Flea market dealers have a trick for every buyer, and one camera flipper just found out how good they can be. He walked away from a $75 Canon because he would only pay between $20 and $40, then nearly got talked into a $300 lot by a dealer who shot down his favorite excuse.

The man behind @WeLikeCameras posts a flea market video every Saturday morning, and this one is packed with haggling lessons that work whether you are hunting cameras, records or old toys.

He Passed On A $75 Canon Because His Number Was $20 To $40

Right off the bat, he found a Canon film camera with a lens he loves. The body itself is solid, he says, but the lens is what he came for, since he always loves to pick up Canon lenses.

He checks recent sold prices before he shops, and those comps told him that if he could land it for anywhere between $20 and $40, he would be happy. The dealer was asking $75. “Which is fair,” he admits, “because this is working.”

Fair or not, it was above his number, so he passed. He jokes that the dealer next door was blasting music, which did not help him think.

A Dealer Who Knew Her Stuff Made Him Walk Away From Two More

At another table, he looked at a pair of cameras and learned that one had a shutter that worked at first and then quit, while the other had a shutter that worked but a jam inside. The dealer told him all of this plainly.

“She absolutely knew what she was talking about, which is incredible to see at a flea market,” he says. Plenty of dealers pretend they know nothing so you will buy, he adds, so the honesty impressed him.

Still, repairing that brand is not his cup of tea and the price was too high, so he passed again. He called the pair way overpriced.

His Broad Scan Method For Cameras Hidden In A Pile

When he reaches a table loaded with cameras, he says he is “jacked up.” His routine is to do a broad scan first, looking for a rare camera that someone could snatch from under him. Then he builds a little pile and keeps it right in front of his stomach so nobody grabs it.

One pile included a Canon Telemax and a Canon AF35M, a camera he loves. His advice here is gold: always check the battery compartments. Corrosion is common, and some of it is really bad, even though it can be repaired.

The Telemax usually sells for $75 to $110, he says, so he wanted to pay $5 to $20. He repairs these cameras, so even a broken one would be worth that much to him for parts.

“I’ll Take The 10” Closes The Deal On The Telemax

The dealer first asked $25 for each camera. He offered $10 for one, because it was not in great condition, and said he would pass on the other at that price. The dealer agreed. “I’ll take the 10,” he said.

He likes to collect random 35 mm point-and-shoot cameras to give to friends and run giveaways, so a cheap one fits his plan. A winner from his Olympus FE360 giveaway was announced in his last video, and he promises another one soon.

Then A $300 Lot Nearly Got Him, Until His Excuse Was Countered

Next came the temptation. A dealer had a pile of gear, including a video camera he calls the XL1, which he notes was top of the line when it came out. The seller wanted $300 for everything.

He knew prices were negotiable from his Telemax deal, but the camera sensor was exposed and not in great condition, so the price was far too high. Here is where he tried his go-to line. When something is expensive, he says he is polite and tells the seller he does not have enough money.

This time the dealers hit back. “They perfectly counter,” he says, “They basically hit me with my kryptonite to that answer.” He laughs that he was totally stumped. “They almost got me. Absolute pros.” He narrowly escaped without buying.

Another camera was priced at $100, which he says was one of the easiest pick-up-and-put-right-back-down moments he has ever had.

Photos From 1949 And A Good Beginner Camera To Know

Not everything he hunts is a camera. In a dealer’s bin of old photos, he found pictures from 1949 in Italy. He skips the family portraits, but the scenery and landscape shots can become unique wall art. Buy a thrifted frame and you have a piece for pennies.

He also spent time showing off the Telemax. It is a great beginner film point-and-shoot, he says, super simple, with two lenses of 38 and 70 millimeters, a flash mode switch, a shutter button, a shot counter and a self-timer. It takes a CR123 battery.

His tips for buyers are simple. Check the back film door, which tends to break on these cameras. The camera is light but a little tight for jeans pockets, so it rides better in a bag.

What Every Thrifter Can Steal From His Playbook

The big lesson is to set your number before you walk in. He researched sold prices, knew what he would pay, and walked away from $75, $100 and $300 asks without flinching.

Second, keep your finds close and do a scan before you dig. Third, check for hidden problems like corrosion. And finally, remember the excuse that fails: if you say you have no money, a good dealer may simply offer a lower price. Have a better reason ready, or be willing to say no.

More Stories You May Like

• Collector Asks A Marketplace Seller For Every Monkey Beanie Baby From Her Inherited Collection Of Over A Thousand And Walks Away With A Trash Bag Holding 26 Monkeys
• Remember These 12 Department Stores That Seemed To Be Everywhere In The 1970s And 1980s? Here Is What Happened To Them
• Thrifter Pays $19 Each For Two Heywood Wakefield Surfboard Tables That Cost Almost $1,000 Each New, Then Strips Them Back To Their 1940s Look And Asks Would You Pay $2,000