8mm Forum: Tale of a Film Purchase

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Posted by Dino Everette (Member # 1378) on May 17, 2011, 02:28 PM:

I recently picked up a print of Call Her Savage, which is one of the Clara Bow films I did not have, and one of my absolute favorites. I saw an add in Classic Images around Feb, or March 2009 for a seller in FL who had a print described I think as a fair dupe w/ specks for $100, I immediately called and found it was sold already..Roughly 2 weeks later a print showed up on ebay and was described almost identically although the quality of the dupe now seemed a bit better, and made sense since it was listed for a buy it now price of $299 or make best offer...I offered the seller $200 and was sent back the counter offer of $275...With no pictures I thought this was too risky a buy so i passed, and decided to watch the film...An ad showed up on a separate forum shortly thereafter at a price of $225..I'll admit, being a rabid Bow fan I was tempted but it still seemed high for a crap shoot, since there were no images, and only the text "OK dupe fuji specks"

I decided I would just watch and see how things played out...The seller held firm for ages, and only recently reduced the price to a starting bid of $155, or buy it now for $200...I finally thought OK it has been 2 years and I am silly enough that I just want all her films, I bid and won the auction, so with shipping it came to $166.

When I got the film I opened it up and ironically the seller's name who listed it in Classic images was written on the reels with his Florida address, so my assumption was correct it was the same print. I sat down to watch the film and was fairly disappointed (which is not easy for me as my standards are fairly low at times)..The print looks much better in my photos on the other page, but for the most part is extremely soft, with very low contrast, and extensive scratching and "fuji specks". This is not the usual specks you see that pop in and out this is like watching a film through a coca cola waterfall....(and mind you thank goodness I was using the film-o-clean so I didn't have to worry about the dirt as well)

I am not slamming the seller for trying to make a profit, and I'm not complaining to get a refund, I am simply telling the tale ( of which I am pretty certain my facts are all correct)of a film that I followed for 2 years and purchased.

I am now looking for an original of this title should anyone have one for sale...

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on May 18, 2011, 10:41 AM:

A sad tale to be sure. How many of us could write down the same.

However, on the plus side, you do have a rare print you desired ...

Though it appears that you continually watch it through a "snow storm".

Posted by Winbert Hutahaean (Member # 58) on May 18, 2011, 12:02 PM:

Dino, looks from the bright side that luckily you didn't pay it for $200 as your initial offer...

Posted by Dino Everette (Member # 1378) on May 18, 2011, 12:14 PM:

No ultimately I did not pay the high price it was once offered at(or that I once offered), and yes Osi I got a print I was looking for, so in many ways this is not a sad tale at all....I think if anything I was pointing out that it is not the hobby it once was.. There was a time when it is very possible there were so many collectors, that picking up that print like this to resell it would have proven a smart move for the seller, but I think I was more pointing out the fact that even after 2 years of offering the film for sale, at the end of the run, there was still only the one buyer interested in it, who would have bought it from the Classic Images ad...I have to imagine at the end of it all the seller did not make much profit...

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on May 18, 2011, 12:51 PM:

I agree Dino.

Posted by David Kilderry (Member # 549) on May 19, 2011, 01:15 AM:

Dino, I have similar tales, but I must say for every one that has sad or neutral ending, plenty have good endings for me. I think what is worse is missing a print, through hesitation or being outbid (when you would have paid more) and then never seeing it advertised again.

I can think of two films that I should have bid more for years ago and have never seen a copy of either for sale again! Both were 16mm titles.

Posted by Dino Everette (Member # 1378) on May 19, 2011, 12:22 PM:

Yes David that is frustrating isn't it? Or if you forget about an auction and you see it go for some ridiculous low price...The auctions can be aggravating in many ways...A few years ago there was someone selling a very unique collection of virtually one of a kind silent titles. It was right around when a company called Televista was just getting started and buying every silent film in sight...I lost almost all of the auctions to them for ridiculous amounts of money, and then I think they wound up folding as a company so now those titles will probably slip into the abyss...At least had they gone to Jack at Grapevine he would put them out on dvd...

Posted by Tony Stucchio (Member # 519) on May 19, 2011, 05:03 PM:

Sometime I specifically don't bid on a film because I figure it will go ridiculously high, and it doesn't, as Dino says. But keep in mind that the person who won it might have put in a ridiculously high price. If he got it for $100, say, that doesn't mean you would have gotten it for $102 (or whatever.)

Posted by Dino Everette (Member # 1378) on May 19, 2011, 05:23 PM:

quote:
If he got it for $100, say, that doesn't mean you would have gotten it for $102 (or whatever.)

Don't I know it... [Roll Eyes]

That is why it took me so long to finally get a 28mm projector because if I bid 800 it went for 805, if I bid 500, it went for 505, if I bid 1200, 1205,,,,....which is why the one I finally got I will never tell anyone what I plugged in as the high bid, because had it gone that high, I'd have been in trouble..... [Frown]

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