I took a leap and started a new business…

Where did the idea come from?

My friend Nejc and I were already deep into cameras before we ever thought about turning it into a business. We were building our own collections, researching everything we could, and of course, using our cameras everywhere we went.

Then one day, I was doom-scrolling through Instagram when I came across a guy who was sourcing and selling vintage watches. That got me thinking, there might be a market for vintage cameras too. I wrote down the idea and told Nejc, but that was about it at first. A few months later, Nejc called me, all excited, saying we should really make this camera thing happen. He had just visited a seller he found on Marketplace, bought a few cameras for himself, and noticed the growing hype around vintage digital cameras. That is when we realized there was real potential for our little business idea. And that is how it all started.

What do we do at Stare Leče?

The idea is simple: we resell vintage cameras in bundles that include the camera, charger, memory card, and sometimes a camera case too. On top of that, we put a lot of effort into creating content on all our social media platforms, trying to build a real community of vintage camera enthusiasts and lovers.

How is it going so far?

We started by focusing on TikTok and Instagram, and within days our accounts took off and followers were growing fast. We sold out everything we had and quickly started buying more and more cameras. We hyped up our next drop, which happened two weeks later, giving us just enough time to stock up on digis. When the drop finally happened, we sold almost every camera we had. So you might think it was a perfect success, but in reality, it was not that simple. Let me explain.

What were our mistakes?

As first-time business owners, we made our fair share of mistakes. Here are a few:

We didn’t track our finances carefully. As the hype grew, we were buying up every camera we could find, even if the price wasn’t quite right, so our profit margins were not always great. And there were a few other things best left unsaid.
Shipping mistakes. We had so many people DMing us for cameras that it quickly got confusing, and mistakes happened. For instance we once sold the same camera to three different customers or sent the wrong camera entirely.
Buying the cameras. This is always a bit of a gamble, you are buying a used vintage camera, so you never really know how long it will last. For us, a few cameras stopped working or glitched, so we could not sell them.

What I learned

It takes a lot more time than you think. This business might sound simple, but it really is not. There are so many little things happening behind the scenes that I could never have predicted before starting.
Value your time and price your cameras to match. It is not just about covering the cost of the camera; you have to make sure your price makes up for the time and effort you put in too.
Communication is key. Talking to your business partner should always be a top priority. Most mistakes happen when you do not communicate properly.
Never give up. Despite all the mistakes we have made, we are still here, pushing forward and trying to get better every day.

Future Plans for Stare Leče

First and foremost, we want to keep learning from our past mistakes and reduce them as much as possible. We are focused on growing our community and reaching even more vintage camera lovers, while continuing to expand our collection and sell more digital cameras.

One of our bigger goals is to expand beyond our local market. First across Europe and eventually worldwide. Our dream is to become one of the most well-known vintage camera resellers in the world. It is ambitious, but we believe in it and we are excited to see how far we can take it.