Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/03/02

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Subject: RE: [Leica] Leica and MAP
From: Jeremy Kime <jeremy.kime@bbc.co.uk>
Date: Tue, 2 Mar 1999 16:04:43 -0000

Leica has struggled hard to assert standardised prices throughout Europe in
the last year after 'grey' imports from the Netherlands (if I recall
correctly) were flooding into the UK.
This started I believe because of a higher local tax there
(Netherlands/wherever) which in turn made Leica subsidise their imports such
that local prices were not overly extortionate (ha ha!). Exports from the
Netherlands(/wherever) weren't subject to tax so cameras were available more
cheaply than Leica stock from the official UK source.

All Leica dealers in the UK were asked to sign an assurance that they
wouldn't buy from outside of Leica UK officially imported stock, this was
the subject of much angry discussion for many of them.

Don't know about the stateside situation though.

Jem
> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Paul T. Collura [SMTP:pcollura@epix.net]
> Sent:	Tuesday, March 02, 1999 2:58 PM
> To:	Leica
> Subject:	[Leica] Leica and MAP
> 
> Dear Luggers,
> 
> Could someone who understands the law and the concept of MAP (minimum
> advertised price) please explain the concept to  me?  Essentially ALL
> Leica dealers charge the same price for new equipment which is dictated
> by Leica as the minimum advertised price (MAP).  I thought that price
> fixing, which this resembles, was illegal.  I asked one of the camera
> dealers on the LUG this question but he has conveniently ignored my
> question!!!!!!!  Why can't a dealer charge $10.00 less for a new 180mm
> APO than the next dealer; they all seem to stick to the MAP as the final
> non-negotiable price.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Paul T. Collura