skater75 Posted October 11, 2016 Share #1 Posted October 11, 2016 Advertisement (gone after registration) There could be offers on eBay for SL body & lenses from Asia, mostly Hong Kong that are substantially lower of MSRP (claimed to be NEW). Anyone had (or heard of) bad experience with such purchase from non-authorized dealer which go just beyond one’s bad luck when a discount is preferred to one’s the out of pocket repair expenses? I purchased M lenses that way, but with those purely mechanical pieces the chance of malfunctioning is pretty low. Any thoughts on SL equipment line? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 11, 2016 Posted October 11, 2016 Hi skater75, Take a look here Buying SL from Asian. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
LD_50 Posted October 11, 2016 Share #2 Posted October 11, 2016 Personally I try to support local dealers. The service provided along with the ability to see and test gear is worth the additional cost for high end equipment. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sillbeers15 Posted October 12, 2016 Share #3 Posted October 12, 2016 If you're buying the latest hot newly released item. You have to PreOrder only available from Leica stores & authorized dealers. There is no 'see & test' available. However if you're buying readily off the shelve items, I see no difference in buying from anywhere as Leica offers worldwide warranty and no local service centers do any repairs either, all items are required to be send back to Leica Germany for repairs. Leica store sees you as prostitutes see customers, no relationship & only money talks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LD_50 Posted October 12, 2016 Share #4 Posted October 12, 2016 If you're buying the latest hot newly released item. You have to PreOrder only available from Leica stores & authorized dealers. There is no 'see & test' available. However if you're buying readily off the shelve items, I see no difference in buying from anywhere as Leica offers worldwide warranty and no local service centers do any repairs either, all items are required to be send back to Leica Germany for repairs. Leica store sees you as prostitutes see customers, no relationship & only money talks. I've purchased multiple Leica products at Leica's LA store and a non-Leica shop in Denver and was never treated anything like you describe. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sillbeers15 Posted October 12, 2016 Share #5 Posted October 12, 2016 I've purchased multiple Leica products at Leica's LA store and a non-Leica shop in Denver and was never treated anything like you describe. What value added services they provide you? Priority in new products wait? Test use of equipment free? Free servicing of your Leica lenses? Free loan of camera during repair? Care to elaborate your statement? In Singapore Leica Store, throw in your money and there you get your priority! Other than that, 'No' is the standard answer. Same goes for all repeated customers. An example which I've encountered: Not even to provide a small request which I've asked for a hotshoe cover for my SL since Leica does not provide one as standard on SL but commonly available from other Leica cameras. Also factual is Leica Store in Singapore require prepayment for small items such as the SL remote release & multifunctional handgrip despite having multiple past purchases of M8, M9, M240, SL plus multiple M & SL lenses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
orc999 Posted October 12, 2016 Share #6 Posted October 12, 2016 Agree on the support of local dealers in general, but Leica stores do not offer free services. They will take the same money to fix items bought with them or at other shops. Money for services that should be for free. They even charge you the transport cost for items to be serviced at other locations. Even it's actualy there fault they can't fix localy. Many official Leica dealers don't even let you test there products in the store. Take it where you get it cheap if it is a reliable source, check the warranty if you want it. On the other hand prepare to spend a lot of money on Leica anyway one way or another, so purchase cost of the SL might not really matter. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LocalHero1953 Posted October 12, 2016 Share #7 Posted October 12, 2016 Advertisement (gone after registration) I usually buy from independent but official Leica dealers. I have occasionally used Leica's store and service centre in London. Without being in any way a regular customer, they have always been helpful: free sensor clean, calling round the other London dealers to help me find a used Summicron 90. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fang Posted October 12, 2016 Share #8 Posted October 12, 2016 In Malaysia and Singapore we are getting a raw deal, there is so much marked up by Leica AsiaPacific that it does not make sense to buy from the local Leica dealers or Leica Store. In Malaysia it is suppose to be duty free for all photographic products; however the cost is almost the same as the price in UK with the 20 per cent VAT. For me, buying the M 240 was a free holiday to UK and there was cash to spare as well. For the SL, I am making a trip to HongKong to choose the camera with 2490 lens, M-adaptor-T, thumbs up, spare battery and even the B&W nano filter. The price including my flight and stay in HongKong will be so much lower than the price in Malaysia just for the SL and 2490 lens only. Feel sorry for my friends in Leica Malaysia - I would love to support them but it does not make sense or cents or ringgit for me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EoinC Posted October 12, 2016 Share #9 Posted October 12, 2016 The Singapore Leica store has been good to deal with in my experience. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sillbeers15 Posted October 12, 2016 Share #10 Posted October 12, 2016 In Malaysia and Singapore we are getting a raw deal, there is so much marked up by Leica AsiaPacific that it does not make sense to buy from the local Leica dealers or Leica Store. In Malaysia it is suppose to be duty free for all photographic products; however the cost is almost the same as the price in UK with the 20 per cent VAT. For me, buying the M 240 was a free holiday to UK and there was cash to spare as well. For the SL, I am making a trip to HongKong to choose the camera with 2490 lens, M-adaptor-T, thumbs up, spare battery and even the B&W nano filter. The price including my flight and stay in HongKong will be so much lower than the price in Malaysia just for the SL and 2490 lens only. Feel sorry for my friends in Leica Malaysia - I would love to support them but it does not make sense or cents or ringgit for me. Three years ago, I did the similar thing by buying my Noctilux .95 new from Fotophia in Hong Kong. I wired half the payment to them in advance and paid the remainder cash upon delivery when I arranged a family holiday in Hong Kong as I went to Kowlon to pick up my lens. The price difference for the Noctilux provided me and my family a free holiday in Hong Kong staying in Four Seasons IFC + wine & dine. My experience was splendid!If I were to purchase from Leica Store in Singapore, it would be just shelling out extra SGD$4k in exchange for nothing in return. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LD_50 Posted October 12, 2016 Share #11 Posted October 12, 2016 My point was that I support local dealers (not just official Leica dealers) because of the "service provided and the ability to see and test gear." I never said a dealer provides free service or local repairs. I don't expect dealers to give me free products. That said, the Leica store has given me a few items (lens-cloths, screen cover, mouse-pad, etc) but nothing terribly valuable. Other dealers have allowed me to test Nikkor lenses to find the best example for purchase. Online purchases don't offer this with any measure of convenience. One local dealer provided an opportunity to see the Hasselblad X1D and the Nikon D5 before they went on sale to determine if they would fit my needs (they don't currently). The dealer wouldn't be there if everyone bought online. A local Sony store allowed me to test the RX1 with viewfinder when no one else had it in stock. I ended up purchasing it there at a slightly higher cost with tax than I would have paid online. When I mention "service provided" I mean the total customer experience that local dealers provide. I also purchase from B&H (SL and Nikkor 200 f2 are examples) when local stores don't have something in stock when I need it. The idea that I need to qualify supporting local dealers is absurd. We all have a choice in how we purchase. I value local commerce for a number of reasons I've highlighted. I am concerned in the long term that many non-official dealers will go out of business in the US because of the cheaper options online. I appreciate that Leica has taken upon themselves to offer a local option to see and test their gear. Their galleries are a nice addition as well. I would welcome Nikon doing something similar, along with Sony, Fuji, etc. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
orc999 Posted October 12, 2016 Share #12 Posted October 12, 2016 @LD_50 I'm absolutely with you. And I also understand silberbeers as I know some stores are very rude and I don't feel I need to support them. I purchase my gear at a local shop who carries a lot of used gear and there is a friendly team helping me. It's not the Leica store. I was at the Leica stores here and they were just terrible. When I see something at a store in general that I can try out and I know I can get it far cheaper, I just talk with them and explain that I'm ready to pay them about 10-15% more then another place but there is a limit that hurts and normaly they will be happy to discount and have you as a customer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamdewilde Posted October 12, 2016 Share #13 Posted October 12, 2016 Truth is... You can get the SL + Zoom for very cheap in HK. These guys are legit, they have families like all the other dealers do. And some of them have nice stores where you can demo the gear. They're just interested in volume sales because HK is a big tourist shopping haven and the Chinese go there (or use to) in droves to buy buy buy.. I know a few REALLY good dealers in HK, they even ship worldwide, but sometimes it's fun just to fly over for a few days. With the savings on some Leica gear, you could easily buy a ticket and have a great trip + save money. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sillbeers15 Posted October 13, 2016 Share #14 Posted October 13, 2016 I do not mean I am not a supporter of relationship building with local dealers and that $ savings is not what I ask for as priority. On the contrary, I practice having good relationships with local automotive garages which I have been visiting a few for more than 20 years, I never bargain and always offer to give more as a customer. That is because I treasure their great technical capability & good support. On the reverse (they either pick up my car upon request or I drive in w/o an appointment and they would provide me with a replacement vehicle on the spot and return when my car is ready for collection w/o extra $), I would be lost if without their support for my needs to care for my cars. For Leica gear, I love their superior optical glasses and therefore stick to their products. In Singapore, no dealer can offer more support than Leica Store (which sucks) due to the limited supply of products from Leica, especially for new releases. Btw, there is no such local dealer who have 10 pieces of 50mm APO & Noctilux in stock for you to test and choose till satisfaction. Chances are you will have to also preorder and wait in line. To me, no local dealer can offer value added services on Leica products. And since I do not spend on other brand of camera gears, I do not see how a relationship can be established with dealers? I have no need to buy tripods or camera bags every other month. On such a note, I was hunting for Billingham Rucksack 25 to house my SL + both VE lenses locally and have found no local dealers carry them. I went online to do the purchase directly last Friday, to my pleasant surprise the depressed GBP exchange now provided me a good buy with the goods delivered to my doorstep within 3 days. how can I still provide support to local dealers then? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LD_50 Posted October 13, 2016 Share #15 Posted October 13, 2016 how can I still provide support to local dealers then? It sounds like you have it all figured out for yourself. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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