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Ways to Find Your Own Prices
I receive a lot of email requests for camera price
estimates. The best I can usually do is give them the average auction
rate, which is a number I track. But even that takes time, and I happen
to be one of those old fogies who thinks my time should not come free.
So, rather than take up a lot of my time, I refer people to my
Auction Price Table, where they can
look up for themselves an average of what others have been paying
for similar Mamiya equipment. Besides, even if I did see their personal
camera and hold it in my hand, I could only truly tell them what it
would be worth to me.
There are a great many buyers out there, and each one will have a
different idea about the value they would place on any given camera.
Some are buying them for resale to special customers. Customers they
know will pay a premium for specific models in good condition. Others
are merely collecting for themselves. It doesn't matter what the price
guides say, they already have several...guess how they're going to
price yours. So, it makes sense to show you the average values - and
help you understand the factors that go into an evaluation. Listed
below are my recommendations for finding the value of your Mamiya
(or any) photographic equipment.
Buy a Price Guide
There are several publications on the market that provide guidance
on how much a camera is worth. Most of us who collect cameras, myself
included, have several of them. The operative word here though is
"guidance." You really need a certain level of expertise
in the subject matter, in order to use a price guide effectively.
Anyone can look up the numbers, but a consideration of the guide itself,
its date of publication, the true condition of the item, the mood
of the market, the time of year and a litany of other factors are
mandatory to know, in order to establish the value of a camera, even
when when using a price guide. I recommend that people consider more
than one source.
Oh yes, one other thing - something a great many people forget (and
occasionally want to blame me for). In order for something to have
value, you have to find a buyer. Believe me, it does not matter what a
thousand price guides say...an old camera is only worth the amount
you can find someone willing to pay you for it.
On-Line Camera Price Guides
Online guides can be great resources, but don't expect them to be
free. You'll find a few people will post a bit of information about
it, like I do, for the love of the art. But when you're researching
and maintaining a database of auction values it gets to be expensive
(don't I know!), and you'll find that you will generally need to pay
for it.
If you're not willing to do a lot of research and constantly monitor
the market yourself, these services are well worth what you pay for
them. The providers are people who put a lot of effort into their
work and actually ask very little for what they provide. I know it's
hard to understand this when all you want to know is the value of
one camera, and it's hard to justify paying $30-or-more for a service
that advises your "find" is only worth $25. That's why these services
may not be for the merely curious, but more for the serious collector.
If you are serious about some aspect of camera collecting, look up
and subscribe to some of the auction price subscription services,
like Camprice.com,
or visit one of these other good sites that I frequent from time-to-time:
Dan Colucci's Antique
& Classic Cameras, or
What's It Worth to You?
On-Line Auction Services
I often recommend people do some searches on
eBay to discover prices. That comment
is sure to get me some flack but, truth is, the eBay auction site
is still far-and-away the market leader, has a great search tool,
and unless you really have a very rare item (which you probably
don't, despite seeing that adjective plastered all over eBay auctions),
you're going to find an auction for something similar. Many people
respond you can't get the true value of things watching eBay, but
I don't believe that. You can't get a much more accurate
value than an actual sale. Of course, the data is admittedly shakey,
if based on only one auction. So, I also recommend that you get several
data points before you cast any value in sand (they should never be
set in stone). For instance, my pricing tables have been derived from
more than seven years of auction watching. That is literally
thousands of auctions! The prices listed are averages, with
some items that sold for considerably more than the listed price,
while some went for considerably less. Same item.
Certified Antique Appraisal Services
This is also not free. Nor should it be. Good information on monetary
matters should be paid for. There are a lot of antique appraisers
that charge for their services. These people have put a lot of research
into their expertise and have gone to the effort of proving, or certifying,
their credibility. Most are certified...however, some are not. Those
who have taken the time to be credible deserve to be paid for their
services. But don't be fooled into thinking your camera is an "antique"
(and valuable) just because it's old. More than likely, it's not.
Valuable Tip: Don't be tricked by people who try to convince you they
know what they're doing by saying things like, "Of course I know.
I've been in this business more than thirty years." Just admitting
to personally being an antique doesn't make anyone an expert in them!
Camera Dealers
Just remember, a dealer's whole business philosophy is to buy low
and sell high. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Just don't
anticipate a dealer is going to be your best buddy, and provide you
with a high retail value estimate for that camera you're selling!
Just like you won't get a bargain-basement sale price on a camera
you want to purchase from them, you won't get a high-end offer to
buy the camera you want to sell from a dealer either...so don't expect
one.
Camera Collectors
This is probably the least credible source of valuation. I know, because
I am a collector. Expect a collector to tell you what they have "seen"
cameras being sold for (isn't that, after all, what my pricing table
is all about?) We generally know what we can expect to pay for a specific
camera, but we also know the actual selling price may not really represent
its value and, just like we are always looking for that "one
special camera" we are also always looking for a deal!
Remember when I mentioned a seller needs a buyer for something to
have value? I've turned down magnificent items with reasonable prices
that I just could not get excited about. On the other hand,
collectors like me may spend months or years, looking the world over
for one specific item. When they find it, if it is in reasonable condition
(and sometimes even when it's not), they are going to buy it. Period.
Cost is often a non-issue at that point! If, by chance, there are
several people interested in it, it may quickly become absurdly
high-priced. While we are certainly going to try to avoid paying more
than we should, if this is the one camera needed to finish a collection,
and you know you will wait weeks, or months, or even years to see
it again - if ever, a little voice will whisper "you have to have
it" and the price, at that moment in time, I guarantee you will rise.
So, What's the True Value?
I say this in many ways, in many places throughout my web site, and
I can personally attest to it: please don't ever think the price tag
on the vintage camera in a display case is the real value. The price
tag only reflects the price at which it's for sale. It's true value,
at any given time, is the price for which it is sold!
So, if you're told your camera is only worth $40 and you still decide
that $100 is the least you will take for it, then by all means,
hold out for the buyer who will pay you that much. No matter how long
it takes <i>(just don't be surprised if it takes a long, long
time)</i>! On the other hand, if you found it for a few bucks
in a yard sale and you're just trying to get rid of it, then take
the $40 offer, consider yourself lucky, and go on to the next camera!