Hasselblad sells.

<p>Some years ago I got out of the hobby of photography. I was into medium format using Hasselblad equipment. Now I am trying to sell that stuff off and have put a few ads on this web site. I am getting no responses except for a few from outside the U.S.. Has Hasselblad stuff dropped down in price that much? Is everone into digital today? Should I just hang on to my stuff untill money gets loosier? I am in the stage of getting rid of stuff that I dont use anymore. Any comments? Thanks. Gus.</p>

<p>Check out KEH (<a href="http://www.keh.com/">http://www.keh.com/</a>) to see what similar 'blad stuff is selling for. Their BGN grade items are clean and functional and guaranteed, so anyone who wants 'blad equipment to actually use won't be willing to pay more than somewhat less than those prices. Inversely, KEH might be willing to buy your stuff, albeit at a fraction of their sell price. (I'm not an ebay fan, so you'll need someone else to discuss that route.)</p>

<p>There is a price guide of Hassy cameras <a rel="nofollow" href="http://tiny.cc/nv7yy" target="_blank">here</a> and Hassy lenses <a rel="nofollow" href="http://tiny.cc/1pc6z" target="_blank">here</a>.<br>

Prices have tanked the last 5 years.<br>

Dave</p>

<p>I would never sell any of it at today's prices.....maybe buy some? Its prettier on the bookcase than the money you would get. just me......</p>

<p>Prices seem pretty stable on the auction site. I don't think prices are going to go up at all on Hasselblad. It was over priced for so long, now I think prices are down to where they should be. Why not sell it and give someone else a chance to try it out? I am not one to keep gear sitting on a shelf when it could be enjoyed by someone else.</p>

<p>As one who has to stay abreast of the prices of Hasselblad I can tell you that right now it is as slow and prices are as depressed as I've seen them.....ever. </p>

<p>I constantly see people selling their gear at crazy prices. People often tell me....well I saw this item selling for such and such a price on ebay or at KEH or wherever. </p>

<p>Wrong. You saw people "asking" such and such a price for their gear.</p>

<p>Asking and selling prices are often times worlds apart. That's why we see old Mamiya gear and Bronica gear practically being given away these days. There's always a buyer out there, however, and it's usually always relative to price. If you can't get what you expect to get out of it then just keep it.</p>

<p>I agree with the previous poster, however, better to sell it for whatever it "is" worth than for it to sit on the shelf unused.</p>

<p>Remember that ebay is a vast dumping ground for broken cameras, or cameras that "pretty much work" but don't work perfectly. I'd buy from KEH or a local camera store, with the ability for a no-hassle return. I've bought more broken gear on ebay than I'd like to admit, and I keep telling myself "no more!" When I do sell an item on ebay, I am honest about the condition, and accept the highest bid. I recently sold a Hasselblad 500cm with back and lens. The body, back, and lens needed repairs (body had release issues, lens had a very slow 1 second, back had screws on so tight I couldn't put a new seal in). I got $385 for the set, including a lens cap. Considering I'd have needed to spend nearly $500 on work, I think it was a fair price the buyer paid. I have another (working fine) Hasselblad so I have no need to spend money on a broken one. I bought that one on ebay from a seller who described it as "pristine." Needless to say that seller received a negative feedback from me, after he refused to pay for half the repair on the body (I asked $75).<br>

So make sure, if you do sell your gear on ebay, to describe it totally honestly. If it is in total good working order, say so and accept returns. If it needs work, say so and accept what you can get. Ultimately, film cameras are going down in price because so much gear is being sold off in favor of digital. Prices will keep going down. I am still amazed people ask nearly $2000 for a used Hasselblad 501cm kit. Complete madness if you ask me.</p>

<p>To Dave Lee: My stuff is not worn out equipment. I bought this stuff new to try out photograpy and I got out of it quickly. It is like new. And I will not sell something that I paid $1,500 for for $300. I will throw it in the local river first, I dont need the money. And as far as selling it to someone else at insulting prices just to make them happy, that wont happen. The thing is, I have been out of photograpy so long, I had no idea of the low prices the Hasselblad stuff was getting. I got a shock. I will put the stuff back in their boxes and maybe give it away as a present to a loved one someday. Gus.</p>

<p>KEH, B&H, Adorama, Calumet, and pretty much all of the major retailers sell on eBay. Not one of them has a perfect 100% feedback rating.</p>

<p>I sell gear on eBay daily. So when someone tends to paint the picture that eBay is a vast dumping ground I'm ok with you having the right to speak your mind about it that way........but that affects me and my business because it's not a vast dumping ground for me. I've sold Hasselblad on there for years to buyers all over the world and I work hard to take care of people and keep a 100% rating so I have to speak up for my interests. No seller that sells on there regularly has never made a mistake about something at some point but the ones that separate themselves from the others are the ones who care more about people than they do money and cameras. That's nearly always revealed in the feedback left by other buyers.</p>

<p>Ebay is simple. Ask questions. Read the feedback of sellers. Use common sense.</p>

<p>At least with eBay I'd guess 90-95% of the time you get to see actual photos of the item you're buying. Do you get that luxury at KEH's website? Do you get that luxury at B&H's website? Adoramas? Calumets? No. Very few camera websites do that. So in that regard eBay is BETTER than those other places.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I would sell via eBay or here if you are interested in a fair price that stores cannot offer you easily. </p>

<p>Also I wouldn't limit myself to the USA market as film cameras are seemingly taking a bigger hit there (rush to digital) than in many places. Selling to Canada (easy, all you need to do is fill out the USPS form for exportation) or Europe is advantageous as there are a lot of film users in those areas. If you use Paypal you and your buyer have some insurance (I think it is limited to $1200 US). I bought a Leica M4-P from Australia and my credit card company would have covered any loss or problem. But there wasn't any, of course. </p>

<p>eBay is much better than Keh or used dep from Adorama or B&H, all you need to check item images what you buy, check seller feedbacks, ask many questions as you can, much safer, all this impossible with online camera stores.</p>

<p>David,</p>

<p>:) I must say that's a fine piece of generalization about ebay being a dumping ground! :)</p>

<p>IMHO, you <em>do</em> get scoundrels flogging stuff there but there are also store-front scoundrels as well. And, returning purchases to some of these store-front scoundrels can be as challenging (if not moreso in some cases) than those on ebay.</p>

<p>Insist on Bank Drafts, USPS Money Orders, or use PayPal as opposed to personal cheques.</p>

<p>In plain English, just do your due diligence, use common sense, and you'll be fine!</p>

<p>Cheers</p>