I'm counting 25 M-A's on eBay

[logan2z]

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11 hours ago, earleygallery said:

I would take it to mean that there may be stock on dealers shelves of black chrome bodies but they won't be making any more of them.

Not sure about the UK, but the stock of M-As on dealer's shelves here in the US is essentially zero.

[Huss]

9 hours ago, logan2z said:

Not sure about the UK, but the stock of M-As on dealer's shelves here in the US is essentially zero.

Before I ordered my M6... I could easily find MPs and M-As in the UK Leica shops.  The M-As were more plentiful.  However, here in the US it's as if you are looking for a five leafed clover.

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[logan2z]

3 minutes ago, Huss said:

Before I ordered my M6... I could easily find MPs and M-As in the UK Leica shops.  The M-As were more plentiful.  However, here in the US it's as if you are looking for a five leafed clover.

M-As are like hen's teeth here. But I see that a shipment of silver chrome MPs must have dropped in the US as they are now in stock at Leica Store Miami and BH (and probably elsewhere).

[Huss]

11 minutes ago, logan2z said:

M-As are like hen's teeth here. But I see that a shipment of silver chrome MPs must have dropped in the US as they are now in stock at Leica Store Miami and BH (and probably elsewhere).

Yup, $5700 for silver MP at B&H.  Weren't they $5200 at the beginning of the year?

[kivis]

So I guess the question is are folks dumping their M-A's after purchase? And BTW how does Hong Kong end up with so many for sale?

[Huss]

13 minutes ago, kivis said:

So I guess the question is are folks dumping their M-A's after purchase? And BTW how does Hong Kong end up with so many for sale?

A year or so back, HK had a supply of NOS M7s.  At a few dealers.  Interestingly they were the old serial #s in the 27XXX range, so before MP finder upgrades from the factory, before the new DX reader.   I'm wondering if those shops and/or region are where Leica sends its overstock to maintain the perception of rarity to the rest of the world?

[lmans]

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Looking at how Leica manufactures one model in batches.... I can see rarity occurring. IE....The M6 new is coming out now but 'all hands on deck' to manufacture the M6 while the other models are left to dry out in the store. Then a batch of XXXX will be manufactured and sent around the world, and then a batch of YYYY will be etc... So it goes in streaks. They can only produce so many and perhaps do so on purpose to keep the demand high and the supply low.

Why does Hong Kong have so many? How many are fakes? Knockoff's ....

[Huss]

43 minutes ago, lmans said:

Looking at how Leica manufactures one model in batches.... I can see rarity occurring. IE....The M6 new is coming out now but 'all hands on deck' to manufacture the M6 while the other models are left to dry out in the store. Then a batch of XXXX will be manufactured and sent around the world, and then a batch of YYYY will be etc... So it goes in streaks. They can only produce so many and perhaps do so on purpose to keep the demand high and the supply low.

Why does Hong Kong have so many? How many are fakes? Knockoff's ....

A fake M7?  Fer realz? lol.

[madNbad]

5 minutes ago, Huss said:

A fake M7?  Fer realz? lol.

I think it's called a Zeiss-Ikon.

[logan2z]

2 hours ago, Huss said:

Yup, $5700 for silver MP at B&H.  Weren't they $5200 at the beginning of the year?

Leica Sales/Marketing Meeting (*):

Marketing VP:  Hey, we've got the new M6 coming out soon and we want to make it the "affordable" Leica film camera (waits for laughter in the room to subside).  But we need to retail it for $5600 in order to cover all of the 'new' R&D that went into it (pauses for more laughter).  Any ideas?

Head of Sales:  Well, we could jack up the prices of the MP and M-A so that the M6 slots in as the less expensive alternative.

Marketing VP:  Dude, thats @!*%  brilliant.  I knew there was a reason I liked you.

(*) This is purely fiction and a product of my own twisted sense of humor.


