The price of thermal cameras tends to fluctuate greatly depending very much upon who wants one at the time of sale. As an example, I purchased an 'as new' E40 for £1200 from a company that bought it for a project that never happened. That was a very good price for an E40 in such condition. At the time a lower specification E30bx sold for the same price on eBay.
Last month I purchased an E40bx on eBay for £580 ! That is a very low price for an E40bx and was likely a combination of factors. The side doors had broken catches and June, July, August are bad months to sell on eBay as prices are depressed by people being in holiday or short of cash due to holiday costs. There are bargains to be found during these months.
As you may or may not know, the 'bx' version of the Exx series cameras are less capable than the standard model as the temperature range is capped. This is of little interest to users who want the camera for building surveys though as that is what the 'bx' range were intended for.
Thermal cameras are now common in the building survey industry and are also used by Solar Panel installers, Automotive mechanics, electricians etc to check for electrical and heat issues. Plumbers also use such cameras. The FLIR Exx series are well respected cameras for such use and are current in terms of technology capabilities and the ability to have them calibrated, if desired. In other words, there is still a significant market for such cameras amongst building surveyors and electricians etc.
The E40bx can be easily upgraded to perform as an E60bx with 320 x 240 pixel resolution. Details are on this forum and easily followed with no parts needed, just software configuration changes required. The 'bx' temperature cap may also be removed on many 'bx' series cameras. This requires a change in setting in the cameras service menu. Sadly MK2 cameras do not have this menu so they remain temperature capped. No great problem with that in many usage cases though. The higher resolution is the most important upgrade to many users and it's free to do on the Mk1 and MK2 cameras.
Those who know about the ease of resolution upgrade on an Exx camera can buy an E40 and create a very expensive E60 for a few minutes work on the software configuration. For this reason the E40 is very popular amongst thermal camera enthusiasts like me
How much is a nice condition E40bx worth ? Sadly, as stated, this depends on luck as the market fluctuates greatly. I would estimate a value of between $1500 and $2000, as already stated, if sold on eBay. Some sell for less, whilst others for more. In your case, condition is great so you should sell it for the upper end of the price range. EBay charge a 10% selling fee and PayPal charge around 3% transaction fees so this needs to be considered. I suggest you look at eBay previous sales of an E30bx and E40bx to gain a feel of what the market is willing to pay for them. As started, prices are lower during holiday months and tend to rise as we approach Christmas. Your camera, if in good condition, will make a nice early Christmas present for someone
Now to the regulations on selling an Exx series camera such as yours. You are fine selling your camera within your countries borders to a national of your country. Selling such a camera across international borders is a bit more complicated due to Dual Use Technology regulations. Such sales also carry the risk of international postage return fees if it is DOA at its destination. Such international postage can be significant as there are also import fees involved. Be very careful on that front as it can cost you dearly when selling on eBay.
On the legal front, the Exx series are a controlled Dual Use technology and to legally ship such overseas certain checks need to be made on its recipient and intended use. Within the EU sales across borders are pretty safe, but shipping out of the USA can be more involved. BIS need to be advised of the sale etc. In short, if you sell to someone Uncle Sam does not like, you can find yourself in some trouble.
Selling your camera on this forum is likely a better option if you can find someone willing to pay a reasonable price for it. You avoid potential nasty buyers on eBay who may try to claim DOA and people on here are knowledgeable about the technology which helps a lot. You also avoid the 10% sellers fee. Sadly your camera is still quite an expensive purchase for a hobbyist so the number of people with such spare cash may be limited. More so than on eBay where building surveyors, electricians and plumbers search for such cameras. Trade people have more capital available for such purchases as the tool pays for itself over time.
You have a nice, decent performance thermal camera with a great reputation. I hope you get decent money for it
Your market for this camera is not as small as some may think......
1. Building Thermal surveys - Common for 'Green building' certification (though it really needs to be upgraded to 320 x 240 pixels for that) and insulation checks to save heating costs etc.
2. Electricians - checking for overloaded circuits or poor connections etc
3. Auto Electricians and Mechanics - looking for overloaded circuits, poor connections and engine/cooling temperature related issues.
4. Plumbers - searching for blockages in pipes and hidden leak sources such as under concrete floors.
5. Builders - searching for damp, insulation failure, air leaks around window seals and other structural issues that involve thermal differential.
6. Electronics thermal profiling and diagnostics - searching for thermal issues on Electronic equipment and PCB's etc.
7. Thermal photography - a growing area of artistic use.
8. Motor Racing - checking mechanical and tyre temperatures
9. Wildlife detection and observation
And there are likely more common uses but you get the idea
I hope this helps
Fraser
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