Is selling and / or trading on MPB.com worth it? Are the prices reasonable and what is the process? Recently I traded my X-E2 for an X-Pro1 using MPB.com. In this post I will tell what my experience was and whether in my opinion it was worth it.

What is MPB.com?

The marketing statement for MPB.com is as follows.

MPB.com is an online platform for buying, selling, and trading used photography and video equipment. They specialize in cameras, lenses, and other accessories from various brands. MPB.com provides a convenient way to sell or purchase used gear, offering a wide range of options for photographers and videographers. Additionally, MPB.com offers a hassle-free process for trading equipment, allowing users to exchange their gear for something else they desire. Their website provides detailed information about the condition of each item and facilitates secure transactions between buyers and sellers. Overall, MPB.com has gained a positive reputation in the photography community for its reliable service and reasonable prices.

Let’s compare the marketing with some real-life experience!

Wanting an X-Pro1

I already described here my desire to trade my Fujifilm X-E2 for an X-Pro1. There were several copies of the X-Pro1 available on the MPB site, I decided to go for the best condition, being priced at € 569. MPB rates cameras from ‘Like new’ to ‘Heavily used’ and everything in between. Each camera in stock is photographed individually. If there are issues, you can see these under ‘A closer look’ to inspect the issue at hand in detail. On the whole this gives a very good impression of the camera you are looking at.

About the price, you may think € 569 is a lot for a 10-year old camera and you are probably right. However, there is this hype around the X-Pro1 and you have to remember this camera cost about € 1.700 at the time it was released. And it is still a very capable camera as I have shown in my review here.

Quotation

So, I was prepared to pay the € 569 for an X-Pro1 in Excellent condition. I decided to trade it for my X-E2 with its 18-55mm kit lens. I still own a XF 35mm f/2, which I want to keep.

So, having selected the X-Pro1 I wanted to purchase, on the MPB site you select Trade for this and specify the items you want to trade and the condition they are in. My items were all in Excellent condition in my opinion.

A few minutes later, you receive a formal quote from MPB in the mail, stating the price they are willing to pay for the X-E2 and kit lens. The quote more or less was equal to the price I needed to pay for the X-Pro1.

Sending off the gear

When I accepted the quote from MPB, I received a shipping label as well as and address label that you need place on the box you are using the package the gear you are trading. Instructions for packaging were very clear.

There was some confusion on my side as I selected DHL as the carrier, but I received a shipping label for PostNL. I contacted MPB via chat and they resolved the issue very quickly. No problem there, answer was swift and clear.

Customer service is definitely good!

Receiving a modified quote

Upon receipt of your gear, MPB inspects it to see whether it is in the condition you have specified. It turned out that my kit lens was not in Excellent, but in Good condition due to some fungus that I had missed. MPB lowered the price therefore to € 200 instead of € 260. For me this was still acceptable, so I accepted the new quote and paid € 44 towards the X-Pro1.

This was all done in a matter of minutes and after payment I received a Track & Trace number for DHL for the shipment.

Receiving the X-Pro1

After a couple of days I received the X-Pro1. It was well packaged and in exactly the condition described on MPB.com. Happy customer!

Something about MPB locations. For customers in Europe MPB is based in Berlin. All gear is sent to and from this location. This means you do not have to pay any import taxes, even when the camera you are selecting may be originally from the US. Likewise, MPB has locations in the US as well as the UK for the same reasons.

Pricing

Last part, is the pricing on MPB.com reasonable? As I stated earlier, I found the price for the X-Pro1 reasonable while I knew I would not be getting a lot of money for my X-E2. But what if I decided to sell gear that is less susceptible to devaluation and keeps it value over time?

I decided to put MPB to the test and request a quote for my Leica M4-P. I purchased that camera for around € 1.600 some years ago and the current rate on Ebay is between € 1.600 and €2.000. Of course, I do not expect MPB to offer that as they need to make money as well.

So, I received a quote from MPB of € 1.025 for the the M4-P. With the going rate on Ebay, this would mean that MPB could make a profit of 60%-100% on that camera! This is definitely not a good price for a Leica analog camera. Analog cameras tend to keep their value as their technology does not age. In fact prices are still rising. There are analog compact point and shoot cameras from Contax that go for over € 2.000!

In my opinion a fair price for the M4-P would be € 1.400 – € 1.600, still allowing MPB to make a margin of around 20% on that camera. Perhaps because MPB mainly sells digital cameras this is reflects the offer they have made. Anyway in my opinion it is not a good offer.

Conclusion

Overall, the process of selling and trading with MPB was a good experience, with definitely a good price offered as well as a fair price for the X-Pro1 in excellent condition. Customer service is readily available and helpful.

I am just not sure whether selling analog gear via MPB is the right thing to do. Perhaps I should ask for a quote on my digital Leica M10….

One last word: the image in the header of this post has been generated by Midjourney AI.