Suspicious goods

[xplorer2]

As mention above, Leica Singapore will honor the servicing as long as its not on the global reported list that it's been stolen etc. I have owned Leica M9 from Shanghai and lenses from Europe and have them service in Singapore (under warranty) and I have not gotten any problems at all.

Yes, sometimes its not that we do not want to support local distributors but at the kind of premium that is being tagged to Leica merchandises here - it really begs the question why? Example, in Europe after VAT rebate the prices are better than 20% in cases.

I doubt that.

Because it begs the obvious question.

Then who wants to be an authorised dealer?

This is what one US Leica user said in a forum:
Roger
08-07-2011, 07:15 PM





http://www.nemeng.com/leica/016e.shtml


They do insist you reveal the name and address of the dealer.
Photo credit: getdpi.com

 

[ricohflex]

Precisely, that is the point.

If the premium that authorised dealers can make is so much, then why should Leica sabotage themselves by giving warranty to and/or service the equipment bought through non-authorised dealers.

It does not make sense, right?

Yes, it is stated in the link that Leica may still repair. But at what price and how long is the wait is unknown. Guess people have to find out the hard way.
Leica is very kind and generous to still provide service to cameras and bodies bought from non-authorised dealers.

Other manufacturers are not so gracious. They tell you upfront flat out NO in clear terms.

http://www.tamron-usa.com/lenses/warranty.asp

http://www.tamron.com.sg/index.php/service/important-notice


Ultimately, it is the value proposition to the buyer that tips the purchase decision.
If someone offered you a mint condition Leica camera body or lens at SGD $1, then it does not matter whether it is sold by authorised dealer or not; does not matter whether there is warranty or not. You would buy anyway (provided it is not stolen).

So as a buyer, you have to balance the pros and cons.

But it is wrong to insist that there is no potential problem buying from sellers who are afraid to reveal their identities, have multiple nicknames and who insist that they CANNOT give you a receipt for a supposed brand new item.

 

[xplorer2]

Just to clarify, I am not referring to buying from non-authorised dealers overseas. What I am just trying to say is that authorized dealers overseas are charging comparatively a lot lesser than what we need to pay here that sometimes it makes it really hard to justify buying here. An from authorized dealers I mean really established dealers in Europe. Case in point a brand new M240 can be gotten for $SGD 8900. Got a buddy that just got it from Europe 2 months ago. Fully papers, warranty. And Singapore Leica will honors that servicing. Like I mention I have sent items for servicing that are bought Internationally and the folks at Leica Service center are really very gracious and helpful bunch and they will ship it back to Solms for repair if they cannot fix here - all under warranty. At least that is the type of service I am expecting paying for Leica premium - doesn't matter if I purchase it here or Internationally.

Off course, I agree completely that if the seller is dodgy about it and does not even tell upfront that the camera is from Europe or elsewhere or back up with the papers - then buyers beware.

 

[ricohflex]

It probably means that the local authorised dealer is making a bigger profit for the convenience of customers who can buy it at local shop.


Usually no issue if buying from authorised dealers overseas. Everything will be in order, except for what Andrew Nemeth mentioned in his website:

Grey market ("Grey") cameras are those which are purchased from either a dealer who is not an authorized Leica dealer, or else from an authorized dealer
who has in turn obtained the camera from a source other than the official distributor in that country.

Presumably that is rare. Why would an authorised dealer want to do that to spoil his own name?

 

[crispy12]

I can say from personal experience that Leica is overwhelmingly gracious with their warranty. I have had all of my Leica products handled fuss free. I have bought from grey sellers before with no problems too.

No idea what's the big deal here. If anybody is so worried, please just go to Leica at Raffles at buy one there...

 

[Anxin]

..
No idea what's the big deal here. If anybody is so worried, please just go to Leica at Raffles at buy one there...

Ditto.
wu riu, go buy at Raffles; bo riu can TC like a real pro here, it's foc (Ah taicoflex sure knows wat i mean):bsmilie:

 

[NazgulKing]

Precisely, that is the point.

If the premium that authorised dealers can make is so much, then why should Leica sabotage themselves by giving warranty to and/or service the equipment bought through non-authorised dealers.

It does not make sense, right?

Yes, it is stated in the link that Leica may still repair. But at what price and how long is the wait is unknown. Guess people have to find out the hard way.
Leica is very kind and generous to still provide service to cameras and bodies bought from non-authorised dealers.

