Ridiculous prices for used cameras?

[feenej]

My brick and mortar camera shop in Milwaukee sells used cameras cheap. I got my XA there for only $30. I saw a really nice Yashicamat 124 there recently for only $100. Still kicking myself for not buying it.

 

[youngmrcurtis]

As someone who doesn't have any brick and mortar stores with decent selections of retro gear, I would gladly pay a premium to buy from a shop that would let me take a walk inside and not only touch, but use the old cameras. I'm not talking about places that have a meager second hand section with everything ridiculously priced, I mean places like photografica in Copenhagen, and that really cool little place in Bergen whose name I can't remember.

There's one place in Dublin that does have good gear at resonable prices, but a very limited selection, everywhere else seems to rely on that waiting for an idiot approach.

 

[morback]

I'm willing to pay a little more for the luxury to of shaking a hand and talking to a face. I've stopped shipping my gear out for repairs and instead use slightly more expensive shops in town.

I like to be able to talk to them. I like to be able to have a connection with people who fix my stuff. I like to support the locals (even though this is NYC we're talking about). I like the personal connection, the small talk.

Have not found a decent second hand shop in NYC.

 

[Disaster_Area]

The problem gets worse the smaller the city you're in. Ottawa has only one vintage camera shop... everyone from Ottawa will know the one I'm talking about. The issue is as their volume of sales goes down, their prices have to go up in order to stay afloat... it doesn't help that they have no scruples either. If you come in to sell decent gear they'll tell you it needs service or is obsolete and pay next to nothing for it... and if you come in with lower end stuff I've seen them literally talk people into giving it to them to "dispose" of as it's pretty much just junk. Anything decent gets sold off on eBay and the store is just full of detritus that is basically unsellable... stuff that is so seriously in need of a CLA from sitting on shelves for decades that their still selling at "one of a kind vintage collectible" prices.

But unsellable crap aside the main reason I go is sometimes I need odds and ends the regular camera stores don't carry... and I figure I'll support the local economy instead of going to eBay... but no more. The last time I went in, I just wanted a couple coloured filters in sizes that aren't really popular anymore 43mm, 40.5mm, 39mm etc. Well they wanted $40 for a 40.5mm yellow filter... then changed their minds and wanted $50 because it was Nikon brand... that Yashica Bay I hood... $80... cable release... oh it's Minolta... $30...

... and they wonder why this stuff sits around for years and years... brick and mortar is pretty much dead to me now for vintage stuff... even the local pawn shops are getting wise... there's no such thing as a $10 GSN anymore... the pawn shops are all looking up their prices on eBay and adding %20 to the price of a mint specimen for their junk...

 

[Piewacket]

To some of us, B&H is a local brick and mortor store.

I lived in NY for many years and went to B&H back when it was on 17th street! So yes, I do realize that. However they're able to deal in much higher volume than most camera stores and also a lot of "gray" market so I think they can still offer better deals than most typical B&M stores.

I use a site like Price Grabber
to find the best prices on an item. They also rate the stores according to customer feedback so I read reviews if I am not familiar with the store before I decide. I will also pay a little more if a store I trust is in close range... I have heard about online stores will offer a low price on a camera body then mark up accessories and pressure customers to buy them. I bought my 5D from such a dealer, they called me after I had placed my order. The guy was pretty nasty as he tried to sell me on a lens (no!) and then even an additional battery... I got a good deal on the camera but would never buy from them again.

I do like eBay, I both buy and occasionally sell on there. I do check feedback and usually stick to auctions that show actual pictures rather than stock images on them. Amazon also sells used stuff and I got a great deal on a 50L 1.2 lens from a seller on there. For large purchases like that, I pay with my business Am x through paypal. I know if I have a problem I can do a charge back with them with little problem.

 

[user237428934]

So I see that this overpriced used photo equipment in shops is common. What I don't see is that shops are more expensive for new equipment all the time compared to buying on the internet. There will always be a cheaper internet store but I consider most shops not reliable anyway. If I compare my favorite internet sellers with the shops around then the prices (after negotiating) are not far apart.

 

[degruyl]

I just saw the price (at KEH) of a Nikon FM2n. My god, the price went up in the last couple of years. (I paid ~$100 for mine, maybe three years ago). I was somewhat surprised. I was looking up the prices for the FM3a...

Anyway, I think some camera prices have risen. Especially with the ending of new product lines.

At the same time, camera stores are often overpriced for a lot of things: film, chemicals, etc. Mostly twice the online price, where I live. They can't make that sort of margin on cameras, of course, but they try.

(my local shop does a brisk trade in bags, straps and framing, with used and new equipment also. They are busy, and their used prices are not crazy if they have it).

