KEH Camera

So here's the thing about KEH Camera-they've been doing the whole "pre-owned is better than new" thing since 1979, way before it was trendy. And honestly? They might be onto something.

The company does over $100 million in sales annually and puts over 275,000 pieces of photo and video gear back in circulation each year. That's not just impressive numbers-that's a whole lot of cameras finding new homes instead of gathering dust in closets.

What makes KEH different from your typical used gear marketplace is their obsessive approach to grading. Each item is thoroughly inspected, renewed and graded, backed by a 180-day warranty. With hundreds of years of combined expertise, we're the go-to source for pre-owned gear. They're basically the opposite of that sketchy eBay listing where you're crossing your fingers and hoping for the best.

The company's grown from founder King Grant Jr.'s hobby of collecting cameras in the early 1970s, using ads in photography magazines to sell his collection to roughly 400 people, keeping their names and addresses for when he decided to start a business. The business was named after the initials of his three children, King, Eleanor, and Hugh. Pretty wholesome origin story, right?

But here's where it gets interesting-smartphones, which have put cameras and video cameras in everyone's pockets, have driven increased demand for high-end, professional equipment. "In a world where everything is images, we sell better equipment that helps people who want to stand out and differentiate themselves, personally and professionally," Glenn Kaufman, KEH's CEO, told CO-. Smartphones have turned out to be beneficial for the sales of professional-grade cameras and lenses.

Think about it: everyone's a photographer now, but most people are shooting with the same phone camera. So when you want your work to actually stand out, you need something with more character, more control-basically, something that doesn't look like every other Instagram post.

KEH tripling business in the last five years, moving from 25,000 square feet to 62,000 square feet to accommodate the growth in its e-commerce business, plus allowed for a brick-and-mortar store. They've managed to scale up while keeping that personal touch-you can still call and talk to an actual human who knows the difference between a 50mm f/1.4 and f/1.8.

The sustainability angle isn't just marketing fluff either. The company is expanding its commitment to a circular supply chain by recycling corrugated cardboard boxes into packaging material. When you're already in the business of giving cameras second lives, might as well extend that philosophy to your packaging too.