Selling a Leica: $900 or $1250?

[ZebGoesZeiss]

I recently traded a Zeiss Ikon for a chrome Leica M6 (and a little cash). Now, I have been offered a Leica MP at an "OK" price (not cheap), and I really want to jump on it. Anyway, I'm not sure how to go about selling the M6 (which I need to do to finance the MP). When I bought the M6, the seller were very open about the condition:

• It might be a bit fast on the slow shutter speeds (I'm talking about the 1s and 1/2s speeds here)

• The rangefinder might be a tiny bit off at infinity - and we're talking tiny here. Some days I might convince myself that it is there, but for the most part it is what I would call "the width of a hair".

It is a late 1997 model, with a few nicks on the bottom plate, but that is pretty much it. It came with strap and manual.

In actual use, it is working perfectly fine. The "problem" with the alignment hasn't showed up in prints or scanned negatives at all, and the shutter speeds seems to be fine actually. It might be a bit fast at 1s, more like 0,7-0,8s? But I never used speeds that slow, so I haven't really thought too much about that.

My intention is to sell this camera, but I'm left with two options:

1. I can sell it as it is for $900 or so, or
2. Have it CLA'd by Sherry, which leaves me with a $350-400 bill after shipping.

Of course, having it CLA'd, I would get a warranty for the work and I presume it would sell easier.

My question to you is: If you were on the market for an M6, would you rather buy the camera as-is for $900, or prefer to get it for CLA'd - but at a higher price ($1250 or so). I know mmost would prefer a third option: CLA'd at $1000 😀 I'm just looking for what would make it sell the fastest 🙂

 

[maddoc]

I would buy it for $900, test it and then decide if a "CLA" is really necessary. A slightly off-at-infinity RF I can adjust myself and the Leica with mechanical shutter and shutter-speeds not being a little off I haven't seen yet ...

 

[gdi]

Does it really cost $350 - 400 for a CLA? DAG did a CLA on a Canon for me for $230, but maybe Leicas are more involved.

As for how to sell it - I think it would be easier pre- CLA at the lower cost. These are not major problems and a buyer may have a preferred repair person they deal with. Plus, a lot of people will not use the very slow speeds often anyway. A $900 M6, especially if it is a TTL, should go pretty fast.

 

[rover]

I am lazy, CLA it and I will consider that a bonus.

 

[ItsReallyDarren]

I'm leaning towards the as-is option. Be open and honest about the camera and its price tag, let the buyer decide if its worth sending in the camera to bring it up to tip top shape.

 

[hans voralberg]

I always buy as is because I have my own tech guy and he is cheap hehe. Most people depends on their location have a preference for CLA as well so I think it's best to give 2 options when advertising 😉

 

[Benjamin]

Giving two options is a good idea. People want $900/sub M6's and I think that many people would be happy buy one in the said condition and then have it adjusted themselves.

There's also always going to be someone who says that the CLA that costs you $400 will cost him $100 with a better tech.

Put it out there and offer the option to the buyer.

 

[awilder]

Definitely do not do a CLA for $350-400, but sell for at least $900 or you'll be the big loser in the deal. The RF can be easily adjusted by the user and it's not unusual for the slowest speeds to be a tad fast, about 15-20%. In fact I've owned a few new or serviced M bodies and they are always slightly fast at the low end. If the slowest speeds are much slower, it means a CLA is required as the lubricant needs replacement. If those speeds are way fast, the $900 price would be about $200 low anyway for a properly functioning late M6, so the buyer should simply be advised of the potential need for service on those speeds and your price concedes that point. Who knows, they may not ever use those type of speeds or have someone that can service it for less than Sherry.

 

[ZebGoesZeiss]

Thank you all for your responses. As for the speeds, I guess you have all been there - winding and shooting the camera, trying to find out if it sounds "ok" 🙂 In my case, all I can say is that the 1s doesn't sound like "twice the 1/2s", but I have no real way of checking it out.

As for price, I'm not to worried if a prospective buyer should decide to keep it as it is. If he/she feels they got a good price, so much the better. I've found my share of good deals here, and it more than weighs up for any "loss" at my end.

From the poll so far, it seems I should pull out the digicam and get an ad up 🙂

 

[Mudman]

$900 - my repairman's been working on leica's for 40 years and he only charges $80.

 

[Al Kaplan]

If I KNEW that the slow speeds were off it'd be easy to compensate. One of the selling points of the metal guillotine focal plane shutter was more consistancy than the traditional focal plane shutter, and then it went from there to electronic control. The old standards for shutter speed accuracy (and likely still are!) I think were +or- 1/3 of a stop at speeds through 1/250 second, higher speeds +or- 1/2 of a stop.

There are too many other variables from the meter's accuracy, how and what you're metering, the actual T-stop of the lens you're using, etc.

 

[raid]

I am quite hesitant here; a Leica repair can cost a large amount of money if the camera is broken and a regular CLA does not cover such repair. The cosmetics can also play a role, giving an idea how much a camera has been [ab]used.

It is a toss-up for me. While I also enjoy finding good deals, I hesitate with used Leica cameras. A used Contax IIa would not set me back a lot ...

 

[Rob-F]

First of all, the infinity adjustment is a DIY, not requiring a tech, unless you are simply uncomfortable with working with your hands. Personally I would touch this up myself, then if I wanted to sell it without a CLA, I would mention the shutter speed issue. Don Goldberg will do a partial CLA for less money, when that is appropriate. It won't cost $350.00! Sherry, I imagine, will do this also. Youxin Ye has a reputation for excellent work at very reasonable cost.

You can make the tool you need for the infinityadjustment out of a 50 cent screwdriver. You need something far away to use as a test target: a distant TV tower, or the moon. There is info on the web on how to do this. I wrote one such post over on the photo-net Leica forum. There are others as well.

If I were looking for another M6, I would pay more than $900 without the CLA. $1050 would still be a nice price.

 

[George S.]

I think you're obsessing a bit too much over these "discrepancies". If all your shots came out properly focussed and exposed -as you state in your post- then the camera is within it's "norms", and just sell it as a properly working camera "as is" (no warranty) for 900 bucks and that's it. Plenty of private sellers sell gear with no return privilege unless something is found not as stated in your for sale ad. (broken).

 

[Platinum RF]

Leica M6/M6TLL/M7 focus adjust ment is not DIY job, it need special tool to adjust vertical aligment and you need to get a new red dot to recover, infinity neeed to be accurate at 0.7m then infinity.

 

[Svitantti]

...or just get an elephant sticker to cover the red dot place like Jennifer Connelly 🙂

 

[kshapero]

$900 - my repairman's been working on leica's for 40 years and he only charges $80.

Ok, who is this guy?

 

[dap]

I would sell it for $900. The world loves a bargain 😀.

Speaking from personal experience - I have ALWAYS lost money on CLAs when it was performed to make a camera more sellable

 

[HuubL]

$900 would be a bargain indeed for a virtually new M6. Unless the camera was used to hit nails in, a 1997 M6 would still be youngster.

 

[Ron (Netherlands)]

Many of us I think will go for the 900, since many of us will be able to provide the necessary adjustments by ourselve. + I consider prices from pros for cla much to high (is not high considering they are running a business - but for us - amateurs - it is to high) + CLA done by pros is nice for cameras used by pros (who make their living with this gear - they can tax wise offset these costs)