Good demand for the R-D1 on eBay

[rogermota]

Thanks for the welcome Doug!

I did ponder that. But I'm a bit too much of a control freak to allow a lab to process my film. And the fact that scanners multiply the grain... its a bit of a toss up really. If there were a 24MP RD-1 (for $3000) it'd be a very straight forward choice... digital. With film/digital setup there's the costs of film, processing, the scanner, and in the end I still wouldnt be able to print my own stuff on real Afga Multicontrast Classic. I'm also getting back to commercial studio photography so digital goes a long way to keep costs down and time spent to a minimum.

So yeah there are strong arguments for both sides and its probably more of what each person thinks will suit them best for the near future. I'm crossing my fingers and jumping head in to all digital in a serious manner. I know it'd regret it if I didnt give it a go.

BTW, just now bought a Summicron Rigid from fellow RFF member Tom Johnston (very cool guy). Now on the hunt for that elusive used R-D1! 🙂

 

[rogermota]

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.

WOW! I hadn't acutally noticed! That seems like a bloody good deal considering buying from Hong Kong would probably be a toss up between praying the cam doesnt get lost with no insurance (and saving £177) or insuring it and getting 17.5% slapped on, in which case is more expensive and only has 1 yr HK warranty.

So very tempting! Still a TON of money tho...

 

[SteveRD1]

I may list mine as well

I may list mine as well

But with the Leica Summilux 50 1.4 Asph, 3 batteries, 2 1GB Extreme III cards, 1 512 card and the Voightlander 35 2.5 PII lens.

Wonder what that would fetch? I had a loss of income by 80% 3 weeks ago and I cant afford to keep mine. I hate ebay though as I have been burned by buyers before.

Steve

 

[Larry Kellogg]

Steve,
I'm sorry to hear about your misfortune. I think you should sell everything separately in order to get the most money for your equipment. As for eBay, I'm also sorry to hear that you've had bad experiences. It isn't a bad idea to specify in your listing that you will cancel the bids of people who have fewer than 5 (or 10?) positives or who haven't written to you before placing their bids. Of course, never ship before receiving payment, wait on any checks, be wary of money orders, etc.

Good luck!

Larry

P.S. I don't think you will lose that much money, given that your equipment is close to new...

 

[peterbilitch]

Steve,

Sorry to read about the change in fortunes, I hope you find something new very soon.

I would also like to echo Larry's comments regarding eBay. Although combining the 512Mb card with the camera might help increase potential interest, I would strongly suggest that you sell the remaining items separately.

Since you purchased the Leica Summilux new and at list price, you might also consider waiting to see how soon your fortunes change for the better before selling. This lens is likely to be the item that will see the greatest depreciation on re-sale value, as seen by another member of this forum who sold an R-D1 and two Leica lenses about one week after the initial purchase. Despite a clear explanation on eBay regarding the age and condition of the equipment, the final bid for the lenses was not close to the original purchase price.

Once again, I hope that things turn around for you in the near future. Indeed Steve, you certainly seem to have a positive approach to life, and I am sure that you will soon manage to successfully interview your way through to a new position.

Peter

 

[Jim Watts]

I saw a second hand R-D1 for the first time in a dealers yesterday (R.G. Lewis, Holborn, London if anyone wants to check it out) . They were asking 1495 GBP which is 500 GBP off the U.K. new price. It looked mint, but I didn't check it out as the temptation to spend money I don't have on a second body might have been too much. 🙁

 

[rogermota]

was that including VAT?

 

[Larry Kellogg]

As an example of not selling separately, check out this auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Rollei-Leica-Co...7537813087QQcategoryZ3354QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


This is at least the second time around for this auction, with no bidders. I guess nobody can figure out if $25k is a fair price or not. I'm interested in his little Leica tabletop tripod but I'm not willing to spend $25k to get it. I feel like writing to the guy but he seems dead set on selling everything together. Maybe he'll find a buyer.....

Larry

 

[Jim Watts]

was that including VAT?

I would think so. It was just in their window at this price and I am fairly certain that they always quote their prices in the shop as including VAT.

R.G. Lewis are mainly (a well known) Leica dealer and have been in business in the Holborn area for years. I have brought them them in the past, they are not the chaepest, but service is generally good and they are certainly more knowledgable than Jessops!

I wonder what they paid the seller?

 

[Jim Watts]

Roger,
I just saw in your other thread that you were looking for one under about $2400 or about 1350 GBP at todays rate. I suspect that if you were interested they might come down a bit? They are listing new R-D1's at 2,000 GBP on their web site: http://www.rglewis.co.uk/ but I can't see a listing for the secondhand one I saw yesterday.

