So my trusty 5D Mark III finally gave up the ghost last night. Shutter error 20, completely locked up, and Canon service says parts are scarce so it's gonna cost a fortune and take weeks to fix. I have a semi-pro landscape and event gig coming up in early November here in Boston, and I need a replacement body fast. I've been shooting with Canon EF glass for over ten years, so I'm not looking to switch to mirrorless right now—I just don't have the budget to buy all new RF lenses or mess around with adapters if I can avoid it.

I thought finding a good deal on a DSLR body like a 5D Mark IV or even a 6D Mark II would be easy now that everyone is jumping ship to the R5 and R6. But it's driving me absolutely crazy. The prices on the usual sites are all over the place. B and H and Adorama are mostly out of stock for new ones, and their used ratings are getting stingier while prices stay high. I looked on eBay but everyone is asking near-retail prices for heavily used bodies with shutter counts over 150k. It makes no sense. Why are old DSLRs still holding this much value when the industry has supposedly moved on?

My budget is capped at $1300. I need this sorted by the end of next week so I have time to test the body before the shoot.

Are there any reliable, lesser-known refurbished sites or specific regional distributors that still run decent promos on older Canon DSLR bodies? I already check Canon Direct Store refurbished page daily but they never seem to restock the older EF bodies anymore. Where else should I be looking?