FallisPhoto
Veteran
I've been buying vintage cameras (mostly rangefinders and folders) on ebay for years now, and I thought I'd give some of the newer ebayers the benefeit of my experience. The number one problem you will run into is that what is said in the item descriptions on ebay is rarely what is actually meant. I offer the following translations:
Mint: This does not mean "like new," as it would anywhere else. It means the camera is a solid mass of rust and corrosion, protected by a thin skin of metal that still manages to look like new.
Minty: This is not the same thing as mint. If you take the aforementioned "mint" camera, scratch your name, address, social security number, brief personal history, and children's favorite bedtime stories into the base plate with a rusty nail, rip off the leatherette from the back and replace it with Christmas wrapping paper, then it can be said to be "minty."
Good condition: Don't take this literally. The camera's appearance and working condition are two different things. One of them is good, but the other almost certainly isn't. The bellows probably has more holes than a piece of lace would, someone has worked on the shutter and found he had five leftover parts upon reassembly (which he discarded), and the rear lens element is missing. Looks good though. There is a tiny spot, somewhere amid all the lens fungus, that you can still see through, if you hold it at just the right angle.
Good condition for it's age: This means the camera was either accidentally run over, several times, by Mack trucks, or was used for batting practice. The lens fungus has been there long enough that it has discovered fire, invented the wheel, and is chipping primitive tools out of the glass of the lens.
Working condition: It works fine -- as a paperweight, a door stop, a fishing sinker -- just don't expect to take photos with it. The lens fungus is driving around in small automobiles.
As is: Someone cleaned the shutter by pulling a 20-foot length of barbwire through it and dipping it in acid. The post-apocalyptic lens fungus has begun to mutate. Back away slowly and try not to show any signs of fear. If there is a stout stick nearby, you might want to pick it up.
Untested: This means "I stuck a new battery in it and nothing happened. It wouldn't even turn on."
"I don't know anything about cameras, but...": This means "I know pretty much everything about cameras. This one is broken beyond repair, but I don't want to say so."
No reserve!: This actually means "Please don't check my shipping costs; they have been known to cause seizures, rashes and bleeding gums."
"Rare!": Yeah, you rarely see a common-as-dirt camera like this with its leatherette spray painted that color.
"Worked last time I used it.": Just think about this for a second. Last time he used it, it worked. Then it stopped working, so he couldn't use it anymore. That's why he's selling it.
Mint: This does not mean "like new," as it would anywhere else. It means the camera is a solid mass of rust and corrosion, protected by a thin skin of metal that still manages to look like new.
Minty: This is not the same thing as mint. If you take the aforementioned "mint" camera, scratch your name, address, social security number, brief personal history, and children's favorite bedtime stories into the base plate with a rusty nail, rip off the leatherette from the back and replace it with Christmas wrapping paper, then it can be said to be "minty."
Good condition: Don't take this literally. The camera's appearance and working condition are two different things. One of them is good, but the other almost certainly isn't. The bellows probably has more holes than a piece of lace would, someone has worked on the shutter and found he had five leftover parts upon reassembly (which he discarded), and the rear lens element is missing. Looks good though. There is a tiny spot, somewhere amid all the lens fungus, that you can still see through, if you hold it at just the right angle.
Good condition for it's age: This means the camera was either accidentally run over, several times, by Mack trucks, or was used for batting practice. The lens fungus has been there long enough that it has discovered fire, invented the wheel, and is chipping primitive tools out of the glass of the lens.
Working condition: It works fine -- as a paperweight, a door stop, a fishing sinker -- just don't expect to take photos with it. The lens fungus is driving around in small automobiles.
As is: Someone cleaned the shutter by pulling a 20-foot length of barbwire through it and dipping it in acid. The post-apocalyptic lens fungus has begun to mutate. Back away slowly and try not to show any signs of fear. If there is a stout stick nearby, you might want to pick it up.
Untested: This means "I stuck a new battery in it and nothing happened. It wouldn't even turn on."
"I don't know anything about cameras, but...": This means "I know pretty much everything about cameras. This one is broken beyond repair, but I don't want to say so."
No reserve!: This actually means "Please don't check my shipping costs; they have been known to cause seizures, rashes and bleeding gums."
"Rare!": Yeah, you rarely see a common-as-dirt camera like this with its leatherette spray painted that color.
"Worked last time I used it.": Just think about this for a second. Last time he used it, it worked. Then it stopped working, so he couldn't use it anymore. That's why he's selling it.
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petronius
Veteran
There are sentences like: "Experts will know what gem this camera is!" and "For more information see the attached photo." The photo is normally a blurry cellphone picture on which you can see anything but the item.
To be serious, I had more positive than negative experiences with (german) ebay sellers.
To be serious, I had more positive than negative experiences with (german) ebay sellers.
ruby.monkey
Veteran
You know what they say - "If Life gives you lemons, sell 'em on eBay".
Z
zeezea
Guest
My favorite description was....."almost mint PLUS".... and as for the photos, sometimes they have the clarity of your typical Bigfoot snapshot.
Regards,
Al
Regards,
Al
rbsinto
Well-known
When I see "mint" or my all-time favorite "minty" used to describe a piece of photogrear, I always assume it refers to flavour, and nothing more.
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chris00nj
Young Luddite
Very funny!
I also love how when a seller writes "As-Is" on the description that means that you are not allowed to be annoyed that the condition of the camera or lens is much worse than otherwise described, and somehow you should be prevented from leaving a bad review. Writing "as-is" is not a get-out-of-jail-free card.
