Walked through the antique mall in Springfield and saw a whole shelf of 'for parts' cameras.

I was there last weekend and they had maybe fifteen old SLRs, mostly Pentax K1000s, all marked as broken. The guy running the booth said they were 'untested' but every one I picked up had obvious shutter issues or fungus in the lens. It's frustrating because someone will buy one thinking it's a cheap fix and get in way over their head. Anyone know a good way to explain to people what 'for parts' really means on these old finds?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_rowan1mo ago

Totally agree with @cameron724, it's such a common scam. I bought a "for parts" Polaroid once that was just a brick of dead circuits inside.

cameron7241mo ago

Ugh, that's the worst. "For parts" is basically code for "this is a paperweight." People see it and think it just needs a new battery or a simple clean, but with old cameras it almost always means the electronics are fried or the mechanics are totally seized. The cost to fix one properly is way more than buying a working one. It's a total trap for beginners.