How much is my M6 worth?

[ocean7]

Hello!

I purchased an M6 a few months ago and I really love this camera. I have some expenses ahead though. I already sold most of my digital gear and I hope I'll be able to keep the M6 but just in case I am asking for your expert thoughts on what it is worth.

This is a black classic M6 with an early serial number and "Leitz Wetzlar" on the top plate. Cosmetic condition is excellent with only a few scuffs on the baseplate as well as a little bit of chrome wear above the strap lugs. The eyepiece plastic eyelet is a bit chipped and there's a very tiny ding maybe 0.5mm in the upper left corner. Mechanics are perfect as I invested in a CLA a few weeks ago, this has been done by Gerry Smith at Kindermann. A very pleasant fellow btw.

Edit : yes I have the receipt for the CLA 🙂

I paid $1200 for the camera and $400 for the CLA. I don't want to loose to much so if you tell me it's worth $1100 I'll keep it and I'll sell my girlfriend's car instead.

Thanks a lot for your thoughts.

Philippe.

 

[Ken Ford]

Philippe, I would guess in the $1100-$1200 range with receipts for the CLA. I'd keep it - Montreal has good public transportation, doesn't it?

 

[kully]

Unfortunately, $1100 seems about right. May a couple hundred more because of the CLA (do you have the receipt?).

 

[thirteen]

Probably $1200 though a recent CLA might add a little more - Gerry at Kinderman is excellent. I don't see how you would get the $1600 you have invested in it back. Here's a good link for pricing.
http://members.aol.com/dcolucci/mmount.htm

 

[ocean7]

Montreal has good public transportation, doesn't it?

No it doesn't Ken. Buses are from WWII and the metro seems to be off order everytime I need to take it. I can bike though.

I see from the blazing fast replies that the M6 is indeed worth around $1100-1200 even with the CLA, as I feared. Maybe I can try to sell on eB*y and with a killer listing hope that some crazy bidders will get all excited and bid up to $1400.

Or anyone wants a 2002 Hyundai Accent, lady-driven? 😀

 

[jja]

Without looking at the camera, this is a little hard to answer, but the chrome wear, chipped eyepiece and ding make it less than Ex, and the problem is that you can get one pretty easily for $1200 (or less) w/ out the need for an immediate CLA. If at all possible, keep it and get use out of the CLA.

 

[Steve Bellayr]

An M6 in excellent condition has risen in price over the past three years. Three years ago in a box with recent CLA around $1200. They are not heading toward the $1600 mark, though not quite there yet. People moving from digital to film seem to prefer this camera. Pricewise it is still an excellent buy. Now, remember you are not selling retail. If you must keep one camera this is one that you should hold onto and forget about pricing. You will have much better chance at negotiating a price with a vehicle than an M6. Jan. & Feb. best months to buy cars anyway.

 

[Avotius]

I would be weary about a camera with chips and wear if I were out buying one, with a CLA 1100-1200 might be ok, but at that price I might be looking for one in better cosmetic condition, depends on the extent of the wear though, some people are pretty picky about such things.

 

[alien8]

Well, I am not sure if the prices for M6s are heading up. I just bought one on ebay two weeks ago. I was tracking the prices for a couple of weeks, and the average for an example in excellent condition was about $1100 to $1150, often with the original box and do dads. I got one that is in absolutely mint condition (but no presentation case/box) for $1108 USD. I don't see how you can expect to get much more than that... of course you never know on ebay. Too bad you didn't list yours earlier because I would have been happier to buy one in town.

 

[ocean7]

Thanks to everyone for the replies!

A few addditional thoughts...

1. I know an M6 can be had for "cheap" in the US but when the thing crosses the border here in QC we have to ad 14% taxes on top of the price.

2. I also know an M6 can be found for around $1000 on eBay but I'll never buy there because I've seen crap - and I mean real crap - advertised as "mint", and cameras in excellent cosmetical condition in deep need of a CLA when they reach the buyers' hands. I believe eBay must be used with extreme caution unless you can actuially handle the gear before you place a bid, it's a seller's site. If I had to buy that would be here on RFF from someone who know's what he's doing and with a good reputation. Amen!

