Good demand for the R-D1 on eBay

[Larry Kellogg]

Here is a listing for an R-D1 which just sold for $3105. There were over 23 bids on the camera, indicating that there was strong demand for it. Granted, there were a lot of goodies included in this auction but I think it is still a good sign that the camera is sought after...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7537096833&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT&rd=1

I think people do themselves a disservice if they sell the camera at too low a price in a fixed price listing.

Now, I know the value of the R-D1 will drop, but, at the moment, it has no substitute so I can see why the price/demand remains high....


Regards,

Larry

 

[Terence T]

The extras are worth about $500+ in that package. Most ebay auctions for the R-D1 end about the $2500 - $2600 level so this one is no different. Incidentally, you could pick up a new one in Asia for that price. Great cam...

 

[DaShiv]

Is there much interest in used R-D1's here on RFF? I'll be selling mine soon (need the funds for a car repair ) and I was considering eBaying it since I had assumed that everyone on RFF who wanted one has already picked one up by now, since the price hasn't really changed much (if at all). If people are still pricewatching the R-D1 though, then maybe there's some interest left around here for a used one...

I'd *much* rather sell my R-D1 here on RFF though, even if I can pick up a few more bucks for it on eBay. I've seen first-hand that the R-D1 won't be lonely in the hands of an RFFer...

 

[ducttape]

Is there much interest in used R-D1's here on RFF? I'll be selling mine soon (need the funds for a car repair ) and I was considering eBaying it since I had assumed that everyone on RFF who wanted one has already picked one up by now, since the price hasn't really changed much (if at all). If people are still pricewatching the R-D1 though, then maybe there's some interest left around here for a used one...

I'd *much* rather sell my R-D1 here on RFF though, even if I can pick up a few more bucks for it on eBay. I've seen first-hand that the R-D1 won't be lonely in the hands of an RFFer...

Oh, I know I'm gonna regret posting this reply, but I think I might be interested. PM or email when you know? Thx, David

 

[Terence T]

Plenty of demand here on RFF, I was looking around for one a couple of months back and so were 2 or 3 other folks at that time. A lot of users end up buying a new one because used copies, without its known issues, are hard to come by.

 

[Larry Kellogg]

Is there much interest in used R-D1's here on RFF? I'll be selling mine soon (need the funds for a car repair ) and I was considering eBaying it since I had assumed that everyone on RFF who wanted one has already picked one up by now, since the price hasn't really changed much (if at all). If people are still pricewatching the R-D1 though, then maybe there's some interest left around here for a used one...

I'd *much* rather sell my R-D1 here on RFF though, even if I can pick up a few more bucks for it on eBay. I've seen first-hand that the R-D1 won't be lonely in the hands of an RFFer...

Sell the car, keep the camera.

I'm curious why you wouldn't take the extra money for the camera. Why do you care if the camera is lonely or not? A few more bucks is a few more bucks for your car repair. Of course, you would avoid the listing and final value fees from eBay by selling it here....

Larry

 

[Stephanie Brim]

Most people here tend to like to see their gear go to someone who will use it rather than have it go to someone who won't. The snipers on the Bay are sometimes people who will do nothing but try and sell the thing back at a profit. Here, it's well known that it will get used and used well.

 

[DaShiv]

Sell the car, keep the camera.

Don't tempt me!

I'm curious why you wouldn't take the extra money for the camera. Why do you care if the camera is lonely or not?

It's a great question. If someone handed me cash for the camera on the street, I probably wouldn't really care who I sold it to. But I've compared my eBay experiences to my experiences selling on community sites like FredMiranda.com (for DSLR equipment) and it's a world of difference. With eBay, if everything works out I may receive more money, but it's just not worth the hoop-jumping, the scams, and the anxiety, especially for a big-ticket item like the R-D1. Transactions on community sites feel much more like a "sure thing" since everyone has a name and reputation to stand behind.

That, and after seeing how much fun everyone had mounting different lenses onto my R-D1 at the last RFF meetup, I can't help but feel that the camera would be in better hands with someone who would be tickled pink trying all their lenses on a digital body. I wish that I had a larger collection of lenses to try to do justice to the camera (I've been eyeing the new ZI lenses...) but I can't really afford to at this point.

On a tangent, I've thought very long and hard about picking up a used Bessa, but it's just not practical at all for me to incorporate developing/dusting/scanning into my current all-digital workflow, unless someone happens to know of a place in the SF Bay Area that can process B&W film and output high-res (6+ megapixel equivalent) 16-bit scans at a reasonable (well okay, cheap) price. Otherwise, I know I'll just be saving my pennies again and buying another R-D1 somewhere down the line, since I'm hopelessly addicted to this beautiful Leica lens I'll be holding on to...

 

[Larry Kellogg]

Most people here tend to like to see their gear go to someone who will use it rather than have it go to someone who won't. The snipers on the Bay are sometimes people who will do nothing but try and sell the thing back at a profit. Here, it's well known that it will get used and used well.

Well, I don't agree with you. I think people buy things on eBay because they're going to use them. If you get the best price, there is little room for profit.

As for me, everything I don't use gets sold on eBay and everything I've bought from eBay is actively used. If it doesn't get used, it goes back on eBay. I don't think sniping has anything to do with it. Sniping is just a way of trying to win an auction. I think eBay is a large and effective market which will bring you the best price for your camera or lenses, or anything else, for that matter.

Here is an example. I sold a beautiful Canon 35mm 1.4L lens on eBay for over $1300. That's what the market decided it was worth because that lens was out of stock at the time I sold it. That lens is sold by B&H for about $1150, when they have it.

As for reputation, I have a much stronger reputation on eBay than I do here, mainly because I have 112 positives on eBay, with no negatives. While I do appreciate the community spirit of these forums, I'm not sure you always get the best price for your goods. Who is to say that someone won't buy a camera at a lower price from someone on this list and make a profit by selling it on eBay?

Regards,

Larry

 

[XAos]

I dont currently snipe because I've gotten lazy. But the reason many people do it is to deal with dishonest sellers. More than once I had an auction bid up in min bid increments, for quite a series, then they would cancel the final bid saying it was a mistake. The same 3 buyers bought from this one fellow over and over with a multitude of bid cancellations, and ebay didn't even contact me back about it. I mean 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 27, oops 27 was a typo. But ebay cares not one WHIT about the buyer, only the seller sends them money.

Bid Discovery is RAMPANT on ebay. A year or two ago it was the norm rather than the exception. In essence all sniping does is convert the auction into a pseudo sealed bid auction - which I think is actually a more fair and honest method for all parties anyway.

 

[004540]

eBay buyers are crazy! I've sold so many items over the years on eBay that fetched close to, equal or above the price for the same item new! Some of the items I've sold were a year old! Great for me but what's the deal with these buyers? Are they clueless with what they can get the item for new online?

I recently sold a Canon 17-40L lens that was close to a year old with a chip on the lens cap for $560. I bought the lens new from Dell.com during a sale for $540!

That's great that the R-D1 are fetching a decent price on the used market but again, these eBayers are crazy! I bought my R-D1 new "out the door" for $2767.

 

[pfogle]

eBay buyers are crazy!

I agree with that... I have a brother who's a bit of an ebay addict... he's more interested in the buzz of 'winning' (funny word for spending more than you have to ) than how much he spends. It's like the lottery - an occasional win makes people spend far more in total on tickets than their winnings can justify. We are (R-D1 owners particularly) emotional rather than rational creatures.

Phil

 

[rogermota]

(new here) I want my R-D1!

(new here) I want my R-D1!

Lo!

Been intensely reading/lurking RFF for the past week in what has now become dangerously close to obsessing about getting an R-D1 and reading R-D1 posts! So hello everyone!

If anyone's in doubt whether there's interest in used ones, YES! Besides, it couldn't hurt to post and see what responses you get.

Disclaimer: Personal introduction/photo story, skip if you'd like

Personally my interest in photography in a serious/dedicated manner came during college. Not too keen on the term fine art photography, but that's the closest thing that describes what I was/am after. I loved dedicating myself to a project and sticking with it for 6months to a year or more if the content still remained fresh.

I've never really ever used a rangefinder before. Started off on a manual Ricoh SLR but quickly grew out of 35mm and SLRs and jumped right in to medium format using what I think is one of the best buys one could ever come across on eBay, a pristine Rolleiflex TLR 3.5 Planar. Using a camera that I connected to (never could with an SLR) and processing & printing my own work was the closest thing to being in photo nirvana. Sadly I had to graduate, and with the loss of the darkroom came the loss of interest in "fine art photography" as I financially could not/cannot afford to build my own darkroom (Im the type that needs to control every single little aspect down to what type of light is used in the enlarger).

3 years pass, and now with my discovery of the RD-1, Sean's ever so indepth and helpful reviews, and RFF, I seriously think I can get very close to what I had in college by using the RD-1. The only compromise is that:

1. 35mm format: I'll feel like I'm cheating by cropping my images to fit 6x7 format as I'm avid that your photos should be what you saw in the frame (shot 6x6 with the Rollei but towards the end was seriously considering moving on to Mamiya 6x7)

2. I did at the time and still want to do 16x20 prints (well, 14x14 and 1inch handling borders on the 6x6 Rollei). 6MP doesnt really cut it, but photoshop does go a long way... and anything below 24MP is a compromise anyway.

3. I'll have no way of controlling my prints for at least a year til I can recover my bank account from the depths of hell after purchasing an R-D1, so I'll have to rely on 3rd party photo printing.

But these seem like acceptable compromises to be able to go back to doing what I love doing. Some time over the weekend I'll post my college work if anyone's fancies having a go (big fan of critique). And if anyone wants to own a very good qual Rollei, its up for sale soon (as much as I adore the Rollei, it has to go).

Anyone think I'm insane for lusting over the R-D1?

Ok that was a really long post. Sorry for any inconvenience

 

[RML]

The extras are worth about $500+ in that package. Most ebay auctions for the R-D1 end about the $2500 - $2600 level so this one is no different. Incidentally, you could pick up a new one in Asia for that price. Great cam...

Ain't that right! Get in touch with Dr Joseph Yao in Hong Kong and he'll be able to sell you an R-D1 that's been checked. I paid in total, including shipping fees and dutch Customs fees, some 2500 euro.

 

[Larry Kellogg]

I dont currently snipe because I've gotten lazy. But the reason many people do it is to deal with dishonest sellers. More than once I had an auction bid up in min bid increments, for quite a series, then they would cancel the final bid saying it was a mistake. The same 3 buyers bought from this one fellow over and over with a multitude of bid cancellations, and ebay didn't even contact me back about it. I mean 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 27, oops 27 was a typo. But ebay cares not one WHIT about the buyer, only the seller sends them money.

Bid Discovery is RAMPANT on ebay. A year or two ago it was the norm rather than the exception. In essence all sniping does is convert the auction into a pseudo sealed bid auction - which I think is actually a more fair and honest method for all parties anyway.

I wonder what percentage of auctions on eBay fall victim to this kind of scamming? It has not been my experience. Won't eBay suspend the accounts of people who abusively bid/cancel in order to try to get a lower price? It seems like a pretty easy pattern to discover. A lot of people on eBay are both buyers and sellers. I wouldn't jeopardize my rating by engaging in these practices.

