How to Buy and Sell in a More Sustainable Way

The core principles of circularity are keeping products and materials in use, eliminating waste and pollution, using renewable energy and regenerating natural systems. A truly circular approach to making and using products, combined with renewable energy, is key to halting the climate crisis and ensuring healthy air, water and soils for future generations.

So, what does this mean for you? How can we reduce our carbon footprint? Selling and buying used is a no-brainer, but this article isn’t just about camera equipment and MPB. Let’s look at the top platforms to help you buy used for all the stuff you need in your life.

Camera gear: MPB

Let’s open with the obvious.

MPB is the largest global platform to buy, sell and trade used photo and video gear. We are committed to making gear more accessible and affordable. We recirculate 570,000 cameras and lenses a year.

Our sustainability commitments focus on our circularity, inclusion and diversity, and maintaining trust with our users and employees. These commitments apply to everything we do—from our platform, workplace and supply chain to storytelling partnerships and local community initiatives.

MPB has thousands of models. All used gear is MPB Approved with a free warranty for total peace of mind. When you sell or trade, you get free insured shipping both ways. So, if you want to upgrade your camera gear — let's say, from the Canon EOS 5D Mark II to the Sony A9 III — MPB's the best place to do just that.

Clothes: Depop or Vinted

Finally, ‘fast fashion' is out of fashion. It’s important to look your best when you’re working as a creative. First impressions count. Out of the plethora of platforms for purchasing second-hand clothes, Depop is our favourite. The platform itself combines a social media–like mobile experience with the traditional marketplace business model. While dealing with peer-to-peer (P2P) means increased risk for buyers and sellers, some users enjoy the ability to haggle via DMs. Prices can be higher than some of the other marketplaces, but overall Depop is a great place to start when you’re switching out your wardrobe.

Vinted is another great option to sell and buy clothes.

Food: Too Good To Go

Obviously, cooking for yourself with fresh food is the most sustainable and healthiest choice. But when you’re exhausted after an all-day shoot, and you just want to pick something up, there’s an option to save money and save food from going to a landfill. Through the mobile app for Android and iOS, Too Good To Go helps you find surplus meals at restaurants and takeaways at a fraction of the original price.

Musical instruments: Reverb

Many creative people like to have multiple hobbies and interests. Reverb is one of the leading marketplaces for musical equipment and for good reason. Many models have a ‘Price History’ graph, tracking value over time, so that’s a nice feature too. The downsides include relatively high selling fees, and using the P2P marketplace does involve a certain level of risk. But for everything from Strymon pedals and Vox amps to Fender guitars and Moog synths, Reverb is the place to go when you want to create music sustainably.

Books and CDs: Music Magpie

Honestly, you probably won’t get paid what they're worth. But if you need to clear up some space, sell your old books and—if you’re old enough to remember these—CDs. If you’re selling more than a fiver's worth, Music Magpie will collect for free.

Read more articles on the MPB content hub, including: