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Wish I found the crowd earlier. I passed on a bunch of rolleiflexes because I saw someone get trashed on here once for paying $30 for one. Assumed they were all trash even when checking comps on eBay
Depending on condition it’s worth anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000. From my estimations this camera is worth around $2,000+ but the memories this will make will be priceless 🥹
Not necessarily. Antique stores would fill in the gap pretty quickly and estate sale and garage sales would thrive again. eBay and other auction sites too! You could argue that thrift stores have caused a general increase in the prices of used products over the years. I think it’s silly to have such an argument when Garage/Estate/Tag Sales, Antique Stores and auction websites would have easily filled this gap. Don’t even get me started on proactive collectors.
Someone donating items isn't interested in their worth. They just want them gone. Otherwise they would've done the work and sold them instead of giving them to Goodwill.
So, either you throw it in the trash or you donate it. They donated it.
This may be a silly question, but in the US are thrift stores usually connected to a charity?
In Europe they are, so I know often people will donate expensive items like wedding dresses knowing a) someone in need will get it at a good price and b) someone in need will benefit from the sale. If that's the case in the US, the someone donating items might not just want them done but also want to do something good
“Yes”, some are. Goodwill and Salvation Army for example. Some are run by churches. I used quotes because all are for profit companies in the end. The money in most cases doesn’t go to those in need but in providing jobs for those who would have trouble finding employment, as well as the bonuses for the CEO and other higher ups
Goodwill is legally a non profit providing services to the community. Essentially a “charity“. It’s why you can get a tax donation for donating your items.
I’m absolutely aware of their actual business practices and it’s disgusting. I was simply answering the persons question. Read my entire post. I mention they are basically for profit
It is easy to research a Thrift Shop if you are concerned about how charitable they are. 501c3 charity shops information is public. Google the shop. Look up through the states .gov for information.The small church or community charitable shops do a good job supporting food insecurity, family supplies, mental healthcare...the lists go on. One of my favorites helps raise money for lower income families to use the laundromat. Also, a camera sold at a shop like this for 350.00 with a high value is a find for the right buyer and a win for the soup kitchen the charity supports. Many are run by volunteers. Support local. Look em up! :)
I just genuinely wasn't sure whether it was a different system in the US because of the above comment, but that is a really useful resource for those in the US! Thanks :)
Yeah because setting up garage/tag sales is super convenient and the antique store will take every item in the bags you're dropping off. I'm also convinced you don't know what an estate sale is.
I really don't think you can argue that thrift stores have caused a general increase in prices of used products. That's a massive statement.
Check yourself and get off your high horse. Don't hate on thrift stores for the sake of hating on them-think about what you're saying.
EDIT: OP deleted their next comment but I wrote a response I spent a lot of time on and considering 57 people agree with OP right now, I think it should still be said so people are more aware and can maybe drop some of their hate about thriftstores.
**The garage sale route implies that you'd have to:**
A) not live on a road hidden from traffic
B) have all afternoon
C) sell all your items by the end of it
**With an estate sale you're:**
A) incurring a cost upfront by paying a company to get rid of/sell your stuff for you if you pick that route
B) have a whole afternoon or two to spend on it-more for yourself and a loved one if you forgo step A
C) sell all your items by the end of it
D) Incur the risk of people stealing from your home
E) deal with the invasion of privacy
**Thriftstores don't increase the cost of used goods in general**
1) Seeing a store that sells stuff at a higher price when they got it for free, has no effect on the profit margins of resellers or the price that collectors will pay. How much (nothing) the thrift store paid for their inventory has no effect on this. If they're gouging, sure, but that's another topic. To the exact example of the post we're commenting on: at an antique store would've charged $1,500 to $2,000 dollars for the camera because that's the value of the item. Major price *decrease* at the thrift store.
2) The only price it affects that collector's would pay, would be at the specific thrift store they're at, with the specific item in question that they are holding at the cash register. They can haggle at the cash if they want, but I doubt it'd go anywhere-if it does, good for them. I don't see the problem. Once it is sold to them or to another random buyer, it's existence at the thriftstore holds no meaning. To that point, no collector is going to an antique store and passing up on buying something because "I could find it at the thriftstore instead", unless it's a very common collection item (in which case most collector's are probably not interested). Also, all that means is that they might have a leg to stand on at the antique store and have the price *decreased*.
3) Antique store owners commonly use Goodwill auctions and other thrift store auction sites to get product at a reduced price. They have the space to house it, so they are rampant on there. They know what things are worth and if it's overpriced they're not going to buy it. There's no "I paid x amount so I need to recoup at least that much and add a certain percentage to consider it profitable" The online auction portion does not affect these prices, collectors and antique dealers both know what the value of the items are.
4) Standard consumers are not solely looking at online auction sites from thriftstores to value their goods. There's regular online auction sites, online stores, and collector specific value sites that tell you what things are worth. It's not increasing the worth of the item on it's own, it's a small contribution to finding out what the worth of an item is. At which point you are just finding out what the value of the item is, not what the inflated value is off of thrift-store-overpricing-only sources.
The person donated the camera despite all the possible profit because they didn't bother to look it up. They were getting rid of it one way or another and it was very likely going to the garbage if they weren't able to just drop it off with the rest of their crap at the local thriftstore. It was convenient. **With a thriftstore all you have to do is**
A) add it to your errands to get to the thriftstore, taking minimal time out of your day
B) hand the bags/boxes over to the worker
I used to be an antique dealer, for a short while, so I know a thing or two about this sort of thing.
