wattsy Posted September 18, 2019 Share #21 Posted September 18, 2019 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) I don't think Leica USA will be in a hurry to rectify this apparent pricing disparity. I think, as of this month, lithium batteries made in China are subject to an extra 15% import tariff. Maybe the US price should go up a bit more to reflect this extra cost burden? 😀 Edited September 18, 2019 by wattsy 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted September 18, 2019 Posted September 18, 2019 Hi wattsy, Take a look here BP-SCL4 ripoff of Americans vs Europeans. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
nicci78 Posted September 18, 2019 Share #22 Posted September 18, 2019 You know what ? American products (not even made in USA) are sold with a markup in Europe. The same way around. Maybe lithium ion battery are may be subjected to special import taxes or duty in the US? who knows. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted September 18, 2019 Share #23 Posted September 18, 2019 And very high transport costs. If you have to ship Li-Ion batteries across water by air, it is severely regulated. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
zampelis Posted September 18, 2019 Share #24 Posted September 18, 2019 (edited) 5 hours ago, setuporg said: My research shows that the blatant price gouging of Americans did not start with the SL, or now the SL/Q2 battery! In fact, it started with the S system's PRO 1 battery. The PRO 1 exhibits the same, now hallmark, price structure: €150 in Europe, $250 in America. Because it is a pleasure to part the Americans with an extra $100. After all, Ben Franklin went to Europe himself! Hence, a Leica arbitrage rule: if a battery has a groove and is inserted directly, flush with the camera body, without a lid, charge Americans an extra $100 to celebrate this ingenious design! Have you also done any research on the responses in your thread, or are you actually trolling us all? Edited September 18, 2019 by zampelis 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
setuporg Posted September 18, 2019 Author Share #25 Posted September 18, 2019 I've now shared my finding of the systematic price gouging with the SL and S users: SL thread: S thread: The reasoning submitted in support of the price differential so far is unsatisfactory. Sure, US prices are lower for a host of things like jeans and MacBooks, but this is a Leica forum, not a jeans or MacBook forum. We care about Leica systems and their accessories here and it's reasonable to see fairness from a global company with a global supply chain. Shipping of Li-Ion batteries does not incur a $100 markup on the vast majority of batteries that are under $50. One of the solutions would be to boycott the marked-up battery sales in the US and buy direct from Europe. I've discovered the difference on vacation in Europe and Leica dealers were the most helpful to work with to ship the batteries anywhere in Europe, using UPS ironically, for €20 expedited. So for now I'm just ordering to a hotel ahead and no more money goes to the US dealers for any Leica batteries. I'm planning on referring this thread to Leica US for feedback so it is quoted back in the SL and S forums. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
photogray Posted September 18, 2019 Share #26 Posted September 18, 2019 I was lucky. I looked on Ebay and did a wider search including European sites. The Leica Store in Nurnburg had one posted new for about $150.00. I received it in NYC in about a week and there were no US Customs duties on it. My best advice is to see if you can write to the stores in Germany and ask for one to be shipped to the US. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Albertson Posted September 18, 2019 Share #27 Posted September 18, 2019 Advertisement (gone after registration) On 9/12/2019 at 2:16 PM, MikeD70 said: While I can only speak for the Q, there are several third party batteries out there that work fine. (Pro) master, and Watson are two that I use. I don't see any difference in the way the camera seems to work with any of these. About $25 U.S. from Amazon or the like. There aren't any bootlegs for the Q2/SL batt. I think the gasket must discourage most of the aspirants. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
setuporg Posted September 19, 2019 Author Share #28 Posted September 19, 2019 18 hours ago, photogray said: I was lucky. I looked on Ebay and did a wider search including European sites. The Leica Store in Nurnburg had one posted new for about $150.00. I received it in NYC in about a week and there were no US Customs duties on it. My best advice is to see if you can write to the stores in Germany and ask for one to be shipped to the US. Yes these are the guys I ordered from this summer, they had 10 in stock and I got 4 to Florence, then left the charger with one battery in the airport express in Oslo (the rush to have them all charged) and got a replacement to Lisbon. Great doing business with the German stores, fast UPS shipping anywhere in Europe. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
snooper Posted September 21, 2019 Share #29 Posted September 21, 2019 Here in France fnac.com have some stock at 135€. https://www.fnac.com/Batterie-Leica-BP-SCL4-pour-Q2-et-SL/a9180855/w-4#omnsearchpos=1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mogoforest Posted September 25, 2019 Share #30 Posted September 25, 2019 Just got my spare sent from Park Cameras, £110 ( $136/€124) They were on back order, and the battery manufacture date is July 2019. I was a bit surprised that there was no protective case or terminal cap supplied like most camera manufacturers , only a ziplok bag. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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