PPOT newb here - be gentle.

[SilberUrS6]

Guy in the 911 tech forum sent me over here with a question he is sure some of you can answer.

Background: When my dad died, I got a box full of film photography stuff. A lot of it was junk, but there was a box with a Leica M3 and some associated paraphernalia including at least one additional lens, a light meter, what looks like a flash bulb shroud and some other stuff I don't think I know what it is. I am not a film guy, because I suck at photography (any of my photos here on PP will bear that out) and electrons are SO much cheaper than film to purchase and expose and develop.

So, I was hoping someone here could point me to a website where Leica fans hang out, so that I might sell this gear to someone who would actually use it and enjoy it. I know Dad loved to take pictures and liked his camera gear, and that he would be pleased if someone actually used the stuff he bought. It was suggested that I take pics of the stuff and post, but i decided to ask questions first and (photo) shoot later.

[onlycafe]

my brother might be a buyer for the leica. let me know when you come up with a price please.

[SilberUrS6]

Originally Posted by onlycafe

my brother might be a buyer for the leica. let me know when you come up with a price please.

Well, that's a bit of a problem. I searched the interwebs for a place to sell, and didn't want to use evilBay unless I had to. Lots of those retailers/resellers selling M3s are selling JUST THE BODIES for $700-900. Are they REALLY worth that??? Seriously, with the lenses and light meter and other assorted stuff, are folks really gonna pay over $1k for this camera (and bits)?

I would really be happy to get it to someone who will appreciate it, but I'm not looking to get top dollar, nor am I looking to give the stuff away at bargain-basement closeout pricing. So determining what's "fair" pricing (with a bit of a nod toward my Pelican Parts brethren when it comes to final price) and where to sell has been a bit of a puzzler for me. I'll be honest - I'd rather sell it for a little less to a Pelican than try and get top dollar somewhere else. Pelican has been great at helping me keep my 3.2 on the road, and I'd like to pay it forward.

I'm really hoping to get ballpark value numbers here as well as where this stuff trades hands.

[onlycafe]

they have a good reputation as the prices reflect.

[SilberUrS6]

And that is sort of a "retail" price. I guess I can add up all the stuff, compare to what eBay is doing on those parts, apply a factor of 0.75 and come up with a final number.

I'll put up some photos of all the stuff I have, and make myself available to take close-ups of the areas of interest. I guess we can have a discussion via PM after that.

[lowyder993s]

Originally Posted by SilberUrS6

I would really be happy to get it to someone who will appreciate it, but I'm not looking to get top dollar, nor am I looking to give the stuff away at bargain-basement closeout pricing. So determining what's "fair" pricing (with a bit of a nod toward my Pelican Parts brethren when it comes to final price) and where to sell has been a bit of a puzzler for me. I'll be honest - I'd rather sell it for a little less to a Pelican than try and get top dollar somewhere else. Pelican has been great at helping me keep my 3.2 on the road, and I'd like to pay it forward.
.

That's the PP spirit! I wish you luck and hope your karma acct gets a boost!

[nota]

condition condition condition sets value

like new is 3 to 4x the value of a worn but working camera

the other thing is mold in the lenz
as the mold excretes acid that eats into the glass

btw some rare accessory's can be worth a lot
others not so much

[Steve Carlton]

There's a lot of straight shooters in The GetDPI Photography Forums - Powered by vBulletin that know Leica's and their values well.

[nostatic]

+1 on getdpi.com. Some great shooters there, and very little of the nonsense that happens on the dpreview forums.

Good Leica lenses are worth thousands. Some of the more popular ones (certain Summicrons) easily fetch multiple thousands. The film bodies are a bit less attractive (the lenses can be adapted for a variety of digital camera bodies including newer Leica ones) but there are still people who shoot film.

[SilberUrS6]

OK, I now haz pix for clix.







I have not looked up all this stuff for pricing. The original user guides are there, and some aftermarket how-to books that I can throw in. I can also take pics of any of the things in more detail. Oh, and the light meter looks like it actually works!