"Rare" is so common on eBay. My favorite is "Rare Leica Luftwaffe copy" and there are five of them for sale from the same vendor.
And just because something is rare, doesn't mean it is valuable.
I also hate it when they stick the Leica copies in the Leica folder
Lastly, why do people say the word "minty"? It annoys me just to see it. Can't people just write "mint" without adding a "y" in order to sound like a 2-year old.
I also love how when a seller writes "As-Is" on the description that means that you are not allowed to be annoyed that the condition of the camera or lens is much worse than otherwise described, and somehow you should be prevented from leaving a bad review. Writing "as-is" is not a get-out-of-jail-free card.
"Rare" is so common on eBay. My favorite is "Rare Leica Luftwaffe copy" and there are five of them for sale from the same vendor.
And just because something is rare, doesn't mean it is valuable.
I also hate it when they stick the Leica copies in the Leica folder
Lastly, why do people say the word "minty"? It annoys me just to see it. Can't people just write "mint" without adding a "y" in order to sound like a 2-year old.
oftheherd
Veteran
A slight difference in connotation. Minty is a dimunutive. Makes it a little less than mint. It gives the seller more wiggle room when you complain just because the camera back on the Leica doesn't latch, and has a Holga logo on it.
EDIT: Thinking about it, I wonder why the seller of a Voightlander lens I just bought didn't use that word. It was listed as being purchased from an estate, and due to the way it was stored, he was assuming there was mildew. From the way it smelled, I am assuming the former owner died in a flood because Noah wouldn't let him on the ark.
Well, honestly I suspected something and was surprised I got it for less than about $10.00 (including shipping). Anybody looking for a "minty" 135 f/4?
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oftheherd
Veteran
…and the number one phrase that absolves the seller from any personal responsibility is….."I’m selling it for a friend"
... whose husband just passed away.
Al Patterson
Ferroequinologist
The camera tastes great, your wallet will be less filling if you buy it.
I have had the image come to mind of some strange dude licking his cameras to check whether they are minty or just mint...
FallisPhoto
Veteran
FallisPhoto
Veteran
I always assume he's lying, and move on to something else. There is no such thing as a 50-year-old camera that is "mint." If it hasn't been used and maintained in 50 years, it won't work. Non-functional cameras are not mint. If it has been used and maintained, it isn't mint.
FallisPhoto
Veteran
So have I, but every now and then I run into one where -- well, either the seller is a really amazingly incompetent con man, or he is so utterly clueless that he ought to be kept on a leash.
FallisPhoto
Veteran
... whose husband just passed away.
...while serving in Iraq.
FallisPhoto
Veteran
Awwwww, didn't hims wike my widdle cammy?
alliv
Member
A few days ago I stumbled upon the following description: "the lens was never abused optically"... whatever that can be..
ederek
Well-known
Thanks, this brought a smile.
....yet they are real fears.
Bought a Kiev 4 a couple months ago and was pleasantly surprised by the condition considering the low price. This emboldened me...
Gambled again... ...and a nice M4 with a couple lenses arrived this week!
It was 'as described', though there was an extra shutter release cable, the lenses look perfect and are very smooth. Both had filters on them, with the 50mm Sumicron having an orig matching Leica filter that was clearly never off the lens. Couldn't be happier with the camera.
FallisPhoto - what isn't on the list is the opposing bidder with 500 'wins' that comes in 2 minutes before the auction is over and bids you up $250!!! My adrenaline hadn't pumped as much in the past 2 months as at the end of those 2 minutes!! Went over my 'target' max bid, but rationalized it by figuring it must be a collector or reseller that saw a good value...
Feeling lucky now....
....yet they are real fears.
Bought a Kiev 4 a couple months ago and was pleasantly surprised by the condition considering the low price. This emboldened me...
Gambled again... ...and a nice M4 with a couple lenses arrived this week!
It was 'as described', though there was an extra shutter release cable, the lenses look perfect and are very smooth. Both had filters on them, with the 50mm Sumicron having an orig matching Leica filter that was clearly never off the lens. Couldn't be happier with the camera.
FallisPhoto - what isn't on the list is the opposing bidder with 500 'wins' that comes in 2 minutes before the auction is over and bids you up $250!!! My adrenaline hadn't pumped as much in the past 2 months as at the end of those 2 minutes!! Went over my 'target' max bid, but rationalized it by figuring it must be a collector or reseller that saw a good value...
Feeling lucky now....
FallisPhoto
Veteran
A few days ago I stumbled upon the following description: "the lens was never abused optically"... whatever that can be..
No one looked at it very hard?
chris00nj
Young Luddite
…and the number one phrase that absolves the seller from any personal responsibility is….."I’m selling it for a friend"
They usually combine "I'm selling it for a friend" with "I don't know much about cameras." If I didn't know a lot about cameras and had a friend knew a ton about cameras, I might ask him to sell it for me. However, if he didn't know sh*t either, why on Earth would I ask him to sell it.
FallisPhoto
Veteran
Yeah, I get that one a lot. What I do is make ridiculously low bids on many good or interesting cameras and hope one slips through the cracks. Occasionally, one does. One time about a month went by when one guy bid on everything I did, but he did it about 2 seconds before the end of the auctions. I'm still not sure how he did that.
FallisPhoto
Veteran
1. Because BOTH guys are idiots!!!
or...
2. Because he's lying. He knows a lot about cameras and he's not selling it for a friend. He knows it is broken, doesn't want to say it is, and he wants his non-existent friend to take the blame.
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