M2 and M3 prices on Ebay

[Ko.Fe.]

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On 4/26/2020 at 5:51 PM, Geoff Marshall said:

... I can’t imagine any of them selling at the prices they are asking, same with the M3.

You don't have to imagine anything. Here is reality check, select only "Sold" and see for how much they are actually selling now comparing to December.

Edited April 29, 2020 by Ko.Fe.

[james.liam]

Tamarkin (Chicago) an official Leica dealer, has an M3 DS in EX+ condition, serial # 953xxx for US$1350 and an M2 (1961) in EX++ condition for US$1450. Those are real prices from a top-shelf reseller and one who grades conservatively. 

How does that compare to fleabay?

[Stealth3kpl]

It's not just film camera prices that have shot up - have you seen the price of film? I haven't looked for a while because I've probably a good 5 years worth in the fridge, but I had a look on behalf of a young lady today and couldn't believe it. Where do people in the UK buy reasonably priced film nowadays? She wants colour print.

Pete

[james.liam]

12 hours ago, Stealth3kpl said:

It's not just film camera prices that have shot up - have you seen the price of film? I haven't looked for a while because I've probably a good 5 years worth in the fridge, but I had a look on behalf of a young lady today and couldn't believe it. Where do people in the UK buy reasonably priced film nowadays? She wants colour print.

Pete

The price for film's continued existence is price. It will rise, sometime incrementally, oft times by leaps. 

It's that or extinction. Recoil or accept an extra few pence or even a £ for a roll. Or pine over what's gone forever.

Edited April 30, 2020 by james.liam

[wattsy]

18 hours ago, Stealth3kpl said:

Where do people in the UK buy reasonably priced film nowadays? She wants colour print.

Pete, I usually buy Portra 400 from Amazon when I see a 5 roll pack is £45 or so. Highest Amazon price seems to be around £52. At £9-10 per roll I'm not sure film is significantly more expensive, once real inflation (not the one calculated by RPI) is taken into account, than it was paying £5 for a roll 15 years ago. I think it feels more expensive because wages and income haven't risen with inflation in that time.

I don't know current prices for black and white because, like you, have a large stash in the freezer.

[mdp]

analoguewonderland.co.uk are good, they stock a huge range of films. 

[tommonego@gmail.com]

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Am 28.4.2020 um 21:39 schrieb james.liam:

Tamarkin (Chicago) an official Leica dealer, has an M3 DS in EX+ condition, serial # 953xxx for US$1350 and an M2 (1961) in EX++ condition for US$1450. Those are real prices from a top-shelf reseller and one who grades conservatively. 

How does that compare to fleabay?

The majority of M3s on Ebay were in the $1200 - $1600, some over $2K, and the one outlier at $6895. M2s higher, majority pushing $2K and some as much as $4K. Would much rather buy from Tamarkin.

[pippy]

On 4/29/2020 at 2:39 AM, james.liam said:

Tamarkin (Chicago) an official Leica dealer, has an M3 DS in EX+ condition, serial # 953xxx for US$1350 and an M2 (1961) in EX++ condition for US$1450. Those are real prices from a top-shelf reseller and one who grades conservatively. 

How does that compare to fleabay?

Always bearing in mind that each dealer judges condition in their own way and, as mentioned earlier on, here in the UK  the entry-level price for a 'normal' M2 / M3 from either Ffordes or Red Dot - both being very highly regarded 'Used Leica' dealerships - seems to be around the £800 mark which is a fraction over $1,000 ($1,007) at the current exchange rate. Prices rise dramatically with condition of course so perhaps the Tamarkin bodies are in better fettle?

Philip.

[james.liam]

21 minutes ago, pippy said:

Always bearing in mind that each dealer judges condition in their own way and, as mentioned earlier on, here in the UK  the entry-level price for a 'normal' M2 / M3 from either Ffordes or Red Dot - both being very highly regarded 'Used Leica' dealerships - seems to be around the £800 mark which is a fraction over $1,000 ($1,007) at the current exchange rate. Prices rise dramatically with condition of course so perhaps the Tamarkin bodies are in better fettle?

Philip.

I'd say from reputation alone, they are on a par. Tamarkin has been an Leica official seller for something like 50 years. The founder's son runs it now and never sells kit that is not ready to shoot. He and his father are passionate photographers and jealously guard their reputations. Nothing is ever but exactly as described. 

[Graham (G4FUJ)]

There are many eBlag prices that are way over the top.

There are several Morgan Roadster handbooks where the asking price is in the hundreds of UK£.  They're  few pounds from the factory / dealers.  

[james.liam]

15 hours ago, pippy said:

Always bearing in mind that each dealer judges condition in their own way and, as mentioned earlier on, here in the UK  the entry-level price for a 'normal' M2 / M3 from either Ffordes or Red Dot - both being very highly regarded 'Used Leica' dealerships - seems to be around the £800 mark which is a fraction over $1,000 ($1,007) at the current exchange rate. Prices rise dramatically with condition of course so perhaps the Tamarkin bodies are in better fettle?

Philip.

Particularly with these 60 year old items, FLeABay is the last place I would pick one up. Found that EX, EX+ and MINT are the most overused descriptors, especially from small time Japanese resellers. Seems to apply to the external cosmetics alone of cameras or lenses. Best spending a tad more with Ffordes, Red Dot, Tamarkin, Igor Camera and LeicaStore Miami/SF/SoHo.

Edited May 1, 2020 by james.liam

[analog-digital]

Am 27.4.2020 um 23:28 schrieb Stealth3kpl:

I'm also stunned at prices on eBay. I always have in my mind £500 Chrome M4, £600 for M2/M3 and £800 for M6 classic. Those days seem to have long gone.

