Caveat Emptor

[wotalegend]

Check out this item on the 'bay: 250051155508

The seller says it is a "rare collectable with a history!" To me its history is that it is a Kiev 4AM (black knobs, hot shoe, 1/4" tripod socket) being advertised as a "IIA", that some time after it left the Arsenal works it received a coat of black paint, and that it is going to be sold to some unsuspecting person for at least US$151 (that's the highest bid at time of writing). Like my title said, "Caveat Emptor".

Cheers, Peter.

 

[Joao]

Hi
You're absolutely right, it looks just like my 4AM, just in a black version. Is spite of being a nice camera, it is overpriced - and the bidders are being mislead! I hope that you don't object if I ask the seller some inconvenient (for him) question.
Thanks for your post
Regards
Joao

 

[wotalegend]

Go for it, Joao. I hope you get the message through. I have tried that before, but my "question" usually doesn't appear on the item, which of course makes me think that the seller may be deceiving buyers deliberately.

Cheers, Peter.

 

[Joao]

Hi
I asked in what year the camera was made and I made some comments about its similarity with my own Kiev 4AM (except for the colour). The seller answered me with a very telegraphic "1947" and made no reply to my comments. The answer was sent to my e-mail address, but so far neither the question nor the answer were posted in the ebay ...
I will have an eye on the future feedback from this deal.
Regards
Joao

 

[wotalegend]

My monitor is not very big, and my eyes not as good as they used to be. That serial number looks like 83xxxxxx. If the seller is claiming it is a 1947 build, then it could not possibly be a IIa (1955-1959), and would not have a hot shoe, which came decades later. Also, the 1947 model, which Princelle says only numbered a few hundred at the most, bore just the Cyrillic "КИеВ" on the front in two possible fonts. To me it all smacks of deliberate deception, not innocent ignorance, and I wouldn't touch this guy with a 40 foot barge pole. Remember the seller's name everyone - hughscamerasales.
Cheers, Peter.

 

[Keith]

My monitor is not very big, and my eyes not as good as they used to be. That serial number looks like 83xxxxxx. If the seller is claiming it is a 1947 build, then it could not possibly be a IIa (1955-1959), and would not have a hot shoe, which came decades later. Also, the 1947 model, which Princelle says only numbered a few hundred at the most, bore just the Cyrillic "КИеВ" on the front in two possible fonts. To me it all smacks of deliberate deception, not innocent ignorance, and I wouldn't touch this guy with a 40 foot barge pole. Remember the seller's name everyone - hughscamerasales.
Cheers, Peter.

Ahh ... Hugh's Camera Sales. THE most unpleasant eBay seller I have ever encountered ... sold me a IIIc with some of the worst internal butchery I have ever seen in a 'perfect' camera! Abusive and dishonest to the point of psychosis when challenged. 😡

 

[colyn]

So far there are only 2 bidders locked in a bidding war....or are they shilling it..

 

[Topdog1]

Just report it to eBay as a scam.

/Ira

 

[Keith]

Just report it to eBay as a scam.

/Ira

I did (with pleasure) ... but it will probabaly be too late! 🙁

 

[Keith]

So far there are only 2 bidders locked in a bidding war....or are they shilling it..

I think you were right about the shill bidding ... only those two bidders and there was no activity at all for the last twelve hours or so since the last bid for $151.00

🙄 🙄