Selling panic...

[kevin m]

And as many of us know, a reply of "PM sent" isn't a reliable sign of much at all.

Well, that is true lately. When I type "PM sent," it means I have another browser window open to my paypal account, but some seem to think it means "hold the item for me while I make up my mind." 😀

 

[Graham Line]

Exchange rates have shifted in favor of the dollar in the past few weeks. Prices for mint-condition collectible equipment seem to be holding up but user-quality bodies (not lenses so much) seem to be softer. Leica M prices always run in cycles as fads come and go.

If you buy the stuff to use, there are some bargains. Selling a good usable camera now because prices are dropping would be very foolish.

Thinking cameras are a good long-term investment is very foolish unless you're up at the peak of the collectors market, and maybe even then.

 

[tbarker13]

Well, that is true lately. When I type "PM sent," it means I have another browser window open to my paypal account, but some seem to think it means "hold the item for me while I make up my mind." 😀

I recently sold a bunch of gear (lenses, accessories). In my two years of selling on this site, I've never run into so many buyers who got cold feet after saying "I'll take it."

 

[nobbylon]

I buy what I want/need/can afford.
I sell what I am not likely to use in the near future.

Mostly, I lose a little money with every transaction. I'm not going to try to time my buying and selling based on my inadequate ability to predict markets. Since my gear is modest, there isn't a lot at stake anyway.

For anyone afraid to lose money on their gear, I would suggest that your toys are too expensive relative to your income...or else it would not be enough to bother you.

Well said. I've recently decided to sell up all my rangefinder gear, MP, summy and hex. This is the last of mine and i'm still not sure i've made the right decision but gear that's not being used is nothing more than paperweight and fondlers fodder!
I enjoy producing photographs and it doesn't really matter what I use to do it as long as the end result pleases me.
As far as digital resale goes, I think a lot of people miss the point with this. A digital camera is time lifed because of it's current technology, however if the digital you buy produces what you want and it's going to get used then the resale doesn't matter! I have a 4 year old D70 which is worth b@@@er all however it still produces fantastic photographs and the only reason I'm upgrading is to go full frame sensor so that I can use the primes I have at their original focal lengths and get the DoF I like. As far as resale goes on a D700 in a couple of years? prob not a lot as many 5D owners are finding but at the end of the day, you will still have a camera capable of producing wonderfull images. I think a lot of people upgrade for upgradings sake. That's technology for you. JMHO😀

 

[mervynyan]

I picked up a near-new F6 recently for about that much. The seller had run about 30 rolls through it before buying a D60, and the F6 had since been sitting in a closet. My score. But $1000 seems to be the going rate, now that they're showing up on the used market.

you are a lucky guy, i am few hours too late.

 

[Gumby]

Long Beach terminal is now a giant parking lot where auto makers are trying to rent space to park their cars

That only describes one part of Long Beach... the other part is full of shipping containers that only seem to be going on one way voyages. Guess what language is printed on their sides.

 

[Gumby]

Pick up a copy of The Rangefinder, a pro magazine, and you'll read articles about a return to film shooting by a lot of photographers.

I haven't read that magazine since it went digital 😉

This is good news... only problem is that many of the labs have already stopped processing film. Hopefully the labs will change accordingly!

 

[nobbylon]

Well, that is true lately. When I type "PM sent," it means I have another browser window open to my paypal account, but some seem to think it means "hold the item for me while I make up my mind." 😀

This is why I ask people to not indicate Pm sent in my ads as it implies it's already sold which as we all know is sometimes far from the truth and stops others even making enquiries. If I feel someone is serious about buying I will always hold in sequence of enquiry anyway.

 

[kevin m]

Guess what language is printed on their sides.

One guess should suffice! 😀 They're usually filled with either scrap cardboard or scrap steel, and the prices for those two commodities have nose-dived. Not a good sign for the long term.

Low prices for used camera gear is the least of our worries.

 

[Solinar]

Low prices for used camera gear is the least of our worries.

It's not just raw materials and used camera gear - I just picked up a tricked out Canondale bike off of Craigslist for $100. The wheels alone are worth twice that. The economy here in the US has pretty much tanked.

 

[funkaoshi]

The US dollar has gained recently compared to the Canadian dollar as well, so while there is a lot of gear up for sale, it's actually not a good time to buy if you're outside the US. There is a ton of stuff I'd buy if our dollars were on par again.