As I said it looks mint, but given some of the problems reported here I personally would wan't to check it out before putting money down.

Jim

 

[satbunny]

I would think so. It was just in their window at this price and I am fairly certain that they always quote their prices in the shop as including VAT.

R.G. Lewis are mainly (a well known) Leica dealer and have been in business in the Holborn area for years. I have brought them them in the past, they are not the chaepest, but service is generally good and they are certainly more knowledgable than Jessops!

I wonder what they paid the seller?

It's not legal in the UK to exclude VAT unless your audience is mainly trade based.

 

[rogermota]

Tell that to most web retailers. Usually prices listed ex vat and only after you click on more info does it show +VAT. I hate that.

 

[rogermota]

Roger,
I just saw in your other thread that you were looking for one under about $2400 or about 1350 GBP at todays rate. I suspect that if you were interested they might come down a bit?
[...]
As I said it looks mint, but given some of the problems reported here I personally would wan't to check it out before putting money down.

Jim

Thanks for that Jim. Yeah my main concern with that is obviously not knowing and probably not really being able to properly test the cam for defects and also in what condition it is. I mean, someone bought it full price and then sold it for god knows how little for the shop to list it for £1495. Something fishy. I'd MUCH rather buy one form someone here, fellow photographer, that is able to accurately report the condition of their cam. And that infact I'm doing. I'm buying Steve's. I feel really bad that he has to sell it because of $ concerns. I'd personally much rather buy from someone who didn't find the cam fit their style, cuz I feel real bad for Steve. But then on the other hand, he needs the cash and I'm giving it to him... all in all good karma I reckon.

Expect more of the good old "I'm also a newbie R-D1 user" post some time soon 🙂

-rog

 

[Jim Watts]

Roger,
This sounds by far the best way to buy your R-D1. Its sad that in Steve's case he has to part with his for financial reasons and not shooting style, but at least he knows its going to someone who will appreciate its qualities, so as you say "good karma" all round.

I look forward to your impressions of how the R-D1works for you.

Jim

 

[Jim Watts]

...I mean, someone bought it full price and then sold it for god knows how little for the shop to list it for £1495. Something fishy. ...

-rog

To be fair to R.G. Lewis, who I am not connected with or trying either to promote or dengrate, £1495 sounds about right to me for a camera that should sell. That's 75% of the new price (in the U.K.) and at any higher than that I don't think it would be an attractive proposition over a new one. Digital cameras plunge in value in months generally and its probably only the R-D1's unique qualities and limited availability that are keeping its price up. So any small dealer is taking a risk having one on their shelves. They would certainly have to price a more "common" camera for less.

If Lewis thought they could sell the camera and someone traded it in for other equipment they may not have come off to badly. When I brought my R-D1 (from Jacobs, another good and knowledgable dealer, at least in the New Oxford St. branch) I traded a Plaubel Makina 67 and they gave me about 70% of what they could be expected to get retail, which I thought was pretty fair. Generally of course selling to dealers gives you much less than this, but probably reflects how long they think they will have it on their shelves.

I still like to support small to medium size dealers who have a good product knowledge, can properly demonstrate equipment and give good back-up (not all do of course) as long as there is not too much of a price gap. Nothing beats trying a camera in your hand to see how it works for you, something you can't do over the internet.

Most dealers of this calibre are having a pretty hard time in the current trading climate, especially if people use them to try a camera and then purchase cheaper elsewhere. If all these dealers disappear we will certainly be left with even less choice than now. I am old enough to remember when the Holborn area used to be full of new and secondhand camera shops, all specialising in certain areas and staffed by real photography enthuisasts. This is already sadly long gone. 🙁

 

[rogermota]

I still like to support small to medium size dealers who have a good product knowledge, can properly demonstrate equipment and give good back-up (not all do of course) as long as there is not too much of a price gap. Nothing beats trying a camera in your hand to see how it works for you, something you can't do over the internet.

That's a very good point. To be honest I haven't been actively involved in photography since moving to the UK 3 years ago so thank you very much for mentioning trusted places in London. Now that I'm getting back to the field I'm sure I'll become very well acquainted with them in the future. My choice in the US was always B&H (every scrap of money I had went directly to them for paper and film) tho I do very much like the personal attention you get with small dealers.

 

[DaShiv]

Well, my R-D1 is on the chopping block now...

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=120608