Current Market Price of Used M8 (March 2012)?

[Benjamin Marks]

I am selling my M8 and have posted ads here and at the Leica user's group. The price is based on recent M8 sales on e-bay, but is clearly too high because there have been no nibbles. I realize in the wake of recent APS-C offerings (X1 Pro, NEX7) that there may be reduced interest in this camera. But what is the sense of the RFF on a "priced to move" price for this thing? My next move, I guess, is a no reserve auction at e-bay, but my strong preference is selling through forums where I know folks.

Any ideas? Where's the market?

Ben Marks

 

[noimmunity]

I think prices are a little dodgy right now because of the introduction of a few new mirrorless cameras and the impending Leica announcement on May 10.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if the prices stabilize again over the summer when people see once again what a classic the M8 is.

If you're looking for a quick sale now, a price below $1800 ought to do it.

Good luck!

 

[jippiejee]

I paid €1700 euro in December for my M8, and this seems about the going rate on my local auctioning site. M8.2 is slightly higher. But not seeing many offered over €2000, so that's the ceiling it seems.

 

[thegman]

I find I sell stuff much easier on eBay than on RFF or APUG classifieds. A couple of things to be aware of though. I find that you need to offer sales internationally to get the best prices and most bids. Also, I'd say start the price at an attractive but realistic price. Too low and it smells of "scam".

Personally I think even with the new crop of mirrorless cameras, the M8 still has a Leica badge on it, and still is a real range finder, so will always attract people the NEX etc. will not.

 

[splitimageview]

In general you'll get more on ebay even with the fees than you will here.

 

[armanius]

In my opinion, pricing it just below $2000 would garner interest, assuming the M8 is in good condition. Try posting at FredMiranda. Things seems to move pretty fast there. And given that you do need to pay a fee to post, buyers/sellers appear to be more serious about things.

 

[Benjamin Marks]

Thanks folks, for all your input. The camera may well wind up on e-bay. In general, I prefer to sell within a community rather than to the world at large. But, you can't always get what you want. If there are no nibbles in the next week, to e-bay it goes.

 

[robbeiflex]

I see that recent actual sales prices vary wildly, but in Europe M8s over 2000€ and M8.2s over 2500€ do not sell at all. I suggest you list it at zero reserve and zero starting price, but for as long as possible and with a very good description and photos. My recent experience with a GF-1 and a couple of lenses that garnered absolutely no interest here was that they got multiple bids above my asking price here. I could wait so I listed them for 9 days. Also, putting neither a reserve nor a high starting price minimizes your fees. The price you pay for this is a lot of stress until the last few hours before your sale closes when the bids finally enter the range you are willing to sell for.

Cheers,
Rob

 

[filmtwit]

Current price = Too much.

 

[paradoxbox]

i've been watching m8 prices for a few months and it seems that most m8's in good condition (no major scratches/dings) are selling for between 1975-2100$

i'm thinking of grabbing an m8 and i will not pay more than 2100$, i'm quite confident i can get one quickly if i put up a bid of 2100$ on ebay.

european and canadian prices are definitely higher.

 

[randomm]

In Finland the cheapest M8 I've seen went for 1500 euros with VC 35/1.4 lens about 6 months ago, but that truly was a steal. I'd say a more realistic price range for a M8 with no user upgrades in Finland would be 1500-1600e for body only. I followed the European market for M8.2s for a while as I was going to buy one (and did, but locally) from the auction site and it seems that in Europe even a high shutter count, brassed M8.2 still fetches above 2000 euros.

... not that this necessarily helps you if you're selling in the US only.

 

[Steveh]

I've just put my M8 up on Ebay to help pay for my new X-Pro 1 so I should have up to date info for the UK this time next week. Although I may be too depressed to post it...

Standard range on UK Ebay seems to be £1300-£1400.

 

[tajart]

Fair price

Fair price

This seems like a very fair price for all that is included and fewer than 7,000 actuations. I already have one so I'd say anyone looking for an M8, this is one someone should grab up.