 

[photogdave]

Prices of new equipment are actually rising. The price of the 5D MK II increased before it even starts shipping. Canon and Nikon are expected to announce across-the-board price increases in the new year. If used equipment pricing is based on the value of the equivalent new gear, maybe we'll see used prices increasing?

 

[Fred Burton]

I would guess the prices are rising on the new gear because of anticipated lower production with the economy and all. Hey, if Leica can do it, why not Nikon and Canon? 🙂

 

[ChrisPlatt]

We may all starve to death, but at least we'll die with lots of great gear. 😉

Chris

 

[jky]

Nikon D200s are going for $500 used. What do you think will happen when Nikon announces D400 - D200s would be selling for $300?

By selling it now its still possible to salvage something because in a few months even that window will disappear.

.

This is exactly what I was thinking of when I sold my D300 a month ago. 2 weeks after the transfer occurred I saw ads here locally for $200 less than what I sold it for.

 

[nobbylon]

Prices of new equipment are actually rising. The price of the 5D MK II increased before it even starts shipping. Canon and Nikon are expected to announce across-the-board price increases in the new year. If used equipment pricing is based on the value of the equivalent new gear, maybe we'll see used prices increasing?

I can't see this happening myself, if anything they are going to have to reduce prices to shift stock. Canon and Nikon rely on mass volume sales and increasing prices is hardly likely to sell more stuff. Leica seem to ignore this and simply rely on a niche market existance which has left them struggling for survival more than once in lean times. In late August a D700 was £1900, the same seller is now selling them at £1550. If people are not buying then prices fall. As far as used Leica pricing goes, I think that it has actually gone up! The classic gear always sells well simply because it's not got the inherent timed life of digital equipement. Look at the way the original M8 has dropped in resale. My guess is the same will happen to the M8.2 simply because technology will move on. Film M Leica technology hasn't really moved on since the introduction of a light meter hence the stability in pricing. If everyone believed that the digital M or Japanese Dslr was going to be at the end of it's evolutionary process then i'm sure prices would hold.

 

[35mmdelux]

was the seller wearing an oily raincoat?

was the seller wearing an oily raincoat?

I just picked up a tricked out Canondale bike off of Craigslist for $100. The wheels alone are worth twice that.

sure it wasnt stolen?

 

[SolaresLarrave]

I'm the world's laziest seller of gear. I hate the whole ritual of selling gear online.

But these days I'm in a selling panic. I already sold one DSLR and a lens and I'm working on others. I have posted in many places (except here on RFF), i follow up diligently.

This is not simply dumping digital gear but I have a reason. I think once the new year starts gear prices (especially digital) will plummet like crazy. recession combined with gloomy outlook and post-Christmas blues will combine to create a really depressing market for used gear.

I also think the days of cropped lenses and cameras are over. Full frame is back and cropped bodies and lenses will depreciate like crazy. So, its now or never!

Am I the only one or there is a reason for all those goodies popping up in the classified of this site and other places as well? For example a Nikon F6 was sold here for $1000 just the other day!

Is there a panic gripping the photography market and amateurs are dumping their gear?

I think you're describing an annual event. However, must admit that this time it's a bit sharper or more noticeable. In any case, I remember how two or three years ago, after Nikon released the D300, the classified forum in Nikonians got flooded with D200 bodies whose owners were selling desperately to get the upgrade model.

Funny it hasn't happened with the D700. At least, not in the same proportions.

Again, it's kinda traditional that December is a sellers month and January is the buyers market. You'll land even MORE deals after Xmas than before, at least in the used market.

 

[peter_n]

HUH? Strong dollar??

Yes and against the British £ too. A few weeks ago the Scottish dealer Ffordes had the discontinued Fuji S5 Pro on sale for $550 when the price at B&H was $1699. It was a combination of the dollar's strength against the pound and B&H's slowness in cutting the price. Even when B&H cut it to $899 the difference was still huge. Naturally Ffordes ran out of stock very quickly and most of their business came from this side of the pond.

 

[jonmanjiro]

I would guess the prices are rising on the new gear because of anticipated lower production with the economy and all. Hey, if Leica can do it, why not Nikon and Canon? 🙂

That and the fact that the yen is way up against the dollar.