Leica MP - How did this slip through at this price

J

jljohn

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I have been looking for a second M body, and am torn between another M6 or an MP. So, I decided to poke around ebay for a few minutes this evening to see what MP's are there and how much they have sold for. Most of what I see is about what I expected--somewhere in the vicinity of $2,750--$3,000, but then I found this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Leica-MP-35mm-0...ilm_Cameras&hash=item45fa691394#ht_956wt_1141

Does a little bit of paint wear really cut the value of a used MP in half? Am I missing something here or did someone just get a killer deal?
 
Weird things happen in eBay. A Leica Elmarit 135mm f2.8 sold once for $156 (to me). A Nikon AF-S 24-85 sold for $175 (also to yours truly). And, of course, a Contax G1 with a 45mm Planar sold for $150 (not to me).

Luck of the draw I'd say... BTW, even to me, immune to the MP charms, that camera was some beauty...
 
It went Buy it Now. The seller was only asking that, so it only took one person willing to pay that to buy it.
 
The seller couldn't have known what it was worth, if that was the BIN price! Either that or it's a scam.
 
Mister E said:
It's not a scam. You guys are paranoid!
Click to expand...


Not necessarily ... just considering all the possibilities which is dispaying a healthy degree of scepticism IMO. I've been taken by a scammer and I'm sure others here have had some less than stellar experiences when buying ... and not just ebay!

For someone to list a camera like this as BIN at that price they are either unaware of it's true value or possibly up to no good.

I tend to be wary when I see ads that have cut and pasted blurb from a sales brochure in them ... which this has. I don't think I would have clicked the BIN but as I said I've already been taken once!
 
Mister E said:
It's not a scam. You guys are paranoid!
Click to expand...



I agree with Nate. I'd quite confidently say this was a genuine deal. There are quite a few sellers who will sell items for less than their true value on eBay, either because they don't know what they're worth or because they need a quick deal to pay some bills or something. This guy may have paid, say $2500 for this MP a few years ago, and may not have kept up with price rises in recent years so to him $1650 might seem a good deal. (What did they cost new 5-10 years ago anyway?)

There are a whole host of buyers out there who sit there trying to snap up a bargain just like this. I have come across them when checking buyers feedback. Sometimes the item will reappear for sale on ebay, though no longer at a bargain price of course.
 
Keith said:
For someone to list a camera like this as BIN at that price they are either unaware of it's true value or possibly up to no good.
Click to expand...

Or just not into haggling over returns and repairs for paint wear - if you sell at high price, you increase the risk of buyers regretting the purchase. I have sometimes sold at less than market value BIN firm rather than risk a return - if I have a short term opportunity to pick up some more desirable camera or lens I have no ready cash for, I need a immediate sale that does not roll back upon me.

1650 out of 2200 still is about 3/4 of market value - half way between a fully speculative sale and the best you can expect even from honest used camera shops like KEH.
 
And … and it's a 0.58 for …s sake !!!
I could cry by just looking at that done auction.

It is weird, how these are selling. The people, I spoke with, considering an MP almost all expressed, to buy THEIR personal new MP.

Even for people, buying second hand, mint or hardly used seems the preference.

I bought a black paint second hand sample some weeks ago and also preferred mint looks, as I want to wear it myself.
For a 1600,- price though, I take a worn one over mint any day, especially, if it's a 0.58.

I guess, he urgently had to pay some bills. Good for the new owner.
 
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