Leica LTM Is the LTM market *that* bad right now?

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
Ken Ford

Ken Ford

Refuses to suffer fools
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Twice now I've tried to sell a LTM body and lens, and each time I've only gotten a single weak nibble. Is the used market for LTM gear that bad?
 
I'll make a sweeping generalization and say that LTM users are absolute cheapskates compared to M users. They're the off-the-grid, homeschooled hippies of the RF world. :D
 
Well, I'm about to give up. I was offering it here for substantially less than KEH pricing to "keep it in the family", but I'm going to have to post it on eBay - where I'll probably get more for it!

I'm actually very discouraged by how the classifieds have been working for me. Last time I listed a bunch of stuff, and only one small item sold! So far, I've spent $10 on ads and sold $30.
 
Same here, actually. My success rate with the paid classifieds is way lower than it was in the free days.
 
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I must say, this is the only forum I've ever seen that charges money for classifieds. If you're going to pay $5, why not go to eBay and let the whole world bid on it?
 
It’s a pretty little camera Ken, I was tempted, put off by the importation thing and VAT costs, and the homeschooled hippies stigma :)
 
...the VI-T I sold recently had a faint patchouli smell I could never quite get rid of. :D

That's a joke, for the humor-impaired out there. ;)
 
I don't think it's just this forum. I've been watching EBay closing prices, and they seem down from what you might expect. Not only LTM items, but all things rangefinder.
 
If it's the If you have in your .sig, I think you're right about it being hard(er) to sell. It's a special sorta camera and may need a special sorta guy to buy it... :D
 
kevin m said:
...the VI-T I sold recently had a faint patchouli smell I could never quite get rid of. :D

That's a joke, for the humor-impaired out there. ;)
Click to expand...

I thought I recognized something vaguely 60s-ish and familiar when I checked out THAT camera on Sunday! Really nice chrome, though. Actually, a cream-puff... a patchouli cream-puff, but still a cream-puff.
 
And yet I just saw a Certo folder sell for almost $600 (yikes!!!!!!) on ebay. That was a completed sale. Who knows......

Ray
 
Pachouli is the reason I decided for political science instead of art in choosing a college. It was a mistake ultimately, but at the time it seemed reasonable. Actually, when I catch a wiff of that stuff, I still think that.

I think the same thing about LTM and other cameras. Even M5s are down, at least, on ebay. And all of my recent auction s have gone overseas where the weak dollar is making it a really good deal for folks in Asia or Europe.

I've also been very disappointed with the classifieds here of late and my experiences echo some of the others above. The paid thing isn't cool, but that shouldn't affect the outcome of the ads. Probably a mix of the economy and something else...maybe everyone already has a Canon P, a Canonet, and a Yashica GSN.

Things sure don't fly off these pages as they once did!
 
Great example of synchronicity, on the day I post a IIIf in the classifieds....:)

I bought my IIIf on ebay about two months ago for £200 (with Jupiter 12 35mm, 50mm Industar and a lovelu Tewe viewfinder). I was so impressed with the pictures that I immediately started to wonder what an M6 would be like (naturally). I was thoroughly bitten by the bug, and so I went for it and bought an M6 TTL in near mint condition for £650 (It was a commission sale from a dealer, and I think I got a bargain). Anyway, I digress. I actually sold the IIIf twice; once to a guy who took three days to ask if I would mind taking a cheque (I did mind), and once to a nasty piece of work who refused to pay postage on it in case he won another of my auctions which ended six days later. So, sick of e-bay, I removed the listing and considered keeping the camera. Anyway, one scanner and a couple of lenses later, I've decided to sell it again- but I really can't be bothered navigating the bay.

So, what's my point? I don't know:) I don't think that LTM fans are cheap, but that they're mainly willing to pay a lot more for a mint version of the camera and then keep it in cabinet rather than use it. Could be that, although LTM's are great to use, people figure they may as well pay a couple of hundred pounds more for an M. And that's what I did. Wish I'd bought he M6 first and saved myself a lot of hassle, but hey ho- one thing led to another.
 
kevin m said:
I'll make a sweeping generalization and say that LTM users are absolute cheapskates compared to M users. They're the off-the-grid, homeschooled hippies of the RF world. :D
Click to expand...

I resemble that remark........

...actually I find it more important to buy food, pay bills and a mortgage than to dish out hundreds, thousands for a camera and lenses when I can make just as good or better images with "cheap" cameras than the majority people on this forum who insist that Leica is the ONLY way to go and everyone else is just cheap or doesnt know any better!

thank you!
 
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It was nice buying a IIIc and a lens on RFF but it bothred me when the sellers didn´t let me get out of their hug.....
 
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