Second hand dealers in Europe

[MMS]

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Hi

I recently read this blog post on Leica lenses for normal people about what the author jokingly calls the “underground”: an ecosystem of specialised camera dealers, brokers and bespoke vendors whose names often circulate by word of mouth, being a safer alternative to buying used equipment on ebay or forums and offering gear that had its condition assessed accurately, mitigating the risk of purchasing used equipment as you know exactly what you buy. A prime example was the late Ken Hansen.

Now I wanted to know if there are similar people/stores in Europe as I live on this side of the pond and buying from overseas is often less than ideal. Having a topic collecting references could be beneficial to people in the same situation.

Hoping that this thread could be useful for the community, I thank you in advance and wish you a good day!

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[cirke]

http://www.lecuit.lu/OCCASIONS   in Luxembourg very serious guy

[AndreasG]

Try Foto Görlitz in Germany

https://fotogoerlitz.de/

Though not an underground dealer, he is an expert in used Leica gear, I bought several lenses from him and I am very satisfied. You get fair pricing, very good communication and warranty. One I bought an APO lens which did not perform as expected, it got adjusted within a few days by Leica Wetzlar without any expenses on my side.

[ianman]

Like many, I've always had excellent and friendly service for both new and secondhand from Red Dot Cameras in London. I've also bought a few lenses from Leicashop in Vienna.

There are plenty of others around from who have an equally excellent reputation. Ffordes, Peter Loy, Peter Walnes in Cornwall spring to mind.

[Anbaric]

1 hour ago, ianman said:

... Peter Walnes in Cornwall

I agree with all the other UK recommendations, but some forum members and others have reported terrible experiences with this dealer lately. See these previous threads:

https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/313459-selling-m-lenses/

https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/324687-where-can-i-buy-an-old-leica-in-the-uk/

In the UK, you can meet some of the smaller dealers at camera fairs. Sometimes they have a (more or less up to date) online stock list, but may not have live online ordering. Quite a few of them from elsewhere in Europe used to turn up at the annual Photographica fair in London before Covid and Brexit - I wonder how many will be back next year? The new complexity in our trading relationship may mean it's no longer worth their while to bring stock across the Channel...

[LocalHero1953]

There have been threads about Peter Walnes recently - be careful. Do a search on this forum.

I agree about the other suggestions, to which I would add in the UK: MW Classic, MrCad, Soperfectimages, West Yorkshire Cameras, MBP, JK Cameras, Vintage & Classic Camera Co. I haven't bought from them all, but they are in my browser bookmarks and regularly explored online.

Elsewhere in Europe, I have bought from Meister Camera, Photo-Arsenal (I think they took over Photo Alps, who I've also bought from), Team-Foto (only on ebay). There's also Michel Campion's Second Hand Shop in Brussels, an Aladdin's cave, but he does not sell online. I have bought from the Westlicht Auction in Vienna and found their descriptions reliable; I think it has been renamed as Leitz Photographica Auction? It is linked to the Leica Classic Shop in Vienna - both now owned by Leica I believe.

[ianman]

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17 minutes ago, LocalHero1953 said:

There's also Michel Campion's Second Hand Shop in Brussels, an Aladdin's cave, but he does not sell online.

This is a great shop. I've been buying new and secondhand from Campion since the 90s. Michel's (the father) shop (the secondhand one) has downscaled quite a bit in recent years.

Also in Brussels is PCH on Rue du Midi. They moved a few houses down some years ago and strangely all the secondhand stuff is still displayed in the old window about 100m away from the new shop so you have to know about it.

In Waterloo there is a place on the Chaussée de Charleroi. It's a mess, there is stuff all over the floor, the shelves are overflowing. He has some secondhand Leica but no online presence AFAIK.

[LocalHero1953]

Just now, ianman said:

This is a great shop. I've been buying new and secondhand from Campion since the 90s. Michel's (the father) shop (the secondhand one) has downscaled quite a bit in recent years.

Also in Brussels is PCH on Rue du Midi. They moved a few houses down some years ago and strangely all the secondhand stuff is still displayed in the old window about 100m away from the new shop so you have to know about it.

In Waterloo there is a place on the Chaussée de Charleroi. It's a mess, there is stuff all over the floor, the shelves are overflowing. He has some secondhand Leica but no online presence AFAIK.

Thanks for the info. We visited my daughter in Brussels for the weekend a few weeks ago - I thought of contacting you, but there wasn't time to meet up - another time.

The Campion shops are barely five minutes walk from my daughter's apartment!  

[MMS]

Wow that is a lot! Thank you very much everybody! 

Edited November 16, 2021 by MMS