and if you specify the condition honestly, you’ll get the amount shown, if not more. If I have anything else to sell, it will go directly to MPB and stay off the general used market.
A Note on Reliability
Likewise, if I’m buying something, I now know that MPB takes great care with the condition of the items and checks everything honestly, meaning the gear on their website is as described. Given how global MPB has become, they really have anything one may want, except maybe Briese lights, which rarely, if ever, make it to the used market. Here is the very flash I sold them, as a testament that every product is really individually photographed and displayed as is. 
Final Thoughts
To close this article, I’m very grateful that a service like MPB exists, as it makes letting go before a massive shopping season easy. I’m going into November and December with extra cash, just before I’m due to buy a lot of presents and probably spend too much on Black Friday, which is just around the corner. If you’re looking for a service that makes selling used equipment as easy as possible, MPB is your first and only solution.