You're lucky to see an M6 Classic for less than £2000, and I see there's someone trying to sell an M6 classic which he claims to be "opened, not used" for getting on for £4000!

Prices at Red Dot and Ffordes are more realistic.

Pete

I had a M6 (non TTL) für £ 800.-

My M6 Titan would be £ 2200.-

[cary]

I also think a couple of lenses for your grandson would be great. Pentax lenses are a bargain, perfect for someone starting photography.

[Hello]

On 4/26/2020 at 2:51 PM, Geoff Marshall said:

I think these sellers need a reality check. 

You'd be wrong as they are selling for those prices...

[albireo_double]

The second hand market has become much more global and competitive through the spread of online shopping and fast delivery services. You now have people from all over the world buying second hand cameras online, from any of the reputable dealers and on eBay. Combined with the massive wave of interest from new markets in Asia and Eastern Europe, the hipster interest in things mechanical and analog and a new generation of people who grew up on digital and want to experiment with film now. The last time I shot with a film Leica is maybe 10 years ago but...went to my dealer yesterday to trade-in one of my S lenses against a CS variant, and saw a nice "Test Camera" M7 with lens combo there, for what I thought was an insane price. Well, later yesterday I checked the internet and a Mint "Test Camera France" M7 is in the post today. Yes, I paid a lot of money to a dealer who is known for selling only mint equipment for prices that call for a "reality check". Heck, I can't travel, I can't spend on photoshoots with models, I can't dine with friends in nice restaurants, so I thought I could get myself a nice M7 with a French flag on it (to reward myself for trying hard to revive my French over the past year). Vive La France!

[abrewer]

4 hours ago, albireo_double said:

The second hand market has become much more global and competitive through the spread of online shopping and fast delivery services. You now have people from all over the world buying second hand cameras online, from any of the reputable dealers and on eBay. Combined with the massive wave of interest from new markets in Asia and Eastern Europe, the hipster interest in things mechanical and analog and a new generation of people who grew up on digital and want to experiment with film now. The last time I shot with a film Leica is maybe 10 years ago but...went to my dealer yesterday to trade-in one of my S lenses against a CS variant, and saw a nice "Test Camera" M7 with lens combo there, for what I thought was an insane price. Well, later yesterday I checked the internet and a Mint "Test Camera France" M7 is in the post today. Yes, I paid a lot of money to a dealer who is known for selling only mint equipment for prices that call for a "reality check". Heck, I can't travel, I can't spend on photoshoots with models, I can't dine with friends in nice restaurants, so I thought I could get myself a nice M7 with a French flag on it (to reward myself for trying hard to revive my French over the past year). Vive La France!

Allez! Allez! Allez!

[Steven Seven]

TBH I am grateful for having those wonderful Japanese sellers on eBay. Yes, the prices are on the higher side, but the quality of their listings, condition of cameras they sell and the service they provide, everything is top-notch. I paid $2,800 for my absolutely 100% mint M6-TTL last year and I'm loving every minute with the camera. A few similarly-priced bodies on my local craigslist were in much, much worse shape without any possibility of returning them, of course.

I am comparing my deal to a brand-new MP,  not to M6 TTL sold in 2015. Why? Because the MP was the only alternative available. I wanted a brand-new, immaculate Leica rangefinder in 2019. $2,800 seemed like a bargain.

I also bought an absolutely brand-new-looking Nikon FM3A and some used glass from Japan and everything arrived as if fresh from the factory, in original boxes with manuals. No scratches, not even a spec of dust, not just in lenses, anywhere! Buying used stuff used to be so much harder... with so many surprises. I kind of laugh when I see "US listing!" in a title sometimes, because I avoid US-based sellers of used photo equipment. Even KEH, the king of used photo gear, doesn't bother with actual product photos.

I even stopped buying new. No more B&H for me. I was originally planning on a brand-new Planar, but got one in a mint condition from Japan for half the price, and shipping from Tokyo to San Francisco via FedEx international is twice as fast as B&H.

What's so special about Japan? Why do they have so any used cameras and lenses in immaculate condition?!

Edited May 7, 2020 by Steven Seven

[plaidshirts]

On 5/6/2020 at 6:39 PM, Steven Seven said:

What's so special about Japan? Why do they have so any used cameras and lenses in immaculate condition?!

Mix high disposable income and a very brand conscious ethos and there you have it. It’s not strictly a Japanese thing though - I’ve seen it in Korea and now China as well.

[ehecatl]

Agree about prices for M's on eBay. Since I had not shot film in years, I sold my film cameras, including M7 back in 2018. A few months ago, I started thinking about how I would like to get back into film. As current used M prices were too high, I opted for a CL —which, coincidently was my first film Leica. I sold it years ago to help pay for an M6, though I kept the 40mm Summicron-C lens— that I got for $182. Paired with the Summicron-C, I'm back to where I started with film Leicas. If you're willing to consider a CL for your grandson, it's a good light piece of kit. 

As to my return to film, I was looking to carrying the CL (alongside my M240) on my trips to Poland and Ecuador this summer. Alas, those trips had to be postponed. 

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[earthphoto]

Am 28.4.2020 um 08:26 schrieb kinch123:

Bit OT, but is there anyone you’d recommend for 135/120 color film sales and processing in Brisbane? Thinking to bring along an MP and Bessa III next trip ‘home’ after the present unpleasantness is a memory. Seems that the new 3D airport security scanners are death to even low ISO film so feel happier about idea of sourcing and processing locally.

Didn't get any problems with scanners at Brisbane, Melbourne or Auckland,  Wellington and Christchurch or Dubai, Hong Kong or even Male airport. Vietnam was also fine. Took some 400 ASA for months with me around Asia/Pacific. Even 500T wasn't a problem. Just my 2 cents.