Inherited photography equipment (1 Viewer)

[BreweryDave]

Hi all - this will end up as an ad in various places - but any advice from any photographers on here welcome!
I have inherited a load of gear - inc Hasselblad 500 camera and lenses, Leica and Olympus cameras and lenses and various other bits and bobs - aunt said to sell it and have a holiday she reckons a couple of grands worth - but we all know things are only worth what someone will pay!
Don't want to get ripped off!!!
I'll do some research tonight on the individual pieces so I have an idea!
Just wondered where the best place to sell would be - online auction, photography magazine, dealers etc. and whether to sell individually or a job lot?
not a world I know much about!
Any experts about????
Cheers in advance.

 

[DBK]

I sold my nearly 40 years old Nikon kit on e-bay and there were several bidders and it went for more than I expected.

 

[acting_strange]

Last year I bought a Hassleblad and lenses in a local auction....I split it and put it all on ebay....trippled my money....

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[Campercaillie]

A few user-friendly dealers who will give you a quote for your gear online. If you accept their quote, just send it off - some arrange free courier pick-up.

www.webuyanycamera.com

www.parkcameras.com

www.camerajungle.co.uk

At least you'll get some sort of idea what it's worth.

 

[Allanm]

Best bet is ebay. Dealers will only give you lowest prices because they want to sell the stuff and make a profit + VAT. The plus side is that you will get your money quickly.
Hassleblad and Leica are very well regarded, you might want to try a few of the photography forums to get an idea of value. You might have to register first to view their classified sections. www.talkphotography.co.uk is one I use.
What model Leica and lenses do you have? Some of the lenses are worth many hundreds of pounds, even a thousand or more.
Allan

 

[geo glasgow]

Hasselblad 500

if it has lenses and what looks like click on backs these can be for Polaroid
shoots ,,instant foto, or could have upto date digital backs all items are worth money the camera and lens depending what model, age and condition is a funny market , hundreds on the market as most photographers have went digital . wedding photographers etc usually change cameras every 2-3 years so what you have is of no intrest to these guys, the extras you have could be worth more money , lenses etc.
camera and lens around £300-600 depending as i said on age and wear and tear . these things are a specialist item to repair shutters etc,, good luck and basicly search the items into ebay at buy now see what others are selling but not ebay camera shops,
ps Leica cameras the older the better are very collectible with people around the globe who love to collect these cameras, so again be carfull what you sell , google on the net see what you cime up with..

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[icantremember]

SNIP
ps Leica cameras the older the better are very collectible with people around the globe who love to collect these cameras, SNIP..

Yes ...... as I discovered in France last year when some as$h@le decided to "collect" my Leica :Angry: which still had loads of unsaved images of the previous few days

My name and address were in the lens cap so if they had the decency to send me the sd card I would have sent them the case, spare batteries, charger and hand book.

 

[Nethernut]

PM sent.
Jan

 

[movan]

Wow.... brilliant camera. All I inherited was a little old box Brownie ... not worth much but loads of memories of my dad when I was little.

Make sure you get what it is worth...

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[magicsurfbus]

I've been dealing in second hand camera equipment for a living since last summer - not long but I'm a fast learner when paying the bills depends upon it. My advice would be don't go to a dealer. Not because we're dishonest, but because none of us would offer you the going rate for your kit, and you want as much as possible. Some people are simply clearing garages and attics and are happy just to get better than Car Boot Sale rates, but I don't think that applies to you. At best I'd offer you half the going rate, but I'd make that clear to you from the start - others might not.

How do I assess the going rate? I look on eBay for the specific camera or lens model and tick the 'Sold Listings' filter, then look how the 'Buy It Now' prices compare with the auction prices and take a rough average of whichever's highest (usually Buy It Now).

I have yet to be offered (or to find) a Hasselblad or a Leica. They're high quality, rare and expensive. The closest I came was buying a job lot containing some Leica manuals, and they've sold well. I would strongly suggest you take anything branded Hasselblad or Leica/Leitz to your nearest Christie's auction house for their expert opinion and a condition check. They hold specialist Leica (and other posh camera kit) auctions from time to time. Yes you'll pay them commission but no more than you'd pay eBay, possibly a bit less. By the time PayPal fees are taken into account I expect to wave goodbye to 18% of my eBay earnings. If Christie's turn their noses up, try Bonham's. Failing that try a reputable local auction house that runs its auctions at weekends, not mid-week.

Olympus is more of a mass market brand but still good. Others to look out for are Canon, Nikon, and Pentax - if they're 35mm SLR cameras I'd suggest selling the lenses separately to the camera bodies on eBay. You will usually get more for the lenses than the bodies, and less if they're sold together. Lenses with wide apertures (numbers below f2) tend to go for more. I find I earn more by selling them on 'Buy It Now' than I do by auctioning them, but it's a longer process as not everybody bites first time. If the Olympus kit is 35mm compacts like the Olympus Trip range, they still sell well. Trips go for around £18-20, some others go for more. The only 35mm cameras you can't sell these days are the APS format compacts. I sell those in job lots for not much.

The main issue you have with eBay selling is condition - you will need to make sure that someone who knows what to look for carefully checks the cameras and lenses for correct function and condition. A cursory glance at the front lens is not enough, as lenses have hidden depths that hide a multitude of sins, believe me.

Anyway, good luck with it - I hope you get a worthwhile return, but you may need to be patient before you achieve it.

 

[Allanm]

I wouldn't bother with auction houses unless you have an early Leica 1 model A or B. these are fetching £15k to 20k or more depending on condition.

Hassleblad 500 could be worth between £200 to £1000, depending on model, condition and accessories.
Have a look at the link below for a guide to Leica prices, it's a US site but will give you an idea what you might be looking at.

http://collectiblend.com/Cameras/Leitz/

Olympus cameras and lenses aren't worth that much unless you have something special.

Allan

 

[pappajohn]

Hasselblad 500C selling between £500 and £800 on eBay

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[Mack100]

You are in a bit of a bind here. It's simply that you don't have access to the kind of markets that would maximise the true market value for you.
Sites such as www.talkphotography.co.uk have a qualified access to their members classifieds depending on numbers of proper forum posts.

Places such as Aperture London would give you an appraisal of the quality of your gear and if the value of individual items is over £1000 would do a commission sale, their cut being 20%.
Otherwise they would make you an offer just like anywhere else.

Fool that I am, I'm just the kind of person who would buy gear like yours but I would have to know details such as light sealing of bodies and fungus in lenses which is why I only buy from Talkphotography.
I wouldn't expect you to know things like that unless you were experienced in vintage gear.

I wouldn't touch ebay or gumtree due to the scamming on those sites but that's just my view.