Give Adorama a try for selling your used gear

Terrence

I requested quotes from B&H and Adorama to buy a 9 out of 10 condition Canon 24-105 f/4L lens from me. B&H quoted me $425. Adorama quoted $800.

I spoke with the Adorama rep and he told me they do their best to pay 70% of market value for used Canon, Nikon, Leica, and other high end brand gear. They'll even pay for UPS shipping and insurance if you either don't live near Manhattan or just don't want to go to the store.

Seeing prices between $800 and $850 asked for here on DGrin for this lens, I'm thinking people should consider Adorama, when they want to sell, if they are either uncomfortable buying/selling in a forum or if they just don't want to wait for a buyer.

Now, I am but one data point, but this was such a surprise to see a big retailer make such a great offer that I had to share. Coupled with the fact they are routinely a little cheaper than B&H, Adorama is winning my heart and wallet a little more today.

HelenOster

Adorama Camera Customer Service

Terrence wrote:

I requested quotes from B&H and Adorama to buy a 9 out of 10 condition Canon 24-105 f/4L lens from me. B&H quoted me $425. Adorama quoted $800.

I spoke with the Adorama rep and he told me they do their best to pay 70% of market value for used Canon, Nikon, Leica, and other high end brand gear. They'll even pay for UPS shipping and insurance if you either don't live near Manhattan or just don't want to go to the store.

.........I'm thinking people should consider Adorama, when they want to sell, .........this was such a surprise to see a big retailer make such a great offer that I had to share. Coupled with the fact they are routinely a little cheaper than B&H, Adorama is winning my heart and wallet a little more today.

Dear Terrence

Thank you so much for the great feedback, which is very much appreciated.
If you ever have a query or concern regarding an order from Adorama Camera - or AdoramaPix - please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Sincerely

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

helen.oster@adoramacamera.com
www.adorama.com

RogersDA

Another thumb for Helen and Adorama.



Customer service is key to any business, and Helen shows that.

Thanks.

HelenOster wrote:

Dear Terrence

Thank you so much for the great feedback, which is very much appreciated.
If you ever have a query or concern regarding an order from Adorama Camera - or AdoramaPix - please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Sincerely

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

helen.oster@adoramacamera.com
www.adorama.com

adebartolo

I recently had a very good expierence with Adorama also. Late last month I was in the market for a Elinchrom Ranger Outfit. I'd been selling off my Qflash Gear to help fund this new gear. I could not find buyers for the Turbo Battery and Qnexus TTL adapter I had remaining. Long story short the "bought it from me" at 70% of Market Value. I was impressed.

Tony

lyttleviet

I buy everything from Adorama.. I want to visit sometime if I am up there

swintonphoto

I have always been a big fan of Adorama. Their prices are great.

pardes

Terrence wrote:

I requested quotes from B&H and Adorama to buy a 9 out of 10 condition Canon 24-105 f/4L lens from me. B&H quoted me $425. Adorama quoted $800.

't

This is great to know. I've been dragging my heels on selling my Nikon D70S and the 5 year old N film version and alllll the lenses. I didn't even know where to begin and who and where to sell it.

HelenOster

Message from Helen at Adorama Camera

pardes wrote:

't

This is great to know. I've been dragging my heels on selling my Nikon D70S and the 5 year old N film version and alllll the lenses. I didn't even know where to begin and who and where to sell it.

I would recommend particularly speaking to Joel (joelm@adorama.com), 212 741 0052 ext 2045, if you are interested in selling gear (fee free to quote me!)


Sincerely

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

helen.oster@adoramacamera.com
www.adorama.com

JohnBiggs

Not to say anything bad. But after reading this thread I recommended this to a friend.

He was quoted one price over the phone in a way that sounded like it was the amount he would recieve. (Nikon gear) After sending it all in they gave him a lower price.

He was then told they must have quoted the market value on the phone. Kinda tricky if you ask me.

Soo... ok, a mess up. I have another friend that sent them two olympus digital bodies and some lenses a week later and the same thing happened. They offered him less than he was quoted. I saw his stuff before it was sent. It was pristine. Again the rep told him they must have quoted him the market price.



