Getting the most out of your Leica sale

There's one simple way to get the most for your Leica or any other gear–build buyer confidence. Buyer confidence is your future owner's sense of security with their purchase: knowing exactly what they're getting, who they're getting it from, and most importantly, they're getting what they paid for.

When selling, there's a lot of factors that go into building buyer or bidder confidence. We've analyzed our market sales data to provide some tips for building confidence and getting more for your sale.

Preparing to sell

Documentation

The first step is to gather your documentation. Each element increases the value of your listing:

• Original boxes and packaging
• Purchase receipts and warranty information
• Any manuals or accessories (original straps, cases, chargers, extra batteries, etc.)
• For film cameras: Service records and CLA documentation

Condition

Next, you'll need to assess condition honestly. At Summimarket, we use these conditions:

• Like new: new in box or sealed with little to no usage
• Mint: if used, shows little to no wear
• Excellent: Minor cosmetic wear or imperfections
• Good: Wear consistent with age, imperfections
• Fair/User: Significant signs of use or high actuations, but functional
• For parts: Inoperable as sold

Each marketplace and seller has their own definition of condition (1-10, ABC, etc.). To build buyer confidence, we suggest conservative ratings with clear descriptions and photos of use; a camera marked fair but in better than described condition is better than something marked like new arriving with undisclosed wear.

Setting a target price

A target price is the amount you'd be happy with when your item sells. This is different from your sale price. There are a few ways to build your target price:

• Review recent sales data and information
• Identify anything unique to your model or edition that may make it more desirable
• Consider timing and trends

For fixed-price sales, it pays to negotiate with buyers. Setting an asking price above your target can give you room to negotiate. You can work with buyers to get to terms that make sense for both parties, and ideally, it's close to or above your target. The listing price is an anchor for starting the negotiation. If you're uncomfortable negotiating or just don't enjoy dealing with lowball offers (it's definitely going to happen), we suggest auctions.

For auction sales, your target price is generally your reserve. The reserve is the minimum amount needed for the auction to be completed. Summimarket allows you to lift your reserve at any time, so if an auction is close enough, you're able to complete the sale. Reserves can be helpful for gauging market interest, especially for rarer items.

Presentation

Photography That Sells

Providing high-quality product photos and videos is the easiest way to build buyer confidence. Here are some tips for product photography:

• Include one photo of everything included: cameras, lenses, cases, documentation, batteries, etc.
• For cameras and lenses, start with front, back, 3/4 angle, bottom, and top images.
• Take additional photos of anything that would impact a condition assessment, showing the details.
• Pro tip: Get close-up shots of details like logos and engravings–if you have a macro lens, now is the time to use it!

Listing Descriptions

Buyers pay more for auction descriptions that are honest, transparent, and detailed. This includes condition notes, provenance (ownership history of the listing), and key details. The description and the photos work together to build confidence and avoid any surprises.

Getting more out of your listing

Bundle Considerations

If you have a kit, there are a few considerations for selling together versus splitting.

• Body/lens combinations: If the body and lens were originally sold together or are from the same era, we generally see more for the combination. Otherwise, you may get more value by splitting up the kit and engaging a wider base.
• Accessories: quality accessories included in a bundle are generally rewarded for completeness. If a buyer would most likely need the additional accessories, such as extra batteries, it should lift the listing value. This includes film stock with film cameras.

Engaging with Buyers

When designing Summimarket, we recognized that sellers who engage with buyers can build more confidence–after all, when buying anything, you are also "buying the seller." Answering questions and providing additional photos goes a long way in building buyer confidence and reducing the risk of surprises.

Mistakes that will cost money and cause headaches

These will not only hurt your value, they may lead to disputes and unhappy buyers.

• Rushing the listing process
• Poor photography
• Short, inadequate descriptions
• Failing to include key details or documentation

How Summimarket can help

When you list with Summimarket, we assess the condition, write the listing, and help market it to the right buyers, freeing you to engage with future bidders. We also advise on pricing and timing, helping you get the most for your gear.