Selling Broken & Damaged Camera Gear

14 guides to selling camera gear that are broken, damaged or incomplete. Every one covers what it is worth at Fair and For Parts, how to grade and photograph the defect, and what buyers ask before committing.

Camera gear holds value at the faulty end better than almost anything else, because lenses and bodies are repaired rather than replaced. Fungus in a lens, a sticky aperture, a shutter past its rated count and a corroded battery compartment are all known quantities with known repair costs. Film bodies in particular are collected and serviced decades after manufacture, so ‘not working’ is often a service interval rather than an ending.

Before you write it off

Check the obvious three before writing a body off: a battery that will no longer hold charge, corroded contacts in the battery compartment, and a lens that is not seating properly. Shine a torch through a lens from the rear to find fungus or haze, and work the aperture blades — oil on the blades is a common, quotable service job rather than a fault that ends the lens.

What a defect actually costs you

WishThrift grades run New with Tags, Like New, Good, Fair and For Parts. Fair is roughly 45% of the working price and covers heavy use or a described fault; For Parts is roughly 25% and covers something not working or incomplete, sold as seen. Grades are seller-declared — nobody inspects them for you — so an honest grade plus a clear photograph of the defect is what actually closes the sale. All five grades explained.

Across the 14 guides below, For Parts prices run from about £3 at the low end to £175 at the top, against £12 to £700 for the same items in sound condition. Those are guide figures in sterling; WishThrift lists in your local currency and does not convert for you.

Every camera gear guide

Frequently asked questions

Is a lens with fungus worth anything?

Often a good deal. Fungus is cleaned by any camera service department, and the cost is predictable, so buyers price it in rather than walking away. Photograph the affected element by shining a torch through from the back, and say how far into the glass it goes.

What about a camera with a high shutter count?

Shutters are replaceable and the count is a service interval rather than an ending. State the count if you can read it, because a buyer will assume the worst if you do not.

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