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I am looking for a place to find used or inexpensive photography equipment like tripods, light stands, backdrops, ext.

mattdm
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mjrider
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  • The obvious answers are 'eBay' and 'Craigslist'. – Hank Apr 19 '11 at 16:51
  • I guess...I was just wondering if there was a more of a resale or used equipment depot or something... – mjrider Apr 19 '11 at 16:55
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    Keep an eye out for photography studios going out of business. They can be extra willing to get back some of their equipment costs. – That Realtor Programmer Guy Apr 19 '11 at 18:13
  • Similar to (but not quite the same as) http://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/3712/where-can-i-buy-a-camera-off-the-internet and http://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/3780/whats-the-easiest-and-safest-way-to-sell-photo-gear – Evan Krall Apr 20 '11 at 05:12
  • The same places where you would sell it: http://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/3780/whats-the-easiest-and-safest-way-to-sell-photo-gear – chills42 Apr 20 '11 at 12:10

5 Answers5

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The well-regarded used camera dealer KEH has categories for tripods and light stands. I could not find one for backgrounds in a quick look.

coneslayer
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Beyond ebay & Craigslist, here are a couple other ideas:

  • Watch for refurbs at Adorama. I think you can find these from some other vendors, too. At a minimum, use these prices as absolute top-dollar for used equipment (if you can buy it refurbished for $X, you wouldn't want to pay more for it used).
  • Adorama (as well as many camera shops) also carries used equipment, but you won't find too many steals on this stuff. The only benefit is that these guys will do a good job of grading equipment, so if they say it's in good shape, it's in good shape.
  • Watch for used stuff from rental outfits like lensrentals.com -- this stuff is well-used, obviously, but it's also (generally) well-maintained. If a lens comes back w/ a complaint about something, it'll be serviced before it's rented out again. On top of that, the people who are renting from these vendors are serious about their camera equipment, and they're likely to know how to take care of it (you don't ship in a 400mm f/2.8 lens for Billy's birthday party).
D. Lambert
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  • See also my answer on http://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/4457/whats-the-right-discount-for-used-gear-on-craigslist/4464#4464 – D. Lambert Apr 20 '11 at 00:31
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KEH is decent, but they're a business, and so their prices are obviously skewed to make a profit.

I've found that the buy and sell forums on Fred Miranda are one of the best places to buy used equipment from reputable sellers.

I've purchased several light stands from sellers there.

Alan
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Check you local photography store, they have tons of used equipments (that are often not cataloged on the web). Keeble & Schucat in the SF Bay area, B&H in NYC are some well known stores.

Sridhar Iyer
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In the UK, most camera shops have at least some second hand gear.

I have used Jacobs in the past, (both for new and second-hand) and I liked them.

AJ Finch
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