[frankc]

Eric,
Thanks for posting the pictures. Please let me know when you have a price in mind that you are comfortable with. I will do a little more research and get back to you if I need any further information.

[Royze]

beautiful camera and seems to be in a great condition. id sell mine and buy yours if i had the time to find a buyer for mine.

looking at the serial number, i believe it could be a double stroke type M3. which in most cases a little cheaper than the single stroke later model. (look up Leica M3 serial #'s on google)

i was gonna say you should sell things separate on ebay if you had to use it.
after deciding a price, you can also try selling it on consignment at a camera shop, i believe some collectors will be interested in it as a set as well.

the dust settled in the 5cm lens might be hard to remove and theres always a slight chance there of fungus build up which is difficult to deal with..almost like rust on cars.
so you might have to get them inspected/cleaned by a professional.

[Holger]

That is a beautiful camera!
The body only sells for approx 1,000 Euros in Europe.

Leica Kamera M3 | eBay

M3 LEITZ WETZLAR LEICA M-3 CHROME 1963 CLASSIC RANGEFINDER NR. 1088498 | eBay

Leica M3 Gehäuse | eBay


Here is one with nearly the same number:
M3 LEITZ WETZLAR LEICA M-3 CHROME 1954 CLASSIC RANGEFINDER NR. 709650
M3 LEITZ WETZLAR LEICA M-3 CHROME 1954 CLASSIC RANGEFINDER NR. 709650 | eBay
3,400 Euros

[SilberUrS6]

Originally Posted by Royze

beautiful camera and seems to be in a great condition. id sell mine and buy yours if i had the time to find a buyer for mine.

looking at the serial number, i believe it could be a double stroke type M3. which in most cases a little cheaper than the single stroke later model. (look up Leica M3 serial #'s on google)

i was gonna say you should sell things separate on ebay if you had to use it.
after deciding a price, you can also try selling it on consignment at a camera shop, i believe some collectors will be interested in it as a set as well.

the dust settled in the 5cm lens might be hard to remove and theres always a slight chance there of fungus build up which is difficult to deal with..almost like rust on cars.
so you might have to get them inspected/cleaned by a professional.

I think the dust is just dust. I didn't take any time at all to clean any portion of the gear - I just took it out of the box, arranged it on the table, and took pics. I might find a fine brush and see if I can't move the dust around a little.

[SilberUrS6]

Originally Posted by frankc

Eric,
Thanks for posting the pictures. Please let me know when you have a price in mind that you are comfortable with. I will do a little more research and get back to you if I need any further information.

Like i said above, I am much more concerned that the camera go to someone who'll actually use it. In second place is the preference that the camera go to a Pelican. Sort of down the list is the amount of money I get for the gear. Yeah, I understand that if I "part it out" I'd get more overall money. I'm really not interested in maximizing that number.

Yeah, I know - I'm a terrible salesman. I just gave away the store up front.

[SilberUrS6]

Originally Posted by frankc

Eric,
Thanks for posting the pictures. Please let me know when you have a price in mind that you are comfortable with. I will do a little more research and get back to you if I need any further information.

My head spins when I look this stuff up. I think that $1200 for the whole kit, shipped to any CONUS address would be fair for a Pelican. There might be room to move there, but that seems like a reasonable price (considering the asking prices on eBay - holy crud, for the leather case alone I saw an ad asking $250! Seriously? It's a leather case!) I guess maybe I shouldn't be too surprised - early 911 complete tool kits are going for jaw-dropping money. Why not vintage Leica gear, LOL.

I haven't shopped the stuff around because I really do want a Pelican to have the stuff.

[SilberUrS6]

Closing the circle on this one - went to a suggested web forum, described gear and gave pics. Within two days, I had ten offers.

I took the high offer and shipped the stuff off. Thanks for the help, guys.

[Royze]

I'm glad you were able to get what it was worth, I'd def buy it from you if I didn't have too many bodies
I'm sure the cash turned into car parts lol

[vash]

I just sold my M6. I used Craigslist. Body and 28mm badass lens for $1k.

I still have my m3.

[Steve Carlton]

This thread was from 10 months ago. The OP was banned?