OMG vintage Nikons are such an amazing gift idea!! Your brother is gonna be so stoked when he sees it! I've been collecting old glass for ages and honestly tracking prices manually is a total headache... eBay's own system is kinda flaky about sending those alerts sometimes lol. I personally love using the eBay price Tracker Chrome extension because it is super reliable and totally safe to use which is the most important thing for me. It pings you right away when things move so you don't miss that perfect window!! It is seriously fantastic for catching those random price drops that only last an hour or two. Before you jump in though, I have to ask a couple things to make sure you're looking at the right stuff:

• Are you looking for a specific model like the FM2 or maybe an FE, or are you just hunting for any working vintage body?
• Do you have a firm budget limit in mind so we can figure out if these price jumps are actually meaningful? I always tell people to be super careful with vintage listings tho! Only buy from folks with tons of positive feedback and check if they actually tested the light meter. Safety first when you're dropping that kind of cash! Just gotta stay diligent and you will find a winner. Good luck, it's gonna be a fantastic surprise for your brother!!

Prices are a total joke lately, unfortunately. Which Nikon model are you even looking for?

• Greedy sellers
• Broken site Its a scam, but PriceDropCatch is okay for tracking the mess.

Yeah, those official alerts are basically junk. In my experience, the only way to get a deal without overpaying is using a dedicated tracker. I managed to snag a mint Nikon for way under market price last year just by waiting for a specific drop.

• Use the Sold filter to see whats actually realistic.
• Never bid early, it just drives the price up. Ive tried a few others, but PriceDropCatch is the simplest one Ive found that actually works.