The price of Large Format Photography (eBay)

[Warmtone]

Have you noticed how some dealers are "pumping"" the used large format gear market?

All of a sudden beat up ordinary lenses have a " buy now" price of $1500 while a Taylor Hobson lens cap is being advertised at a mere $270.00.

I'm sure none of these guys are photographers, but dealers who think someone will pay $22,000 for a worn out 1000mm 50's lens uncoated without a shutter. Some people are "dreamin"

Interestingly a Sinar F can be bought for under $400 - just one and a half Taylor Hobson lens caps

Amongst the rip-offs are some excellent genuine buys like a mint mc 240 Rodenstock apo ronar in copal shutter I purchased for $280 fom a genuine UK seller. ...$325 landed....but you have to look hard.

As the saying goes Caveat Emptor!

B

[Alastair Moore]

I saw a bunch of Sinar F2s for sale from a NSW seller. One of them went for a snip - little more than $200 which is surely a bargain around these parts. The same seller had about 3 or 4 more for sale. They must have bought a job lot of them somewhere. The others were being sold as bundles with a lens (210mm Rodenstock) and went for around $500.

And someone got themselves a bargain on a Sinar Norma with a bunch of lenses here: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/320996328063 ... 710wt_1179

But 6 - 12 months ago, the little large format gear I saw on ebay were going for silly money. And I've noticed people are still trying to sell Sinar kits for almost the same money they bought them for.

[Lachlan717]

Seller "Arsenal" seems one of the top wankers in this field. Listing Symmar S 210mm's for 2 to 3 times their value is always a good laugh.

I agree with the idea that some people are listing for the (relative) new cost back in 1982!!

But, as Brian points out, there are bargains to be had. I bought a 14" Verito for under $200 as it had some tiny chips on the back element. It's a soft focus lens; chips would add to the character if they made any difference at all!!

[Walter Glover]

Let me come at this from another perspective:

I sell a fair bit of stuff on Ebay and I set prices that will return me what I expect for the gear. If I can't fetch such a price then I might as well keep the kit.

Case in point is my brand new 360mm Apo-Sironar S which I have been listing at $1,750.00. I just experimented listing it at $1,500 to see if that makes a difference.