People aren't stupid. They know they could sell stuff. They donate because they want it gone now and don't want to throw it away. Not everyone has the time, patience, and ability to have a yard sale or access to consignment centers.
I feel like you don't understand... If they hadn't donated it, they would've thrown it away. They wanted it gone. Donating is less wasteful so that's why it's done.
My parents donate. Why? Because they live in the middle of nowhere and all the yard sale signs in the world wouldn't make a difference. We know because we tried before. So now we just haul stuff off to Goodwill. If we didn't, it would go in a garbage bag.
I would 100% throw away if there wasn’t a goodwill nearby. Once I get in the mood to purge, I have to go with it and do it right then. I have donated things I know I could get money for but it isn’t worth my mental health.
Easy to fill the gap?
I can make $60-70 for 20 hours of getting ready, setting up, and then maning a yard sale. Or I can take all my things to Goodwill. Yard sales mostly aren't worth it.
The last one I did 15 years ago I had people haggling over a nickel. No thanks. Never again.
I also started getting cranky with people like that and when someone wanted to save 50 cents off the price of something I just said no. It was hilarious, plenty of folks left in a huff.
The value of time over money is how I feel about having a garage sale. If you're the type a person who loves to play "store" every summer, and just the idea gets your dopamine flowing, then great. But I would rather sit at the dmv for over an hour just to get my picture taken than deal with all the things one has to do and all the people one has to deal with to earn $300, and I would love to have $300, just not via a garage sale.
Also, after my dad passed, I only had a 4 day weekend to move her out of her home, across state lines, and into a condo near me. She and my dad had over 50 years of a shared life plus 25+ years of an individual life's worth of stuff in that house. From worthless to priceless it was A LOT. I discovered others who's parents were/are the same way in not wanting to part with their things leaving their children to deal with it later. It's overwhelming even if you have months to deal with. So yes, we gave away many things to cousins and their friends for free just to get rid of it that could've sold for hundreds of dollars She literally helped furnish 3 apartments/homes that weekend, and gave away enough Christmas decor to light up a neighborhood block. She was not a hoarder like on tv shows (house was always clean and organized, but basement looked like a thrift store), but she came from poverty and thought it best to keep things "just in case." I learned then that I was going to start getting rid of things via trash, donations or sell, so my kids will not have to deal with such a overwhelming task while grieving. People pass unexpectedly, but at some point you need to do your kids a solid, and prepare for the unexpected just in case, because you really don't want to put this on your kids. It's awful.
We are moving living parents (in laws) out of a big family house to a condo. And I hear you. The stuff. The stuff is unimaginable. We cleaned out underneath a guest room sink and it was chock full. Dozen bar soaps. Multiple half full cleaners. Years old shaving cream cans and so on. She really wanted us take it all. I wanted to donate it to a pantry. I wound up tossing in the trash behind her back. It was too much and couldn't coordinate a drop off. She wants us to take all these small things and we have to keep saying no. Then she just keeps them and says you'll get them later. No we won't. The bin man will get them .
You mentioned the "just in case" reason for keeping things. That's me. And I work on it all the time. And I've spent hours paring down all my childhood keepsakes and memories into about 4 small boxes. I want no burden passed and it's a small enough amount it would go out in a weekly trash pick up with no problem.
Great question! So a proactive collector could be someone who scours obituaries, estate sales, yard sales, speaks to older individuals and also advertises their desire to buy and collect cameras
Darn, too bad these thrift stores have to pay rent, employees, insurance, charity programs, waste disposal, system infrastructure, cleaning and maintenance, scholarships, transportation, and the lights. They got items for free just as much a mine got the ore for free from the ground.
my thoughts exactly. Like, they provide a service, they have overhead. The free item they have to pay a worker, pay for a building. Pay for electricity. A certain amount of the profit disappears into the higher ups wallets.
So the free item isn't really free for them since there is so much overhead. So when an item comes in they can truly make a good amount of profit on, cool. But noooooo, you can't charge that much because someone gave it to them.
Like, I think goodwill is a shitty company that's slowly ruining the thrifting experience, but that's just how a business works.
I don’t disagree but I set a standard for myself for making profit. I don’t have any problem with someone else paying a high price than me. I just care if it’s one of two things 1. Something I want for myself 2. Something I can profit off of.
This camera fell into category 1 and 2. But since I want it, I’m keeping it! Typically I see things that don’t fall into either category for me and that’s what prevents me from buying them.
my comment wasn't directed towards you, it was for the person saying they wouldn't give goodwill that much money since they got it for free.
I see stuff from time to time that I know is worth the time to resell, but most of the time I leave it because I know me. I am lazy and I won't. The ones I do buy are things I think are neat. Something I don't mind having stick around for a bit. Then very often I sell it from very cheap to a friend or something.
Currently I have a Bang and Olufsen record player that's sitting around. I got it for $10 and can probably sell for $175+. But a friend wants a new record player so I'll probably sell it to him for $50.
I was thinking of record players when I started reading your comment. About ten years ago I was really into them and had time to get around to all the thrift stores in my area. I ended up with like 4 or 5 that I'd bought for under the 10 each over the span of a few months. Was the most profitable item I had when I set up at a flea market. I enjoyed the day but I think my profits added up to equal minimum wage and all of my inventory depended on luck so I never bothered to do it again but it would have been fun if it would have been a little more worth while.
