When you’re on the lookout for new gear, do you tend to buy new to ensure high quality, or do you look for used? If you buy used, what are the best places to buy/sell?

I have been taking pictures since I could operate a camera. Up until 2020 I had no professional guidance. In 2019 I went to Ecuador and came back with 16,000 pictures. So I decided to take a black and white photography class using film. Unfortunately COVID changed it to a digital class. My world was turned upside down in 2023 and it resulted in a divorce in 2024 where my ex hid and kept all my camera gear. So im starting from scratch capturing shots with my phone. I take candid, landscape, wildlife, festival/concert photos and really anything that catches my eye. I would appreciate any advice and guidance as my childhood dream is to be published in National Geographic and would love to get there someday. Here are some of my recent pictures.