Episode 76 of Camerosity departs from the show's usual format of bringing in outside experts, instead turning the spotlight on hosts Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike, who are themselves seasoned authorities on the subject of buying and selling cameras. Rather than deep-diving into a specific brand or camera type, the episode is built around personal stories and practical advice on how the hosts have amassed their gear over the years, joined by returning callers Mark Faulkner, Mike Litwin, and Will Pinkham, plus first-time caller Cody Yoder.
The conversation ranges widely across the various ways cameras change hands today, from eBay to Facebook Marketplace, estate sales, antique malls, and simple word-of-mouth connections with other collectors. Paul reflects on the current state of the buying and selling market, including a rough experience getting into trouble with eBay, while Mike discusses his now-abandoned favorite eBay seller, Tictocnmore. Anthony recounts meeting an eccentric Florida camera collector, Bernard Danenberg, and there's discussion of notable hauls, including a friend's large Rollei collection and Cody's memorable discovery of a garage full of Hasselblads. Practical tips are shared throughout: patience and wishlists for buyers, watching for common misspellings in listings, building a network of fellow collectors, and for sellers, taking quality photos, writing thorough descriptions, and requiring signatures for international sales. The group also touches on camera repair struggles, noting specific problem models like the Pentax ES II and Konica FT-1 motor, and Mark shares a disappointing experience selling his Leica M3. Theo adds a personal note about shooting and developing film during a trip to Vietnam.
The overall takeaway is a candid, insider look at the practical realities of the vintage camera market today—acknowledging that the "first wave" of vintage cameras sold by original owners has largely passed, and that success now depends on patience, relationships, and know-how rather than luck alone. The episode serves as a preview of sorts for the podcast's next installment, Episode 77, which will focus entirely on camera blogging and the origins of the Camerosity podcast itself through mikeeckman.com.
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For most episodes of this show, we rely on experts to come and talk to us about a specific topic. We value the experiences and knowledges of people who know a lot about a brand or a style of camera to teach us something that we didn’t already know. For Episode 76 however, we decided to go with something the Camerosity hosts are already experts on, which is buying and selling cameras.
You don’t get to have the experiences between the four hosts without access to a great deal of hardware, so we thought for this episode we would share some stories of how we all got to where we are at today. In addition to our personal experiences, Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike share their best tips and tricks not only for buying cameras but also when it comes time to sell something.
Joining us on this episode are returning callers, Mark Faulkner, Mike Litwin, Will Pinkham, and first time caller Cody Yoder. We cover the basics of buying and selling on eBay but also ways in which we’ve accumulated gear through estate sales, Facebook Marketplace, and through good old human interaction. Paul shares his thoughts on the state of buying and selling, Mike discusses one of his favorite eBay sellers and why he doesn’t buy from them anymore, and Anthony shares his story for how he met one of the most eccentric camera collectors in Florida.
In addition to buying and selling, Cody tells us a story about how he literally walked into a garage full of Hasselblads, Theo gives us an update on what it was like shooting and developing film while on vacation in Vietnam and Paul answers a question for how he decides how much to offer a seller when buying a large collection.
For the next episode, we are sticking with topics we know well and will dedicate Episode 77 entirely to blogging. This podcast wouldn’t exist if Mike had never started mikeeckman.com and met Anthony, Paul, and Theo through his site, so if you’ve ever been interested into the behind the scenes of researching and reviewing cameras for a website, this is the episode for you. In addition to Mike and Theo’s thoughts, we are going to solicit some of your other favorite bloggers and get their thoughts as well. Episode 77 will be recorded on Monday, September 16th at 7pm Central Daylight Time and 8pm Eastern Daylight Time.
The guys and I rarely know where each episode is going to go until it happens, so if you’d like to join us on a future episode, be sure to look out for our show announcements on our Camerosity Podcast Facebook page, the Camerosity Discord server, and right here on mikeeckman.com. We usually record every other Monday and announcements, along with the Zoom link are typically shared 2-3 days in advance.
In This Episode
How is the eBay Camera Selling Market Going? / Paul Buys Cameras from Cody Yoder- Cody’s Camera Garage Find / Hasselblads / Paul Stays Away from Facebook Marketplace
- The First Wave of Vintage Cameras Have Already Been Sold By Their Original Owners
- The Bottom of the Box is Where the Fun Stuff Is
- Mike’s Biggest Missed Opportunity Came When He Just First Started Collecting.
- Anthony’s Friend’s Big Rollei Haul / Rolleiflex SLX / Paul’s 800 Mile Day
How Do You Calculate What You’ll Pay When Buying a Large Collection?- Selling on eBay Sucks Right Now / Paul Got in Trouble with eBay
- Anthony’s Perspective on Old Cameras in Florida / How Anthony Met Bernard Danenberg
- Kurt Ingham’s Collection / Buying Used Cameras in Australia
- Mike Litwin Has Been Buying Several Camera Books / Larry Gubas’s Zeiss Book
- The Current State of Camera Repairs
- Cameras That Often Don’t Work: Pentax ES II and Konica FT-1 Motor
- Mark’s Bad Experience Selling His Leica M3
- Tips for Buying on eBay: Be Patient, Use Wishlists, Build a Network of Other Collectors, Common Misspellings
Mike’s Favorite eBay Seller Used to be Tictocnmore / Buying from Antique Malls- Tips for Selling on eBay: Take Good Pictures, Put Effort Into Your Description, Require Signature on International Buyers
- Theo’s Experiences Shooting and Developing Film in Vietnam
- Mike Still Doesn’t Like Shooting 58mm Lenses
Links
The Camerosity Podcast is now on Discord! Join Anthony, Paul, Theo, and Mike on our very own Discord Server. Share your GAS and photography with other listeners in the Lounge or in our dedicated forums. If you have questions for myself or the other guys, we have an “Ask the Hosts” section as well where you can get your question answered on a future show! Check it out! https://discord.gg/PZVN2VBJvm.
If you would like to offer feedback or contact us with questions or ideas for future episodes, please contact us in the Comments Section below, our Camerosity Facebook Group, Instagram page, or Discord server.
The Official Camerosity Facebook Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/camerositypodcast
Camerosity Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/camerosity_podcast/
Mike’s Guide to Buying and Selling Cameras on eBay – https://mikeeckman.com/2019/04/gas-attack-buying-cameras-on-ebay/
Theo Panagopoulos – https://www.photothinking.com/
Paul Rybolt – https://www.ebay.com/usr/paulkris
Anthony Rue – https://www.instagram.com/kino_pravda/
Camerosity can also be heard on the following services:
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@camerositypodcast
Google – https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL2NhbWVyb3NpdHkvZmVlZC54bWw
Apple – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/camerosity/id1583252688
Amazon Music – https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9d316c9e-5461-4fa5-9e04-24fd27fffc3f/camerosity
Podchaser – https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/camerosity-1985806
Enjoyed this discussion.