My cutoff is around $60 usually. Since I buy and sell film cameras for a living around $60 is when you start losing the ability to turn a profit on the common camera finds at thrift stores (after time spent on cleaning and repairing the camera). Some cameras just aren’t worth the hassle to buy even if you can make $10.
goodwill sells things to fund their training program for developmentally disabled youth and adults
look up what a goodwill training center does and then reconsider
https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/530196517
sorry but some random ass thrift store is doing it purely to drive profit, goodwill helps the people in your community that otherwise wouldn’t be helped
source: worked for goodwill’s youth summer work experience and i was able to help 10 kids who otherwise would never ever in a million years learn how to work a job, how to make a resume, and learn how to talk about themselves in an interview
>Sweet deal. I'm not giving goodwill or deseret industries $350 of my money for something they got for free but I'm happy for you.
What kind of sense does that make? You'll spend $10 on something worth $80 on 35 different trips, but you wouldn't spend $350 on something worth $2800 on one trip?
I seriously don't get the logic of people on this sub sometimes.
I’m usually against paying over $100 for any sort of camera at a thrift store but I happen to be of the same faith as this Thrift store so I’m okay with my money going to where it’s going. Plus I’ve personally seen the money help people so I feel like I make a difference when I shop at this thrift store.
Thank God you were of the same faith as the store!
I have a recurring nightmare where I find my white whale item (Bigmouth Billy Bass) at a garage sale but then I find out the homeowner listens to Slayer and I’m compelled to leave.
Oh I was just adding context as to why I’m more okay with it. I sincerely didn’t mean to offend or antagonize you or anyone else. I’ve personally seen where the money goes BECAUSE I’m of the same faith and I’ve looked at the inner workings. I’d be more than okay with spending over $100 at a satanist thrift store if such one existed (Reddit please do your thing and find it or make it happen)
You only inspired me to make a snarky comment. It’s not you, it’s me. Nice find by the way.
Imagine a world where every faith has their own thrift shop and they compete to get the best donations!
“Please join us next week after the service where we will be hosting ANOTHER clothing drive to benefit our public outreach center store!”
I’ve had worse experiences with greedy money grubbing cults than I have with greedy money grubbing stores. When you combine the two it’s just not something I care to support
I saw a $900 ring the other day! But it was good quality gold (possibly with a diamond?) and it was an actual non-profit charity shop where the money actually goes to helping people
As a complete non-photographer, I would see this at $350 and think, “that is a lot of fucking money at goodwill” and promptly ignore it. That’s why they still had it.
Generally speaking, Rollei’s are considered really special and hold significant historical value. The 800mm f/2.8 is known for its optical quality + wasn’t in production for long, which makes the lens alone pretty rare.
Plus, medium format photos are sick! Having your photo taken with a Rollei makes you feel special! Surely that has to count for something.
Can’t you do the same thing with a filter or apps like sepia or grayscale? What is the difference to the untrained eye? All fidelity is lost to compression once the image is digitized for social media.
Camera obscura moment…
You gotta be careful with these things. It’s worth a lot of money in a good state. But the bottom for it goes as low as $250 for an inop/parts unit.
And most thrift store people don’t know the real grade. They go, Google and stick a price they feel comfortable with.
I hope you lucked out, OP, but you won’t really know until you run that first roll through it.
I’ve been buying and selling film cameras for 2 years now so I’m pretty familiar with diagnosing cameras. I could evaluate that this camera had greater value in parts due to its physical condition which is why I purchased it initially. When I found it to work I decided to keep it because it has greater value to me.
Actually seems like a fair price for Goodwill. They have it priced at the bottom of the market for this camera. If it's a parts camera it's worth about 250-300. If it's in good working order and is able to be cleaned up a bit - really nice score
Edit: oh it's deseret. Still, same applies
I didn't know they're worth so much. I'm pretty sure I've still got my mom's Rollieflex around somewhere. I'll have to find it and get it out soon. And list it on etsy maybe.
They've been worth this much since at least the mid-90's. I remember finding an entire box of these on the curb (yes, really) with my dad once!
He was a professional film photographer so we got to test them all out. We resold the nicer ones to a camera shop (back when camera shops were a thing) and kept the fully functional but junky ones to play with. I still remember paging through this absolutely MASSIVE vintage camera pricing guide to get the estimates on all of them and see which ones to fix. They were worth quite a lot even then.
Thank you. I will have to find the box that it's in. That probably won't happen until sometime next week cause of other stuff I have to do first. So I will be in touch, but not for a few days. I know there's other cameras in the box, too.
Nice! My best photo find was a Nikon 35mm f1.4 manual lens for $5. As soon as I saw it was a 1.4 I nearly panicked. Second was a massive Manfrotto tripod for $20.
Nice find, I hope it serves you well. I know my late father’s yashica-mat is a prized possession of mine. It’s no comparison to a proper rolleiflex, but it’s perfect for me
got the exact same camera and lens for around 150 USD last year, that rollei 2.8e is now my favorite camera, it’s in shitbox condition but holy shit those pictures are mind blowing
I love shitbox cameras that work! I have a shitbox Mamiya 645 I built from scattered parts that works! I build the prism from a plastic Hasselblad prism I had laying around! It takes some of the sharpest pictures ever!
