[Leica] Summary of help for a new purchaser

["ML" <lenonm@milwaukee.tec.wi.us>]

- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Satish Kumar Krishnamurthy" <satishk@tibco.com>

> Could you summarize the "private" responses and post it for the
> benefit of all, and for archiving, so folks who wish to search in
> future would find this info?
>
> Thanks,
> Satish

Satish,

Certainly. I'm happy to oblige, although there were only a few private
responses, and I've already deleted them from my hard drive. But, I
recall what was important.

Delta International was recommended as a good place to purchase
gray-market Leica gear. I have seen a number of references to Delta in
recent months, if not here on the LUG then on other groups, and they
have all been positive. So far, I have not seen any complaints about
Delta in response to those who've posted positive reports; that's a
promising sign. However, my reading is hardly extensive. I have no
personal experience with Delta, and I've only recently encountered the
name.

I believe someone recommended Don Chatterton to me, a small specialty
shop catering in high-end gear. Someone may also have recommended
Tamarkin, as well. They're another small specialty shop, as
distinguished from large retail operations such as those advertising in
Popular Photography magazine, like B&H, etc. It's unclear to me, but I
think both of these small shops may sell gray-market Leica gear in
addition to Leica USA gear.

There are some other small specialty shops in the USA that I've seen
recommended on different websites. The names escape me at the moment,
but a search would soon turn up the sites that have these
recommendations.

My personal experience in mail-order optics purchases for the past,
roughly, 25+ years has been exclusively with B&H Photo in New York. I'd
tried some others prior to B&H and had my share of "disasters," and kept
looking for a trustworthy and reliable firm. One day I decided to try
B&H, this back when they had only a very small advertisement in Modern
Photography magazine. They weren't the cheapest even then as they sought
to build their business. But, they proved to be responsible, reliable,
and trustworthy. I was happy then, and I've been happy ever since.

Bear in mind, however, that my experience is a sample of ONE ---
meaningless, really.

For those who have not visited Photo.net and read the articles on
mail-order firms, I urge you to do so. You'll find informative and
useful information there that should be given much more weight, in my
opinion, than any single writer's views, including mine.

I strongly discourage anyone from relying upon my words alone. I'm just
another stranger on the 'net, my interests and concerns may not mirror
yours, and for all you know I may be very confused. ;-)

Although it's been awhile since I last reviewed those articles on
mail-order dealers at Photo.net, the clear consensus was that B&H is one
of the best firms to deal with. Adorama and Camera World of Oregon also
got decent reviews. I did not read about the small specialty shops, but
there may be information on them as well.

Ultimately, everyone must make their own purchasing decision. The
Internet provides a wealth of information that is readily accessible,
and I urge everyone to do their own research and take their time until
they think/feel they've found the right products and the right retailer
to do business with based upon a substantial body of evidence, not
merely the thoughts and conclusions of a few. There are good reasons for
buying from the small specialty shops, and there are good reasons for
buying from the "big guys"; there are good reasons to buy gray-market
vs. USA; there are good reasons to buy locally; and everyone must make
their own decision based upon their own needs and concerns.

Just looking at the advertisements in magazines and on the web, it's my
impression that Leica has firm control over the pricing of their gear in
the USA. All the retailers that I'd consider buying from all seem to
have the same Leica USA prices. And the gray-market gear from those
selling it (although it's not specified as "gray-market" per se) seems
to be quite consistent in price as well, typically ranging from $100 -
$200 off the USA prices depending on the current Leica USA rebates, etc.
for M bodies and lenses. Even those firms with less than sterling
reputations advertising in Popular Photography seem to offer gray-market
Leica M gear at prices comparable to the small specialty shops I've
mentioned above. If I took the gray-market route, I'd be inclined to
purchase from the small specialty Leica shops. I have not seen any
wildly under priced bargains. And if I did --- I'd avoid it. Your views
may differ, of course.

One of my original questions, perhaps the most important one to me,
addressed the issue of whether Leica USA would honor warranties on
gray-market gear purchased here in the US. The two answers I received
addressing that issue did not clarify the matter unequivocally and the
issue remains ambiguous. My guess is that gray-market Leica gear will
need to be serviced through one's dealer --- for better or worse. Who
knows, but a dealer's service could be superior to Leica's. It's hard to
find real craftsmen any more. Maybe your dealer's got one under
contract. Who knows?

I don't. Which creates (F)ear, (U)ncertainty, and (D)oubt --- FUD! ---
exactly where Leica USA wants me to be! ;-)

I'm inclined to be very risk-averse when contemplating such expensive
purchases. Others may be quite comfortable where I would not be.

I suspect that Leica USA might be more inclined to replace defective
gear if pressed to, whereas gray-market dealers might be disinclined to
replace defective gear, preferring instead to repair it. I don't know,
just a guess.

Ask about a store's return policies, as many shops have a significant
"restocking fee" that persuades buyers to keep their defective gear and
repair it, rather than terminating the transaction and going elsewhere.
That's another advantage of shopping with the "big guys"; they typically
give a full refund if the customer is dissatisfied after receiving
defective gear.

There's much to consider, and by all means do consider more than just
price, for the "cost" can often be much higher at those firms that
originally offered you the lowest price.

I hope this has been helpful.

Regards,

Bruce