Leica Warranty on SL stuff bought on Asia??

[Donzo98]

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I am thinking of buying the SL 50 from a Hong Kong Ebay seller...

 

They are just so much cheaper than buying USA. Do you guys/girls know the situation for warranty/service should it be necessary?? I know Nikon doesn't even service grey market stuff.

 

I have heard that all SL stuff goes back to Germany anyway, so if that is the case it should not be a big deal.

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[LD_50]

Search “warranty”. There have been several posts about this.

 

https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/276677-buying-leica-sl-lens-from-japan-china-hong-kong/

[Donzo98]

Search “warranty”. There have been several posts about this.

 

https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/276677-buying-leica-sl-lens-from-japan-china-hong-kong/

 

Thanks... I read that thread.

 

Have any of you guys bought from Breuget Camera?? I just searched Rangefinder HK, their cost is 4865.00, but I can buy on Ebay from Breuget for 4399.00 shipped. They have 11K feedbacks (so pretty good I would say).

[IkarusJohn]

Pretty sure I've bought from Breuget without any hassle.

 

I don't really understand this "global warranty" nonsense.  The lens or equipment is made by Leica, if it goes wrong, Leica fixes it in my experience.  The concept of global warranty used to be just dealers avoiding having to service stuff they didn't sell.  Haven't heard anything like that here for years.

[gbealnz]

I've been a Breuget customer too, no issues.

Agree with I/John, Leica in my case(s) have been exemplary.

And, at a local level (NZ), anything newer than something like the M6 or R6, so digital or electrical, is not fixed locally anyway, not in my experience.

Gary

[Donzo98]

it really is insane how big the difference is in price...

 

Breuget $4399, B&H $5295.

[Einst_Stein]

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Leica has a service center in New Jersey. I believe they can take care T/TL/SL/M stuffs. I had my M9 (Sony Sensor corrosion) and T (main board burnt by 3rd party USB to body charger).

On warranty, if you can register your lens on Leica official web site, it is as good as any purchased in any Leica authorized dealer. This is according to the advise from New Jersey service center.

 

On the Hong Kong dealer. I have no experience with the one you mentioned, but I have dealt with FourPo. This is one of the most regarded grey market dealer in Hong Kong. The price is usually better than other grey market dealers that I can find. I bought 24-90mm and 90-280mm zooms from them. Whjile the lenses work very well, the box of 24-90mm looks very old, no at all like a new product. I suspect it might not be really brand new, but since it is treated like new by Leica service, I accept it what-you-pay-what-you-get. The 90-280mm box is really like new.

 

So, while Hong Kong has really really good price compared to, say, B&H, better to be prepared that you might get a used but really clean item. If the price match this assumption, go for it.

 

Oh, by the way, the Ebay price is usually 15-20% higher than direct from Hong Kong dealer, mainly due to  Ebay's free (10% at least and paypal fee (forgot how much, should be around 3~6%, if not more).   

[ramarren]

I've bought a couple of things from Breuget, no problems. However, for most expensive items like this, I prefer to stick with a dealer whom I've built a relationship with over many years and whom I can call and converse with if there are problems. A premium for that service is worth it, to me, in most cases. 

 

The "global" vs "regional" warranty business used to be the way that manufacturers supported repairs at their regional distributors. It makes some sense: For instance, Nikon has their US distributor, Nikon USA. Nikon USA will do warranty work for free on any Nikon sold as part of their distribution channel ... it's the profit from their channel sales that funds this warranty work. Nikons bought elsewhere are covered under the international warranty, which is funded direct from Nikon HQ and requires you use the Nikon International Service Centers. 

 

Leica being a much smaller volume global manufacturer chooses to fund warranty work at their regional distributors from HQ, which costs a bit more and can run into time delays as the regional repair center has to interact with HQ to authorize repairs, also some repairs have to be sent back to HQ since the regional service centers don't always have the authorization/equipment to do all repairs. 

