Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/05/19

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: Re: [Leica] Re: Discount for LUGers
From: TEAShea <TEAShea@aol.com>
Date: Tue, 19 May 1998 15:34:16 EDT

<< I'll bet that with a group this size, with the
 purchasing power it appears to have and the Leicaolism many of the members
 clearly have, something could be worked out. >>

I can think of three possible approaches 1) dealing directly with Leica 2)
Establishing a contract with a dealer; 3) establishing a LUG cooperative

1)  The chances of Leica dealing directly with a group such as the LUG and
bypassing its dealers is pretty remote.  

2) As far as getting an extra established from a dealer, I doubt that one
could get better pricing than an individual can already get.  Note that the
advertised prices are not the true lowest selling prices.  I routinely get
substantial discounts off of the advertised prices.  For example I recently
purchased a 74 1.4 (new German version) for $2,132 including two day UPS
shipping.  The adversised price is about $2,500.  Dealers already deal down to
the smallest possible margins.  Competion sees to this.  

The issue is what benefit a dealer would obtain by slicing its margin for the
LUG.  Individual negotiations already accomplish that.  The LUG cannot offer a
promise that its members will purchase from a certain dealer.  Any dealer who
wishes to give the LUG members a good deal can do that now without any further
agreement.

3) The other possibility is that the LUG would establish a cooperative and
would purchase and distribte the goods from its members, collecting the
payments, etc.... This would be expensive.  Someone would have a lot of work
to do --- double handling of hundereds or thousands of peices of equipment a
year.  This would require a facility and staff.  Who would pay for this.  Who
would have the legal liability?  Who would pay for it. Who would run it?  


Tom Shea