I’m a professional photographer in Colorado and I often get asked where to take old cameras and darkroom equipment to get rid of them. Many people used to build darkrooms at home for printing their photographs. In the age of film photography, making negatives and printing photographs was king. But with digital and now phone photography, for many people, film is often no longer used.

The cameras are still sitting there in cases or boxes, taking up space. The darkroom enlarger. The trays, the chemicals. The old film cameras, lenses, bags, tripods, accessories, the film and all the rest.

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Here are 4 options:

1. SELL IT TO THE CAMERA STORE?

You could take it to your local Camera Shop? They Advertise They Buy Cameras.

If you have higher-end cameras and lenses that you want to get rid of you could take them to the local camera store. The thing is you have to get it all to them, and then they won’t take everything. Probably not any of the darkroom equipment, which is of course the biggest and heaviest.

Of your gear, they’ll hand-pick the choice items, the ones they can see the biggest profit from, and give you about 50% of its value, which is totally fair because they have to check, clean, make sure it’s working and offer a warranty on it when they resell—they obviously have to make money, it’s their business. The good news is you get instant cash, but the bad news is the unwanted things you have to take back home because they only want what they can turn a good profit on.

2. HERE’S A BETTER IDEA—GET IT TO FILM PHOTOGRAPHERS AT THAT 50% RATE!

Sell it to Film Photographers Near You!

Sell the film gear to local photographers at the wholesale rate you’d get from the camera shop. That’s right—sell the cameras and lenses to film photographers in your community at the 50% rate that the camera shop would offer—the photographer can get a deal, save some money, and then can use the leftover cash to buy film and developing from that local camera shop, so they’re still supporting their business (and so are you.)

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I can even help you find the local photographers in your area by looking online on film photography forums and connecting you with the film photographers in your area.

3. WAIT, I CAN SELL IT MYSELF AND MAKE A MINT ON EBAY!

What about Selling it on Ebay? Yes, you can!

Sure, you could do that to get the biggest return. First, research the selling prices of similar items in the same condition as yours, but you can’t go by ‘unsold’ listings—those often have high prices sellers wish they could get but those pricey items never actually sell. You have to do an ‘advanced” search and look at ‘sold items’ to get a sense of what similar items are actually selling for. Again, the price range may be great and yours, if not in top condition, may not get the highest price.

Once you know the item’s possible value, then, you have to test each piece of equipment, make sure it’s working, ideally, you’d film-test the cameras (run a roll of film through and develop it), check the lenses for scratches, test light meters and film transports, and the accuracy of shutter speeds.

Next, you have to photograph and write descriptions for each item, post it on Ebay, answer questions from interested buyers, and then when it sells, after giving Ebay 15%, you have to package the item well and ship it, then deliver it to the post office or UPS/FEDEX.

If the buyer later wants a refund because it’s not working as you described, and if you listed it as ‘used and working’ and not as for ‘for parts or rapair’, Ebay will require you to refund the item and shipping plus make you pay for the return shipping, too.

This is all fine if you’re in the business of Ebay selling, and know your way around specialized gear, and don’t mind doing the work, but selling cameras and darkroom equipment isn’t the easiest way to make big bucks in online sales. Also, everything won’t sell, and you’ll still have things taking up room in your house. All this work for the additional 35% of the value isn’t worth it to most people.

4. DONATE YOUR GEAR TO MY PHOTO THRIFT SHOP

Donate it—I’ll come and get it for you.

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If you’re in Colorado, I can come and meet you for a clear out, take it for you and help the items find new users. There are people still using film cameras and darkrooms, and some schools, too. There isn’t much need for darkroom equipment, but someone may be able to use it. Some new photographer building a darkroom or getting started who needs a film camera will put it to good use. There is new interest in film photography among younger people, to whom it’s new. Out of state? I can help you find someone near you who will take it away for you.

DOES THE PHOTO THRIFT SHOP SELL THE GEAR?

It depends on the item.

Some things I sell. Some I donate. It’s not an actual shop, but a place where I can make available new gear for film photographers near me. Some equipment I end up using to make photographs myself or to teach photography. Some I sell to have funds for more film. Some I get to students and new film photographers just starting out. My goal is to keep everything out of the landfill and get it to working film photographers, especially those who are just getting into analog photography. I’m not looking to take your gear and get rich—it is often heavy and time-consuming to move and sell, plus it takes up a space—a lot of space.

If you have specialty equipment like Leica or Hasselblad cameras, large format wood cameras, or other ‘top’ gear, you should expect to get a fair price for them. I can give you the same 50% of market value rate that the cameras store would offer because it will allow me to get to use some of the best cameras ever made that I can’t afford to buy at full price.

MY PREFERENCE, IF YOU WANT TO KNOW…

My first choice would be for you to offer it for sale to local photographers near you at the 50% camera shop or Ebay Completed Sales/Sold (in similar condition) rate, to make it so film photographers in your community have a way to access gear they can create photographs with without having to pay top retail prices, so they can spend more on film and paper and making actual printed photographs. They’ll deal with checking it out, film testing it, and getting any repairs done if needed. Or a CLA-clean, lubrication, and adjustment, which is recommended on all these cameras that are often decades old.

If you want to consult with me, I can tell you about how much you’d get from a wholesaler like a camera shop, and what rate to set it at for local photographers near you. Or you can look up Ebay sold listings for the same item and cut the price in half and post it for that. You’ll be doing local film photographers a great favor, just make sure they’re actual photographers who are buying it, and not just flippers in it to resell for more.

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