 

[Gazzah]

Steve H

Just out of curiosity - why sell the M8 for te xp1?
Im in the market, checking prices and have more or less decided to get an M8(.2) rather than the xp1.

 

[Steveh]

Good question! Ideally I'd have kept both but I have a deal with my better half that my hobby has to be (more or less 😉) self-financing, so when new things come in old things have to go.

More fundamentally I've finally had to admit to myself, after 3 M6s, an M8 and a bunch of lenses, that I like the theory and the style of rangefinders a lot better than the reality of them. Once I bought an X100 I basically stopped using the M8 - I actually like composing on the rear screen a lot of the time, and the hybrid viewfinders of the Fujis are just a better solution for me, plus I like the lighter weight and all the modern conveniences like automatic level controls etc. The shutters are a lot quieter as well.

My M8 has worked flawlessly but I was also starting to worry about possible future reliability issues and now seemed like a good time to get out of the M8 at a decent price. No regrets so far - the X-Pro 1 is great to use, image quality is phenomenal, and it and the X100 together do more or less everything I need.

My M8 sold for just over £1400 in the end, so it's pretty much a straight swap with the Fuji.

Steve H

Just out of curiosity - why sell the M8 for te xp1?
Im in the market, checking prices and have more or less decided to get an M8(.2) rather than the xp1.

 

[Gazzah]

SteveH - thanks, now you have set me thinking again...
I have an M5 that I use a lot, an M6 that hasnt been out of the house for a long time and several bessas that dont see much use. Maybe time to sell some gear and buy a new toy.
And to think i started out looking at a D800 to replace my now really old D2H/S-pro2 combo, then decided that I dont really like SLRs any more...
Saw your M8 on THAT SITE - but was sill to undecided to bid..

 

[Steveh]

The D800 is a whole other story! Very tempting but I find the whole weight and bulk of full frame DSLRs and lenses too much to ever actually want to leave the house with one any more - I'm seriously thinking of getting rid of my D700 and 24-70 as well, but I'll probably wait and see what the Fuji standard zoom is like when it comes out.

I'd definitely recommend playing with an X-Pro 1 before you buy an M8/8.2 - what I like about where Fuji is going with the X series is that with the 35mm F1.4 and using the optical finder you essentially have the equivant of an M9 with 50 Summilux, but the EVF makes it a lot easier to use longer and wider lenses and lets you have zooms as well, which makes it a real DSLR alternative unless you need quick AF (which is the one real weakness of the X100 and the X-Pro 1). I started this year with all my Leica stuff (now sold) a full frame Nikon system and some micro 4/3 stuff, plus the X100 - I can see myself ending it with just the X-Pro 1 and the X100.

 

[Gazzah]

"The D800 is a whole other story!" True, I decided a couple of years back that I wouldnt get another DSLR until an affordable full frame was available. Since then I havent used my current batch that much, but still have a small shed load of nikon lenses. I got back into film and bought a Bessa, then another one, then the M5, then the M6. I also have a few old folders that see regular use. So I agree that the thought of carting around a bag of gear and a dirty great DSLR puts me off. I do need high ISO on occasions so maybe the xp1 is the one for me, but £>3k for a new system......

Why the x100 and xp1, is there not some serious overlap there?

G

 

[Steveh]

"

Why the x100 and xp1, is there not some serious overlap there?

G

I had an X100 and then I couldn't resist buying an X-Pro 1 😛

They have similar interfaces but the X100 is quite a bit smaller and more compact as a carry around camera, the OVF seems a little bigger and 35mm is my absolute favourite focal length. I might think about selling the X100 when the 23mm lens for the X-Pro 1 comes out but I suspect I won't. In film terms the X100 is a Hexar AF and the X-Pro is a Contax G2, so I'm quite happy to have them both.

 

[eric23]

I just put an offer on a used M8 for 2K, that seems like the going price.