What are the biggest bargains you have LOST?

Jesito · Expire: 2015-01-07

I lost an almost mint Yashinon Tomioka 55mm 1.2 that sold by 32�... I had to pay 10 times it for the one I keep.

SonicScot · Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 2:34 pm Post subject:

Lena · Joined: 24 Apr 2012 Posts: 495 Location: Pl

Good looking but untested Tokina AT-X Pro 80-200/2.8 for 27 GBP incl. P&P

LucisPictor · Expire: 2013-12-03

Ouch! That's really bad when such a thing happens!

Alternate Internet ID · Joined: 30 Mar 2011 Posts: 253 Location: UK

I always check the online catalogue of a local auction house to see if there is anything worth bidding on.
The description usually just says box of camera equipment or camera so I usually try to get there for the last hour of viewing to have a look.

About 3 months ago there was a box of camera lenses which turned out to be a load of OM Zuiko gear. If I remember correctly it included a 16mm, 21mm/f2, 24mm shift, 28mm, 35mm, 35mm shift, 40mm/f2, 50mm/f1.2, 50mm/f1.4, 85mm, 100mm, 135mm, 200mm, 300mm and about 5 or 6 varied zooms. Apparently they had come form an architect. All mint, all boxed.

Estimated price - �100-200.

As I work on auction days I sent him through a bid of as much as I could have afforded at the time - �500. If I was lucky and won I could sell the shifts and zooms, keep what I wanted and make my money back.

I got a reply the following day telling me I had won my auction for �80!!!

I went to collect it the following day but it turned out I had emailed the wrong lot number and actually won a box of mixed silver cutlery/teapots/platters etc.

The lenses sold for �190!

On the plus side I sold the silverware on ebay and made �100 profit.

rbelyell · Expire: 2014-01-31

this sunday i did a random internet search for a very wanted lens, the konica m mount 21/35 dual focus. to my utter disbelief, some guy in toronto just that day listed one on the local craigs list for the unbelieveable price of $700!!!!!!!!

i wnet out of my mind, contacted him immediately telling him i wanted it and if he could meet me somewhere in ny. he says no, and tha he has set up a mtg with someone locally later this week to look at that lens. i immediately emailed him i would buy it sight unseen and give him $100 for shipping to me in ny. 6 hours later i get an email from him the lens had been sold....
tony

sammo · Joined: 04 Jan 2012 Posts: 223 Location: CH and SI

I missed on local auction sites...not one, but two Summicrons 35mm f/2 that went for about 1/2 the price they go on ebay!!! I am constantly looking if any more appear, but no luck yet...

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9097 Location: Houston, Texas

This has happened to me more times than I'd care to admit. Usually, though, I just put it behind me and move on, trusting that another example of what I wanted will come along and I'll get it. But for the sake of this thread, let me think. Usually I can chalk this problem up to an issue at the auction site. Too many users slowing page returns down, etc.

The last time this happened that I can recall I was waiting on the close of an auction for a Canon FS4000US scanner. I never bid early. I always wait until the last few seconds. So I'm waiting, I've entered my max bid amount, and I'm watching the seconds tick down. I don't like to cut things any closer than 12 seconds to go because of the possibility of too many users slowing the site down, so at 12 seconds, I hit enter, and it just sits there. The next window that's supposed to pop up, where I confirm my bid, doesn't appear. Then finally it shows up and I confirm my bid. But it ends up going through after the auction's closed. There was additional bidding activity on the scanner, but my max amount was significantly higher than the winning bid. I was chapped about that all day long that day.

This same sort of thing has happened to me more than once. It's followed closely by my just simply forgetting about the item and missing the auction close, or not hearing the alarm I set to let me know of the auction close.

guardian · Joined: 18 Mar 2009 Posts: 1749

I lose eBay auctions all the time. The most difficult losses come when only one bidder outbids me. That happens too often.

But my toughest loss came with an auction I actually WON! Here is the story:

I was doing my early morning scans, as usual, of the many e-mails from eBay that come in early every day. I saw a brand new Tamron 01A at a really good "Buy It Now" price. I could scarcely believe my eyes!! That's a lens I target. Finding a new one, at any price, is amazing. The BIN price was quite reasonable, considering. While the auction listed the lens as brand new, the photos showed only the box and a lens wrapped in a Tamron-imprinted plastic bag - the original packaging.

I bought the lens instantly. The seller had good (100%) feedback. I was thrilled to be able to buy that item new. Heck, when I can get a 01A even in good used shape it's a great day.

