Anyone ever sell gear to Adorama?

[JETA]

I have two Canon L-glass lenses and a 1D Mark III I'm thinking of sending into Adorama to sell. The guy on the phone made it sound like a really good deal. However, I read some things online that have me balking a bit, but the complaints were from a few years ago.

Anyone know anything about their buying program?

Thanks!

[Liz]

Hi Julie,

My experience with selling photography equipment to dealers is that they do not pay what the item is really worth if it is in good condition. In the past I have sold cameras and lenses to B&H and KEH.com. I have not dealt with Adorama, so I can only give you my experience with Amazon, B&H & KEH. Amazon is different - you don't sell the items to Amazon, but through their website.

The past couple of years I have sold my equipment on Amazon. When you put your item up for sale on the Amazon website, it is listed right along with their new equipment. That way you can ask what you want. Amazon takes about 8% (depending on the item) which is really minimal compared to the loss you take selling to the dealer. Also, when you sell on Amazon all the correspondence (email) and communication goes through them. IOW, you email the buyer directly, but it goes through Amazon, so the buyer does not have your email address or personal info until you actually ship the equipment - then they would have only the info you give them.

I just retired, so I updated my photography gear with some retirement (party) money - and sold 2 cameras plus a few lenses to help purchase the equipment I wanted. Out of about 8 items sold, I did have a problem with one disgruntled individual who decided he did not want the camera afterall. It all worked out fine after a few emails back and forth (he sent the item back). However, having sold quite a few items on Amazon, this was my first negative experience, but it was the buyer - not Amazon.

Here is the link for more information if you are interested.

Amazon.com Help: Quick Start

Also, you can get a quick online estimate for photography gear from KEH.com website - which you can take or leave. But it will give you an idea of what most dealers will offer you.

Liz

[mjs1973]

I haven't sold anything to a dealer, but Liz summed it up pretty good. The dealer isn't going to pay you market value for your gear for the simple fact that they need to resell it and make a profit. If you want to get the most out of your gear you will be better off selling it yourself. I didn't know you could sell through Amazon like that so that might be a good option for you. There is always ebay and Craigslist too. I have bought and sold a few things on Craigslist and have had really good luck.

[HelenOster]

I have two Canon L-glass lenses and a 1D Mark III I'm thinking of sending into Adorama to sell. The guy on the phone made it sound like a really good deal. However, I read some things online that have me balking a bit, but the complaints were from a few years ago.

Anyone know anything about their buying program?

Thanks!

You are 100% correct; there were indeed a LOT of complaints about all aspects of our service a few years ago. Our ratings at resellerratings.com were a miserable 3.75 / 10 - today they are up to 9.61 / 10.
Not yet a 'perfect 10' but headed in the right direction.

Adorama used department pays around 70% of the expected re-sale value. If you are trading up at the same time, you can usually negotiate a bit of a deal on your new item.

You'll be sent a pre-paid label to send your gear in for evaluation (bear in mind that the department receives literally hundreds of items every day, so it's not going to be a same day process).

If you are not happy with the figure you are offered, your gear will be shipped back to you, fully insured, at no cost to you.

Finally, if you have any queries of any kind during the process, you are always most welcome to drop me an email: Helen@adorama.com

BTW there are usually around 25,000 used items in the warehouse at any given time, so I guess a fair number of people must be happy with the service!

[JETA]

Thank you, thank you for all of the replies and great information! I have much to think about now. Thanks again everyone!

[obadiahlee]

My experience with Adorama trade-in was not pleasant and I did NOT receive the price I was guaranteed nor did I get the 70% trade in value that was promised.

The customer service was horrible as well. Not too sure about the 9.6/10 rating...

Trade in occurred just about a month ago.

[HelenOster]

My experience with Adorama trade-in was not pleasant and I did NOT receive the price I was guaranteed nor did I get the 70% trade in value that was promised.

The customer service was horrible as well. Not too sure about the 9.6/10 rating...

Trade in occurred just about a month ago.

I listened to the recording of the 'phone call with our sales representative; you were advised that the expected re-sale value would be $1,700 (subject to actual examination of your unit) and that we would offer up to 70% of the selling price.
After receiving and physically appraising your unit we advised that we could offer you $1,200. You were unhappy with that sum so we increased our offer to $1,250 - or alternatively, we could return your gear to you, fully insured, at our expense.

