Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/03/03
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]It's essentially taken out the middle man/person. It's what free trade is all about. But remember, we practise Phoenician economics in the West, i.e. if we can't sell anything to you, we'll sell you to your neighbors. Slobodan Dimitrov Patrick Jelliffe wrote: > > In the days before ebay, it was very difficult for a > private individual to get a fair market price for used > gear. A good shop might offer you 60% of what they > would sell your gear for. Dealers advertising in > Shutterbug were a little better, but not much. In '95, > at a particularly low financial point, I attempted to > sell a Mint M3 in New York. B&H offered me $450. > Flyers posted at all the decent pro labs in Manhattan > brought zero results. Ended up shipping it to Jim > Kuehl, who gave me $700. It probably would have > fetched a 1,200 or more from a collector somewhere. > Ebay has brought a level playing field to buying and > selling. Is that so wrong? > > Patrick > > > --- Mark Rabiner <mark@rabinergroup.com> wrote: > > "Beddoe, Neil" wrote: > > > > > > I find eBay an excellent alternative to hiring > > gear. Buy something, use it > > > for a few months and then sell it for what you > > paid for it. > > > > > > Neil > > > > > > > I find the idea contemptuous. > > I think people should buy a camera and take pictures > > with it. Die with > > it. That's the full cycle of the thing. > > > > It's not a baseball card. > > > > Pass it on to your grandchildren. I think that's > > what a tool Like a > > Leica M camera is all about. > > It stays in your family for a few generations. > > > > I've got a nephew I've never met just signed up for > > photography courses > > at Columbia University in New York City. > > I'm leaving him quite a few zero's worth of cameras > > in my will. > > The kids barely heard of me. For all I know they've > > kept me a secret. I > > hope he gives the Leicas a fair shot before he sells > > them to buy more Nikons... > > or a Chevy Bronco. > > > > Buy a camera, marry it. Get to know all it's > > nuances. > > These people who trade systems every year - ASK TO > > SEE THEIR PRINTS! > > Half the time they won't have any at all the other > > half it will be a > > stupid short stack of un-edited 4x6 machine prints. > > > > The sad fact i feel that most people don't realize > > is that once people buy a camera; there's nothing > > left to do but to take > > pictures with it. > > The game is over. It's a tool. You bought it you > > use it. > > It's a shame when the thrill comes from the buying > > and selling and not > > the using. > > > > This buying and selling; buying and selling is not > > photography. > > > > And as this list is called the Leica USER group. Not > > Leica BUYER AND > > SELLER Group, it's not what we are all about. > > > > But if we run out of money we just SELL SOMETHING ON > > EBAY (almost as > > much fun as buying) and that frees up more loot to > > then BUY SOMETHING ON > > EBAY. So we can keep it for a month and a half. > > > > > > We had "Guilt" in a tread heading even though it was > > mostly talking > > about something else. > > > > The "Guilt" of buying an expensive camera like a > > Leica and especially > > Leica because it's low tech approach would > > apparently not justify the expense. > > > > The me the "Guilt" comes from not using the camera. > > Months later having > > few prints to show for it or slides. I see guilt in > > that. > > > > I cant see any "Guilt" coming from a camera one > > carries around every day > > -- at any price. > > > > But i do see "Guilt" from complaining about it to > > give an excuse to > > trade it in for a new toy a short time later. > > > > "I think the Canon lenses are better, I'm going > > Canon" > > > > Me I don't enjoy buying stuff. Makes me very > > nervous. I sweat blood when > > ever i have to spend more than a grand on something. > > Pink stuff rolls > > down my forehead. And I try to buy stuff as close > > to home as possible > > and from people (camera stores) which already know > > me. ...a repeat > > customer. That way if it DOES screw up I come back > > there and slap it > > down on the counter. And expect another one which > > works on the spot. > > > > Don't suck us into auction threads folks! > > Money money money. Greed, Avarice, dilettantism. > > > > We need to get back to owning what is ours. Taking > > care of it properly. > > And see what it really can do for us. > > > > As the Ebay mentality takes over more and more our > > overall concept of > > ownership completely fades. We never own anything. > > We are just playing > > auction games with it. Have we enjoyed using it as > > much as we've enjoyed > > buying and selling it? > > But more importantly. Have we given the thing a fair > > shot? I think the > > people who designed and built it, marketed it and > > sold it deserve at > > least that. > > > > > > Mark Rabiner > > Portland, Oregon USA > > http://www.rabinergroup.com > > Email: mark@rabinergroup.com > > Fax: 503-221-0308 > > -- > > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html > > __________________________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more > http://taxes.yahoo.com/ > -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html