I still think there are enough honest people involved in these auctions in order to set a fair market price. I don't see widespread collusion in order to lower prices. Sure, people do get a little emotional in order to "win" an auction, thereby inflating the prices a bit. Still, with the search tools available, it is easy to find what other identical items have sold for. There is inflation, as well, so items do go up in value, if they're in "new" condition and highly sought after. Perhaps Dell was selling their lenses too cheaply, so that's why they commanded a higher price on eBay.

Larry

 

[XAos]

Bid discovery is not to lower the price, but a ploy by the seller using shill bidders (already fraud) to bid up in increments until the current high bidder is outbid. Then only the highest bid is retracted, leaving the previous high bidder still the high bidder, but at the very maximum amount he entered.

Ebay nominally considers this bad behavior, but the reality is they DONT STINKING CARE because they 1) get their money from the seller, and this maximizes what they make, and 2)they would just say that you wouldn't have bid that if you didn't feel it was worth it. The 2nd time it happened to me, I went back and discovered the same 3 or 4 accounts bidding on this seller's auctions retracting bids, and ebay didn't even have the courtesy to act - all that ever happened was I got a thank you for emailing us form response.

 

[Larry Kellogg]

Bid discovery is not to lower the price, but a ploy by the seller using shill bidders (already fraud) to bid up in increments until the current high bidder is outbid. Then only the highest bid is retracted, leaving the previous high bidder still the high bidder, but at the very maximum amount he entered.

Ebay nominally considers this bad behavior, but the reality is they DONT STINKING CARE because they 1) get their money from the seller, and this maximizes what they make, and 2)they would just say that you wouldn't have bid that if you didn't feel it was worth it. The 2nd time it happened to me, I went back and discovered the same 3 or 4 accounts bidding on this seller's auctions retracting bids, and ebay didn't even have the courtesy to act - all that ever happened was I got a thank you for emailing us form response.

Ah, thanks for the explanation. I believe a similar technique could be used by shill buyers who collude to get a lower price. The fake high bidders come in, raise the price, and then retract their bids in the end in order for the low bidder to win the auction.

So, if this happened to you, you should tell the seller that the auction was tainted and you're not buying the item from them. Report them to eBay and explain the reason why you're not taking the item. Let the seller give you negative feedback and you can give the seller negative feedback that they're using shills. That will put a dent in their business...

Larry

 

[RML]

Never put in the maximum amount you have in mind! I rather place a bid 2 or 3 times than become a victim to this shilling. And if I don't win than too bad, there's always another time.

 

[Doug]

But these seem like acceptable compromises to be able to go back to doing what I love doing. Some time over the weekend I'll post my college work if anyone's fancies having a go (big fan of critique). And if anyone wants to own a very good qual Rollei, its up for sale soon (as much as I adore the Rollei, it has to go).

Anyone think I'm insane for lusting over the R-D1?

Welcome to RFF, Roger! Great to get back into photography, in whatever way you can. But, yeah, you might reconsider the direction, though this comes down to the currently-raging issue of film vs digital, and not so on-topic for this thread. For somewhat less than the cost of the R-D1 body alone, consider a medium-format film scanner. Now you have digital AND film. Film is a great compact archiving medium too. If you want a different MF camera, you can always sell-off the Rollei for a Mamiya or whatever suits you better. Digital is handy for documenting damage and maintenance around my business, and for snapping shots of cameras for our incredible Cameras and Coffee thread... But for serious shooting I use film cameras such as Fuji GA/GS645, Bronica RF645, and Pentax 6x7. At the lab I ask for a CD of scans but no prints, and I really need to get my Minolta medium-format film scanner hooked up. Best wishes, and have fun pondering...

 

[peterbilitch]

It is interesting to see the eBay bid reaching $3000 even considering the additional equipment. Here in Germany shphoto have had 15 R-D1 cameras for sale for more than two weeks. Given the price at 2399 Euros along with a two year Epson EU warranty, I am quite surprised that there have been no buyers.

So it appears to be true, that eBay is not so good for your mental health.

Here are the links for those with an urge to buy:

http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7538457558

http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7538542788