Everyone wants to save money on photography equipment, and there’s a lot of good deals on the market for some quality pieces of good kit. But how can you find a really great deal? Here are the five places I frequent when I’m on the hunt for a new product, and one group to stay away from at all costs.

eBay

http://www.ebay.com

The most obvious choice is still one of the best. While there are some unscrupulous sellers on eBay, there’s also a lot of quality people trying to sell legitimate items. As long as you stick with sellers with high feedback, there’s usually nothing to worry about. More and more small camera stores are also using eBay as a place to sell their own used goods, meaning the selection on eBay is ever improving.

If you’re looking to save even more money, auctions with misspelled titles can help as well. Check out Cheapshooter’s post on eBay misspellings for more.

Craigslist

http://www.craigslist.com

Craigslist is a great tool for finding sellers trying to offload gear in your specific area. The site also seems to appeal to a less tech-savvy user as a whole, so you can find the occasional killer deal from someone who simply doesn’t know how much his gear was worth. However, it’s tough to separate the scams from the real deals, as Craigslist has no widespread feedback system.

Fatwallet Forums

http://forums.fatwallet.com

Fatwallet’s crew of bargain hunters are sure to highlight any great camera bargains in their Hot Deals forum. While the hoops to jump through occasionally reach the ludicrous - combinations of price matching, rebates, coupons, and luck are common - there are some killer savings to be had. The site tends to highlight deals on cameras themselves more often than not, leaving the lens- or flash-seeker out to dry.

Fred Miranda For Sale

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/board/10

The Buy and Sell forum on Fred Miranda is always active with amateurs and professionals alike selling lots of gear. This is a good place to look on occasion for an obscure piece of equipment, as an eclectic mix can be found at most times. It costs money to start a thread, but there is no charge to buy. Fred Miranda’s members are more advanced photographers as a whole, so the selection tends to bias toward the Digital SLR buff.

Sportsshooter Classified

http://www.sportsshooter.com/classifieds.html

Professional journalists put up a ton of used equipment on the Sportsshooter classified site, oftentimes at a substantial discount. But buyer beware: photojournalists are harsh on their equipment. Be willing to accept some cosmetic flaws in the name of saving money.

Sportsshooter members have the option of restricting their classifieds to only other Sportsshooter members, causing occasional frustration.

Beware

Any retailer advertising a ridiculously low price for gear on a Google Ad or anywhere else. Typically known as “Scum of the Earth” retailers, many will substitute inferior goods or make it difficult for you to receive your purchase. Others simply never deliver, or issue strange additional charges to your credit card. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Be sure to read reviews of any online merchant before trusting them - especially with a big purchase like new camera equipment.

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