Are they made of gold?

Big Mike · Dec 18, 2008

I often check my local 'Bargain Finder' to see if anyone is selling anything interesting...for a good price.

I'm always baffled by the price that some people list their cameras for. I don't know if they think it's a collector's item, or if they just figure that they should get back what they paid (or a lot more) back in the 70s or 80s.

There are a couple of examples I found today...
CANON AE1 program camera, c/w reg lens, zoom lens & flash, $500

Two Cameras, CANON AE1 SLR Program (1), & Canon AE1 SLR (1), 5 lenses, power winder, flash, c/w (2) carrying case and tripod, all for $799 obo.

Unless those cameras also come with a few $100 dollar bills...that doesn't sound like a good deal to me. I can't imagine they get any calls, lets alone sell them for those prices.

compur · Dec 18, 2008

Big Mike said:
I can't imagine they get any calls, lets alone sell them for those prices.

They don't.

Nowadays you find all kinds of strange ideas about older cameras. Some
people over-value them tremendously, others do just the opposite.
It's crazy. :lol:

Battou · Dec 18, 2008

They damn well better be at that price...I can get a dozen or more perfect working order AE-1's with lenses for that price.

Mitica100 · Dec 19, 2008

Yeah, many people don't realize how much a 35mm camera has devalued with the advent of the Digital photography. They still live some 25 years ago...

jlykins · Dec 19, 2008

yup, I've been looking for a Nikon N80 lately and I see prices ranging from $80 to $400 on craigslist. People need to do a little research before trying to sell their cameras.

Battou · Dec 19, 2008

jlykins said:
yup, I've been looking for a Nikon N80 lately and I see prices ranging from $80 to $400 on craigslist. People need to do a little research before trying to sell their cameras.

I have a local vender who's prices are generally to the high but reasonable side here with an N60 for under $200 in imaculate condition.

ksmattfish · Dec 19, 2008

Mitica100 said:
Yeah, many people don't realize how much a 35mm camera has devalued with the advent of the Digital photography. They still live some 25 years ago...

And Ebay. When you have all the flea markets, antique shops, and garage sales in the world to browse at your fingertips the pricing competition gets pretty stiff. All of the flea market/antique mall vintage camera sellers I visit have their price tags set to twice what the cameras normally go for on Ebay, and so they sit gathering dust.

jlykins · Dec 19, 2008

ksmattfish said:
And Ebay. When you have all the flea markets, antique shops, and garage sales in the world to browse at your fingertips the pricing competition gets pretty stiff. All of the flea market/antique mall vintage camera sellers I visit have their price tags set to twice what the cameras normally go for on Ebay, and so they sit gathering dust.

That's a good point too. Most of the time you can find film cameras on Ebay cheaper than anywhere else. I like to hit garage sales in the summer time looking for old film stuff. Sometimes you can find good deals on things.

compur · Dec 19, 2008

I go to a lot of estate sales and I see lots of wild prices for vintage cameras.
Both high and low. When the price is sky-high, there is no point in trying to
convince them otherwise or offer a realistic amount. They'll just think you
are trying to rip them off and they'll get quite angry with you. Best to just
say nothing and move on.

Big Mike · Dec 19, 2008

I think part of the problem might be that people attach a higher value to the camera because of the use that it got. Maybe their father was a pro photographer (or a good amature) so their figured that it must be a pro level camera...and therefore very expensive.

It's getting harder to find good deal at garage sales. There are several people in my city who drive around and hit up the garage sales as soon as they open. They often have mobile internet and look up items on E-bay to see if they can resell them. On guy had two warehouses full of stuff and three employees. He was turning over $1,000,000 worth of stuff per year.

I actually got pretty lucky a few years ago. I bought a light meter on E-bay and since it was local, I went to pick it up. It turns out that this lady was one of the original power sellers, and had been doing it full time for about 8 years...and she was finally getting out of it...so she was selling off everything she had 'in stock'. She was having a garage sale but handn't opened yet and she let me go though all of it. I ended up buying a few small bags of 'Miscellaneous'...for $1 (including a 67mm CPL). I got a flash unit or two, but I don't think they ever worked for me. I almost bought a 35mm Pentax system with 4 lenses, flash, accessories and bag...for like $30.

