Re: Grey market Leica

[ATANOVIC@genre.com]

          >From: bholmes@frii.com (Ben Holmes)
          >Date: Sun, 24 Nov 1996 12:16:10 -0700 (MST)
          >Subject: Re: Instruction Books, was Re: Grey market Leica
          >
          >Chris Fortuncko asserted:
          >
          >>Frankly, grey markets may not be so bad.
          >>Right now, it is cheaper to buy a Leica in
          >>Japan than in the US!
          >>
          >>Chris
          >>
          >>
          >I had a chance to sample prices in Japan this week with
          >the help of a guy I met on misc.import.export or something
          >like that. He says that they do not have a rebate program
          >in Japan and do not discount AT ALL.   He said a new M6
          >is $2,795 - period.
          >
          >That makes it a bit more expensive than in the states.
          >
          >ben

          Now why would you want to take the word of "a guy
          I met on misc.import.export or something like that" when
          you've got several LUG members right here in Japan
          to consult?

          You can buy a new M6, black or chrome, with 2-year
          international warranty for Y210,000 at Lemon Camera
          in Ginza---about US$1880 at the current screen rate of
          111.70.  You are exempted from the 3% sales tax if you're
          a non-resident foreigner buying for yourself (but the price
          will be 5% higher if you pay by credit card rather than
          cash because that's what the card companies charge the
          retailers here).

          This is not a one-off, discounted price, it's their regular
          advertised price and has been in effect for several
          months now.  And Lemon shifts a *lot* of stock.

          So Chris' "assertion" (as you call it) is a fact.

          FYI, some other prices for comparison:
          R8 : Y260,000
          35mm Asph: Y223,000 (black), Y238,000 (chrome)
          24mm Asph: Y200,000, finder Y28,000

          BTW, please don't ask me about do-it-yourself export
          schemes.

          Adrian Tanovic
          Tokyo