Other manufacturers are not so gracious. They tell you upfront flat out NO in clear terms.

http://www.tamron-usa.com/lenses/warranty.asp

http://www.tamron.com.sg/index.php/service/important-notice


Ultimately, it is the value proposition to the buyer that tips the purchase decision.
If someone offered you a mint condition Leica camera body or lens at SGD $1, then it does not matter whether it is sold by authorised dealer or not; does not matter whether there is warranty or not. You would buy anyway (provided it is not stolen).

So as a buyer, you have to balance the pros and cons.

But it is wrong to insist that there is no potential problem buying from sellers who are afraid to reveal their identities, have multiple nicknames and who insist that they CANNOT give you a receipt for a supposed brand new item.

I think you must first and forth most understand how Japanese companies like to function. They set up multiple subsidiaries everywhere, and then they rule a certain fief. When it comes to the annual review, they must go up and defend their sales results. This isn't a question of graciousness; this is more a turf war between subsidiaries. Let's be a bit more clear about where the consumer stands in the middle of this, if you haven't figured it out by now.

Some companies like Olympus, Leica and Apple give international warranty, but many Japanese companies, because of this nonsense, do not.

 

[zixaw]

I think there is some confusion here. Leica Singapore/APAC is not some third party entity, they are Leica.

They are the regional service center. They really don't care where or who the camera or lens is from. As long as it is a Leica they HAVE to service it.

It is important to register your camera or lens online at Leica. It is the primary source to check if your lens is new. Even for extremely old cameras and lenses that have sat unsold in shops for 10 or more years, if you register it online when you buy it. Leica will provide warranty.

I bought my M from Germany, I registered it online, I declared my German dealer but because my registered address with Leica is in Singapore. On the Leica site, my warranty provider for my M is listed as Leica Singapore.

 

[Peter Seow]

there is no issues at all i work in USA and frankly have purchased new and used leica and all other brands of things whether camera or any other products and have not faced problems. I would think if its cheaper overseas i'll just buy overseas.

I have not purchased any big ticket Leica items here except for small neccessary items like filters and camera straps.

 

[sillbeers15]

I am only a hobbyist. I do not have interest to sell for profit, so there is no interest for me to hide behind nicks to slam anyone.

I do not see what the fuzz is about?

You guys are attracted to $$$ discounts but yet complaint about the source???
If U have doubts, buy direct from Leica store and don't complain about "no stock" and "expensive".

I have most of my lenses and cameras purchased through Leica stores. My experience tells me that I do not get any discount and what I want do not always come by through them. However, I have had positive experiences paying premium buying from Leica Store when that is the only source available (like getting my M240 on 28 Feb 2013 by just paying more for an additional lens that was useless to me,...had to sell it off later). Other than that, I do explore the internet for lenses no longer available new. Interestingly, I did had positive experiences buying a rare and high end lens from a grey market dealer here with good discount. And I am exploring another buy again soon. I know that Leica store and local retailers hate them for taking away businesses but I think it is good for consumers like myself! I truly think of them as parallel sources available. If anyone of you have purchased exotic sports cars through parallel importers in SG will and can understand the attractiveness of the buy.

Unfortunately, I only do not buy from local retailers who neigther have the stock nor discounts on Leica stuff to attract me.

 

[sillbeers15]

Wow! The Warranty application you showed must be donkey years ago.
Since buying my M9, M240,various Leica M lenses from Leica Store do not have such forms anymore!!
Everything is to be registered online. And no questions asked about 'which Leica dealer' purchased as far as I can remember.
As a matter of fact, I do not even bother to register my lenses for the more recent purchases.

I doubt that.

Because it begs the obvious question.

Then who wants to be an authorised dealer?

This is what one US Leica user said in a forum:
Roger
08-07-2011, 07:15 PM





http://www.nemeng.com/leica/016e.shtml


They do insist you reveal the name and address of the dealer.
Photo credit: getdpi.com

 

[milaurie]

Wow! The Warranty application you showed must be donkey years ago.
Since buying my M9, M240,various Leica M lenses from Leica Store do not have such forms anymore!!
Everything is to be registered online. And no questions asked about 'which Leica dealer' purchased as far as I can remember.
As a matter of fact, I do not even bother to register my lenses for the more recent purchases.

Thanks for the info. that is based on your personal experience. (Not opinions, or some third-hand info copied from the net. It's 人云亦云.)