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I'm selling my "Safari" Leica. Is this a good price?


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Hello. I've listed my "Safari" Leica in the Classifieds section, as well as Facebook sale group, Craigslist, and eBay. My asking price is $7000. Someone made an offer of $6250. Is this a good price (as a seller)?

 

The set is in 99% new condition with 1205 shutter actuations, 0 videos taken.

 

Thank you,

Alan

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Hello. I've listed my "Safari" Leica in the Classifieds section, as well as Facebook sale group, Craigslist, and eBay. My asking price is $7000. Someone made an offer of $6250. Is this a good price (as a seller)?

 

The set is in 99% new condition with 1205 shutter actuations, 0 videos taken.

 

Thank you,

Alan

 

Wow only 1205 shutter activations! I did more that the first weekend that I had the M. I went a bit crazy I'll admit trying different things just sort of trying to get the feel of it. Mostly junk but a couple of nice shots. I've slowed down considerably since then averaging about 1500/mo plus 400-2000 if I go anywhere.

 

Do these M's actually wear out? Are shutter activations really a good metric? I was sort of expecting the shutter to need to be replaced somewhere between 100,000-200,000 shots which at my current rate would be in about 5-10 years.

 

Other than batteries does anything else wear out?

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Do these M's actually wear out? Are shutter activations really a good metric? I was sort of expecting the shutter to need to be replaced somewhere between 100,000-200,000 shots which at my current rate would be in about 5-10 years.

 

Chatting with a friend other other day about his M8.2, which he purchased from the first batch in November 2008. As of a few days ago he was at 103,708 shutter activations 

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Used (and new) Leica sales are very slow at the moment and it is very much a buyers' market. As a seller, you need to be very patient or prepared to cut a deal. I don't know about market prices for Leica gear in the US (and I think it is against the forum rules to discuss valuations) but I'd say that a buyer in the hand (even one requesting a 10% discount) is worth any number of future buyers in the bush.

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Sounds like a "car salesmans" pitch.. 1 careful owner (3 lunatics before that).. lol-

You are offering a fair deal, although only a buyer can decide if it's tempting enough.. Good Luck..

 

 

I understand what you mean. But I am its one and only owner.

Edited by Alan Aurmont
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Thank you, everyone, for the replies.

 

 

 

Indeed there's no way to verify this info. However there's no reason for me to lie about the file number from my one and only SD card.

 

Never said you lied. Just saying there is no reason for anyone to believe unverifiable claims. That is how I shop.

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I think Jaap's comment reflects a good read of the market. New kits are available at $8,500, so achieving 80% in a private sale for mint (i.e., $6,800) would be quite good for the seller, IMHO.

 

A fair price is likely between 6,800 and 6,250, and of course there are the dreaded fees we all get squeezed out of by the likes of banks, PayPal, eBay, etc, etc.

 

In December, I purchased a 2004 Leica lens in Hong Kong for cash. Counted it out and saved all of the fees. It was a very satisfying feeling for both me and the merchant  :) .

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Never said you lied. Just saying there is no reason for anyone to believe unverifiable claims. That is how I shop.

 

And rather than saying "look how much I shoot" I was just pointing out that "shutter activations" may not be a relevant measure for camera "newness". Cars do age with both miles and years and they are well known to suddenly drop in value once they leave the show room. It is less obvious that Leica cameras have a similar function and using shutter count as some sort of proxy for age probably isn't really a good measure.

 

There is a superficial condition which is part of the overall condition of the camera. It sounds like yours is mint which is great.

 

There is also a product lifecycle position which is highly related to technology generation. The 240 even special editions like the Safari is getting older on this product and technology generation cycle but it is still the current model. The thing with digital cameras and especially Leicas is the build quality is such that unless you are some insanely active shooter, the moving mechanical parts will almost certainly last far longer than the technology generation. Therefore, shutter activations are less likely to be an effective measure when computing the "newness" of the device for valuation.

 

Furthermore the fact that Leica services even their older models helps support their continued higher valuation. The fact that they are still selling the M-E means that they continue to maintain supply contracts with the vendors which supply the components for the M9. If they are able to manage to do the same thing with the M240 and derived products like the Safari, it will likely continue to maintain a considerable percentage of its residual value.

 

None of these factors have anything to do with shutter activations.

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It's a buyer's market for used M240/M-P240, unfortunately (if you're a seller.)

 

My gut tells me it's not going to get better.  The dollar's unlikely to weaken and the euro's unlikely to strengthen.  The M262's MSRP of just over $5k doesn't help 240 resale.  And there's a good chance we'll see a new generation M unveiled at Photokina.  

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