Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/03/03
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]And that's one of the reasons why used Leica dealers are feeling the pinch. - --- Patrick Jelliffe <pbjbike@yahoo.com> 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! 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