It's still fine to sell to adorama. Just make sure you are prepared for 70% of what they indicate they are going to give you. Who knows, maybe I have two friends who can't comprehend what is said on the phone. So take this for what it's worth.

HelenOster

Message from Helen at Adorama Camera

JohnBiggs wrote:

Not to say anything bad. But after reading this thread I recommended this to a friend.

He was quoted one price over the phone in a way that sounded like it was the amount he would recieve. (Nikon gear) After sending it all in they gave him a lower price.

He was then told they must have quoted the market value on the phone. Kinda tricky if you ask me.

Soo... ok, a mess up. I have another friend that sent them two olympus digital bodies and some lenses a week later and the same thing happened. They offered him less than he was quoted. I saw his stuff before it was sent. It was pristine. Again the rep told him they must have quoted him the market price.



It's still fine to sell to adorama. Just make sure you are prepared for 70% of what they indicate they are going to give you. Who knows, maybe I have two friends who can't comprehend what is said on the phone. So take this for what it's worth.

John, thank you for raising this; please pass on my sincere apologies to your friends that the salesman involved (who, incidentally, is no longer with us…) did not clarify our purchasing policy sufficiently well.

It should have been made clear that any figure given prior to actually examining any item can only be an estimate of value - ie, the market value.
Once we have received the item on approval, it is checked over thoroughly by our technicians, and if it is an item that we believe has re-sale potential, a quote, based on 70% of the market value will be offered.

This is to cover our costs such as staffing, building overheads - and, of course, we are a business! We also provide a pre-paid label for sellers to send their equipment in to us for valuation, and if you decide not to sell to us, we ship it back, fully insured, at our cost.

As a reseller of used equipment, we offer a 90-day guarantee on used equipment; we aren't able to field test all equipment thoroughly, therefore have to allow for the costs associated with a certain number of items being returned, repaired or exchanged.

Any value that may be suggested for purchasing used equipment prior to a thorough examination by our technicians, can only be an estimate based upon the seller's description.

I hope this helps, but if you ever have a query or concern regarding an order from Adorama Camera - or AdoramaPix - please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Sincerely

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

helen.oster@adoramacamera.com
www.adoramacamera.com

JohnBiggs

Helen,

I don't question the reason to offer 70% of market value. That's reasonable.

I just want let people know that the person on the phone may not be entirely clear if they are quoting the market value of the item or the actual amount that will be paid.

70% is actually a very fair number compared to other stores who buy used equipment. So people should know that too. I just IM'd one of my friends to get more detail and he said the market value that Adorama used was actually fair too.

John

HelenOster

Message from Helen at Adorama Camera

JohnBiggs wrote:

Helen,


I just want let people know that the person on the phone may not be entirely clear if they are quoting the market value of the item or the actual amount that will be paid.

A very fair point; which is why the person who was on the other end of the 'phone, isn't any longer.........

Helen

tommyqh

lyttleviet wrote:

I buy everything from Adorama.. I want to visit sometime if I am up there

me too. don't think i will ever be in the area to visit but i will continue to buy.

expecting two things to come in tomorrow and thursday from Adorama

Dave P

Excellent thread.

It's always great to see a retailer representing themselves in a straight up manner on the forum pages of the industry they cater to.

Thanks, Helen.

TOSU

Adorama Purchse
I purchased My 1d Mark III from Adorama used and found it to be in excellent condition. Ihave been very happy with my purchase and recommend them regularly to those looking for good used gear.

Kudos Adorama!

My only complaint is there website is hard to navigate! !

fredjclaus

I've purchased many things from Adorama, and have been very happy. Recently I purchased the Targus battery grip for my Nikon D60. The people I talked to were very helpful and professional. I have a camera store in my area but I prefer to buy from Adorama instead. Will be camping just outside NYC next summer, and I hope to be able to stop into the store to check out where my orders have come from.

Helen, I sent you an email.

eoren1

JohnBiggs wrote:

I just want let people know that the person on the phone may not be entirely clear if they are quoting the market value of the item or the actual amount that will be paid.