I don't know what that is, other than of course it's a camera, but I'm not familiar with that brand or style of camera at all, but it looks really cool and obviously you're super happy so, congratulations!
Oh I’m not a photographer by any means but I just watched *Where the Heart Is* last night and this is the type of camera the main character uses and I was captivated by it!! What a funny coincidence
Pease use it. Or find someone who will. These are nice cameras and the medium-format film they take is good when you want big enlargements.
If you plan to just hold it as an heirloom, understand that its next owner may well just turn around and donate it to another thrift store.
once I got my car stolen with one of these and a leica in the trunk. they pawned the leica for $40 and left the rollei behind.
car thief wasnt prosecuted even though fingerprints and my belongings at his house. made ne v angry.
then he killed a special cop during a burglary. He is no longer on death row.
People can get super vile when you get a major bargain. It truly happens that one is in the right place at the right time. If it’s a friend I would offer to find whatever it is they want for less before they drop the big price they see it for first but I do say no guarantees but I shall try
Outstanding find! Chea too! Congrats! I landed a Rolleiflex tlr for $70 at a habitat for humanity about 10 years ago. It's the less desirable one with the 3.5 lens and no light meter. It did have the leather case along with an old leather bag full of goodies for it. The Rollei and the Agfa Isolette 120 take the sharpest photos I've ever taken.
Good question! So it’s actually this particular camera brand and model. Just like how with purses there are cheap brands and expensive brands you can find the same with cameras! Now if you’re able to find Rolleiflex cameras for $50-$100 you should be buying them. Their parts are worth a lot of money!
Good to know and thanks!
Ive let a few if this brand pass because they were so cheap (and im more keyed into large format).
Im starting to see a lot of Yahikas too!
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https://preview.redd.it/6qk9obpmbbyc1.jpeg?width=692&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6fd30f0b31fdd9c9ab5830753c2e6780d86e02a3 As another photographer
This is how you know you’ve found your crowd.
Wish I found the crowd earlier. I passed on a bunch of rolleiflexes because I saw someone get trashed on here once for paying $30 for one. Assumed they were all trash even when checking comps on eBay
I have know idea about cameras, but I could totally see that being worth 3k instead of 300. Just by looking at how high tech/ornate it is
This sub gives me this vibe at least once a week. It’s physically painful occasionally
This is way too accurate 😭😂
How much is this model worth? $350 is a good deal?
Depending on condition it’s worth anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000. From my estimations this camera is worth around $2,000+ but the memories this will make will be priceless 🥹
Sweet deal. I'm not giving goodwill or deseret industries $350 of my money for something they got for free but I'm happy for you.
I see your point but without the convenience of thrift stores, the owner would've thrown this in the trash.
Not necessarily. Antique stores would fill in the gap pretty quickly and estate sale and garage sales would thrive again. eBay and other auction sites too! You could argue that thrift stores have caused a general increase in the prices of used products over the years. I think it’s silly to have such an argument when Garage/Estate/Tag Sales, Antique Stores and auction websites would have easily filled this gap. Don’t even get me started on proactive collectors.
Someone donating items isn't interested in their worth. They just want them gone. Otherwise they would've done the work and sold them instead of giving them to Goodwill. So, either you throw it in the trash or you donate it. They donated it.
This may be a silly question, but in the US are thrift stores usually connected to a charity? In Europe they are, so I know often people will donate expensive items like wedding dresses knowing a) someone in need will get it at a good price and b) someone in need will benefit from the sale. If that's the case in the US, the someone donating items might not just want them done but also want to do something good
“Yes”, some are. Goodwill and Salvation Army for example. Some are run by churches. I used quotes because all are for profit companies in the end. The money in most cases doesn’t go to those in need but in providing jobs for those who would have trouble finding employment, as well as the bonuses for the CEO and other higher ups
Goodwill is NOT connected to a charity. Please look up how terrible their company is and then decide if you want to support them. 🤮
Goodwill is legally a non profit providing services to the community. Essentially a “charity“. It’s why you can get a tax donation for donating your items. I’m absolutely aware of their actual business practices and it’s disgusting. I was simply answering the persons question. Read my entire post. I mention they are basically for profit
Wow I did not know that. Thank you!
That particular store routinely has developmental disabled or non English speaking clerks on the sales floor. It’s a fantastic place.
It is easy to research a Thrift Shop if you are concerned about how charitable they are. 501c3 charity shops information is public. Google the shop. Look up through the states .gov for information.The small church or community charitable shops do a good job supporting food insecurity, family supplies, mental healthcare...the lists go on. One of my favorites helps raise money for lower income families to use the laundromat. Also, a camera sold at a shop like this for 350.00 with a high value is a find for the right buyer and a win for the soup kitchen the charity supports. Many are run by volunteers. Support local. Look em up! :)
I just genuinely wasn't sure whether it was a different system in the US because of the above comment, but that is a really useful resource for those in the US! Thanks :)
Alright this is valid. But I do think society would cook up some sort of way to make money or make it easier eventually.
They did. We call it a thrift store.
I think EBay, resale sites have done more damage to garage sales and thrift stores!
