Visited a big camera show in Chicago and the lack of repair info was wild

I saw a whole row of vintage dealers with tables full of untested gear, and not one of them could tell me the last time the shutters were serviced. It feels like the collector market is pushing repair work to the side. How do you guys handle customers who buy from these places and then bring you a box of problems?

3 comments

3 Comments

shane17020d ago

Yeah, that line about "a box of problems" hits home. I read a rant from a repair tech last week saying they're basically becoming the cleanup crew for these sellers. It's frustrating because the customer paid a "vintage" price but got a project they didn't sign up for. Honestly, it makes the whole scene look bad when people get burned on a cool old camera that just needs a simple fix the seller didn't bother with.

taylor.jessica20d ago

Totally feel that "cleanup crew" line. I've been the person buying the project camera without knowing it before, and it stings. You get excited about a cool find, then realize the shutter is glued shut with old grease or something. It makes you not want to trust any listing that says "untested" ever again. What's the worst "project" you've ended up with?

ward.diana20d ago

What's the fix for this, better buyer education or some kind of seller standard? It seems like the whole "untested" tag just passes the risk down the line until a repair person has to deal with it. That's got to hurt the hobby long term if new people keep getting burned.