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

[D Khong <dkhong@pacific.net.sg>]

Sounds like you have a very good deal. Maybe it's wiser to keep it to
yourself and don't ask too many questions.

DK

Mxsmanic wrote:
>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.)
>