Why Photographers & Filmmakers are Moving from eBay to Gear Focus to Sell Their Used Camera Gear Online

Why Photographers and Filmmakers are Moving from eBay to Gear Focus to Sell Their Used Camera Gear

It's no secret that eBay is a HUGE website, with tons of users and listings. The sheer number of users is an incredible draw for people looking to sell something. But what many people don't realize when they first list an item are all the fees that go along with selling. It can add up to 12% or MORE just to sell something on eBay. And you will receive an invoice at the end of the month, leaving confusion on how much you really made off the sale. (A sneaky business model) The number of users and listings sounds like a good thing at first. But for an unfocused platform like eBay, all these listings can start to muddle the search really quickly. That is why creatives are moving from eBay to Gear Focus and other alternatives for selling used camera gear.

Gear Focus is Making a Huge Impact on the Industry Just Months After Launching

We are excited to see the HUGE response we've gotten from users across the globe. And especially in such a short amount of time! We knew the idea of creating and becoming the top marketplace for camera gear was not going be easy. But it was an idea that was desperately needed in this industry. Our team and our passion will get us there! After years struggling with finding the right places to buy and sell gear, we launched Gear Focus. The idea was that if you focus on building a community of like-minded individuals, you will continue to grow and thrive. Well we are thrilled to see that our hard work has already begun to pay off! People are moving away from eBay and similar overpriced marketplaces to list gear on Gear Focus.

Goodbye eBay

This was the impetus for the photographers/videographers of Gear Focus to launch the site. We have all been here too many times trying either to sell through eBay and paying over a tenth of our profit to do so, or listing on Facebook and Craigslist. Those can be great free sites to use to sell gear. The problem is finding someone nearby that wants what you're selling. Plus, even if you can find a buyer, you then have to drive out and meet them in person or invite them to your own house. And we've all heard those horror stories. After launching Gear Focus, the user base has steadily began to rise higher and higher, showing that we aren't the only ones looking for a better solution to eBay. We've seen a dramatic increase in listings over the past couple of weeks as well. We know that as more people become aware of our service, they will leave expensive marketplaces like eBay. Users have been looking for a more cost effective solution. With your help, Gear Focus will be the #1 gear-specific alternative to eBay.

More photographers and filmmakers are leaving eBay

Another recent development that has creatives moving from eBay to Gear Focus is the update to eBay's return policy. eBay has now determined that free returns must be offered for a full 30 days. This means even if a buyer purchases the wrong item, the seller will have to pay for the return shipping. Obviously mistakes happen, but this kind of pressure on small business sellers will force them to leave the site. There is no way a personal account or small business can afford to pay for all of these returns. Even large companies may find this development costly enough to leave eBay. You can read for yourself the way that sellers are taking this development. eBay has completely disregarded their sellers by changing their policy. Sellers will now have to cover shipping costs for returns on top of the astronomical fees they already pay. No matter the reason for the return, a seller will have to shoulder the shipping costs. That is why Gear Focus allows sellers to set their own return policies! We have set the default policy to:

• Used Items - Return request must be done within 7 days of the delivery date.

• New Items - Return request must be done within 14 days of the delivery date.

We feel that this policy is effective in almost every scenario. However, if you feel that isn't sufficient, you are free to adjust it to your needs!

Better Buyer & Seller Protection

Unlike eBay and other marketplaces, Gear Focus was made by creatives, for creatives. So those are the industry professionals behind the scene, who monitor all sellers, listings, interactions, and more. We know the red flags when we see them and we jump right in to prevent and solve issues before they happen.

Gear Focus is wiping out one bad seller at a time

We are working to bring the best possible experience to our users. And that starts with gear! We are hard at work reaching out to camera shop owners and making them aware of our service, so they can see for themselves how much more money they can make! We've had several camera shops create accounts, including Service Photo from Baltimore, MD. Service Photo is one of the biggest camera shops in the United States. With partners like Service Photo, we know that we are moving in the right direction. With more camera shops and users posting more and more gear, Gear Focus will continue to grow. And as we grow we will continue to develop a better shopping experience for buyers. We will continue to be a top marketplace for camera gear for sellers with our unbeatable low fees!

Stop Wasting Money: Leave eBay and their HIGH rates

With a partner like Gear Focus, you can save hundreds of dollars in seller fees that you would have had to paid out to bigger sites like eBay. Or even worse, sites that offer to buy your gear for "fair" prices! These sites will often top out at roughly 70% camera value. 70%! For a $1000 piece of gear that equals $300 out of your pocket! And on top of all that money lost, you still have to wait for shipping the gear to the store, and then time to review and process your equipment, and then await a determination for the value. This process can take weeks, meanwhile, you are without your camera altogether! And after all that if you decide the offer is too low you'll have to wait even longer just to get your camera back. The lost time away from your camera can mean even more money out of your pocket if you aren't out there earning.

Help Us Build a Better Platform

We are just one part of this community we are trying to build. The other part is users like you! Photographers and filmmakers that join Gear Focus and begin listing their gear for sale will increase the overall number of buyers. The more sellers = the more buyers, which will help grow the site and add even more sellers which will lead to even more buyers! And of course, having sellers that know their gear, treat it well, price it fairly, and communicate quickly raises the bar for other sellers.