p.1 #1 · Leaving the hobby. Need opinions on offloading all my gear
I'm a long time photography hobbyist and I think it might be time to say goodbye (for now).
I started with Canon in my early days and then completely bought into the Leica system. I love everything about it. However, life happens and I'm looking to fund a project. My camera mostly sits in my office unused until I travel, which is about once or twice a year.
For people who have offloaded a lot of gear - I have 1 body and 6 lenses - what did you do? Did you part each out individually here on the forums or did you sell it all in one time somewhere else?
From my POV:
- I can take everything to a local camera shop and get rid of everything at once but get lowballed (by how much, im not sure) - fastest but lowest return
- take a long time to sell everything piece by piece here on the forums to get maximum used value - longest time but highest return
- by some miracle, someone buys everything on the forum so i don't have to piece it out - risky due to insurance and shipping concerns
Would appreciate some feedback here.
My kit:
M11 P - black w/ Arte Di Mano leather case
21mm Super Elmar ASPH
28mm Elmarit ASPH
35mm summilux Steel Rim re-issue
50mm Summilux ASPH
75mm Summicron APO
Aug 21, 2026 at 08:06 AM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #2 · Leaving the hobby. Need opinions on offloading all my gear
banky wrote:
I'm a long time photography hobbyist and I think it might be time to say goodbye (for now).
I started with Canon in my early days and then completely bought into the Leica system. I love everything about it. However, life happens and I'm looking to fund a project. My camera mostly sits in my office unused until I travel, which is about once or twice a year.
For people who have offloaded a lot of gear - I have 1 body and 6 lenses - what did you do? Did you part each out individually here on the forums or did you sell it all in one time somewhere else?
From my POV:
- I can take everything to a local camera shop and get rid of everything at once but get lowballed (by how much, im not sure) - fastest but lowest return
- take a long time to sell everything piece by piece here on the forums to get maximum used value - longest time but highest return
- by some miracle, someone buys everything on the forum so i don't have to piece it out - risky due to insurance and shipping concerns
Would appreciate some feedback here.
My kit:
M11 P - black w/ Arte Di Mano leather case
21mm Super Elmar ASPH
28mm Elmarit ASPH
35mm summilux Steel Rim re-issue
50mm Summilux ASPH
75mm Summicron APO...Show more →
Since you have all Leica gear, rather than a local shop you might sell to a Leica store or a Leica specialty store like Tamarkin in Chicago. That would probably get you more return than your local store, with no increased risk and it would be very quick. You can always get quotes at MPB, KEH, B & H, and Adorama as well. I would simply start by getting quotes at several of these places and then assessing what you think you would get selling it here. I do think you could sell it here on the B & S board and probably get more money, but it will take a month or two. It is up to you to decide if the extra money is worth the hassle and the slightly higher risk.
p.1 #3 · Leaving the hobby. Need opinions on offloading all my gear
Steve Spencer wrote:
Since you have all Leica gear, rather than a local shop you might sell to a Leica store or a Leica specialty store like Tamarkin in Chicago. That would probably get you more return than your local store, with no increased risk and it would be very quick. You can always get quotes at MPB, KEH, B & H, and Adorama as well. I would simply start by getting quotes at several of these places and then assessing what you think you would get selling it here. I do think you could sell it here on the B & S board and probably get more money, but it will take a month or two. It is up to you to decide if the extra money is worth the hassle and the slightly higher risk....Show more →
Thanks for the Tamarkin recommendation. I've reached out.
Good thought on MPB and KEH. I've started that process too. Looks like I'll stand to lose a couple thousand total in exchange for selling all at once. However I'm not considering fees, shipping, etc. At the end of the day, the loss may be less than what I'm thinking.
p.1 #4 · Leaving the hobby. Need opinions on offloading all my gear
I would focus on the the smaller, Leica-centric stores. As mentioned, Tamarkin is a good thought. You might also look at Leica Store Miami, Camera West, Popflash, etc.
B&H, MPB, KEH, Adorama et al will offer markedly lower prices.
p.1 #5 · Leaving the hobby. Need opinions on offloading all my gear
banky wrote:
From my POV:
- I can take everything to a local camera shop and get rid of everything at once but get lowballed (by how much, im not sure) - fastest but lowest return
- take a long time to sell everything piece by piece here on the forums to get maximum used value - longest time but highest return
- by some miracle, someone buys everything on the forum so i don't have to piece it out - risky due to insurance and shipping concerns
Would appreciate some feedback here.
My kit:
M11 P - black w/ Arte Di Mano leather case
21mm Super Elmar ASPH
28mm Elmarit ASPH
35mm summilux Steel Rim re-issue
50mm Summilux ASPH
75mm Summicron APO ...Show more →
You got it figured out. It basically comes down to convenience and timeliness of sale vs maximum return.
If you go the DIY route, the M11-P, 28, 35, and 50 will sell fairly easily here. But best to offer things individually for sale and also offer a bundle discount.
p.1 #6 · Leaving the hobby. Need opinions on offloading all my gear
I would reach out to a few places get an estimate for selling then check out the prices they are reselling them for. The make a listing at about the midway point here, I bet you could sell most of this in a week and make just one trip to the shipping center etc. You might also get lucky and someone local could come by.
p.1 #8 · Leaving the hobby. Need opinions on offloading all my gear
You could also try reaching out to someone who sells a ton of Leica like Tim Lei and see if he’s interested in buying or selling on consignment for you and compare that to what quotes you get from MPB, etc if selling it direct on FM doesn’t work out.
p.1 #9 · Leaving the hobby. Need opinions on offloading all my gear
it's a great kit for someone who is first wanting to get into Leica. I'd put it all up on FM buy/sell and indicate that you'd entertain a discount to someone buying the entire package.
p.1 #10 · Leaving the hobby. Need opinions on offloading all my gear
RustyRus wrote:
Sell it here on the FM buy sell board-
Couldn't be easier and you will get the most money!
If it's time sensitive (or if you just aren't feeling patient), you could list it all here for a set amount of time and after that sell remains to a dealer.
p.1 #11 · Leaving the hobby. Need opinions on offloading all my gear
I agree with everything people have suggested so far.
From my experience, the FM buy&sell board is the best place to sell online. Avoid ebay at all cost!
If you have the time, and are willing to deal with a significant amount of unserious people (to put it politely), and live in a larger metropolitan area, facebook marketplace can also work. I have gotten pretty good prices on there, and with cash/venmo only and no shipping, there is less risk than selling it online. Also no shipping hassle. Obviously you have to meet in a safe place.
