Swapping Gear with MPB: A Hands-On Experience

I'm always looking for ways to upgrade my camera gear without the hassle of selling it myself. Recently, I decided to try something different: swapping my old equipment for new gear with MPB and getting some cash at the same time.

Check out the full video going into the trade with MPB in detail.

I've used them to purchase equipment in the past, but this was my first time trading in. In the video I explain how it went, and I'll walk you through the entire process, from getting a quote to unboxing the new-to-me equipment. 

It's a simple concept: you send them gear, and they send you stuff back. In this particular case, I even got some money in addition to the equipment because my trade-ins were valued higher than what I wanted at the time. 

Why go this route instead of selling equipment directly? For me, it all comes down to time and convenience. The entire process, from shipping my gear to receiving the new equipment, took 11 days. They received it, assessed everything, sent me a final quote, I approved it, and then they shipped the new gear. 

MPB Warranty is 6 months usually.

MPB also offers a six-month warranty on most of the items they sell. There might be some exceptions for "as-is" items, but I'm guessing. Selling directly to individuals on platforms like eBay comes with downsides, mainly the risk of dealing with scammers. Locally, you have risk of getting robbed or whatever else could happen.

For me, the convenience is a huge benefit. I do this online video stuff. It's valuable to be able to quickly get some value out of my current equipment and have something new to experiment with and showcase in videos.

I also have to be careful with my accounting. I pay tax on the value of equipment sent to me, even if it's "free". This simple process gives me all the numbers I need, making things easier to calculate over the year.

Of course, there are downsides to using a company like MPB or KEH. You won't get as much value as you would from a direct buyer. I used to use a local camera shop a lot, but unfortunately, they closed.

With MPB, you can start a quote directly on their website. It's a little different than KEH's process. You create a quote, submit it, and then you can modify it later if needed. KEH immediately shows starting values given what grade you select, but MPB tends to have a lot more items in their system than KEH. Like for the 7Artisans 50mm f/1.8 Z lens it was in MPB, but not in KEH's system.

For this swap, I included several Nikon Z-mount lenses and a Z30 camera, among other things. When adding items to your quote, you select the condition. I usually choose the highest grade, as my gear is typically in good shape.

The initial quote screen on MPB's website

MPB emails an initial quite and adds a record to their online system, which you can approve or modify. Then, you indicate how many packages you'll use to ship your items. I just needed one box.

Chewy box ready for packing. (they have super robust boxes!)

I documented everything just incase before sending it to MPB. I took photos of all the equipment and recorded the entire packing process.

Taking photos of my equipment before sending it in to MPB.

After they inspected my gear, MPB sent a revised quote. Some items increased, one did decreased.

The revised quote after they checked out the gear.

Once you have the final value of your trade-in, you can select the items you want to purchase. I chose a Sony ZV-E10 and a Sony FE 24-70 f/4 Zeiss lens. I chose "excellent" condition for the ZV-E10 and "good" condition for the lens.

The box from MPB with the Sony ZV-E10 and FE 24-70mm f/4 lens.

It's packed with paper, which is great to see. There is an interior box and each item had this special wrapping too.

Here's the ZV-E10. The screen looks good. The battery was packed separately from the camera. It was official, but didn't have enough of a charge to turn on the camera. The included USB cable was micro instead of USB-C so it's useless. 

The Sony ZV-E10 camera with a lens attached.

And here's the lens. Remember, this was "good" condition. Full frame lenses are big! It's a little scuffed and the mount is somewhat worn. Basically as expected given the rating. 

Sony FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS Zeiss Vario-Tessar T* lens.

My a7s only has contrast-based autofocus, but it will likely become my main camera for hands-on videos.

Moving more toward Sony E-mount for my video work.

Overall, this swap with MPB was a success. I received the equipment I wanted, it seems to be working so far, and it comes with a warranty. The process was convenient, quick, and it even freed up some space. I got value out of my existing stuff without the potential hassles of selling it myself.

I'm not sponsored by MPB. Just wanted to try it out again and see how it works... It basically worked.