My grandfather passed away recently and my family found his collection of Leica cameras and gear. I want to ensure they go to people who appreciate them, but I don't really know much about cameras. From what I can tell, his are vintage. Is it better to post here or go with a broker?
I would definitely try to take it to Leica Bellevue if it seems like an extensive/old collection to get things properly looked at in case anything particularly rare is in the mix. There is also Glazer's Camera in Seattle which buys gear; I have bought from them online but have never been in store so can't speak to their buying process. You can usually expect to get probably ~50-60% of market value by offloading directly to a store. A good broker will be able to help assess prices and have connections with buyers to get more than a store would give but less than private party might net.
The most money will be selling privately often one or two items at a time but that will require a lot of time and energy researching what there is along with current pricing. With Leica gear this can be confusing because (for example) a lens might have five versions but all be named the same. This is where a broker might be worth it depending on the size of the collection.
One word of advice is don't trust random strangers who might be messaging you making offers or pressing you for a ton of information. Unfortunately as with anything worth any amount of money there are a lot of unscrupulous people out there who are willing to take advantage of un unfortunate situation such as the passing of a loved one.
Hope you found some of this helpful. Good luck and I am sorry for your loss.
