Last week, I enjoyed talking with Tammy Oler, VP of Marketing at MPB. While I have known about MPB for years, it was mainly through work associates. That is, until I recently needed their services to acquire a new lens.
MPB was founded in Brighton, UK in 2011 to provide a critical service to photographers and videographers by making gear more accessible and affordable. They are transforming how people buy, sell and even trade equipment. The company has grown exponentially in influence and market share, with regional headquarters now in Brighton, Brooklyn and Berlin.
Let’s explore a little further. Similar to how the macro industry trends of AI, mirrorless, and video have exploded, the market for used gear has also mushroomed. And MPB has been there every step of the way. While we all realize that technology drives specific industry trends, availability, and price, affording new gear always comes down to wants vs. needs. Don’t forget the budget, especially for those new creatives breaking into the field!
MPB quickly identified these trends and addressed the market need by providing a tailor-made platform for the used gear market. Tammy shared in a recent MPB survey that over half of all participants had gear in their go-to camera bags that they hadn’t used in over two years.
In our informal Photofocus polling, we talked to attendees at Imaging USA and WPPI (among other events) and found that over 90% felt they had some gear they could sell to afford a new purchase. 70% said they would consider buying used or refurbished equipment only from a reputable dealer. In Tammy’s words, “Sell it on MPB!”
The price of entering the video and photography professions has increased substantially since the COVID shutdown. The move from DSLRs to mirrorless and the growing client demands for video fuel the need for high-quality used equipment! Think of it like the circle of life, but from the gear perspective. New equipment is announced. Hands-on reviews are published on sites like Photofocus. One of the side effects is the desire of both reviewers and readers to own and shoot that new gear in their creative endeavors. As new and current creatives look for ways to afford the latest new equipment, options like bartering, trading and selling existing gear (moving around the circle) are enabled by excellent platforms like MPB.
MPB has spent over a dozen years perfecting and scaling the buy-sell-trade process, its customer service and follow-up, and its trend-spotting skills. Through their influencers and ambassadors, by exhibiting at various conferences and regional events, and staying abreast of the industry advances, the company has a bright future. Why not take a few minutes to check out what your unused still and video equipment might be worth? Then, select from thousands of new-to-you pieces of gear that will fuel your next project.
We have published several articles about MPB, their service, process, and our overall experiences in the past. To explore the new vs. used tradeoff further, Vanelli researched the pros and cons of used equipment.
