8mm Forum: My lucky find of an Elmo GS !!

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Topic: My lucky find of an Elmo GS !!

Winbert Hutahaean
Film God

Posts: 5468
From: Nouméa, New Caledonia
Registered: Jun 2003

posted November 13, 2009 12:48 PM

I think I always like to share my story behind my limited budget in keeping this hobby alive.

As a government official from a developing country (Indonesia) who currently lives in a high living cost country such as Canada, of course, I have to carefully spend my salary for not-really-important needs like 8mm films and gears. This is the reason I like cheap stuff.

Upon my assignment to Canada, I was thinking that I would get many 8mm stuff here so I didn't bring any projector with me. But in fact, it is a hardest place to find our stuff. Ebay is one of the way in getting a projector (from the USA) but postage is sometime prohibitive for heavy item like this. So I was so often read local ad or visiting good will stores.

One day, on the internet, I visited Kijiji (a sort of Craiglist) and found a piece of ad saying "8mm AND 16mm MOVIE PROJECTORS". Nothing in my mind this would be an extravaganza projector other than any working projector that I could use during my term in Canada. The owner was in Ottawa (a capital city) where I had a friend there who could collect it for me.

So I started emailing the seller by asking

quote:
what is the brand of 8mm projector you have?

and he replied:

quote:
Hi,

The projector is an Elmo GS800 Stereo. It projects both 8mm and Super 8. The projector is still in the original box with instructions and all packaging material……. Nothing missing and in perfect condition.

When I read this email, I was so surprised (and wondered) that he had a GS but putting an add just as an "8mm" projector that could bring people’s mind it was a Standard/Regular 8mm which was commonly less-interesting.

Of course I was so happy in one side, but on the other side, he had not given a price clue, which if it was expensive, I wouldn't buy due to my budget.

So I asked him again

quote:
Hi again,

How much are you looking for this projector?

And his reply:

quote:
I know I’d like to get back half of my investment but not sure if I will. I am really opened to reasonable offers and negotiate a price suitable to both of us. I have other projectors and necessary equipment to transfer film to DVD.

It was still unclear to me what he was looking for, so I sent him another email:

quote:
I have found some projectors on Ebay but the problem is always high shipping cost.

Indeed my budget is limited but please say your price, and I will consider if it is suit to my budget.

regards,

Finally he said:

quote:
I will tell you that I purchased it new a while back, used it sparingly to transfer film to DVD and at that time paid $149.99 I would accept $75.00 cash for it and if you are in the Ottawa area I would meet you somewhere convenient to both of us to deliver it in person.

So... basically he knew the worth of the projector but no one here will complain his asking price, am I right??? :-) [Wink]

So without need any further email I just closed the deal and asked my friend in Ottawa to collect it and pay it.

Last week I visited him and found what he was telling me was quite right:

Here is the mint box he mentioned:

I carefully opened the box:

And I found everything was there:

And the body of projector is just new:

And a 800" reel is also included:

And that is my story that I'd like to share to members here...

And can I have now a warm welcome from GS gang here (...although it is still not the big machine GS1200). My next find must be a GS 1200 [Big Grin]

Ps: lesson learn, “don’t give up “

cheers,

[ April 07, 2013, 03:01 PM: Message edited by: Winbert Hutahaean ]

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Winbert