I would like to add that I recently had a very similar interaction with Adorama's used department. I sent in three lenses that I had originally listed on dgrin but had not received any feedback after 1 week. I was given a quote of $500 for the lot which I thought was very fair. It was only after quoting this amount back to the rep and specifically asking if this was the cash that I would receive that the rep backstepped and quoted 70% of that $500. Apparently $500 was fair market value. And it seems this is a more widespread behavior than the single rep that Helen states is no longer there.
I was upset by this and asked for the shipment to be returned to me. The rep then singled out my Canon 70-210mm lens and offered $75 for that one. I again asked for the lenses to be shipped back and the offer was upped to $100. I thought this was a fair price for such an old lens and believed the rep that this represented 70% of market value. The other lenses were sent back to me.
Today, I visited the Adorama used dept website and saw my lens listed there at a price of $250! That means that I received 40% of what Adorama now believes is a fair market value for this lens. Needless to say, I will not deal with their used department again nor will I refer friends there.
E

HelenOster

Message from Helen, Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

eoren1 wrote:

I would like to add that I recently had a very similar interaction with Adorama's used department. Today, I visited the Adorama used dept website and saw my lens listed there at a price of $250! That means that I received 40% of what Adorama now believes is a fair market value for this lens. Needless to say, I will not deal with their used department again nor will I refer friends there.
E

I would really like to investigate this matter. Could you send me your order number, directly to: helen.oster@adoramacamera.com, and I will give it my immediate attention.
If you know the name of the rep that you spoke to, that would be helpful, also.
If I find out that you were dealt with unfairly, I can assure you that it will be addressed - and if I find that you are owed any additional funds, I will have them sent to you.

gfmucci

JohnBiggs wrote: »

Not to say anything bad. But after reading this thread I recommended this to a friend.

He was quoted one price over the phone in a way that sounded like it was the amount he would recieve. (Nikon gear) After sending it all in they gave him a lower price.

He was then told they must have quoted the market value on the phone. Kinda tricky if you ask me.

Soo... ok, a mess up. I have another friend that sent them two olympus digital bodies and some lenses a week later and the same thing happened. They offered him less than he was quoted. I saw his stuff before it was sent. It was pristine. Again the rep told him they must have quoted him the market price.



It's still fine to sell to adorama. Just make sure you are prepared for 70% of what they indicate they are going to give you. Who knows, maybe I have two friends who can't comprehend what is said on the phone. So take this for what it's worth.

My recent experience with Adorama is that the man I spoke with on the phone (Norman) was VERY clear that they do NOT give ANY price over the phone because it may be misinterpreted or the seller might feel offended or mislead when the actual offer price is given after the items are evaluated at Adorama. So I can believe that that person your friends dealt with misspoke or shouldn't have said whatever he/she said.

I am trusting that the free shipping, both to and return, and the two weeks turn around time if the items have to be returned, are worth the effort of giving them a try.

Quincy T

I just wanted to post my own appreciation for Adorama here. They have a very "no questions asked" policy on returns apparently, because I sent back a battery grip that wasn't working and immediately had store credit as I had requested. When I tried buying a Pocket Wizard Plus III over the phone with that credit, the rep made it very clear I needed two, which I thought was nice, although I already knew this. He obviously was concerned about my end result with the product, which is good to know.

I wish I could've ordered both of my transceivers from Adorama, but I have two piles of free money, one a gift card, and one a store credit, unfortunately that gift card is for Amazon and when you're just average joe photog like this guy, PocketWizards are not something you spend your own money on are they?

Anyway, it's cool to see Adorama has this forward scout here at DGrin, being a consumer watchdog. Just another sign of this quality company in a sea of nasty ones.

Side note, their prints (at least to my untrained eye) are off the proverbial chain, and cheap too!

HelenOster

Quincy T wrote: »

I just wanted to post my own appreciation for Adorama here. They have a very "no questions asked" policy on returns apparently....

It's certainly got a LOT better over the past couple of years

Quincy T wrote: »

I wish I could've ordered both of my transceivers from Adorama, but I have two piles of free money, one a gift card, and one a store credit, unfortunately that gift card is for Amazon...

