Ridiculously High ASking Prices for Film Cameras?

[removed-user-1]

I watch Craigslist for deals on used gear, and lately I have seen some really silly ads. For instance, I saw a used Nikkormat with a 50mm and some off-brand zoom lens for $850... you could get the same items from KEH for under $200. I also found a used Mamiya RB67 with two lenses for $5000, you could buy a new camera of the same brand for less. What does the forum think of this, is it a sign of prices to come as film cameras continue to go out of production?

 

[BobNewYork]

I think that the "deleveraging" the economists are talking about has travelled down to personal possessions. These ads are clearly from people who don't know the marketplace for used photo gear and either are more hopeful than realistic. Of course it only takes one ad like this to raise the expectations of others - who just don't know. Sign of the times I guess!!

 

[nemo999]

I watch Craigslist for deals on used gear, and lately I have seen some really silly ads. For instance, I saw a used Nikkormat with a 50mm and some off-brand zoom lens for $850... you could get the same items from KEH for under $200. I also found a used Mamiya RB67 with two lenses for $5000, you could buy a new camera of the same brand for less. What does the forum think of this, is it a sign of prices to come as film cameras continue to go out of production?

The market is somewhat turbulent, some sellers are trying for astronomical prices and, sadly, on occasion getting them. Just recently I bought a Voigtlander Vitessa camera (a 1950s collector's item) in great shape for £50 on e-bay, 2 weeks later someone paid £200. I sold 2 Sinar rail clamps (as part of a transaction which was profitable overall for me) for £10 each. The buyer resold them for £95 each (normal e-bay price £30 or so). I think the lesson is, if you know what you want and roughly what the normal price is, keep looking and bidding and you will get what you want at the price you want eventually. I think the people who pay big money are mainly newcomers to photography - lack of bricks-and-mortar dealers means prices cannot be checked this way, maybe the buyers haven't worked out how to check past sales on e-bay and establish a sane price level.

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

There have always been fools like this, Jay Leno gets a good 10 minutes of laughter out of them every week.

The ad could have been placed by a photographer who promised the spouse to sell "that expensive camera that you never use - we need money for blah, blah, blah - why you ever bought it I'll never know ...". "Honey I tried, I had it listed on Craigslist for two months and not one ....".

 

[David Brown]

My favorites are the "I paid $400 new - I'll take $380!"

 

[pauliej]

High prices? Depends on whether you're a seller or a buyer, I'm a thinkin'. Remember, KEH (et al) is a business, where Harry or Sally on Craig's list is just trying to unload some un-needed stuff and make a home (or drug) payment, etc. And if they stole the stuff to begin with, then their profit is 100%. Even KEH cant compete with that!

Yes, I am cynical...

paulie

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

"I paid $400 new - I'll take $380!"

Leica IIIf red dial. Paid $200 new, will take $700.

 

[David Brown]

Remember, KEH (et al) is a business, where Harry or Sally on Craig's list is just trying to unload some un-needed stuff and make a home (or drug) payment, etc.

How about the one I saw this very morning, i.e., the craigslist seller wants $400 for a camera that KEH has listed in "EX+" condition for $65!

"But I paid $400 ..." :rolleyes:

 

[Markok765]

I saw a ad on kijiji that said "Nikon professional 35mm kit"

It was a N75 with the cheap 28-70 zoom.

 

[Mike Kennedy]

At the local "fleece market" on Sunday last there was a lady selling 2 rare antique cameras.BRICKS!! At 75 bucks a pop.
On the flip side at the same place this summer I picked up a mint Nikkor 3.5 28mm lens for $5.00.Go figure.Some folks think that old + film=big $$.

 

[bdial]

This is not limited to cameras and photographic stuff. Lots of people with old books assume that just because they are old, they are valuable. They don't understand that their third printing of a common title makes it worth only slightly more than the value of the paper.
I see it a lot in antique tools as well, people equate their rusted hulk of an old Stanley plane with a pristine, in-its-original-box example seen in some catalog for hundreds of dollars, and figure they have a treasure.

Shows like "Antiques Roadshow" just make it worse.

 

[Jeff Searust]

good lord--- I would be happy to part with my RB67--- tell ya what, I will take $4000 and I will toss in a bag too.

 

[Sirius Glass]

good lord--- I would be happy to part with my RB67--- tell ya what, I will take $4000 and I will toss in a bag too.

Damn it! I will not give you one cent less than $10,000.

Now don't any of you APUGgers get the idea that you can out bid me for that camera! It is big and heavy!

Steve

 

[GeorgeDexter]

I've been watching Craigslist for a while now. I've never seen anything you couldn't get cheaper on eBay or even from KEH. Craigslist is free, so it doens't matter if it takes 2 years to find someone dumb enough to pay their ridiculous asking prices. I suspect there's a lot of haggling on Craigslist too, so sellers are bound to open with high asking prices. At any rate, I don't think there are too many bargains on there, except maybe for enlargers or something that people just want to get rid of. As a used camera buyer for a retail camera store, I can tell you that most people have a crazily over-inflated idea of what there stuff is worth anyway. That's not just limited to cameras, BTW.