Fast forward several days and the lens is delivered. Opened the package and it was a dirty, old, heavily used, 01A!!!! It was a disaster.

Contacted seller who had sold lens on a "no returns" basis. Seller said he had never looked at the lens. First he denied a return privilege. Then, later, he allowed return, but only at my expense. It cost me over $8, and a lot of time, to ship that piece of junk back. Thank goodness most eBay sellers are not jerks like that guy was!

I surely wish somebody else had seen that lens before me, but I was early. Sometimes the early bird ends up with a rotten worm.

fermy · Joined: 17 Feb 2012 Posts: 2877

I once lost Canon FD 55mm f1.2 Aspherical for 170 Euros. I was planning to bid in the last moment, but then my wife called in to help her "for a second", then something else came in... Bottom line, I returned 5 minutes too late, only to see that the lens went for nothing. But I always just move on. There will be another lens, there are thousands of good and interesting ones, one can't get all of them.

philslizzy · Joined: 07 Aug 2012 Posts: 4748 Location: Cheshire, England

parabellumfoto · Joined: 06 Apr 2013 Posts: 413 Location: Sydney, Australia

Farside · Expire: 2013-12-27

www.snip.pl

dan_ · Expire: 2016-12-19

The auction I have lost and I can't forget took place about 2 year ago.
On ebay.uk it was posted a very rare gold plated (24k) Plaubel Makina with 3 lenses (also gold plated) and some accessories in a perfect condition. I have never seen another gold plated Makina in my life.
It was posted late in the night and I was one of the first to see it.
The "buy it now" price was 400GBP and the seller, who obviously didn't know what he was selling, accept "best offers".
Instead of instantly buying it I offered him 300GBP. Stupid move -15 minutes latter, when I wanted to retract the offer and buy it for the asking price, it was already sold! And it was about 2 or 3 in the night!

bruzzo · Joined: 05 Jul 2012 Posts: 153

I have lost quite some bargain deals but on top of my head those were not the ones I forgot the auction time but because it doesn't ship to my country, mostly only to US.

On top of my head I've seen a Nikon 20/2.8 sold for $20 but I can't bid on it because seller only ships to US and most parts of Europe.
Another one is a Konica Autoreflex + Konica Hexanon 50/1.4 with case for 19.99 but only ships to US.

DahakaNishoba · Joined: 07 May 2013 Posts: 27 Location: Rome ITALY

Won a Nikkor 135mm Pre Ai in good shape from a guy in poland for like....... little more than 20� on ebay (auction starting from 0.99 no reserve)

he refused to ship the item cuz wasn't his property and the original owner wasnt happy with the ending price....

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9097 Location: Houston, Texas

BurstMox · Expire: 2016-08-02

Some weeks ago, I lost a good Helios 40, great shape, for 250 euros... it was in my usual shop, but didn't have the money... I checked everyday to see if it was still here, still was here... but the day I came with money in my pocket, it was not here anymore . Damn you, buyer! Mad

I think that's not possible to find such price on the bay now Confused

philslizzy · Joined: 07 Aug 2012 Posts: 4748 Location: Cheshire, England

On a coach trip to Llandudno this morning we passed a chapel that was having a car boot sale at the side of the road.

I was sat about 4 metres (on the bus) from a stall that had a couple of old cameras. I watched a man pick one up and look at me through the viewfinder. I'm sure it was a Leica - well the Russians dont have that round speed dial on the front (do they?). He put it down and walked on. The lights turned green and we carried on.

Gutted.

Layer-cake · Joined: 18 Mar 2013 Posts: 560 Location: Cape Town

neoca sv with zunow lens, passed it up for �25, got home and read up about it but was gone by the time I got back to the market......was a very sad day.

SonicScot · Posted: Tue May 06, 2014 5:40 am Post subject:

hifisapi · Joined: 25 Sep 2012 Posts: 941 Location: USA

My last incident was I picked up a Konica 57mm f1.4 lens for only 10 bucks in near mint condition but in my
rush to buy it, I forgot to check the aperture. Sure enough,when I got it home, it had sticky blades and can only
be used wide open until its repaired.

philslizzy · Joined: 07 Aug 2012 Posts: 4748 Location: Cheshire, England

hifisapi · Joined: 25 Sep 2012 Posts: 941 Location: USA

thebbm · Joined: 11 Dec 2013 Posts: 295 Location: France montpellier

in one week only

-200e for contax primes :
35mm, 50mm and 85mm all in f1.4

-50e for contax 50mm 1.4

-100e for a kit olympus with 50mm 1.2 and 24mm

damn !