Buy, sell and vote for MPB

Don’t sit on it, sell it – that’s the message from the largest online platform for the buying and selling of used photo and video gear, a leading nominee in our latest Photography News Awards

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Second hand never means second best when it comes to the used equipment offered by Photography News regular MPB. Familiar to readers as the largest online platform for buying and selling used photography and videography equipment, it is the perfect place to sell old gear, upgrade your present camera and start creating afresh.

The current campaign from MPB is ‘don’t sit on it, sell it’, showing how you can upgrade your life – starting with selling unused camera gear via its simple instant quote process. Go from an older generation of camera to a newer version – from shooting in your backyard to exploring wider creative horizons.

As keen photographers or videographers, we all have camera bodies, lenses and accessories sat in boxes we haven’t opened in ages – or gathering dust on shelves, displayed more as trophies than everyday, working components of our hobby. So now is the time to blow away the cobwebs, sell the old, embrace the new (to you) and feel re-energised creatively. Luckily, this can all be done via one platform: MPB.

Award worthy

It’s no wonder, then, that MPB has been nominated in our annual Photography News Awards, for which voting is now open.

So if you’ve had a positive experience buying or selling (or both) through the platform, then cast your vote for MPB as best used specialist retailer for 2023. Don’t miss out on the chance to have your say!

For those not already in the know, MPB differs from other online traders in used goods in that it’s not a marketplace. It buys kit directly from current owners, with its team of product specialists evaluating all items before they are resold. While sellers can avoid the likes of Ebay seller fees, buyers of its used products can also feel secure in the knowledge that every item has been MPB approved. So the quality of the products available for purchase is never called into question.

If you’re visiting the site looking to buy, do so in the knowledge that MPB customers spend an average of a third less when buying used versus brand new. It’s handy to know your money will go further – especially in the midst of a cost of living crisis.

Alternatively, if you’re looking to monetise existing kit, perhaps in order to upgrade to the latest must-have covetable release, MPB can put a value on it. On average, MPB customers earn £650 each time they sell their gear to the platform. Selling to MPB is risk-free, too, as your equipment is fully insured from collection to payment. You can even change your mind at any point up until you get paid, and your gear will be returned free of charge.

As well as offering a secure transaction, you can sell from the comfort of your own home with the convenience of doorstep pick-up and the knowledge that you will get paid within days.

The platform delivers excellence with true consistency – MPB was previously voted best used specialist retailer in the Photography News Awards 2022. The company is also rated excellent on Trustpilot, with more than 19,000 reviews.

A simple process

The process of selling begins by heading to the MPB website (see below), entering the model you’re looking to sell and picking a condition rating. In seconds, the site will generate a quote telling you exactly how much it’s worth. MPB’s dynamic, data-led pricing engine is driven by supply and demand, with values based on real-world factors including age, the popularity of the brand and condition. If your kit is found to be in better condition than expected, you might even find the sellers’ quote upgraded. Instant quotes are guaranteed for 14 days.

If you like what you see, it’s time to pack up your gear for collection by MPB’s courier or take the package to your local DPD drop-off point, subject to availability. In both cases, you’ll get tracking information.

Once the kit arrives with MPB and is checked over by its product specialists – a process that takes between one and two business days from arrival – you’ll be emailed a fully encrypted link to submit your payment details and have the money paid to your bank account, again within two business days. And, as noted, your kit can be returned free of charge if you change your mind, so this really is a stress-free transaction.

Alternatively, rather than just selling, you might like to buy an item in exchange. Simply use the quote form to search for the model you’d like to buy and hit the ‘trade in for this’ button to add to it. If the item you want to trade your old gear in for isn’t presently in stock, you can always sell what you have and set up an alert to be notified when the kit you want becomes available again.

With MPB, thousands of new items are arriving all the time, so it shouldn’t take too long to find what you’re after. Even recently released products become available on the platform within an average of three months after initial launch. These all come with the peace of mind of a six-month warranty when sold, having first been carefully inspected by MPB product specialists.

We think you’ll agree that now is the time to change gear with MPB: so don’t sit on it, sell it!

Originally published in Issue 111 of Photography News.