 

The "one warranty everywhere" program is the easiest for users to work with, but the regional warranty program can be more responsive and quicker. Pick your poison...

[Donzo98]

I've bought a couple of things from Breuget, no problems. However, for most expensive items like this, I prefer to stick with a dealer whom I've built a relationship with over many years and whom I can call and converse with if there are problems. A premium for that service is worth it, to me, in most cases. 

 

The "global" vs "regional" warranty business used to be the way that manufacturers supported repairs at their regional distributors. It makes some sense: For instance, Nikon has their US distributor, Nikon USA. Nikon USA will do warranty work for free on any Nikon sold as part of their distribution channel ... it's the profit from their channel sales that funds this warranty work. Nikons bought elsewhere are covered under the international warranty, which is funded direct from Nikon HQ and requires you use the Nikon International Service Centers. 

 

Leica being a much smaller volume global manufacturer chooses to fund warranty work at their regional distributors from HQ, which costs a bit more and can run into time delays as the regional repair center has to interact with HQ to authorize repairs, also some repairs have to be sent back to HQ since the regional service centers don't always have the authorization/equipment to do all repairs. 

 

The "one warranty everywhere" program is the easiest for users to work with, but the regional warranty program can be more responsive and quicker. Pick your poison...

 

Usually I would just buy USA... but almost 1000.00 difference is pretty significant. Makes the decision a bit harder...

 

...and from what I have learned here... "responsive and quicker" and Leica don't go together

Edited December 19, 2017 by Donzo98

[Einst_Stein]

SL 24-90mm lens is HK is HK$24000, SL 90-280mm is HK$34000. Roughly HK$7.7 = US$ 1.

So it is less than US$3150 and US$4500.

 

BH group discount prices are US$4950 and US$6400, or used price US$4200 and US$5500.

 

HK is about 0.65 of B&H (new) or 0.8 (used) , about US$ 2000 lower.

 

The rest is your call.

[ramarren]

Usually I would just buy USA... but almost 1000.00 difference is pretty significant. Makes the decision a bit harder...

 

...and from what I have learned here... "responsive and quicker" and Leica don't go together

 

 

Certainly. At some level, the question becomes, "Do I want to keep my good dealer friend's business profitable so that I can continue obtaining the service they provide, or am I willing to risk having the business close?" Too many of my dealer friends have succumbed to internet shopping and "price is all that matters" mentality: there are virtually none left within a 40 mile radius anymore. (One still in business but they're not a Leica dealer.)

 

I'm not going to get into the debate about whether Leica service is responsive and quick because I don't have enough experience for it to be statistically significant. What experience I've had with their service (one X2 serviced in three weeks or so, the M9 diagnosed and new M-P delivered in about four weeks) hasn't been much different from similar services I've had done by Nikon, Canon, and Olympus, and far better than anything I've had done with Panasonic, Sony, and Pentax, regardless of warranty/regular service policy and configuration.

 

"In theory, theory and practice should be pretty similar. In practice, they only rarely are."

Edited December 20, 2017 by ramarren

[scott kirkpatrick]

Where I live, there are no Leica dealers and only the basic consumer models of other camera lines are carried in stock.  So I have a first names relationship with a US Internet provider that has worked out pretty well, although sometimes their waiting times for an interesting new model are longer than I would incur if I could go to small shops in big cities.  I have bought used cameras and lenses from all around the Internet, with very few unpleasant surprises, none of them fatal.

 

I have had half a dozen occasions to send things to Leica over the past 10 years, mostly for upgrades (M8 to 8.2, M9 corrosion replacement), and the only one which took more than a month was a lens that I scratched and had rebuilt under Passport warranty.  I sent a SWC/M back to Hasselblad once and didn't see it again for about a year.  I had to send back a Fuji X-T2 that came new with a bad sensor, and that took 3-4 months to get resolved (I didn't keep the box, or my dealer would have replaced it).  So nobody's perfect.

