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Best prices for M* & 28/2.8 ASPH ?


tommy_baker

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I don't know about the UK, but the US has a manufacturers SET price, not a suggested retail,

so if you buy a new Leica in the USA from an authorized dealer, the price will be the same

everywhere. Have you checked to see that it is not the same way in the UK? I know that

Robert White is offering it for 2544, but that is probably not including VAT. http://

www.robertwhite.co.uk/ <P>Another option is to buy it grey market (if you can) via someone

who sells gear from Hong Kong...Tony Rose is a good source for this sort of thing (popflash

photo).

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It's been decades since manufacturers could SET retail prices in the United States. Antitrust laws. The manufacturers argued that price fixing protected little dealers from predatory big dealers undercutting them.

 

The Charles Beseler Company threw a conniption fit when this change happened, I think the early 1970's. I have some dealer letters from them about that for the Topcon cameras, which were price-fixed until that happened. (So were their enlargers, of course.) After that, I think they kept prices up by requiring dealers to have a very extensive inventory of the product line, meaning that they had a lot of money tied up in accessories that didn't sell well (bellows, etc.), and they couldn't afford to discount much.

 

Manufacturers do set "minimum advertised prices" in the US. But all that means is that you don't get "cooperative marketing dollars" if you advertise a lower price. That means that they don't help you pay for your advertising, which includes (of course) their brand name. Amazon.com sells below the MAP's on a lot of products, that's why you need an extra click to see the price. But since Amazon does minimal advertising, they really don't care about cooperative marketing dollars anyways, but I think they still get them by this artifice. But this is why things like Epson printers and scanners are advertised at the same price everywhere.

 

The MAP price stuff is somewhat fishy, and certainly skirts the intents of the antitrust laws, but the current US administration is "pro-business" and "laissez-faire", and looks the other way.

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Leica makes their dealers comply, and generally does not offer advertising coop. If you think this is incorrect, check B and H and every other dealer, and you'll see there prices are all the same. It is for this reason that B and H charges $1 more fo C-Lux cameras with a kit than without the kit. Leica has some of the strictest requirements in the industry, and those who sell cameras are greatful.
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As James said, ask any authorized Leica dealer in the US, and if you are buying a camera with

a USA warranty, officially delivered through Leica USA, then the price will be the same and the

dealers cannot change it. There are many dealers who would like to change it, but they

cannot if they want to remain authorized dealers. They have gone so far as to require that

NEW cameras from outside the US have to be described as "used" even though they have

never been opened. That is why several dealers have cameras and lenses listed as "used like

new" for much less than the USA warranty versions. They are not used at all, just bought in

Hong Kong and then imported into the US outside of official Leica USA channels. So while the

Manufacturer's Set Price might be illegal, it is the reality. At least for Leica...

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Re: robertwhite vs popflash prices for the 28/2.8.. could it be that UK prices are actually

slightly cheaper for a change! ie. at an X-change rate of 1UKP to the US$ 1.85(792) given

from www.xe.com/ucc. that means the UK price is cheaper by around 22 UKP ex VAT. and

I think the US price for the M8 is around $4795 which is around 2580.84 UKP means the

UK price of 2544 UKP ex VAT is cheaper by 36.84, all up is cheaper by approx 58.84 UKP...

almost the price of a leica filter. but obviously if you are importing it with duty and

shipping it doesn't mean much unless you were on a holiday to the US and got it grey and

had it shipped out to a friends out of state, then maybe worth the while to save sum cash..

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