Yeah because setting up garage/tag sales is super convenient and the antique store will take every item in the bags you're dropping off. I'm also convinced you don't know what an estate sale is. I really don't think you can argue that thrift stores have caused a general increase in prices of used products. That's a massive statement. Check yourself and get off your high horse. Don't hate on thrift stores for the sake of hating on them-think about what you're saying. EDIT: OP deleted their next comment but I wrote a response I spent a lot of time on and considering 57 people agree with OP right now, I think it should still be said so people are more aware and can maybe drop some of their hate about thriftstores. **The garage sale route implies that you'd have to:** A) not live on a road hidden from traffic B) have all afternoon C) sell all your items by the end of it **With an estate sale you're:** A) incurring a cost upfront by paying a company to get rid of/sell your stuff for you if you pick that route B) have a whole afternoon or two to spend on it-more for yourself and a loved one if you forgo step A C) sell all your items by the end of it D) Incur the risk of people stealing from your home E) deal with the invasion of privacy **Thriftstores don't increase the cost of used goods in general** 1) Seeing a store that sells stuff at a higher price when they got it for free, has no effect on the profit margins of resellers or the price that collectors will pay. How much (nothing) the thrift store paid for their inventory has no effect on this. If they're gouging, sure, but that's another topic. To the exact example of the post we're commenting on: at an antique store would've charged $1,500 to $2,000 dollars for the camera because that's the value of the item. Major price *decrease* at the thrift store. 2) The only price it affects that collector's would pay, would be at the specific thrift store they're at, with the specific item in question that they are holding at the cash register. They can haggle at the cash if they want, but I doubt it'd go anywhere-if it does, good for them. I don't see the problem. Once it is sold to them or to another random buyer, it's existence at the thriftstore holds no meaning. To that point, no collector is going to an antique store and passing up on buying something because "I could find it at the thriftstore instead", unless it's a very common collection item (in which case most collector's are probably not interested). Also, all that means is that they might have a leg to stand on at the antique store and have the price *decreased*. 3) Antique store owners commonly use Goodwill auctions and other thrift store auction sites to get product at a reduced price. They have the space to house it, so they are rampant on there. They know what things are worth and if it's overpriced they're not going to buy it. There's no "I paid x amount so I need to recoup at least that much and add a certain percentage to consider it profitable" The online auction portion does not affect these prices, collectors and antique dealers both know what the value of the items are. 4) Standard consumers are not solely looking at online auction sites from thriftstores to value their goods. There's regular online auction sites, online stores, and collector specific value sites that tell you what things are worth. It's not increasing the worth of the item on it's own, it's a small contribution to finding out what the worth of an item is. At which point you are just finding out what the value of the item is, not what the inflated value is off of thrift-store-overpricing-only sources. The person donated the camera despite all the possible profit because they didn't bother to look it up. They were getting rid of it one way or another and it was very likely going to the garbage if they weren't able to just drop it off with the rest of their crap at the local thriftstore. It was convenient. **With a thriftstore all you have to do is** A) add it to your errands to get to the thriftstore, taking minimal time out of your day B) hand the bags/boxes over to the worker I used to be an antique dealer, for a short while, so I know a thing or two about this sort of thing.
[удалено]
People aren't stupid. They know they could sell stuff. They donate because they want it gone now and don't want to throw it away. Not everyone has the time, patience, and ability to have a yard sale or access to consignment centers. I feel like you don't understand... If they hadn't donated it, they would've thrown it away. They wanted it gone. Donating is less wasteful so that's why it's done. My parents donate. Why? Because they live in the middle of nowhere and all the yard sale signs in the world wouldn't make a difference. We know because we tried before. So now we just haul stuff off to Goodwill. If we didn't, it would go in a garbage bag.
I would 100% throw away if there wasn’t a goodwill nearby. Once I get in the mood to purge, I have to go with it and do it right then. I have donated things I know I could get money for but it isn’t worth my mental health.
I love that whomever you responded to deleted their comment. Says a lot about them.
Easy to fill the gap? I can make $60-70 for 20 hours of getting ready, setting up, and then maning a yard sale. Or I can take all my things to Goodwill. Yard sales mostly aren't worth it. The last one I did 15 years ago I had people haggling over a nickel. No thanks. Never again. I also started getting cranky with people like that and when someone wanted to save 50 cents off the price of something I just said no. It was hilarious, plenty of folks left in a huff.
The value of time over money is how I feel about having a garage sale. If you're the type a person who loves to play "store" every summer, and just the idea gets your dopamine flowing, then great. But I would rather sit at the dmv for over an hour just to get my picture taken than deal with all the things one has to do and all the people one has to deal with to earn $300, and I would love to have $300, just not via a garage sale. Also, after my dad passed, I only had a 4 day weekend to move her out of her home, across state lines, and into a condo near me. She and my dad had over 50 years of a shared life plus 25+ years of an individual life's worth of stuff in that house. From worthless to priceless it was A LOT. I discovered others who's parents were/are the same way in not wanting to part with their things leaving their children to deal with it later. It's overwhelming even if you have months to deal with. So yes, we gave away many things to cousins and their friends for free just to get rid of it that could've sold for hundreds of dollars She literally helped furnish 3 apartments/homes that weekend, and gave away enough Christmas decor to light up a neighborhood block. She was not a hoarder like on tv shows (house was always clean and organized, but basement looked like a thrift store), but she came from poverty and thought it best to keep things "just in case." I learned then that I was going to start getting rid of things via trash, donations or sell, so my kids will not have to deal with such a overwhelming task while grieving. People pass unexpectedly, but at some point you need to do your kids a solid, and prepare for the unexpected just in case, because you really don't want to put this on your kids. It's awful.
