We’ve talked about what to look for when buying a digital camera, but where do you buy them? If you live in a larger city, there is probably a camera store nearby. But, for the rest of us small town folks, that may not be an option. I could travel to Phoenix or Flagstaff, but they are 90 and 50 miles away, respectively. It is much easier for me, not to mention more convenient, to make a purchase online.
Everyone knows that you can find a good deal on Ebay, but who knows about other auction sites, like Overstock, Liquidation.com, or Ubid? All of these sites carry auctions of cameras, computers, and other electronics, and you can get some great deals if you know what to look and look out for.
First of all, let’s go to each site and take a look. Overstock auctions has become more popular in the last year or so, since Ebay raised selling fees. Here is what the home page looks like.
Notice that Digital Cameras are “Big Today!” in the upper left. You will also notice that there are 6,229 items listed in Cameras and Photo. You will need to register to bid or sell, but it is pretty easy and painless. Once you have done so, you can start having fun.
The best thing to do is to follow some auctions that interest you, and see how they progress. Be sure to check out the ratings of any seller thoroughly before you buy or bid. Most auction sites have an option of “buy now” too, so if you spot a great deal and don’t want to wait for the auction to end, you can buy the item immediately.
Liquidation.com is a little different from the other two sites, in that you can buy items in bulk, and then resell those that you don’t want, or you can get some inventory for your own auctions. I recently looked at some auctions for computer equipment, since I am in the market for a faster computer. If you have some cash available up front, you can find some really good deals. Digital cameras will be found under Consumer Electronics, by the way.
Ubid is another lesser known auction site, but has many listings for cameras and other electronics, as well as many other items. If you scroll down a little bit on the homepage, you will see the digital camera section, under consumer electronics.
If you click on the digital cameras link, you will see that they are broken down into groups, from under 3 megapixels up to 8 megapixels and above, and there is a section for digital SLRs. You may also sell items that you have on any of these sites, and the selling fees vary, but are reasonable. So, if you thought that you could only buy and sell things on Ebay, think again, and check out these auction sites.