Over optomistic prices on Ebay

yellowcatt

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Looking through Ebay listings there are plenty of good enlargers that are going for not much money but I was struck by some very optimistic buy it now prices on some things like:
I think that £17.50 + postage is probably pushing it for a Russian 35mm enlarger: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Portable-...raphy_DarkroomSupplies_SM&hash=item4d05d94909

but a Zenith UPA-5 enlarger for £89.99 ? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Enlarger-...raphy_DarkroomSupplies_SM&hash=item337d1daaf4

Now a Durst M605 is a nice enlarger but I would not want to pay £300 for one http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Enlarger-...raphy_DarkroomSupplies_SM&hash=item564db41d43

Also £125 is a bit much to be asking for a Durst M301 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/enlarger-...raphy_DarkroomSupplies_SM&hash=item5649db3d55

Likewise £89.99 for a very dusty looking LPL C7700 head without transformer or lens mount, this one was being advertised last year for £125 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LPL-COLOR...raphy_DarkroomSupplies_SM&hash=item5896b197ab

I wonder if any of these will ever sell at those prices.
 

Ian Grant

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One UK darkroom supplier sells secondhand equipment for those sorts of prices (Durts and LPL).

I can save you money - how about a Zenit UPA-5 enlarger for £88, a friend bought it at an auction, would save you a pound enough to buy another . That foam will be a ticky mess.

There's far less good equipment on Ebay.co.uk compared to 7 or 8 years ago and a consequence is prices have ben rising. Good dealers are getting those prices so it's sign that eventually prices will stay high and creep up.

Someone rputable will ensure everything is there, with some ebay sellers bits may be missing and parts can be expensive

Ian
 

BMbikerider

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yes I know which dealer you are talking about too Ian. Mind you he does have some obscure items which are unobtainable elsewhere.

Me, oh I paid about £90 for my LPL 6700 complete with a Nikon 50/2.8. Neither seem to have been used. Even the Nikkor still had it's lens cap.
 

Rom

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I think you should look on local market/site.

I get my Durst M605 just for almost nothing (1 hour by car and a bottle of wine)

A lot of pro photographers are unfortunately/economicaly swinthing to digital...

++

Rom
 
OP
OP

yellowcatt

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There are still reasonably priced enlargers on Ebay, often in better condition than some of the over priced buy it now items.
What I have noticed is that the prices of enlarger lenses are gradually going up.
If I had the space I would like a De-Vere 504
Around five years ago I saw a De-Vere 108 in a skip along with the remains of a Kreonite paper processor.
 

EKDobbs

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Right as I saw this post, I was going over a craigslist post in my area for some darkroom equipment. An enlarger, some trays, a print dryer, blah, blah. $250, so needless to say, a little over-optimistic. Then at the bottom, in parentheses:

(Will trade for handgun)

o_o

Whatever floats your boat, I suppose. IMHO, 35mm is better than a 9mm.
 

Stephanie Brim

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There's someone who has a decent stock of large format wooden cameras of both plate and film variety at hugely inflated prices for their condition.
 

TheFlyingCamera

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Thinking of Ebay weirdness, I just saw someone who had re-listed (for the fourth time) an item where they RAISED the price after it failed to sell three times. Um... if it didn't sell at $399, it sure as shit ain't gonna sell at $449. Especially when not enough time has passed for the old listing to drop out of my Watch list.
 

hikebikemike

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Well I'm the guy that bought the £17.50 portable Russian Enlarger and am really happy with it. Better quality obviously lies elsewhere but this machine is perfect for setting up a makeshift darkroom with my 8-year-old nephew and showing him how my interest in photography started out. He loves it. I have no control over fuel or postal costs but to buy an enlarger for the price of a few rolls of film I have no complaints
 
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