Where in the world is an S 007 battery, or Ripping off Americans

[setuporg]

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It turns out the blatant price gouging of Americans on Leica batteries did not start with the Q2, as I reported here:

My hunch was immediately confirmed by the identical setup for the PRO 1: €150 in Europe, $250 in the US.  Apparently a battery with a groove that is inserted from the outside without a lid is singled out as an especially useful instrument to part Americans with an extra $100.  A dramatic shortage of the Q2 battery might provide a flimsy justification, but not the PRO 1.

Edited September 18, 2019 by setuporg

[John McMaster]

It amuses me when Americans get upset at a single item being cheaper overseas - almost everything is cheaper in the USA than elsewhere!  When I was in NZ I looked at getting an Epson 7900 printer, it would have been far cheaper to buy it two first class air flights and import it from the USA than buy it in NZ (less than 1/2 price) but Epson do not allow that ;-(

john

[Jeff S]

I wouldn’t be surprised if added costs substantially relate to international shipping requirements for lithium ion batteries.  In fact, I’m not sure how this is accomplished, given regulations I’ve seen that stipulate the batteries can only be shipped internationally inside the product and not individually.

Jeff

[Stuart Richardson]

I agree it is not great to have dramatically different prices. I would encourage you to see if you can buy it from a dealer in Europe and have it shipped to you. You will also save whatever the VAT is on the battery, so it should more than compensate for the shipping. Given my position in Iceland, I often buy Leica gear from both the US and Europe. Different times and currency situations can cause one to be cheaper than another. Leica tends to make the products roughly comparable, but in certain cases you can save a lot of money by buying in Europe if you export it, as you will take off the country's VAT, which can be as high as 25%. For Leica products that is usually hundreds or thousands of dollars, more than compensating for shipping etc.

[Jeff S]

1 hour ago, Stuart Richardson said:

I agree it is not great to have dramatically different prices. I would encourage you to see if you can buy it from a dealer in Europe and have it shipped to you. You will also save whatever the VAT is on the battery, so it should more than compensate for the shipping. Given my position in Iceland, I often buy Leica gear from both the US and Europe. Different times and currency situations can cause one to be cheaper than another. Leica tends to make the products roughly comparable, but in certain cases you can save a lot of money by buying in Europe if you export it, as you will take off the country's VAT, which can be as high as 25%. For Leica products that is usually hundreds or thousands of dollars, more than compensating for shipping etc.

See my post above, specific to shipping lithium ion batteries into the US from overseas.  

Jeff

[Stuart Richardson]

As far as I can tell from this, a single S battery would be ok to ship via UPS Air. https://www.ups.com/assets/resources/media/us_lithium_battery_regulations.pdf

I am sure it might be a little difficult, but they obviously are shipped here somehow, so I cannot imagine that it is totally insurmountable.

[setuporg]

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Not to mention global shipping somehow fails to add a $100 markup to almost all the other, much cheaper Li-Ion batteries.  A huge share of Android phones shipped worldwide with embedded batteries are cheaper than the PRO 1.

Also, with all due respect, while jeans and MacBooks might be cheaper in the US, that should concern the users of the jeans and MacBook forums more.:). There's a pricing anomaly for a common spare part and it seems that a random markup took hold, which we need to roll back by not buying batteries from the US merchants but going out of the way to order them from Europe. 

Edited September 18, 2019 by setuporg

[Jeff S]

USPS (US postal service) is more specific about prohibiting shipment of lithium ion batteries internationally unless embedded in equipment (presumably like Android phones).

https://blog.stamps.com/2019/04/29/new-usps-mailing-standards-for-lithium-batteries/

Excerpt....

“Lithium batteries can only be shipped internationally if they are installed in the equipment they operate.  Shipping carriers are not allowed to ship packages containing only lithium batteries or cells to international locations – they must be included inside a product.  No markings or documentation are allowed on these international mailpieces.  This rule applies to all international as well as APO/FPO/DPO destinations.”

Yes, there are other carriers, and other rules, and obviously there are ways to get the batteries here.  My only observation is that the difficulty and costs associated with the process might be a contributing factor for the price discrepancy, unlike some other products.  I’m no expert; just a guess.  And probably the only time I’ve ever tried to rationalize Leica pricing.  Compared to the camera and lens pricing, though, it’s still a blip.  The smaller M10 battery, by comparison,  is $175, and the little M thumb grip is $240, so go figure.  

Jeff

[mgrayson3]

You’ve found a rare arbitrage opportunity. I strongly urge you to form a battery importing company. Let us know when you’re up and running, and I can promise you my business. 

Until then...

[alan.y]

😐

Edited September 18, 2019 by alan.y

[Photon42]

On 9/18/2019 at 9:30 AM, setuporg said:

It turns out the blatant price gouging of Americans on Leica batteries did not start with the Q2, as I reported here:

Buy a pair of jeans and feel compensated for it. Or a Harley-Davidson motorcycle 😁

[GMB]

When I bought my first Leica (still film), I did so on a business trip to NYC. Why?  because it was cheaper than buying in Germany.  And Leica gear continued to be cheaper in the US for quite some time. 

And consider Adobe’s pricing of photoshop.   For a long time, they were charging customers outside the US double the price US customers paid, including for a downloaded English language version.  

So while I sympathize with your frustration, I fear this price differentiation is nothing unusual and there may even be a logical explanation. 

My suggestion:  Instead of posting hear, write to Leica Customer Service in Germany and raise the issue.  Maybe you get it sorted out. I did so in similar cases with other companies and sometimes managed to get a discount.