[Frog]

I listened to the recording of the 'phone call with our sales representative; you were advised that the expected re-sale value would be $1,700 (subject to actual examination of your unit) and that we would offer up to 70% of the selling price.
After receiving and physically appraising your unit we advised that we could offer you $1,200. You were unhappy with that sum so we increased our offer to $1,250 - or alternatively, we could return your gear to you, fully insured, at our expense.

Can't complain about that.
I find it almost impossible to believe that Helen pays attention to these forums and quickly answers complaints reasonably.
Kudos to Helen and Adorama.

[HelenOster]

Can't complain about that.
I find it almost impossible to believe that Helen pays attention to these forums and quickly answers complaints reasonably.
Kudos to Helen and Adorama.

Update:

After further discussion, and in the spirit of excellence in customer service, we have reviewed this matter again - and decided that we will pay the customer the full expected re-sale amount, ie $1,700

[Grandpaw]

Update:

After further discussion, and in the spirit of excellence in customer service, we have reviewed this matter again - and decided that we will pay the customer the full expected re-sale amount, ie $1,700

Helen I give you :thumbsup::thumbsup: for taking care of this. We really do appreciate you checking out the forums and taking care of these types of situations and keeping your customers happy, Jeff

[Frog]

Almost unheard of service in these days.

[HelenOster]

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to have a presence here on photographyreview.com, and the support to be able to ensure we can reach out to any Adorama customer who needs additional help or advice.

[burnoil]

I just had my Nikon gear evaluated by Adorama and I must say it was like talking to someone in a boiler room. I know they are busy and don't have time for you wanting to ask about the eval, but hey I'm a customer...I bought some pretty high dollar items from them in the past. So, in all, their assessment was quite a bit on the low side. I can sell them myself with little effort and make quite a bit more. So, I think I will have Adorama ship it all back. Bummer this was my first post here...

[HelenOster]

I just had my Nikon gear evaluated by Adorama and I must say it was like talking to someone in a boiler room.

At this point I can only apologize for the disappointment and frustration caused; if you could email me with the date and time of your call, plus the number you called from, I can listen to the recording of the call and take appropriate action from there.

I will be requesting the immediate return of your gear.

[Frog]

You have to remember that they have to be able to make a profit,too.
The advantage is they would pay quickly. The disadvantage is they aren't going to give you top dollar because they can't justify the time and expense of selling it for what they paid.
Helen is always on top of stuff and spends a lot of time trying to make things right with the customers.

[HelenOster]

You have to remember that they have to be able to make a profit,too.
The advantage is they would pay quickly. The disadvantage is they aren't going to give you top dollar because they can't justify the time and expense of selling it for what they paid.
Helen is always on top of stuff and spends a lot of time trying to make things right with the customers.

We usually aim to pay 70% of the expected re-sale value.

The 30% covers our costs of shipping and insurance of used gear in for evaluation (and back again if a customer turns down our estimate); cleaning and servicing of gear prior to re-sale; advertising; warehousing; the cost of providing for most items a 6-month warranty - which includes a 30-day returns period; staff wages..........and the boss expects us to turn a profit!

I guess as with any service you outsource, plumbing, carpentry, car mechanics etc - the bottom line is: if your time is worth more and you want a quick job you get someone else to do it!

[Photo-John]

.and the boss expects us to turn a profit!

What??!! Turning a profit? Whoever heard of such a thing!!

Thanks for answering questions in this thread, Helen. Hopefully it reassures potential Adorama customers and brings you guys some more business. Personally, I love it when camera industry folks and dealer reps post on our forums

[HelenOster]

.....I love it when camera industry folks and dealer reps post on our forums

Delighted to have the opportunity to reach out to so many people; give support and assistance where required, and sometimes, even a behind-the-scenes look at the photo industry!