 

Edited November 1, 2022 by logan2z

[Al Brown]

There are 22 eBay sites around the globe. If you are only searching ebay.com the chances are you are only seenig a fraction.

[williamj]

There’s a glut of used Leica M gear on the market at the moment, not just M-As and not just the bay. I’ve been tracking stock and prices since March and prices are either steady or dropping 5% to 10% and amount of stock has easily doubled. It could be financial hard times due to inflation but I don’t want to presume. There’s still demand and highly desirable items still get snapped up but common items or, you know, less rated items can languish on shelves. 

[Fotoklaus]

I counted 20 M-A on ebay.com, some frome Japan and Hong Kong. And I counted 25 Leica M1.

So more people tend to look after the absolute pureness of the M1 over the M-A. The lack of a rangefinder seems to be the holy grail of photography.

Sunny 16 and 6 feet distance. Couldn´t get purer.

[lmans]

5 hours ago, williamj said:

There’s a glut of used Leica M gear on the market at the moment, not just M-As and not just the bay. I’ve been tracking stock and prices since March and prices are either steady or dropping 5% to 10% and amount of stock has easily doubled. It could be financial hard times due to inflation but I don’t want to presume. There’s still demand and highly desirable items still get snapped up but common items or, you know, less rated items can languish on shelves. 

Agreed… all across the ‘M’ system.  Just look at the M10 line-up. Usually more MA’s above MP etc due to people getting an MA, then concluding they don’t know how to shoot without a light meter, thus they trade in to get a camera with that small crutch. Otherwise inflation is forcing people to sell Leica brand and living off of. Sad hard times we approach as inflation only getting worse… more hardship ahead, more Leicas sold. 

[Herr Barnack]

On 10/31/2022 at 9:38 AM, kivis said:

Ha ha, I kid you not: Today I count 15 not including the Titanium ones. Ebay is crazy either way.

The titanium M-A kits are listing for $35,000 USD to $49,700 USD on cheesebay.  These sellers must be high on peyote. 🙄

[lmans]

I just counted 24 MA's....   I also just counted 40+ MP's.....    so not sure this thread is accurate when people trying to ask why so many MA's being sold. Just look at the MP's? ... Not to mention the M10's...   

[johnwolf]

7 hours ago, williamj said:

There’s a glut of used Leica M gear on the market at the moment, not just M-As and not just the bay....

Indeed there is. I check in on Tamarkin regularly, since I live close by. I don't recall ever seeing his used list so long: http://www.tamarkin.com/products/m-series/cameras#used-section.

And M10 prices have dropped quite a bit lately. I'm considering one now.

 

Edited December 1, 2022 by johnwolf

[Al Brown]

8 hours ago, Fotoklaus said:

Couldn´t get purer.

It absolutely can get purer... with MD, MDa and MD-2.

[lmans]

2 hours ago, Al Brown said:

It absolutely can get purer... with MD, MDa and MD-2.

Are not the MD cameras of old (1960's) more meant for scientific work and not casual or professional photography above that of science? I know I might have mentioned this prior but my dad was a biologist and he used them for taking photos from within his microscope. I am not sure the intent of Leica was for these types of cameras to be used beyond that scope, or am I wrong as obviously people are or are they really in numbers doing so? Because I might argue that the purity of that camera is almost too pure.... or borders on being impractical. 

Edited December 1, 2022 by lmans

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[Auroralabs]

7 minutes ago, lmans said:

Are not the MD cameras of old (1960's) more meant for scientific work and not casual or professional photography above that of science? I know I might have mentioned this prior but my dad was a biologist and he used them for taking photos from within his microscope. I am not sure the intent of Leica was for these types of cameras to be used beyond that scope, or am I wrong as obviously people are or are they really in numbers doing so? Because I might argue that the purity of that camera is almost too pure.... or borders on being impractical. 

Sounds like excuses to me.. to justify your need of a viewfinder crutch 🤣