Re: [Leica] Red circles and "almost new" Leica bodies

[John Collier <jbcollier@powersurfr.com>]

Anthony,

It sounds like a demo or a repaired return. Leica US calls them code U
cameras. It should be fine as the early TTL boards were problematic and a
"repaired" camera will be better than a MIB early one. I bought a "demo"
21/2.8A, saved $600US and am very happy.

John Collier

Why do you sign Mxwhatever rather than the name on your website? Just
curious.

> From: "Mxsmanic" <mxsmanic@hotmail.com>
> 
> Today I saw a "new" M6 TTL in the window of my usual Leica store, at a 25%
> discount.  I asked about it and was told that it had simply spent time on
> display in Germany for a while, and had never been used.  Examination of the
> body revealed no trace of blemish, everything squeaky clean, not even any
> specks
> of dust.  The dealer indicated that he could offer the discount because it was
> sold to him at a discount by Leica.  Since I have been looking for a 0.85 body
> for sometime and I didn't really want to buy used, this seemed like a nice
> deal,
> so I picked it up.  He says it is still covered by the usual 2-year Passport
> warranty and all.
> 
> My question is:  Why was this body 25% off if it was essentially new?  Does
> just
> putting it on display cause it to depreciate?  The dealer also pointed out a
> little red circle next to the serial number on the box; he said that this
> indicates that it was sold to him (and thus to me) at a discount, and is
> intended primarily to prevent an unscrupulous buyer from turning around and
> selling the camera as if it had been bought at full list.  Is this some sort
> of
> well-known situation for Leica gear?  What does the red circle mean, exactly?
> 
> In any case, I immediately shot a roll with the body to check it out, and all
> the images came out flawless.  So I guess I actually got a pretty good deal,
> for
> once.  I am very pleased.  (I'm one of those people that others make fun of
> because I always end up paying full MSRP for everything.)
>