 

[Benjamin Marks]

There is a good camera shop in town (Burlington, VT): LeZot Camera. They mostly sell to the University crowd, although they are located on the town's downtown mall and probably have decent foot traffic. Although their prices are not rock bottom, I try to steer some business their way every year. They stand behind their products, they are a good source of information and they are the only used camera store for miles around. At some point, all of these small retailers will be gone, and then you will only be able to get equipment from the B&H's and Adoramas of the world. Although their prices will always beat the local guy, they can't help create a community where you live your brick-and-mortar life, they don't nurture young photographers, and you can't just pop in to have them check something out, when a doo-hicky on your camera was pushed when it should have been pulled. My own sense: cut these guys some slack. And if you see a lens hood which you think should be $5 instead of $30, bargain with them. I'll bet you can get closer to your sales price than you'd think.

Ben Marks

 

[not_in_good_order]

There was a camera store in downtown Cincinnati (Provident Camera) with a whole window full of old film cameras. I suspect they had much the same attitude as you describe. They were trying to sell old Nikon F3's (in user condition) for ridiculous amounts of money.

They have since gone out of business but I often wonder what happened to those old cameras. I also wonder if they might still be in business if they treated their customers as intelligent instead of walking ATM machines.

I never purchased a body there, but I did buy a Nikon 35 2 AIS and a F3 H2 focusing screen there and they were priced quite reasonably (ie around what KEH was selling the same item for at the time), so not all of their prices were out of line. I was pretty surprised that they had the H2 screen, I only asked if they had one on a lark.

When they closed down, they had a fire sale to clear inventory. Unfortunately, when that occurred, I was no longer living in Cincinnati and could not take advantage of any potential bargains.

 

[FS Vontz]

I've yet to see a single vintage camera shop in Northern Ireland

 

[imokruok]

"Buy it Now" on eBay is 95% ridiculously overpriced, with the rest of the people either needing to move gear fast, or have no idea what it's worth. The good deals disappear almost right away, but once in a while there will be something totally undervalued (like an estate dumping Leica gear for Canon prices because they couldn't be bothered to look at other listings.)

 

[proenca]

I honestly do not know why anyone would buy a camera at a brick & mortar store these days. I buy all my equipment online. Either from established stores like b& h or amazon or off eBay. Not only are the prices usually better than anything locally but I save on the sales tax. I will sometimes go to a store to check the item out in person but then go home and find it online.
I found a great camera bag in a local store, it was close to 300.00 before sales tax. Went home and found it on ebay for 114.00 with free shipping!

I started buying bricks and mortar, then swapped to online few years ago and now I buy only on bricks & mortar shop these days.

Few things spring to my mind :

- its more expensive ( wait... )
- BUT
- you have the added luxury of talking to someone
- you can ask questions and get the answer on the spot
- you get to be a repeat custumer and they value you that and go the extra mile
- a pure online store doesnt care about its guests ( except a few ) and dont really mantain a good relationship with their customer base rather than a few automated newsletters and so on

that said, I really prefere to pay a bit extra and to a physical shop. it's nice to be known on a shop, talk to people and they somtimes make some miracles if you are a loyal and long term customer - I said to my store manager that I wanted a M9 on wensday afternoon, Thrusday he talked with me about colours and so on, Friday I got it.

Try that with a B&H. May happen, may not but simply put they couldnt care much.

Oh and I did that with z-e-r-o deposit, zero downpayment.

Just a telephone call and said "humm would like to buy one".

Trust is paramount and for me that is what separates.

I do value personal relationships a lot and customer base - like to be treated like a customer rather than an automated invoice number.

 

[Argenticien]

...
that said, I really prefere to pay a bit extra and to a physical shop. it's nice to be known ...

At the risk of waxing didactic: In posts above, I've seen a lot of "it's nice to try things out" and "I like to go to these shops" and "it's good to support the local economy". Agreed on all, but I'd take it one step further: I consider it an ethical obligation that if you go to a shop and spend their salesman's time to have the product explained to you, and you do eventually decide to buy it at all, you then buy from them. It is unfair to take up their time (= money) for their services, then go buy online because the shop charges $899 for something and you can find it online for $889. If enough people do that, it hastens the day when there will be no local shops. Sure, times are hard for all of us and we'd like to save the $10, but consider the shop owner's expenses as well. They are not surrogate showrooms for eBay sellers.

I obviously mean this within reason; if an item is $899 in the local shop, and $399 everywhere online, you don't owe the sale to your local shop as they are clearly way out of line (which I realize was the original angle of this thread).

--Dave

 

[shadowfox]

I honestly do not know why anyone would buy a camera at a brick & mortar store these days. I buy all my equipment online.

You build relationships with people in a good o'l brick&mortar stores. People who cares about what you care. Sometimes that is more valuable than a good price for a camera.

I know, it's something that is alien for this online generation