The Complete Guide to Buying Used Photographic Equipment in S'pore Project

solarii · 27th March 2006

You're enthusiastic about photography, keen to purchase new equipment, heard lots about the Used photographic equipment market in singapore, about the good deals available. But to new entrants, the used camera market can be daunting. How do you find what you need? What should you look for? How do you spot potential problems? How much should you bid? What are the risks involved? What do terms like “grey set” mean?

To help new guys along, I'm currently writing a guide to help. Its called “The Complete Guide To Buying Used Photographic Equipment in Singapore” Its contents include:

1.Buying Used Equipment – Your options, the pros and cons
2.Common problems encountered with used equipment, and most importantly how to spot them
3.A list of things to check when buying common equipment (tabulated according to equipment type, like memory cards, tripods etc.)
4.Tips for Negotiating/Buying
5.A Bidding/Pricing Guide to help you gauge the value of used equipment and how much you should (or shouldn't pay.)
6.A glossary of commonly used terms explained, listing of used camera equipment shops in singapore.
7.An extended section on buying from Mass Orders – How to spot real bargains and not get cheated.
8.A sample Purchase agreement form for you to use on your next purchase. Your protection against any fraud.

It''s a 16 page (at the moment, not inculding covers etc.) illustrated guide written in plain, simple english that covers everything you need to know before trading used photographic equipment. Its based on the experiences of my friends and myself, as well as research from photography magazines, books etc.

Currently, I plan to print and distribute it via mail order, and would like to gauge interest before proceeding any further. Rest assured it'll be professionally printed, similar to product catalogs, and not chruned out via inkjet printer.

The tentative price will be $10.50, including postage to any address in singapore. Considering what you're getting, and the amount of money you could save by being better informed, I feel its a small sum to pay.

Do note that I'm not taking orders... Would like to gauge response before proceeding further. Hands up anyone interested? For bulk orders to a single address, I should be able to provide 1 copy free with every 5 copies ordered.

vince123123 · 28th March 2006

1 for me - make it S$10 round figure?

espn · 28th March 2006

Generate a PDF, send via email is faster and you save paper and cheaper too.

solarii · 28th March 2006

Originally Posted by espn

Generate a PDF, send via email is faster and you save paper and cheaper too.

A gd point. Thanks espn. Think I'll make it an e-book instead and distribute via email. Costs can be halved to around $5. I'll remove most of the pics (except the essential ones) to keep the file size smaller so it won't clog inboxes. For those who want a "hard-copy" I can send you a CD with the file.

Keep u guys updated on the progress... still doing some final edits to the draft. Should be ready latest by next wk.

moriahphotos · 28th March 2006

Thanks for the valuable info! Been browsing thru the BnS n Consumer corner but a little apprehensive on bidding cuz lack of exp... Your guide will definitely be of great help to me and others. I'll put 2 hands up 4 ya!

astrocom · 28th March 2006

Yeah.
5 bucks for e distribution

metallilan · 29th March 2006

but then again aren't you alittle worried about those who distro the copy without permit? it is a soft copy ya know...

wiz23 · 29th March 2006

Originally Posted by metallilan

but then again aren't you alittle worried about those who distro the copy without permit? it is a soft copy ya know...

Well, it's only abt 16 pages ... if he distributes hardcopies, it won't really stop people from photocopying and distributing to their friends, right?

I like the idea of an e-book, and don't mind paying $5 for one. Upzz for u, solarii!

Tulip123 · 29th March 2006

Solarii go for it, 1 copy for me, I support you

dfstan · 29th March 2006

me too. please include me as well.

solarii · 29th March 2006

Thanks for the support guys! Will work hard to make it worth your while!

True I can't really stop people from sending it to their friends (hope they don't)... but printing it isn't very feasible and it'll inccur unnecessary costs. E-books are much more convenient. Hope that fellow photogs will support projects like this which cater to niche markets.

Anyway this started as a weekend project... I realised there isn't any real guide or reference to advise newbies who're interested in making 2nd hand purchases but apprehensive because they don't know what to do and are afraid of making bad decisions. Which is a pity cos the 2nd hand market has many good offers... you can get more and pay less. So I started writing this guide to provide them with everything they need to know to make informed decisions.

espn · 29th March 2006

Full version of Acrobat allows the PDF to be 'secured' digitally so that you cannot print eBooks.

Klose · 29th March 2006

You got my full support

wouldnt mind providing some additional suggestions and pictures too

Andy Ang · 3rd April 2006

Originally Posted by espn

Full version of Acrobat allows the PDF to be 'secured' digitally so that you cannot print eBooks.

Heh, security... Sure canhack one anyway.