 

[Not So Still Life]

I think it depends on how you try to sell it. When I was in a camera store last week (a reputable one where I've bought and sold a lot of gear including my M7 years ago, they told me if I sold it (to finance an M8, not giving up RFs forever 😉 ), they could give me $1500 for it tops. I didn't sell, not there with the rest of the money.

That being said, since places have to make a profit, you might get 1K or less if you sold it to a shop, unsure of what it would be if you sold it privately.

Is this a car belonging to your gf? I'd be careful then selling it. If one you bought from her, why not sell it, taking public transportation might take you to new places and scenes and make for some great photos.

- Danielle

 

[ferider]

The bottom line is, even though the camera is worth US 1600 (to you
and it would be to me as well as a proven user), you will unlikely
be able to sell it on ebay since buyers usually try to save the last dollar
possible, mostly ignoring real usability. As such it will compete with offers
around US 1000-1100. And honestly, here at RFF, most expect even
better prices than on ebay.

Last year I got an EXC+ M6 with box, etc, for US 1000. Great camera.
But only after time I found out that the meter is two stops less sensitive
than my other one, that the RF patch is darker, the RF cam slighty loose, etc.
Cosmetic condition won't tell you that. A CLA will.

Sorry,

Roland.

 

[oscroft]

If it's any use for comparison, earlier this year I bought a 1994 near-mint M6 classic for approx £650 ($1300) - boxed, with the plastic strip still on the bottom, and just the odd faint bright mark. And in that condition, a CLA was defintely not needed - I would pay less than that for an older and more used one with a few dings, even if it had had a CLA.

 

[JNewell]

Agree with all the above...paid $1200 for a like new Wetzlar M6 in the box. Condition is a negative offset, CLA is a positive offset, but even in a good private sale I think US$1200 is probably the high end and $1100 to even as little as $1000 is possible (in the US - prices may be better in Canada?). Unless prices are significantly higher in Canada, I'd sell the car...

 

[flyfoxx]

Compare your m6 to what keh is asking for the similar item. They are a good measuring tool for pricing.

 

[ocean7]

Compare your m6 to what keh is asking for the similar item. They are a good measuring tool for pricing.

Funny you say that because the previous owner purchased it one year ago from KEH for US$ 1300 - rated EXC+. I purchased this M6 because the seller said that as it was rated EXC+ there was for sure no need for a CLA.

When I sent the camera to Gerry Smith for inspection he told me that the camera had never been serviced since it was manufactured and then was in deep need of TLC. Don't get me wrong I buy from KEH from time to time and I often trust their ratings but in this case EXC+ was a bit overrated since a CLA was needed.

 

[JNewell]

KEH ratings cover cosmetics and function but not state of repair, and any all-mechanical camera that old (20+ years!) is likely to need service. The seller was, bluntly, mis-speaking.

KEH is a good pricing benchmark, but as private sellers we often don't get as much as KEH can get, for a variety of reasons. We also may want our gear to move faster than KEH wants to.

Be glad your M6 didn't have the experience mine did...after about a year of use, the electronics died. No one's fault - just bad luck. The early M6s are pretty well known for this potential fault. That was not a cheap repair.

 

[Tom A]

A couple of weeks ago I was at the LHSA meeting in Rochester. On the Sunday morning there is a"swap" meet and there was about 5-6 M6's for sale. Both black and chrome versions and in most cases with boxes and even warranty cards. Asking prices were from $1000 to an optimistic high of $1400 (mint, chrome in box). The average was $1200 and that was asking price. In most cases you could expect to offer $100 less and get it!
In the $ 1600 range you would be expecting Mint and boxed and even a 0.85 finder.
The early Wetzlar ones suffer from the reputation for faulty meter chips. In most cases these have been replaced.
Being in Montreal, you also get hit with the high Can$ value - whatever you get in US$ is really only worth 95% of that in Can$!

 

[Ken Ford]

Or anyone wants a 2002 Hyundai Accent, lady-driven? 😀

Is the lady included?

 

[saxshooter]

What Tom A said, did you have your Wetzlar meter chip updated, since it was one of the early ones? Given the condition you describe it and what you've put into it, you're better off holding on to it, because I don't think you'll do better than $1k.