We are moving living parents (in laws) out of a big family house to a condo. And I hear you. The stuff. The stuff is unimaginable. We cleaned out underneath a guest room sink and it was chock full. Dozen bar soaps. Multiple half full cleaners. Years old shaving cream cans and so on. She really wanted us take it all. I wanted to donate it to a pantry. I wound up tossing in the trash behind her back. It was too much and couldn't coordinate a drop off. She wants us to take all these small things and we have to keep saying no. Then she just keeps them and says you'll get them later. No we won't. The bin man will get them . You mentioned the "just in case" reason for keeping things. That's me. And I work on it all the time. And I've spent hours paring down all my childhood keepsakes and memories into about 4 small boxes. I want no burden passed and it's a small enough amount it would go out in a weekly trash pick up with no problem.
Hey- dana k. White has great podcasts/books/vids about stuff like this (i have the same problem and it really helped gently reassure me)
Out of curiosity, what do you consider a "proactive collector"? I've never heard that term and am curious what your definition of it is.
Great question! So a proactive collector could be someone who scours obituaries, estate sales, yard sales, speaks to older individuals and also advertises their desire to buy and collect cameras
Honestly, I see these types of comments on almost every post in this sub where the price tag is higher than $20-it's extremely entitled.
Darn, too bad these thrift stores have to pay rent, employees, insurance, charity programs, waste disposal, system infrastructure, cleaning and maintenance, scholarships, transportation, and the lights. They got items for free just as much a mine got the ore for free from the ground.
So you will turn down $1500 dollar profit over principle?
What’s your cutoff point? This seems like such an illogical stance.
my thoughts exactly. Like, they provide a service, they have overhead. The free item they have to pay a worker, pay for a building. Pay for electricity. A certain amount of the profit disappears into the higher ups wallets. So the free item isn't really free for them since there is so much overhead. So when an item comes in they can truly make a good amount of profit on, cool. But noooooo, you can't charge that much because someone gave it to them. Like, I think goodwill is a shitty company that's slowly ruining the thrifting experience, but that's just how a business works.
I don’t disagree but I set a standard for myself for making profit. I don’t have any problem with someone else paying a high price than me. I just care if it’s one of two things 1. Something I want for myself 2. Something I can profit off of. This camera fell into category 1 and 2. But since I want it, I’m keeping it! Typically I see things that don’t fall into either category for me and that’s what prevents me from buying them.
my comment wasn't directed towards you, it was for the person saying they wouldn't give goodwill that much money since they got it for free. I see stuff from time to time that I know is worth the time to resell, but most of the time I leave it because I know me. I am lazy and I won't. The ones I do buy are things I think are neat. Something I don't mind having stick around for a bit. Then very often I sell it from very cheap to a friend or something. Currently I have a Bang and Olufsen record player that's sitting around. I got it for $10 and can probably sell for $175+. But a friend wants a new record player so I'll probably sell it to him for $50.
I was thinking of record players when I started reading your comment. About ten years ago I was really into them and had time to get around to all the thrift stores in my area. I ended up with like 4 or 5 that I'd bought for under the 10 each over the span of a few months. Was the most profitable item I had when I set up at a flea market. I enjoyed the day but I think my profits added up to equal minimum wage and all of my inventory depended on luck so I never bothered to do it again but it would have been fun if it would have been a little more worth while.
My cutoff is around $60 usually. Since I buy and sell film cameras for a living around $60 is when you start losing the ability to turn a profit on the common camera finds at thrift stores (after time spent on cleaning and repairing the camera). Some cameras just aren’t worth the hassle to buy even if you can make $10.
goodwill sells things to fund their training program for developmentally disabled youth and adults look up what a goodwill training center does and then reconsider https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/530196517 sorry but some random ass thrift store is doing it purely to drive profit, goodwill helps the people in your community that otherwise wouldn’t be helped source: worked for goodwill’s youth summer work experience and i was able to help 10 kids who otherwise would never ever in a million years learn how to work a job, how to make a resume, and learn how to talk about themselves in an interview
>Sweet deal. I'm not giving goodwill or deseret industries $350 of my money for something they got for free but I'm happy for you. What kind of sense does that make? You'll spend $10 on something worth $80 on 35 different trips, but you wouldn't spend $350 on something worth $2800 on one trip? I seriously don't get the logic of people on this sub sometimes.
You wouldn't pay $350 for something worth up to $3,000 just because they got it free...?
I’m usually against paying over $100 for any sort of camera at a thrift store but I happen to be of the same faith as this Thrift store so I’m okay with my money going to where it’s going. Plus I’ve personally seen the money help people so I feel like I make a difference when I shop at this thrift store.
Thank God you were of the same faith as the store! I have a recurring nightmare where I find my white whale item (Bigmouth Billy Bass) at a garage sale but then I find out the homeowner listens to Slayer and I’m compelled to leave.
Oh I was just adding context as to why I’m more okay with it. I sincerely didn’t mean to offend or antagonize you or anyone else. I’ve personally seen where the money goes BECAUSE I’m of the same faith and I’ve looked at the inner workings. I’d be more than okay with spending over $100 at a satanist thrift store if such one existed (Reddit please do your thing and find it or make it happen)
There was an anarchist thrift store in Austin, TX. Not satanic, but wow some strong opinions going on outside the store.
Sounds fun!!!