[photofan]

I'm in the same debate as Jeta. I have a Canon Rebel T3i with double lenses set to sell. I've been thinking to use Adorama. I'm waiting on a quote from them but reading things online I'm also confused on whether I should use them or not. There are a lot of bad reviews, some of them still recent from one year ago, mostly for the same reasons. People are being offered with one price and then paid with another offer way lower. It's embarrassing to say it but I probably used it just a couple of times since I bought it. I realized a DSLR camera is too big for me. So it's in excellent conditions. I understand I won't get the same price I paid for it, but and I'd like to get a fair one. Does anyone know what other sites I can explore or should I take a leap of faith on Adorama?

[HelenOster]

I'm in the same debate as Jeta. ....... should I take a leap of faith on Adorama?

When customers contact me and describe issues regarding final quotes being considerably less than the 'phone estimates, I look for the recording of the call. The most common problem is that customers selling to Adorama 'hear' that the used department "pays up to 70% of RETAIL" and assume this means 70% of the current brand new retail price. Whereas, what they say is that they pay is "up to 70% of RESALE"!

BIG difference......

The Adorama used department get upwards of 1,800 pieces sent in for evaluation every week and at any given time there are 26 - 27,000 used items in the warehouse

The way the value is established is by using a calculation which takes into account the number of exact same units in the warehouse at the time of your trade; the average number of that same unit in stock over the past 6 months; the average selling price of the unit over the past 6 months and projected decreases in the pre-owned market in the coming months due to new models becoming available.

In addition, the selling prices on the website can only be a ROUGH guide if you are trying to figure out how much the used department might be able to pay you for your gear.

When new models are released, the overall market tends to soften. Pre-owned units will usually drop in value, but the used department will still be looking to sell existing pre-owned stock (which may have been warehoused and therefore costing the company revenue for days, weeks or months) without making too great a loss on the price that was originally paid.

While you will be offered up to 70% of the current value (as calculated above), unless you are selling a genuine collectors' piece, in my experience you shouldn't expect to receive more than 55-65% of the price you see on our website. If you do, then it’s a bonus.


All that being said, you have my direct contact details: Helen@adorama.com, and I want you to make use of them!
Whether you have a query, a complaint or a general inquiry, I will do my best to help. And if it's outside of my sphere of knowledge, I'll find the right person to assist!

Back to your T3i; if it is in Excellent Plus condition you could expect to receive $225, with extra for the lenses.

Jack Gold will be available on Monday: 212-741-0052 ext. 2107 if you'd like to call the used department directly

[Darrell C]

my first post.howdy guys!! we'll see how this pans out I have 2 cameras in the used dept now, a D90 and a D7000, quoted $750 by phone, the will get back in a few days.
so stand by!!

[HelenOster]

my first post.howdy guys!! we'll see how this pans out I have 2 cameras in the used dept now, a D90 and a D7000, quoted $750 by phone, the will get back in a few days.
so stand by!!

I'm hoping that if you have any queries regarding your Adorama trade, that you will email me directly: Helen@adorama.com

[indagarden]

my first post.howdy guys!! we'll see how this pans out I have 2 cameras in the used dept now, a D90 and a D7000, quoted $750 by phone, the will get back in a few days.
so stand by!!

Hi Darrell, I'm in the same situation. My D600 and lenses are winging their way to Adorama as I type this. I am hoping the quote I was given will be honored once they evaluate my camera equipment.

[HelenOster]

Hi Darrell, I'm in the same situation. My D600 and lenses are winging their way to Adorama as I type this. I am hoping the quote I was given will be honored once they evaluate my camera equipment.

I think I need to clarify................if you were given any kind of $$figure over the 'phone that can ONLY be an estimate of re-sale value. NOT a quote!!!

In addition, you should not expect to receive any more than 70% of the re-sale value; if you have any queries about the final figure, emailing me directly: Helen@adorama.com is the most effective way to address this.

[Darrell C]

I think I need to clarify................if you were given any kind of $$figure over the 'phone that can ONLY be an estimate of re-sale value. NOT a quote!!!

In addition, you should not expect to receive any more than 70% of the re-sale value; if you have any queries about the final figure, emailing me directly: is the most effective way to address this.

I see they are very careful with your words, IF they said "$750 or less" the $750 quote being MINT all boxes etc etc, NOT a $750 thrown out then we will evaluate it, I understand you have overhead, insurance, profits, etc...........I will stop here, and wait for the phone call, as I sit here, I in my heart can not give my equipment away, just be fair.