Got old camera gear? Need more space?
Want some Extra Cash? 

Let me give your old gear a new lease on light.

Cash, trade, or gratis

Share the details. Email robjwat(at)gmail.com with a brief description and quick photos of your items. We may then arrange in in-person meeting at your location where I will evaluate your gear and possibly make an offer. Your items should be in — or appear to be in — basic working order, with no major mechanical, cosmetic, or optical issues.

Your choice how you receive your offer

Cash offer values can vary widely. I evaluate gear from major manufacturers and base offers on condition, expected restoration work, and potential demand.

• Cash Offers. If you accept an offer, I will pay you cash on the spot (up to $500).

• Trade for my brain. I'm a semi-retired graphic arts pro with nearly 40 years in the retail, tech and banking sectors. A trade option may be handy if you have a graphic arts project and you would like a piece of my experience in design and marketing. Need a business card designed for your side hustle, or just want to pick a creative's brain? Or maybe you're thinking about upgrading to a digital camera — I can help you find the right one. A trade offer is based on the same basic evaluation as a cash offer, but runs higher in value. If you choose trade, we'll talk through your need or project.

• Donate for my cause. Easiest option if you just want the old gear gone, no exchange needed — I'm happy to take it off your hands, gratis. I cannot provide you a tax deduction, but rest assured your classic gear won't end up in a landfill on my watch. No evaluation is necessary, though the ownership and provenance terms below still apply.

Offer Guidelines

All monetary offers are based on the evaluation process described below, and are set to account for the risk of hidden issues that can't be fully determined without a much more thorough inspection. I also factor in a reasonable markup for my time and materials for cleaning, repairing, adjusting, and testing.

Evaluation process for cash or trade offers

If your location is near Santa Cruz, CA, USA we can arrange an in-person evaluation of your gear. I use basic inspection techniques, a portable toolkit, and other tools to assess functionality, condition, and resale potential. Your home is usually the best setting for this, especially if you've got several boxes, bags, or cases of items — but we can certainly make other arrangements if you prefer. I evaluate gear against several core benchmarks:

• Functional Baseline and condition: Using a portable test kit, I attempt to determine the condition of your gear.

• Market Demand: I weigh the make and condition against current trends across forums, collector platforms, and second-hand marketplaces.

• Restoration ROI: I estimate the time and materials needed for cleaning and restoration tasks, the availability of parts, potential film testing, and other needs.

Terms of ownership, provenance and exchange

You must be the original owner or otherwise legally able to sell or release the equipment to me in whichever exchange arrangement we make. I will usually write up a list of items to record the transaction.

Offers are typically not made for the following items:

• Obsolete formats: cartridge 35mm film (126/110), APS, Disc film, roll-based movie cameras, or old folding cameras

• Consumer and mass-market gear: disposable cameras, novelty cameras, mass-market "point-and-shoot" models, promotional items, or unbranded/fake so called "scameras"

• Instant cameras: Polaroid cameras, and similar products

• Items with missing serial numbers: any normally serial-numbered item without a legible serial number

• Old single-lens "box" cameras; (Kodak Brownies, etc.)