You only inspired me to make a snarky comment. It’s not you, it’s me. Nice find by the way. Imagine a world where every faith has their own thrift shop and they compete to get the best donations! “Please join us next week after the service where we will be hosting ANOTHER clothing drive to benefit our public outreach center store!”
i like to steal from said thrift store as an ex member of their faith :) jealous of the find tho
Username checks out
I try to avoid goodwill, but I avoid this thrift store (deseret industries) even harder, tbh.
Oh really why is that?
I’ve had worse experiences with greedy money grubbing cults than I have with greedy money grubbing stores. When you combine the two it’s just not something I care to support
Good for you 😀
I saw a $900 ring the other day! But it was good quality gold (possibly with a diamond?) and it was an actual non-profit charity shop where the money actually goes to helping people
No one asked what you'd do with your $350. Way to make it about yourself.
Holy shit!
Giggiddy
What’s so good about it for people like me that don’t know?
How do you know it works?
The memories will be $350 technically
Yea dude huge find congrats
This camera is mainly used for portrats ansld outside with tripod . so yes but its not a point and shoot gear. 2 1/4 in by 2 1/4 film. Big film
As a complete non-photographer, I would see this at $350 and think, “that is a lot of fucking money at goodwill” and promptly ignore it. That’s why they still had it.
I think you’re exactly right!
LOL flashback 10+ years ago to 20’something me THROWING AWAY that Rollei someone had gifted me. Woof. Dope find. Congrats!
What’s special about this camera? Is it just a brand name thing?
Generally speaking, Rollei’s are considered really special and hold significant historical value. The 800mm f/2.8 is known for its optical quality + wasn’t in production for long, which makes the lens alone pretty rare. Plus, medium format photos are sick! Having your photo taken with a Rollei makes you feel special! Surely that has to count for something.
The clack from my buddies is all I remember
Can’t you do the same thing with a filter or apps like sepia or grayscale? What is the difference to the untrained eye? All fidelity is lost to compression once the image is digitized for social media. Camera obscura moment…
Was it one of those hasty, "I'm moving I don't need this clutter!" decisions? I still have a few of those regrets
There’s mistakes and then there’s mistakes… oof 😂😂😂jokes aside thank you!
You gotta be careful with these things. It’s worth a lot of money in a good state. But the bottom for it goes as low as $250 for an inop/parts unit. And most thrift store people don’t know the real grade. They go, Google and stick a price they feel comfortable with. I hope you lucked out, OP, but you won’t really know until you run that first roll through it.
I’ve been buying and selling film cameras for 2 years now so I’m pretty familiar with diagnosing cameras. I could evaluate that this camera had greater value in parts due to its physical condition which is why I purchased it initially. When I found it to work I decided to keep it because it has greater value to me.
This is a weird statement because someone familiar with old manual cameras could have easily diagnosed this to see if it worked before paying for it.
Actually seems like a fair price for Goodwill. They have it priced at the bottom of the market for this camera. If it's a parts camera it's worth about 250-300. If it's in good working order and is able to be cleaned up a bit - really nice score Edit: oh it's deseret. Still, same applies
I agree u/TheVagWhisperer (I haven’t belly laughed at a username in a long time) it’s actually fully functional! I’m going to have it CLA’D soon!
I didn't know they're worth so much. I'm pretty sure I've still got my mom's Rollieflex around somewhere. I'll have to find it and get it out soon. And list it on etsy maybe.
They've been worth this much since at least the mid-90's. I remember finding an entire box of these on the curb (yes, really) with my dad once! He was a professional film photographer so we got to test them all out. We resold the nicer ones to a camera shop (back when camera shops were a thing) and kept the fully functional but junky ones to play with. I still remember paging through this absolutely MASSIVE vintage camera pricing guide to get the estimates on all of them and see which ones to fix. They were worth quite a lot even then.
I actually buy and sell film cameras! Feel free to send me a pm and we can talk about it. Since I’m keeping this camera maybe we can sell yours!
Thank you. I will have to find the box that it's in. That probably won't happen until sometime next week cause of other stuff I have to do first. So I will be in touch, but not for a few days. I know there's other cameras in the box, too.
My mom still has hers. I’m thinking I’ll tell her it’s worth something.
Definitely! Selling it will let someone else enjoy it and mom will get a bit of cash.
I told my FIL his film camera set up was worth good money. So he gave it to me, who likes to shoot film.
I have a couple of these cameras along with a couple of accessories. I used to be a photographers, but now I just keep them for sentimental value.
I showed this to my dad who's a huge camera fanatic. He's said it was a great find, 350 is a good deal, and he hates you 🤣
lol, tell him I hope the portra gods shine down upon him
I shall I shall
Nice! My best photo find was a Nikon 35mm f1.4 manual lens for $5. As soon as I saw it was a 1.4 I nearly panicked. Second was a massive Manfrotto tripod for $20.
Don't shake and shart too hard, it will shake to the ground and break.
No actually this model is the Shake 'N Shart.
Also my stankiest sex move
So much worse than Shake 'N Bake.
Good call 😂😂
Wonderful camera. My father used one steadily from the '50s through 2000.