Have you checked whether Adorama sells them via Amazon? If not, send me the SKU # if you like, & I'll see if it's possible to get it put on their site: Helen@adorama.com

Quincy T wrote: »

Anyway, it's cool to see Adorama has this forward scout here at DGrin, being a consumer watchdog. Just another sign of this quality company in a sea of nasty ones.

Thanks!

I quite fancy changing my job title to Consumer Watchdog - maybe it describes my role better than the one I have? I like to think so

Quincy T wrote: »

Side note, their prints (at least to my untrained eye) are off the proverbial chain, and cheap too!

My (12-year-old) son made an AdoramaPix photobook last year, & we were delghted with the results.

Foques

Well, I do have a big problem with Adorama...


...they are not in IL.. things i'd do to have a store like this here.

HelenOster

Foques wrote: »

Well, I do have a big problem with Adorama...


...they are not in IL.. things i'd do to have a store like this here.

I hear you!

Adorama is a family-owned / managed business, and our owner is at his desk above the store most every day! Adorama is very dear to his heart, and I don't think it would work for him to have it any other way.

divamum

Look at it this way, Foques: if they were in Illinois you'd have to pay tax

I'm a HUGE Adorama fan, and they're usually my first choice for purchases. They have been awesome with after-sales needs as well - they've fixed any problems I've ever had pretty much instantly and absolutely to my satisfaction. Can't say enough good things about them as a customer-focused business that actually does things on a case-by-case basis instead of following a one-size-fits-nobody "corporate manual" like the big-box chains. A++++ all round.

HelenOster

Foques wrote: »

Well, I do have a big problem with Adorama...


...they are not in IL.. things i'd do to have a store like this here.

divamum wrote: »

Look at it this way, Foques: if they were in Illinois you'd have to pay tax

I'm a HUGE Adorama fan, and they're usually my first choice for purchases. They have been awesome with after-sales needs as well - they've fixed any problems I've ever had pretty much instantly and absolutely to my satisfaction. Can't say enough good things about them as a customer-focused business that actually does things on a case-by-case basis instead of following a one-size-fits-nobody "corporate manual" like the big-box chains. A++++ all round.

Foques

divamum wrote: »

Look at it this way, Foques: if they were in Illinois you'd have to pay tax

hehe, I know, I was thinking the same, and was about to post this when I saw your comment.

I think i'll be picking up a new toy from Ado this friday.

novicesnapper

I want to personally thank Helen. Yesterday I went ahead, bit the bullet and ordered a Canon Speedlight, and I fubar'd the ship to addie due to being pretty sick. I didn't realize it until last night, in a moment of lucidity and this would have sent the package quite a few miles away. I contacted Helen thru her email this morning and she graciously corrected the ship too address, before it was due to go out Sunday afternoon. Thank you Helen, I know of no other company that would have done this on a weekend. Thank you again! Guys, don't even hesitate to purchase here, outstanding service.

lust:ivar

HelenOster

novicesnapper wrote: »

I want to personally thank Helen.

lust:ivar

My pleasure! (tho' it won't ship til Monday, rather than Sunday, as the first business day)

novicesnapper

That's what I thought, no problem at all, thanks again!

Jay25

Fast forward 2016, you send gear in. They may take up to 7 days after they receive your gear. Next you will get an email with a quote number. You will need to call. They will tell you gear is worth $1000.00. We pay up to 70%. What would you like to do? You say cash out. 2 days later you will get an email for say 650.00. Takes that's how they do business. Now you told them cash out and then you get that email 2 days later. Now if you change your mind your done. Now you will fight and argue to get your gear back. You might get it back and if you do it will be 2.5 weeks later.

HelenOster

Jay25 wrote: »

Fast forward 2016, you send gear in. They may take up to 7 days after they receive your gear. Next you will get an email with a quote number. You will need to call. They will tell you gear is worth $1000.00. We pay up to 70%. What would you like to do? You say cash out. 2 days later you will get an email for say 650.00. Takes that's how they do business. Now you told them cash out and then you get that email 2 days later. Now if you change your mind your done. Now you will fight and argue to get your gear back. You might get it back and if you do it will be 2.5 weeks later.

Please email me: Helen@adorama.com.

If you were told you would get 70% of $1,000, then I will make sure you get it.