Yesterday I made an antique dealer cry

[The Oldun]

We were in the Northumberland town of Rothbury and came across one of those antique shops that overflows with thousands of small stock items. When the proprietor asked if I was looking for anything in particular I asked if he had any cameras. "I've got something special here" he said as he opened a box and started unwrapping velvet cloth. "I'm looking for around £400" he said proudly and my anticipation levels rose accordingly. The last fold was moved to reveal ................. a Zenit TTL. I told him how much it was actually worth and left that sad man staring down at his disappointment. A case of too many noughts.

 

[Musicman]

No, no, £400 is a bargain! You should have snapped it up!

Look, it "hails from the revered Moskva series", it's easily worth at least £600

Zenit TTL Camera With Helios-44m USSR | eBay UK

Capture the essence of photography with the Zenit TTL Camera, a classic SLR that hails from the revered Moskva series. Featuring manual focus precision, this camera is designed for those who appreciate the tactile control over their photographic art. The sleek black finish not only adds a touch...

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

A very long time ago, a dealer I bought from and sold to several times, told me that no one ever really knew the "correct" price for a second hand camera.

Generally speaking, he claimed, the faster a camera went out of the door, the more likely it was underpriced. Then again, he said he once priced a Pentax SV at £165 when he meant to put it in the window for £65. Two days later, a woman came in, looked it over carefully, test fired it at every speed with the back open and checked the aperture activation. Finally, she took eight, twenty pound notes and a fiver out of her purse, accepted the receipt and left.

On the basis that she never came back to the shop, he assumed she was happy with the camera.

 

[Kevin Allan]

No, no, £400 is a bargain! You should have snapped it up!

Look, it "hails from the revered Moskva series", it's easily worth at least £600

Zenit TTL Camera With Helios-44m USSR | eBay UK

Capture the essence of photography with the Zenit TTL Camera, a classic SLR that hails from the revered Moskva series. Featuring manual focus precision, this camera is designed for those who appreciate the tactile control over their photographic art. The sleek black finish not only adds a touch...

www.ebay.co.uk

Those AI-generated sales summaries are ridiculous - you can spot them a mile off. No details of the actual working condition of the item, just 100% marketing b******t.

 

[StephenM]

So you award them an MBE (Male Bovine Excrement) then?

 

[Bodian]

A very long time ago, a dealer I bought from and sold to several times, told me that no one ever really knew the "correct" price for a second hand camera.

Generally speaking, he claimed, the faster a camera went out of the door, the more likely it was underpriced. Then again, he said he once priced a Pentax SV at £165 when he meant to put it in the window for £65. Two days later, a woman came in, looked it over carefully, test fired it at every speed with the back open and checked the aperture activation. Finally, she took eight, twenty pound notes and a fiver out of her purse, accepted the receipt and left.

On the basis that she never came back to the shop, he assumed she was happy with the camera.

View attachment 458297

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgysRim_zT4&ab_channel=JewellerMagazine

 

[Garry Edwards]

I remember once going to an auction of camera equipment. They had the famous (infamous?) Zenith Photosniper on sale, they believed that it was the star item and tried to start the bidding at £1000
It went for a maiden bid of £5, but I think the guy overpaid . . .

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

I remember once going to an auction of camera equipment. They had the famous (infamous?) Zenith Photosniper on sale, they believed that it was the star item and tried to start the bidding at £1000
It went for a maiden bid of £5, but I think the guy overpaid . . .

I once read in a magazine that the Photosniper enjoyed a vogue among photographers in certain violent areas, because it was fat and light grey.

This, it was thought, made it less likely to be mistaken for a weapon than the Novoflex squeeze focussing lenses, which were skinny and black. I don't recall the article giving any examples to back this claim up.

 

[sirch]

I've got an example of the even rarer non TTL Zenitt, yours for £1000

 

[Nod]

I should report the above post for attempted selling outside the marketplace!

 

[The Oldun]

Those AI-generated sales summaries are ridiculous - you can spot them a mile off. No details of the actual working condition of the item, just 100% marketing b******t.

If anyone was tempted to use AI to describe their ebay item they would need to read the description carefully in case of wild claims that can't be substantiated.