joe_pelizza_salusso_di_vol Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 Hi,Can somebody out there explain me, why the prices of Leica are so different from one country to onother?P.e.: 3000 Euro for a Leica M7 in Europe, 2500 in the States and less than 2000 in Hong Kong!I think in HK they sell original stuff, not used and not...ThanksJoe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jean3 Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 thst's the magic of marketing. People much wiser than all of us together in this forum decide that it is best for europeans to pay 30% more than peole im the us. I never checked hong kong, but would not be surprised to see the price drop not only on leicas. Srange, but it applies to virtually any product i've ever dealt with. In the internet age, however, everyone can find out that the stuff he's interested in increases (or decreases) surprisingly in value when crossing a border.. and i hope that the days of price regulations are going soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chip l. Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 Most of that is what the distributor in that country thinks that its cost of business is. In the US Leica provides a Passport Warranty that covers virtually any damage. Question for those in Europe; is the 3000EURO including VAT? Or are there other taxes that would be bundled in to that price? Happy snaps Chip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
didier Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 Leica prices even different inside the European Union : German prices are lower than the official French ones on most Leica Products. As far as the M7 is concerned, the 3000 Euros price is including VAT. This price seems quite the same in several European Countries. US seem much cheaper. However, if you decide to buy such a product in the US and have it sent to France (I looked at this issue) you'll have to pay French VAT + customs tax, which altogether reach about 24% ! From that point of view Europen (at least French) prices are close to the US ones... unfortunately ! Cheers Didier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotografz Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 Where ever they are, the prices have apparently gone up. At least here in the US, new Leica gear went up. In the last B&H listing...the $1,995. R 21-35/3.5 ASPH jumped to $2,195. USD. Unless the price in the Feb. issue was a typo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkie Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 The elves in the States work for cheaper than in Germany, and more so do the ones in Hong Kong -- hence the price differences. Fooling aside, it has to do with grey-market issues and possibly MAP (minimum advertised prices) set for each region/country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_kastner Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 Right. I want to save money too. That's why I'll wait for 5 or 6 years and get a second hand M7. OTOH, at that time the used thing still might cost more than a new one would today ;-[ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chip l. Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 Since some one brought up MAP pricing I would love to hear what the people in the US think that a US dealer makes percentage wise on the sale of lenses and bodies. Try to be serious. I hope that "too much" and such can wait. Happy snaps... Chip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sal dimarco Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 A few quick calculations shows US $2500.-- equals about 2750.00 Euros, add the VAT makes up the difference. Hong Kong is cheaper, I THINK, because there is no import duty. Also, somewhat talked about the US MAP Pricing. The dealers don't make as much on new cameras and lenses, as many people think.Happy Snaps, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xav Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 Actually $2,500 = 2,290 euros. Currently 1 euro = 1.09 USD. US prices have allways been more or less interesting, depending of the forex rate of the DM and now the euro. US prices are allways without tax and European prices almost allways include taxes. It is currently interesting for a European to buy in the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_kastner Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 Well, I don't work in a bank (although I love spending all my money on Leica stuff) but today, 2500 USD = 2297.37 EUR. Check www.oanda.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkie Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 two sites I use to keep track of currency exchange rates are: http://www.xe.com/ucc/http://www.x-rates.com x-rates has a useful graphing function, showing possible up or down trends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george_l._doolittle Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 Joe, VAT in European countries may have something to do with the differential. It seems to run from 15 to 18%. That having been said, I buy Mephisto shoes whenever in France or Germany for less than half what they cost in the States. Strange, isn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julien_bec Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 Georges I prefer Rockport than Mephisto, and here, in France, it costs twice the price as in US. Do you want to make a deal ;-) To return to leica I saw an M6 brand new for 1620 $ at http://www.aaacamera.com/leica_m6_085_camera.html. How can they practice so low prices ? Even with 24 % VAT it's extremely cheap ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglas_green1 Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 Michael, why not get a NEW Hexar RF for $900 instead - including a 50mm Hexanon Lens and Flash, in a lovely case. Or around $600 US for the body alone. It's as well made as the M7, and has a very comparable set of features. BTW, they focus Leica M lenses perfectly, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_a Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 Juien, out of curiousity I called AAA. They didn't have any of the M6's advertised on their website in stock. All they had were several demo M6's (.72 and .85). The .72 was $1,699. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_kastner Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 Jim, that's why you can forget about AAA and stores in general. That's why stores in general are already conking out. eBay is the way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikolas Posted February 6, 2003 Share Posted February 6, 2003 <html> <P> You might want to check customers <A HREF="http://www.photo.net/neighbor/one-subcategory?id=2"> feedback</A> before buying from AAA </P> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julien_bec Posted February 6, 2003 Share Posted February 6, 2003 Jim, Michael, Nikolas thank you for your advices. And thank you also for the link to Camera Shops critics ! Seeing the amount of complaints - well... I think I would avoid this shop ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nero_augustine Posted February 8, 2003 Share Posted February 8, 2003 Although international currencies have a contribution to Leica prices, the answer is much simpler than that and applies to any product. The quantity. If a distrubutor in a populus wealthy country has successful resellers, then that wholesaler is in a better position to negotiate (where now the buyer not the seller is in control). I have a reseller here that is overstocked, and I have just saved myself US$1200 and I am a complete newbie. If you are looking for deals, discover the local truth and do not bother about the rest of the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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