She also had all sorts of collectable items, lots of old toys and games plus lots of old posters etc. It was one of those rare garage sales that was more than people's old junk.

I have a local vender who's prices are generally to the high but reasonable side here with an N60 for under $200 in imaculate condition.

We have a shop like that here as well. This nice old guy runs this tiny old shop that is packed to the rafters with old photo gear. His prices are competitive to what other stores sell their used gear for...but no where near on-line prices. I still spend money there when I can...places like that won't be around much longer.
I've heard that he also has two garages, completely packed full of boxes of old camera gear...much of which as been stripped of their parts for repairing other cameras.

I talked to a guy who was trying to convince the old guy to list his inventory on E-bay...he even offered to set it up for him...but the old guy doesn't want to. He's content to sit in his shop and chat with the customers.

JIP · Dec 19, 2008

The sad part of those prices is people will pay them.

Battou · Dec 20, 2008

Big Mike said:
We have a shop like that here as well. This nice old guy runs this tiny old shop that is packed to the rafters with old photo gear. His prices are competitive to what other stores sell their used gear for...but no where near on-line prices. I still spend money there when I can...places like that won't be around much longer.
I've heard that he also has two garages, completely packed full of boxes of old camera gear...much of which as been stripped of their parts for repairing other cameras.

I talked to a guy who was trying to convince the old guy to list his inventory on E-bay...he even offered to set it up for him...but the old guy doesn't want to. He's content to sit in his shop and chat with the customers.

Oh yeah...Where are you at again :lmao:

Actually the one here rents out a booth at the antique store. Very friendly old guy comes in on sundays to browse the antique shop and check in on his booths. When ever I run into him he'll sit and chat till the place closes. He too has an "inventory" of gear packed in boxes in storage...Sadly it is for that reason I have such a hard time getting lenses from him, He can't find the Canon boxes. I'll tell you though, I buy from him a lot, Only once have I been remotely dissapointed with a buy from him and that was my Leica, every thing else I have bought from him is in pristeen condition or close to it.

I definately preferr paying $180 to $200 for a film body with lens and walk out of the store with it and be using it that night from a guy who actually wants to see my photos and constantlly tells me I should use a tripod with my 400mm than spend $75 to $100 on line from someone I'll never meet only to find out it don't work several days later.

I bought my Canon EF from him and that bad boy is still hammering away despite the abuse I've put it threw, I paid in the $200 dollar range for it, I just the other day paid $116 US for a Nikon FM with 50mm F2 lens and have already shot and processed a roll of film in it. Among others.

Stratman · Dec 21, 2008

My buddies wife has a Canon EOS Rebel Film SLR, and it is the cheapest feeling 35 mm SLR I have ever held in my hands, the viewfinder is crooked as hell, and she said she wanted to sell it, it has a Canon 28-80 ( i guess the kit lens for that series ) and also a Sigma 70-300, and she said she wanted $250 for it, and i told her she would have a tough time selling it for that much. I guess she paid close to that for it back in the day, but the advent of Digital SLRS have made run of the mill 35mm SLRS pretty much obsolete. She didn't like it when i told her that, but hey, i was being honest....

Battou · Dec 21, 2008

Stratman said:
My buddies wife has a Canon EOS Rebel Film SLR, and it is the cheapest feeling 35 mm SLR I have ever held in my hands, the viewfinder is crooked as hell, and she said she wanted to sell it, it has a Canon 28-80 ( i guess the kit lens for that series ) and also a Sigma 70-300, and she said she wanted $250 for it, and i told her she would have a tough time selling it for that much. I guess she paid close to that for it back in the day, but the advent of Digital SLRS have made run of the mill 35mm SLRS pretty much obsolete. She didn't like it when i told her that, but hey, i was being honest....

Yeah, but she was talking about an EOS, that amount om money for two EF lenses puts that in a whole different ball game. With the bodies above we are talking about FD mount bodies whos lenses do not work on the current generation of camera.