When will US dealers receive inventory of M10 Rs?

[Bob D]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I have ordered one from B&H Photo, but can't get any info on when they will have them in stock.  Anybody have info on this?  Thanks.

[Franka373]

Have you tried the Leica stores?  Miami, Boston, San Francisco?

[Bob D]

No, as I assumed, maybe wrongly, that B&H would be among the first to receive them.

[Jeff S]

Just now, Bob D said:

No, as I assumed, maybe wrongly, that B&H would be among the first to receive them.

Not the way it has worked recently.  Leica Stores, including their Online Store, seem to have had priority.  Wait lists also play a role; sometimes a smaller store might get less inventory, but have little or no wait.  Trade offs. One can support a trusted (local?) dealer, shop around by phone, or get on a list.  The Leica Online Store product availability can change daily... or by the minute.

Jeff

[Bob D]

Jeff, thanks very much for this info.  Very helpful.   - Bob

[paulsydaus]

I wouldn’t use B&H for out of stock new Leicas.  You will definitely get it quicker elsewhere.

[scott kirkpatrick]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

For fun, I always sign up for B&H to tell me when they have the new Leica model in stock.  I generally hear from them about 6-9 months after first shipment.  They do maintain a waiting list.  When I really want early access to something,  I sign up at my dealer, who sold me my M8 and lots of stuff since then, and get on his list during the period when the product is still only rumored.  That's still working, but only for the first 2 new cameras or so in the week of announcement.  After that somebody at Leica USA does a flint-hearted calculation of how to maximize revenue and reduce costs, so the subsequent units have been coming kinda slowly to anybody but their direct channel and the big Leica Stores, as far as I can tell.

For the M10-R, keeping a tight watch on Leica USA online sales has worked well, as they don't use a waiting list.  It's first come, first served once they have some to sell.  You can check the M10-R availability thread as well.

Edited August 5, 2020 by scott kirkpatrick

[Bob D]

Thanks Scott.  Quite a process. 

[Bob D]

Thanks Paulsydaus. 

[Rob L]

Yes, B&H has a huge customer base and they generally can not keep new, high demand items in stock, particularly Leica, whose allocations are small. M10s were out of stock for over a year. Just for fun, I got on the list for the SL2 last November and they were out of stock until July. Smaller dealer and Leica Stores are a better option. I was able to find both an M10 and my SL2 within a month after release by getting on the phone.

[Bob D]

Thanks Rob. Isn’t it amazing that one has to spend so much time for the privilege of handing over $9k? 😉

[Jeff S]

4 minutes ago, Bob D said:

Thanks Rob. Isn’t it amazing that one has to spend so much time for the privilege of handing over $9k? 😉

That exclusivity and hard-to-get supply is partly how luxury priced items retain their appeal.  Then there is also the reality of the product complexity and the small company production process.  Not like M&M’s.

I’m not generally an early adopter, preferring to let the dust settle and have others deal with whatever bugs or early FW issues.  By the time I’m interested, if at all, a few calls to some small off-the-radar dealers has led to a quick purchase, while many on the forum are still complaining months later about their long wait lists.  
 

Jeff

[Bob D]

Jeff, your approach is a very intelligent way to navigate a rather unusual process.  Thanks again.  

[Jeff S]

Sometimes the smartest approach is to skip the new stuff and use the already more than capable gear!

Jeff

[paulsydaus]

44 minutes ago, Jeff S said:

Sometimes the smartest approach is to skip the new stuff and use the already more than capable gear!

Jeff

But unless you have the newest camera your fotos will be crap.  Everyone knows that.

[Tailwagger]

7 hours ago, paulsydaus said:

But unless you have the newest camera your fotos will be crap.  Everyone knows that.

Ahh.. mine will be crap either way. Might as well prop up the economy so I can feel good about something.

[Jeff S]

1 hour ago, Tailwagger said:

Ahh.. mine will be crap either way. Might as well prop up the economy so I can feel good about something.

But they will be very sharp and detailed crap.

Jeff

[Tailwagger]

2 minutes ago, Jeff S said:

But they will be very sharp and detailed crap.

Jeff

Only on the SL...on the M they'll be detailed perhaps, but not sharp. I generally just spin the dial and hope. 🙂

[adan]

On 8/4/2020 at 5:48 PM, Bob D said:

No, as I assumed, maybe wrongly, that B&H would be among the first to receive them.

Here's how Leica distribution of new products in the US works - at least up through the intro of the M10 in 2017.

Leica divides the US into regions. Not sure how many there are now, but let's say about 10. NYC is a big enough market to count as its own region. Another would be CA/OR/WA/NV; yet another includes Denver (Rocky Mountains: AZ/NM/CO/UT/WY/MT, maybe ID). Anyway - each region has its own Leica rep.

Each regional rep takes orders, and pre-orders, from the stores in their region.

Once a new product begins to arrive in NJ, the shipments (usually one air freight per week) are allocated equally among the regions. For example, a first weekly shipment of 30 cameras to the US (that is a realistic number for Leica) will be handed out to the 10 regions as 3 cameras per region. NYC gets 3, Rocky Mountain area gets 3, West Coast gets 3, etc.

The rep will then allocate those three among her stores with pending orders. If she has 10 stores in her region, each store will get one camera until all 10 have received one, in the order the orders were received. Then each store will get another one, until all 10 stores have received 2, and so on.

In other words, a very even-handed distribution, with no "special" customers. B&H won't get a bigger share than my little store here in Denver.

Note that Leica still sells 30 cameras to stores (their actual customers), regardless of whether they all go to B&H, or are spread around the country. The orders for a new camera always far exceed production available, for many months.

Now , the Leica Stores may get first dibs on some part of each shipment - maybe they get 10, with 20 for all the other retailers nationwide. Or 20, with 10 to be divided among the independent retailer regions.

I got to be really cosy with my regional Leica rep from the M8 on, and would call her with an order for "whatever is coming in September!" as soon as rumors firmed up, just to get high on her list. Telling her which store would handle the transaction - and of course telling my store as well. That got me an M9 within a week of the product intro (9/9/09), and an M8/M10 in less than a month.

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[Bob D]

Thanks very much Adan.  Your explanation is fascinating.