Distribution via trust lah.,

zoossh · 18th April 2006

suggest that u dun cut off too many pictures, and maybe do consider 2 versions, the concise small size version with less pictures and a detailed version with more pictures. for people who's into photography, maybe some of us prefer to see more pictures with annotation and labelling?

i'm one weird guy who might prefer a printed book with good printing of cos. if only a e-book version exists, i'm also keen.

another thing you might consider but may incur more effort and may not sell so well is to do versions that can be referred to on a palm device. just some passing thoughts.

solarii · 18th April 2006

Thanks for the feedback. In fact the guide has been launched and is available here:

http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthrea...96#post2065096

I've recently invested in a commercial grade pdf converter using the revenue generated. Allows high compression of jpegs without significant loss in image quality so future editions will come with more pics... currently working on a another title....

Anyway this thread's served its purpose so I'm closing it now.

27th March 2006	#1
solarii Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Bt. Timah Posts: 1,375	The Complete Guide to Buying Used Photographic Equipment in S'pore Project You're enthusiastic about photography, keen to purchase new equipment, heard lots about the Used photographic equipment market in singapore, about the good deals available. But to new entrants, the used camera market can be daunting. How do you find what you need? What should you look for? How do you spot potential problems? How much should you bid? What are the risks involved? What do terms like “grey set” mean? To help new guys along, I'm currently writing a guide to help. Its called “The Complete Guide To Buying Used Photographic Equipment in Singapore” Its contents include: 1.Buying Used Equipment – Your options, the pros and cons 2.Common problems encountered with used equipment, and most importantly how to spot them 3.A list of things to check when buying common equipment (tabulated according to equipment type, like memory cards, tripods etc.) 4.Tips for Negotiating/Buying 5.A Bidding/Pricing Guide to help you gauge the value of used equipment and how much you should (or shouldn't pay.) 6.A glossary of commonly used terms explained, listing of used camera equipment shops in singapore. 7.An extended section on buying from Mass Orders – How to spot real bargains and not get cheated. 8.A sample Purchase agreement form for you to use on your next purchase. Your protection against any fraud. It''s a 16 page (at the moment, not inculding covers etc.) illustrated guide written in plain, simple english that covers everything you need to know before trading used photographic equipment. Its based on the experiences of my friends and myself, as well as research from photography magazines, books etc. Currently, I plan to print and distribute it via mail order, and would like to gauge interest before proceeding any further. Rest assured it'll be professionally printed, similar to product catalogs, and not chruned out via inkjet printer. The tentative price will be $10.50, including postage to any address in singapore. Considering what you're getting, and the amount of money you could save by being better informed, I feel its a small sum to pay. Do note that I'm not taking orders... Would like to gauge response before proceeding further. Hands up anyone interested? For bulk orders to a single address, I should be able to provide 1 copy free with every 5 copies ordered.

28th March 2006	#2
vince123123 Deregistered Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: West Posts: 6,689	Re: The Complete Guide to Buying Used Photographic Equipment in S'pore Project 1 for me - make it S$10 round figure?

28th March 2006	#3
espn Deregistered Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Planet Nikon Posts: 22,045	Re: The Complete Guide to Buying Used Photographic Equipment in S'pore Project Generate a PDF, send via email is faster and you save paper and cheaper too.

28th March 2006	#5
moriahphotos Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Bedok North, Singapore Posts: 244	Re: The Complete Guide to Buying Used Photographic Equipment in S'pore Project Thanks for the valuable info! Been browsing thru the BnS n Consumer corner but a little apprehensive on bidding cuz lack of exp... Your guide will definitely be of great help to me and others. I'll put 2 hands up 4 ya!

28th March 2006	#6
astrocom Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 135	Re: The Complete Guide to Buying Used Photographic Equipment in S'pore Project Yeah. 5 bucks for e distribution

29th March 2006	#7
metallilan Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 2,843	Re: The Complete Guide to Buying Used Photographic Equipment in S'pore Project but then again aren't you alittle worried about those who distro the copy without permit? it is a soft copy ya know...

29th March 2006	#9
Tulip123 Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 114	Re: The Complete Guide to Buying Used Photographic Equipment in S'pore Project Solarii go for it, 1 copy for me, I support you

29th March 2006	#10
dfstan Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Earth Posts: 340	Re: The Complete Guide to Buying Used Photographic Equipment in S'pore Project me too. please include me as well. __________________ 4 ... 8 ... 15 ... 16 ... 23 ... 42 ... Prison Break / Heroes ....................

29th March 2006	#13
Klose Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 2,644	Re: The Complete Guide to Buying Used Photographic Equipment in S'pore Project You got my full support wouldnt mind providing some additional suggestions and pictures too

18th April 2006	#15
zoossh Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 8,282	Re: The Complete Guide to Buying Used Photographic Equipment in S'pore Project suggest that u dun cut off too many pictures, and maybe do consider 2 versions, the concise small size version with less pictures and a detailed version with more pictures. for people who's into photography, maybe some of us prefer to see more pictures with annotation and labelling? i'm one weird guy who might prefer a printed book with good printing of cos. if only a e-book version exists, i'm also keen. another thing you might consider but may incur more effort and may not sell so well is to do versions that can be referred to on a palm device. just some passing thoughts.