Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
If you still have questions after reading the information below, feel free to contact me through the contact form.
1. Can you tell me how much my camera is worth?
For a rough indication have a look at the links in the Buying and Selling category of this website. There are several sites with values or offering appraisal services. If you have a lot of cameras, you can get approximate prices online from Camprice.
You should be aware of the fact that most price guides cannot reflect day-to-day changes in prices. A price determined a year ago for a vintage camera sold in Europe may differ significantly from a camera sold in the US today, for example.
For more accuracy you need current market prices. Finding out current market prices is a little bit more work but you can do it yourself for free. To learn a method to find out current market prices yourself, register for my free articles series "Classic Cameras as a Capital Investment". One of the bonus articles explains this method.
There are many classic camera experts around the world you can ask also. Just post your question at the Vintage Camera Online Forum.
2. I have an old camera (or several old cameras). What should I do with it (them)?
Many times old cameras turn up, either inherited or from other sources.
Because some cameras (like many of the Kodak box cameras) were manufactured in big quantities, the emotional value to the owner can be higher than the actual market value if it's sold. Once in a while, cameras turn up which are sought after by collectors, and can be pretty valuable.
If you have an old camera and are thinking what to do with it, first try to find out what it is. There are a lot of specialized books, and there is vast amount of information put on the internet for free by photographic and cinematographic enthousiasts. Have a look at the 500+ links to websites with heaps of information at Vintage Camera Online or post a message in the Forum. These links include camera maintenance and repair, instruction manuals, hard to get films and supplies.
Next, decide wether you want to keep it, or give it a good home somewhere else.
If your keeping it, you might want to find out more about methods to keep it in good shape. There are many ways to do this. For example, if old shutters don't work in many cases it's because the lubricant has become hard over time. Often an simple cleaning and lubrication job (CLA = cleaning, lubrication, adjustment) will get your old camera in top shape again. You might even use your camera again to see what nice effects the old lenses give.
If you have decided to sell, make sure you know the value of what you are selling. eBay's "completed listings" feature is a great free source to get a quick idea. To learn a method to find out current market prices yourself, register for my free articles series "Classic Cameras as a Capital Investment". One of the bonus articles explains this method. It might take a little time to do your research but it will avoid selling for too low a price, or alternatively not selling because the asking price is too high.
When selling, there are several options:
- Offer it to one of the companies that buy and sell old cameras. Many have a presence on the internet. Keep in mind that these companies have to spend time examining a camera they buy, sometimes service it before selling, and often (have to) offer a limited warranty for the products they sell. Obviously they can't give you the market selling price when they buy a camera.
- Put your camera up for sale on your own website. This will only work if the website has many visitors interested in buying cameras, and can compete with the hundreds of websites which are already selling cameras.
- Auctions are often used because most of their items sell in a short time. There are several specialized auctions for cameras like Westlicht in Austria. To get an idea, have a look at their online auction catalogs. Also, there are many other auctions on the internet for selling all kinds of items, including old cameras.
Best known for selling on the internet probably is eBay. In most cases your classic camera will be sold within 10 days and you'll get the current market price. It's easy and registration is free. If you don't already have an eBay account, click on the image:
You can use your local eBay and get bids in your local currency, or use the US eBay site, which draws the most bids.
You can also put your camera up for sale in the Forum.
3. Do you buy or sell cameras?
Sometimes, if it fits in my collection of well-made classic mechanical cameras such as Leica, Contax and Rollei(flex). Sometimes I buy large collections also because often they are too large for individual collectors to buy as a whole, and sellers don't want to spend the time to sell them individually.
Cameras which don't fit in my collection go to other collectors again.
4. I'd like you to add a link to my website. What should I do?
If it's a website related to classic and vintage cinematography it would be great to add your link. Just use the contact page to let us know the details. Please make shure your website doesn't have unrelated pop-up or pop-under advertisements because the goal is to provide relevant content to our website visitors.
Hope this helps. If your support question isn't answered here you can use the contact form. And remember: there are thousands of enthousiastic people ready to share their know-how with you. Just post your comment at the Vintage Camera Online Forum.