 

[John W]

For film dev and darkroom stuff, Craigslist has been the bees' knees for me. I've picked up some outstanding kit for practically giveaway prices. As for cameras, I've also seen lots of unreasonable offers, some reasonable offers,... and just a few that were actually quite good.

 

[nickandre]

You always see that on ebay. Some people put up cameras for many times their value. I don't know why, maybe they're just praying some idiot will come along the line. It doesn't help that every once and a while somebody does buy one for one reason or another. Everyone is convinced their camera is worth that much too, even if their bellows have gaping holes in it and the other one was pristine.

 

[chriscrawfordphoto]

I got an Olympus OM-system 85mm f2 lens in NICE condition for $50 on Craigslist in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a couple years ago. I agree though that most people want a fortune for old 35mm slrs that are worth little. You almost never see any of the very few 35mm SLRs that ARE worth a lot of money on CL, just dead common ones like AE-1 and Minolta XG-7, cameras that sell for $40 on ebay, and they want $300 for it. I see a lot of them sold with a bunch of no-name lenses claiming it is a good deal because there are "lots of lenses!" Yeah, whatever. LOL

 

[nickandre]

The no name lenses are another great one. Especially how they title the auction "Nikon Nikkor Nikon lens Sigma 28-80"

 

[Moopheus]

For film dev and darkroom stuff, Craigslist has been the bees' knees for me.

Same here. In fact, it seems there's always good stuff going begging. There seems to be two entirely different markets for cameras and darkroom stuff. There's still a fair number of people who want good old film cameras, but the home darkroom seems to be not so much in demand.

It's true about camera pricing though--seems completely random, and disconnected from the general run of things on ebay/keh/etc.

 

[sun of sand]

..

 

[Kevin Kehler]

I have lots of people come into the camera store where I work and are looking to place items on the consignment shelf. I have tried to explain that 35mm gear has dropped in price and will continue to drop while medium-format has stabilized after some big falls and large-format is about the same due to the limited number of people who were ever into it. Most of the time I say they should look for 10-20% of the price they paid for 35mm gear unless it is unique and in excellent shape; people act offended and most often leave with their gear (I see it shortly after on Craigs List or something similar where it sits with no offers). What is more funny is people who come in with digital stuff (which we won't consign for the most part) and don't understand why the 2.0 megapixel point-and-shoot they paid $800 for in 2003 is now worth $25. "But it is a Canon Powershot" they say; my retort always is "I paid $3000 for my Pentium 2 computer in 1997, what will you give me for it now?"

I did see a box brownie at a garage sale this summer, $50. Went next door and paid $15 for the AE-1 with 2 lens and a bag.

 

[mgb74]

I was going through some receipts the other day and saw what I paid for my Nikon 880 p&s digital. I still use it (fine for documenting items for insurance or sale) but I'd only get 10% of what I paid if I was pointing a gun at the buyer.

Virtually all of my current film equipment (35mm, MF, LF) was bought used and carefully. So pretty much whatever depreciation I've encountered has been more than compensated by use of the equipment.

Craigslist (at least here) tends to swing both ways (i.e. a Minolta SRT101 with an asking price of $295 with a 50mm and a 3rd party zoom to a SRT202 with 50mm and third party zoom for $29). That's OK. The guy/gal asking $295 is ignorant of camera values; I'm probably ignorant about something they know a lot about. As long as it's fairly represented I don't mind. The market will tell them they're wrong.

But some sellers can be ridiculous. I called about a Nikkormat that was described as "works great". When I asked, I was told the meter doesn't work.

 

[Chris Nielsen]

Here in the depths of the south Pacific, we have ridiculous asking prices on our local auction site (we have TradeMe - no craigslist here yet), and it always annoys me to have to get from KEH or Adorama just because people here can't be realistic with their prices! Now with the currency crashing (was equal to 82c US six months ago, now 52c US) even KEH doesn't come over as such a bargain any more.

Here's a couple of Trademe bargains at the moment...

Nikon F65, $215
Nikon F501 $400
Canon EOS 300 / Rebel X $500

Wow, these people are dreaming! Losers...

 

[Pupfish]

The convergence of a free Craigslist ad, and the nagging spouse of a recently unemployed photographer who's reluctant to actually part with any of their gear, pretty much solves the riddle.

 

[chriscrawfordphoto]

I don't think that nagging spouses are why these ads go up. people have old junk that no one's used in 20 yrs, you can tell by how dirty the stuff often looks in the photos in the ads. They think "It's a camera, it must be worth $300 cause cameras are expensive!" Well some are, most aren't. The problem is joe blow almost never has a valuable camera collecting dust in the closet.