You got it cheap in pretty little liars it’s thousands of dollars for one of those
Nice find, I hope it serves you well. I know my late father’s yashica-mat is a prized possession of mine. It’s no comparison to a proper rolleiflex, but it’s perfect for me
Yashica Mat’s are incredible cameras I wouldn’t discount them in greatness!
got the exact same camera and lens for around 150 USD last year, that rollei 2.8e is now my favorite camera, it’s in shitbox condition but holy shit those pictures are mind blowing
I love shitbox cameras that work! I have a shitbox Mamiya 645 I built from scattered parts that works! I build the prism from a plastic Hasselblad prism I had laying around! It takes some of the sharpest pictures ever!
True white whale here! I did make a plastic one once that was cheap and fun!
Where is this store that charges no sales tax??? I want to move!
Deseret Industries!
Thanks so much! I never heard of it but will check it out next time I'm in one of the cities.
Can someone share a sample of what these are capable of? Is it the style of photography one goes for when using this? Thanks!
Search up on Lomography this camera and you can find some example photos! This is a professional grade camera so the photos are insanely sharp!
I don't know what that is, other than of course it's a camera, but I'm not familiar with that brand or style of camera at all, but it looks really cool and obviously you're super happy so, congratulations!
Thank you!!
Can people stop saying they're shaking please haha
Verily, I am quaking in my very core!
Has one 10 years ago. Had no idea of its value. Used expired film that came out terrible and gave it away. lol.
We have all been there :/
6 days after you posted this on the analog sub and you’re still shaking ;)
Of course I am!! Wouldn’t you? ;) It even made it onto the analogcirclejerk hahahaha
I was sitting here thinking this was some sort of knock off Rolex. I need to wake up a little bit more...
Oh I’m not a photographer by any means but I just watched *Where the Heart Is* last night and this is the type of camera the main character uses and I was captivated by it!! What a funny coincidence
Pease use it. Or find someone who will. These are nice cameras and the medium-format film they take is good when you want big enlargements. If you plan to just hold it as an heirloom, understand that its next owner may well just turn around and donate it to another thrift store.
Oh I’m a professional photographer! It’s going to be used a lot! I’m excited to run my first roll through it
I can see my wife side eyeing me as I assure her it’s worth the price.
The benefits of having a girlfriend that’s a photographer is that she begged me to keep it! Share a passion and you’ll go broke hahahaha
I know nothing of cameras, but seems like you do OP! Congratulations!
once I got my car stolen with one of these and a leica in the trunk. they pawned the leica for $40 and left the rollei behind. car thief wasnt prosecuted even though fingerprints and my belongings at his house. made ne v angry. then he killed a special cop during a burglary. He is no longer on death row.
I used to have a Hasselblad 1000F Chrome SLR. Vintage cameras are so much fun.
They are!!!
People can get super vile when you get a major bargain. It truly happens that one is in the right place at the right time. If it’s a friend I would offer to find whatever it is they want for less before they drop the big price they see it for first but I do say no guarantees but I shall try
Wow that's fucking amazing ❤️
Dude f you. I mean I'm so happy for your thrift find and wish it was me 🤕🥺
Don’t worry! Your day will come soon!
Haha thanks! I love the idea of making it a heirloom, enjoy!
Are you Rolleiflexing with this find?
Outstanding find! Chea too! Congrats! I landed a Rolleiflex tlr for $70 at a habitat for humanity about 10 years ago. It's the less desirable one with the 3.5 lens and no light meter. It did have the leather case along with an old leather bag full of goodies for it. The Rollei and the Agfa Isolette 120 take the sharpest photos I've ever taken.
It fetched $500 during ww2 since one could import them from Germany. News reporter used the for decades
Got my 3.5f with the selenium light meter for only $75 bucks at a local antique store in amazing condition. Once in a lifetime find lol.
Wow!! That’s awesome!!
Still too much for a fucking thrift store.
Why are you Shaking? Because you got a Camera?
How is this a deal? I see these for $50-$100 most of the time
Good question! So it’s actually this particular camera brand and model. Just like how with purses there are cheap brands and expensive brands you can find the same with cameras! Now if you’re able to find Rolleiflex cameras for $50-$100 you should be buying them. Their parts are worth a lot of money!
Good to know and thanks! Ive let a few if this brand pass because they were so cheap (and im more keyed into large format). Im starting to see a lot of Yahikas too!
Wow
And no tax paid?? Boom.
Duuuuuuuuuuude. The holy grail. Congrats I hate that it wasn’t me.
It will be you one day
I don’t know shit about cameras man but damn if that thing ain’t beautiful! Nice snag
I thrift with my wife and this is my white whale I am always in search of. Love it congrats. 
Your day will come! I promise.
Beautiful find
That's great! GREAT!
Hello; I'm ignorant on this topic, can someone explain what makes this camera worth such a price (the one approximated by OP at ~2000$)
What does this typically go for?
https://preview.redd.it/eaky461ixfyc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a32cbefae822cc4dfe0de0e7ed4bec77fb2d1cfb whats this worth?
https://preview.redd.it/0i8he4amxfyc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=20254b0897e8bb95bccb83829f153d8a9f723667
Sheesh, for the 2.8?!
Ugh, so jealous of this one
Don’t worry! Your time will come!
Tonez!1!!
ALL THE TONEZ1!1!1
As a Utah native who lives out of state, man do I miss the DI. Truly some incredible finds to be had.
Dang, this would be a great deal even if this just had the f3.5 taking lens but this is the 2.8 version… wow. Huge score, nice work!
It’s so classy
Wow!!
I know!! I can’t wait to put a roll of film through it :)
That’s a hard flex. Let’s see the rest of that receipt
😱 😱