What are my cameras worth?

heidiwalter · Jun 30, 2012

I have 2 old cameras: a Hasselblad with prism finder and 2 lenses + filters & accessories, and a Nikon FA with 2 lenses and filters & accessories. I have had both for 30+ years. How would I find out how much they are worth? I'm thinking of selling them. Both in quite good condition, if I do say so myself, but haven't been used in years. Probably need a good cleaning, though both have been in photo bags and locked away for years.

Thanks for any help with this.

Heidi:mrgreen:

Overread · Jun 30, 2012

Two ideas:

1) Head to ebay and search for the items and have ebay list "completed listings" (advanced options for search). That will give you results which should show what the market is roughly paying for the items you've got if they are still selling.

2) Roam around the second hand dealers - search on google for the product. You might again get some answers - it might take longer than on ebay, but it should, again, help give you some rough idea of the market worth (though when doing this remember to check the origin of the price to make sure its in the same country as you are - also check dates, prices for a few years ago might be invalid).

djacobox372 · Jun 30, 2012

If u list everything seperatly on eBay with great photos and an excellent description, u will get exactly what its worth

ann · Jul 1, 2012

Check at KEH, they carry a wide variety of film cameras.

There has been a bit of an increase in the value of film cameras these days. I was shocked when I was helping a student find something used last session at how much the valued had changed.

The_Traveler · Jul 1, 2012

Warning: if they haven't been used in years, the bodies might not actually function well.
take some pictures and checkout the shutter and aperture function.

KmH · Jul 1, 2012

No doubt, the worth of used gear is determined by - the condition of the gear, the demand for the gear relative to the supply, and the selling skill of the seller.

3bayjunkie · Jul 2, 2012

Ditto, i always go stait to ebay to check values! Easy and fast.

TCampbell · Jul 2, 2012

KEH specializes in used cameras BUT they apply a "grade" to the condition of the gear. eBay is completely on the honor system -- so the results are a bit less consistent.

compur · Jul 3, 2012

eBay has become rather iffy as a way to estimate values of film photo gear. Many sellers list items at exorbitantly high prices on Free Listing Days in hopes someone will bite. These prices are then taken by the clueless as being the true value of the item and they then list them at that price as well, further contributing to the false impression of item values.

Even checking "sold" prices can be risky as we have no way of knowing if the transaction was actually completed or was only a ruse to inflate prices of similar items. I know of one particular film photo seller who told me that he does this so I don't doubt there are others. There are other tricks as well that result in falsely high "selling prices" but I'd rather not provide detailed education on them.

So, when you see a few examples of a certain item selling at a very high price but many of the same items failing to sell at lower prices, you should be suspicious. Only take a range of prices that seem consistent and even then only take it as a range. There are many variables to used gear values.

Another major variable is whether the item sold at a fixed price, best offer or auction high bid. An item that sells for, say $100, at auction with low starting bid will likely not sell at that price if listed for a $100 fixed price.

These things apply to film photo equipment. Digital stuff and many other items follows different rules due to their mass appeal.

KmH · Jul 3, 2012

Yep! Asking price and selling price are usually different numbers.

heidiwalter · Jul 5, 2012

Thank you to all of you for your excellent advice. I shall check out your recommendations and try out both cameras to make sure they're working OK.

unpopular · Jul 6, 2012

compur said:
eBay has become rather iffy as a way to estimate values of film photo gear. Many sellers list items at exorbitantly high prices on Free Listing Days in hopes someone will bite. These prices are then taken by the clueless as being the true value of the item and they then list them at that price as well, further contributing to the false impression of item values.

While not so much for a Hassy, but some more unusual stuff the price goes up and down with trends.