Is inconsistent M9 distribution hurting Leica?

[marknorton]

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My camera has been sitting in a box since 09/09 and it's only this weekend I've starting using it. Like many others, I'm finding it's instinctively right, just like the move from a D2x to a D3 a little less than 2 years ago. I may not like the cost cutting but there's no doubting the camera's capabilities.

 

I hadn't planned to jump right in but my dealer called on 09/09, told me he had 7 cameras and my name was on one of them if I wanted it. How could I possibly refuse?

[JMacD]

Who is your dealer?

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[stunsworth]

Maybe Leica decided to send stock to the best selling markets?

[UliWer]

Leica just can't win, can they?

...

 

If people are blaming Leica for not getting one, Leica will have already won. It's demand what they need. And I am sure they won't have a break now; they havn't had this feeling since the times of the M3.

[erl]

Seems to me the best way to generate interest that progresses to sales is 'create a queue' for your product. I see that as smart marketing as long as the demand exceeds the supply you have healthy sales. Human nature will create a greater demand under these conditions.

 

I put my name on a list one week before 9/9 with moderate interest in buying, maybe when the M9 became available, but I was not impatient at all. On 10/9 (9/10 for USA ), my dealer rang and said he has one unit. Did I want it? I jumped before someone else did. That's how it works.

[giordano]

Leica missed the boat clear and simple. If just after the M9 was officially release there was stock available I would of probably found a way, credit, to afford one, (+ 1sale for Leica). But since there was none available that gave me time to rethink the pruchase and I came to the conclusion I don't want to put myself in the hole for a M9 as my M8 is still working great ( - 1 sale for Leica).

 

So: you're blaming Leica because you didn't buy an M9 that you subsequently decided you didn't want.

 

They really can't win, can they?

[Shootist]

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So: you're blaming Leica because you didn't buy an M9 that you subsequently decided you didn't want.

 

They really can't win, can they?

 

Where does it say I blame Leica for anything. In fact the word blame isn't anywhere in my post.

Get a life please.

 

The original question asked "Is inconsistent M9 distribution hurting Leica" and in reality that translates into "Do you think the lack of availablity is or will hurt Leica".

 

I gave my answer to that/those questions with a yes and gave the reasons I think so.

If you actually read my original post to this thread you might of realized that and you would of never read the word blame.

[hoppyman]

Seems to me the best way to generate interest that progresses to sales is 'create a queue' for your product. I see that as smart marketing as long as the demand exceeds the supply you have healthy sales. Human nature will create a greater demand under these conditions.

 

I put my name on a list one week before 9/9 with moderate interest in buying, maybe when the M9 became available, but I was not impatient at all. On 10/9 (9/10 for USA ), my dealer rang and said he has one unit. Did I want it? I jumped before someone else did. That's how it works.

 

hmm Erl, yes we know you got one third of the Australian stock and the only officially known one in Aus so far

I don't believe though that there is any evidence to support a theory that Leica is 'creating a queue' to generate interest!

I think that they are making them and getting them out there as fast as they humanly can but they're selling faster than they can deliver them! Seems like they have an early success on their hands. That's very good news for our favourite camera company.

[erl]

Well of course you are correct Hoppy, but I was observing that a queue is forming any way. Not deliberately being generated by Leica. Whatever, it is good that all units are sold as soon as they are available. I see no reason why it should not continue since the M9 is as good as it is!

 

There is an intangible that I can't put my finger on but somehow this camera just feels sooo much better than the already great M8. There are somethings in life that just can't be measured. Only experienced! The M9 is one of them.

[UliWer]

Where does it say I blame Leica for anything. In fact the word blame isn't anywhere in my post.

Get a life please.

 

The original question asked "Is inconsistent M9 distribution hurting Leica" and in reality that translates into "Do you think the lack of availablity is or will hurt Leica".

 

I gave my answer to that/those questions with a yes and gave the reasons I think so.

If you actually read my original post to this thread you might of realized that and you would of never read the word blame.

 

Well, we already had some regular users of this forum, who declared they would not buy a M9 some days ago, and now we read that they got it. There might be some fear around to miss the boat clear and simple.

[erl]

Sex, drugs and Rock 'n Roll (and the M9). We give in to it all in the end.

[tomasis7]

Sex, drugs and Rock 'n Roll (and the M9). We give in to it all in the end.

 

Leica is the best drug .. better than sex

[mby]

Leica is the best drug .. better than sex

 

Depends on the specific drug, Leica, girlfriend/wife...

[wlaidlaw]

UK deliveries seem to have ground to a total halt, waiting for the next batch to arrive from Solms to Milton Keynes. MK claim to have no foreknowledge of the timing of their next delivery. I hope my order may be in that batch. There may be some news on Thursday - I hope so. It would be nice if mine were waiting for collection when I get back to the UK on the 10th of next month. I have now said I will take a grey or black, whichever arrives first. If it is a grey one, I will recover it in real leather - maybe red snakeskin ;-}}

 

Wilson

[brill64]

i don't mind the wait, i think it'll be worth it and remembering the release of the m8, time for any bugs to get exposed and ironed out (if any). i don't think there will be anything like two free filters this time around

[Shootist]

What I'd like to know is where are all the M9's going.

If the estimates are close to being right, 120 a day, that's 600 a week with a 5 day work week.

That's at least 1800, possibly more, in the 3 weeks since the release, not counting what were produced before the release date. Just where are these 1800 cameras.

 

I think the dealers in the more developed countries would like to know this also.

[mboerma]

I understood Leica has problems with the LCD deliveries. Maybe that has caused the slow down.

[Leicaiste]

If the estimates are close to being right, 120 a day, that's 600 a week with a 5 day work week.

That's at least 1800, possibly more, in the 3 weeks since the release, not counting what were produced before the release date. Just where are these 1800 cameras.

 

AFAIK, Leica was making on average 10.000 M cameras per year since the M6.

 

Lately is was +/- 10.000 M8/M8.2 and +/- 10.000 M7/MP. Again AFAIK.

 

That is 50 cameras per day, not 120.

 

And regarding the M9, they are still in the learning process.

 

And by the way, are they on a 5 day work week ? I don't know.

[dpattinson]

"Is inconsistent M9 distribution hurting Leica?"

 

Not as much as would "Distribution of inconsistent M9's"...

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[scott kirkpatrick]

I'm hearing that the US is starting to receive 20 units a week. If that's right, and it holds, it is consistent with Solms assembling and testing about 20 per day for the world's markets, which sounds reasonable.

 

scott