[Einst_Stein]

 

Too late, all my local camera dealers have been pushed. Out of business by B and H, Adorama, eBay, or Amazon. The game now is internet store vs. internet store.

 

Whatever determined the fate of my local store will determine the fate of internet stores.

 

Once I have confirmed any internet store is equally reliable and cheaper, there is no reason to go back to other stores.

 

This reminds me the words under Masaccio's painting Trinity: once I have been like you, one day you will be like me.

 

 

Certainly. At some level, the question becomes, "Do I want to keep my good dealer friend's business profitable so that I can continue obtaining the service they provide, or am I willing to risk having the business close?" Too many of my dealer friends have succumbed to internet shopping and "price is all that matters" mentality: there are virtually none left within a 40 mile radius anymore. (One still in business but they're not a Leica dealer.)

 

I'm not going to get into the debate about whether Leica service is responsive and quick because I don't have enough experience for it to be statistically significant. What experience I've had with their service (one X2 serviced in three weeks or so, the M9 diagnosed and new M-P delivered in about four weeks) hasn't been much different from similar services I've had done by Nikon, Canon, and Olympus, and far better than anything I've had done with Panasonic, Sony, and Pentax, regardless of warranty/regular service policy and configuration.

 

"In theory, theory and practice should be pretty similar. In practice, they only rarely are."

[Donzo98]

So.... here’s the update. I found a LNIB 50mm SL on EBay at Adorama in NYC. They were asking 4199.00 BIN. I live in Long Island, about 50 minutes by train.

 

This AM, I called Adorama and made an offer. They accepted the offer. I could have saved the sales tax by shipping out of state, but I wanted to see the lens for myself. I also wanted to confirm what was in the box.

 

The lens came with both inner/ outer boxes, all accessories and paperwork. The lens is impossible to tell from new. There were no warranty papers in the box...

 

In short... I made a decision to buy it. Lens cost me 3500 plus 310 in tax. All in 3810. I figure if I need service, I will just have to pay for it.

 

Thoughts???

[IkarusJohn]

Good price. Register it on the Leica site and keep the receipt. If you contach Leica, they can tell you how much warranty is left.

 

Enjoy the lens. I haven’t had time to use mine properly yet - Christmas, end of year and a funeral to organise ...

[Einst_Stein]

So.... here’s the update. I found a LNIB 50mm SL on EBay at Adorama in NYC. They were asking 4199.00 BIN. I live in Long Island, about 50 minutes by train.

This AM, I called Adorama and made an offer. They accepted the offer. I could have saved the sales tax by shipping out of state, but I wanted to see the lens for myself. I also wanted to confirm what was in the box.

The lens came with both inner/ outer boxes, all accessories and paperwork. The lens is impossible to tell from new. There were no warranty papers in the box...

In short... I made a decision to buy it. Lens cost me 3500 plus 310 in tax. All in 3810. I figure if I need service, I will just have to pay for it.

Thoughts???

A new HK grey market item will cost you HK$ 28300 plus about HK$ 1700 for fully insured shipping, almost no government tax (less than US$40). It would be about US$ 4000. Your price is lower.

[LocalHero1953]

So.... here’s the update. I found a LNIB 50mm SL on EBay at Adorama in NYC. They were asking 4199.00 BIN. I live in Long Island, about 50 minutes by train.

 

This AM, I called Adorama and made an offer. They accepted the offer. I could have saved the sales tax by shipping out of state, but I wanted to see the lens for myself. I also wanted to confirm what was in the box.

 

The lens came with both inner/ outer boxes, all accessories and paperwork. The lens is impossible to tell from new. There were no warranty papers in the box...

 

In short... I made a decision to buy it. Lens cost me 3500 plus 310 in tax. All in 3810. I figure if I need service, I will just have to pay for it.

 

Thoughts???

Go take photos with it!

[Donzo98]

Go take photos with it!

 

First few @ 1.4... WOW!! This thing is ridiculous at 1.4... shot these last night after picking up the lens.

 

 

Edited December 21, 2017 by Donzo98

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