Leica MP - How did this slip through at this price

[Pickett Wilson]

Yeah, I usually don't try to get every penny I've paid for Leica gear back on it (or more) because I hate haggling over a .0005 diameter impression on the top cover that the photo didn't show but seems to completely devalue the camera to the buyer. But I'm not in the business of buying and selling cameras, so I don't have to make a profit or even break even when I sell a Leica.

The guy wanted the camera to sell quickly, I suspect, and priced it where it would sell quickly.

 

[Freakscene]

I've bought 2 MPs for under 2K. You just need to wait, watch and be patient. Very patient.

Marty

 

[David Hughes]

I'd be happy to get half the usual dealers' price any day.

Besides, if he'd wanted more for it and was a scammer who knew ebay he/she would have put it up for auction and said "Spares or Repairs" which usually gets them fighting fiercely and out bidding each other. (And there'll be one at 99p being ignored an hour later).

Regards, David

 

[jsrockit]

Hmmm... The seller has sold 7 items. I'm siding with Keith. Most probably a scam but you never know. 😉

Seven camera related items and it is a scam? Come on...

 

[RichardB]

There could be a variety of reasons for the Buy It Now price but if you use a major credit card as I use American Express, what's to lose? This does look very legitimate.
If you set your eBay for notice to your iPhone and act quick, then Bingo! I purchased a number of Buy It Now items just because I didn't waste time debating, also the Buy It Now is not firm until the actual payment is made if you make a counter offer.-Dick

 

[leobloom]

Leica MP is current production and hence you cannot expect its price to hold as well as another M antique body.

It is quite easy to find MP if you know where to look.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[philosomatographer]

Not to deride the merits of an otherwise great camera, am I thew only one here who thinks it's a bit pathetic for such a new camera to wear down to the brass so quickly? Either Leica did this purposefully (very possible if you read their marketing material on the MP) or it's a bad quality paint job.

Even sadder is that, for any other camera, this would be a problem - but on an eBay listing for an MP, its condition is stated as "Excellent+, appropriate brassing on black paint,"

Appropriate? I think not. The finish of my 50-year old M3 looks better than this. If I were the owner of a black paint MP, I would almost be afraid to wear it over my shoulder against a white shirt, they seem to "brass down" so quickly...

The buyer of this camera did get a good deal though, it's almost half of what I see them typically sell for.

*putting my flame suit on*

 

[Pickett Wilson]

I'm not sure how you avoid brassing a black paint camera if you actually use it. Most folks find it desirable, in fact. 🙂

 

[Keith]

I think there was definitely a 'wear quickly' factor programmed into the MP's black paint ... Leica know and understand their target audience! 😀

 

[philosomatographer]

I'm not sure how you avoid brassing a black paint camera if you actually use it. Most folks find it desirable, in fact. 🙂

Eventually yes - I am no stranger to wear on a black paint camera. But it takes a black Olympus OM body about 20 or 30 years of use to look like this. I have seen quite brassed MPs after a single year of use.

I have to agree with Keith here, Leica has done this on purpose, so that light users can look cool 🙂 It's a strange duality - priding themselves on the longevity and precision of the mechanics, yet purposefully doing a weak paint job.

Oh well, I guess that's what the silver ones are for!

 

[Keith]

Eventually yes - I am no stranger to wear on a black paint camera. But it takes a black Olympus OM body about 20 or 30 years of use to look like this. I have seen quite brassed MPs after a single year of use.

I have to agree with Keith here, Leica has done this on purpose, so that light users can look cool 🙂 It's a strange duality - priding themselves on the longevity and precision of the mechanics, yet purposefully doing a weak paint job.

Oh well, I guess that's what the silver ones are for!

For sure ... my black OM-1 shows pretty heavy signs of use and did when I got it a few years ago ... but the brassing is negligable! 😀

 

[sc_rufctr]

Seven camera related items and it is a scam? Come on...

I would rather deal with someone with feedback of at least in the hundreds than someone with just 7.
But then I'd have less chance of getting such a bargain. (I think)

I've been lucky. With the few purchases I've made on E bay all have turned out well.
.... We've all heard the stories of people getting ripped off.
I hope that the person that bought the camera actually receives it.

 

[SolaresLarrave]

When I've sold my stuff, I never ask for the price I paid. I ask for less, and consider the difference as a type of rent or right to use that I have utilized. Hence, my stuff goes for a little below market value. I also happen to want to make a quick sale, and if the buyer pays below the expected price, there are less chances of returning it or claiming it was defective.

Peace on Earth! 🙂

 

[LKeithR]

That looks like a good deal. The seller is asking for a local cash sale only.
What does that mean? Do you have to pick it up from his place?

Craigslist sites exist all over the world but there seems to be a fair bit of difference in the amount of activity. There is one in Adelaide but the Photo/Video section shows only 1 listing at the moment.

http://adelaide.craigslist.com.au/search/pho?query=+

On the other hand the Vancouver list which I follow probably has an average of 150 new listings per day in the same section.

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/pho/

The idea is to connect local buyers and sellers, thus avoiding the issues that can arrise with eBay. I have bought and sold lots of stuff this way with the only downside being a bit of traveling--usually within a 30-35 mile radius, but often less. Meets usually take place in coffee shops or malls and the buyer gets to physically handle and try out the goods before buying. And, yes, cash is the usual method of settlement.

All in all it's a great system if there's decent activity in your area. I have bought and sold items at greater distances and had them shipped but only after establishing a rapport with the buyer/seller and I once had a friend look at a lens in Regina for me. His inspection convinced me that it wasn't worth the asking price but except for him having to meet the seller there were no hassles...

 

[Archiver]

Technically, every eBay seller has to start somewhere, and all the best Power Sellers started with no feedback at all. A person could be the most trustworthy person around, but have no feedback. True, it's still more secure to go with someone with a higher number of positive feedback.

The thought of a black MP is really nice, although the seeming fragility of the paint worries me a bit. I know that a lot of people like the brassed look, but I don't. If I had my way, I'd get a M made from hardened titanium alloy, beadblasted, and then coated with black diamond-like carbon (DLC) by physical vapour deposition. It would be way lighter than any brass M and be virtually scratchproof.

Diamond coating is used a lot in jewelery, watches, knives and weapons parts, and I think a M7, MP or M9 like this would be just awesome.

 

[menos]

Technically, every eBay seller has to start somewhere, and all the best Power Sellers started with no feedback at all. A person could be the most trustworthy person around, but have no feedback. True, it's still more secure to go with someone with a higher number of positive feedback.

The thought of a black MP is really nice, although the seeming fragility of the paint worries me a bit. I know that a lot of people like the brassed look, but I don't. If I had my way, I'd get a M made from hardened titanium alloy, beadblasted, and then coated with black diamond-like carbon (DLC) by physical vapour deposition. It would be way lighter than any brass M and be virtually scratchproof.

Diamond coating is used a lot in jewelery, watches, knives and weapons parts, and I think a M7, MP or M9 like this would be just awesome.

You are aware, that there is a script less a la carte MP in black chrome for a very attractive price from Germany on the LUF classifieds, don't you?

I am not connected to the seller in any way, but wouldn't I like black paint and wouldn't I have one already, that would be the one, I was looking for.

 

[cameosis]

Yes eBay can be weird. I got a Jupiter 8 in great shape for $12.

why would that be weird? that used to be the standard price a few years back -- i got my new old stock black jupiter-3 for 50 €, a nos black jupiter-9 for 60 € and a mint orion-15 for 80 €. the nos black jupiter-8 lenses cost me some 20 € each.