Why do people over value their film gear

[Jay Vee]

This past week I've been scouring the local craiglist looking for legacy minolta lenses to try. What I noticed was a lot of people are over valuing their stuff. I understand that many people still like or prefer to shoot in film and there's nothing wrong with that. And there are rare stuff that are desired by collectors and will warrant a higher value. But I'm seeing people with run of the mill srt101s, x-700s, 7000..ect going for $100+. Some even $200+ with 2 or 3 lenses worth about $10 ea. Even saw a P&S that you get in those blister packs that sold new with a roll of film for $20 but still asking for $10 used. Lol

Everyone is free to price their stuff at whatever price they want but if you truly want to get it sold you should be a lot more reasonable.

 

[astroNikon]

It's vintage and rare .. therefore it must be worth more.
versus .. it's old and no one uses the stuff anymore and thus the price is very low

and if there's any emotional attachment what-so-ever the price is normally through the roof irregardless of it's true market value.

 

[photoguy99]

It's not worth my while to sell an old film camera for $25. If that's all it's worth, I'll keep it.

I might put it out there for a $100, even if it's not worth that, to see if I get a bite.

 

[Designer]

Make me an offer.

 

[vintagesnaps]

I don't know, why does the same seller on various sites list the same item anywhere from double the going price to hundreds of dollars when you can find it plenty of places for 12 bucks?

Try a reputable seller like KEH, or Columbus Camera Group or Pittsburgh Camera Exchange. Or a camera swap if there's one in your area.

 

[Derrel]

Hey...I have a nice Bronica medium format rollfilm outfit I'll sell!!! $3,500 for the whole lot of it! Two bodies, 50,65, two 80mm's, a 150mm, meter prism, two wait-level prisms, bunch of film backs with inserts!!!

 

[astroNikon]

Hey...I have a nice Bronica medium format rollfilm outfit I'll sell!!! $3,500 for the whole lot of it! Two bodies, 50,65, two 80mm's, a 150mm, meter prism, two wait-level prisms, bunch of film backs with inserts!!!

I know you messed up the decimal place. But I'll give you $35 bucks ...

 

[480sparky]

I can't figure out why some people get their panties in a bunch over trivial stuff like this.

If they say their 1972 camera is worth $500, so be it. Live and let live. Who am I to say otherwise?

Instead of worrying about piddly stuff like this, go out the shoot something.

 

[Overread]

It's hard to appreciate (especially if you weren't into photography before the digital revolution) just how massively the digital change crashed the film camera market. Almost overnight film gear depreciated in value by a colossal amount as the market flooded with it as everyone jumped into digital.

Many people don't keep up with the world in the same way - they have their hobby and buy their stuff at the local shop so they are not necessarily aware of the second hand price of many things - nor do they have the resources (or inclination) to look for the selling prices. So they price things at what they think is fair based on how long they've owned it- how much it cost them and how well they've kept it.

It's a pretty fair way to price second hand goods - the problem is when the market is flooded and when the market isn't all that interested. At present your common film gear is very low value - almost insanely low. It's a bitter pill to take for many and a shock for others.


I suspect this explains why many price what we feel are way over the top prices.
.



The other is that they don't really want to sell. They might feel an obligation (hard times - not used it in ages - complaining significant other - etc...) but they don't really want to. So they put it up at a high price and don't expect to sell it. IF it does then hey they get way more than its "worth" and can replace it like for like or get something really good that's significantly better. If it doesn't sell then they've lost nothing.

 

[Designer]

Ah SEE the LIGHT !!!!

Mine is now free to a good home.

Prospective recipients must write a three-page essay on why they deserve my largess and what they intend to do with the gift.

 

[runnah]

Every flea market I have been to has the "box o cameras". Most are junk but there is often a winner.

 

[Derrel]

Every flea market I have been to has the "box o cameras". Most are junk but there is often a winner.

And just as often there is "that one guy", a very non-photo-oriented seller, always, the one guy who has some old Polaroid 100-series camera ( the 1960's and 1970's models, ones with a bellows) who seems confused, and somehow equates a bellows-style Polaroid with a view camera or press camera, and has the thing priced ridiculously high!

What's shocking is the collapse of film camera values that overread mentioned. In 2008, I bought a Bronica SQ-Ai with the 50mm f/4 Zenzanon Pro Series lens, 80mm lens, waist-level finder and a magazine for $299. Now, in the early 1990s when I was putting together a medium format wedding kit for Bronica, the 50mm PS lens was, as I recall, $1,995 mail-ordered from New York, and MORE at "local retail" type pricing. So: what is a fair market value for a Bronica 50mm wide-angle Pro Series lens? Is it $2,000, less depreciation? Or is it say, $66, as part of the two-lens and complete camera kit that I snagged for under $300, sixteen years later?

 

[runnah]

High number of cameras
low number of users
low amounts of film
Low number of places to process film

All that equals dirt cheap bodies and lenses.

 

[astroNikon]

Every flea market I have been to has the "box o cameras". Most are junk but there is often a winner.

And just as often there is "that one guy", a very non-photo-oriented seller, always, the one guy who has some old Polaroid 100-series camera ( the 1960's and 1970's models, ones with a bellows) who seems confused, and somehow equates a bellows-style Polaroid with a view camera or press camera, and has the thing priced ridiculously high!

What's shocking is the collapse of film camera values that overread mentioned. In 2008, I bought a Bronica SQ-Ai with the 50mm f/4 Zenzanon Pro Series lens, 80mm lens, waist-level finder and a magazine for $299. Now, in the early 1990s when I was putting together a medium format wedding kit for Bronica, the 50mm PS lens was, as I recall, $1,995 mail-ordered from New York, and MORE at "local retail" type pricing. So: what is a fair market value for a Bronica 50mm wide-angle Pro Series lens? Is it $2,000, less depreciation? Or is it say, $66, as part of the two-lens and complete camera kit that I snagged for under $300, sixteen years later?

$35 for all of it .. and you pay shipping lmao

 

[cgw]

My sense is that some variant of Gresham's Law explains why over-priced schlock has driven quality film gear off the market. Compared to 5-8 years ago when eBay was awash in true bargains in almost anything connected with film, pickins are relatively slim now, especially for high-end film gear. Agree that the quotient of older, mid-range andlower stuff--much of it utter crap--is high now and that clueless sellers certain that pasting "vintage" on anything photographic equals "ka-ching" are the norm. I find I have to look harder, wait longer, and walk away more often from crooks than ever before to get what I want.