[Leica] Red circles and "almost new" Leica bodies

["Mxsmanic" <mxsmanic@hotmail.com>]

Today I saw a "new" M6 TTL in the window of my usual Leica store, at a 25%
discount.  I asked about it and was told that it had simply spent time on
display in Germany for a while, and had never been used.  Examination of the
body revealed no trace of blemish, everything squeaky clean, not even any specks
of dust.  The dealer indicated that he could offer the discount because it was
sold to him at a discount by Leica.  Since I have been looking for a 0.85 body
for sometime and I didn't really want to buy used, this seemed like a nice deal,
so I picked it up.  He says it is still covered by the usual 2-year Passport
warranty and all.

My question is:  Why was this body 25% off if it was essentially new?  Does just
putting it on display cause it to depreciate?  The dealer also pointed out a
little red circle next to the serial number on the box; he said that this
indicates that it was sold to him (and thus to me) at a discount, and is
intended primarily to prevent an unscrupulous buyer from turning around and
selling the camera as if it had been bought at full list.  Is this some sort of
well-known situation for Leica gear?  What does the red circle mean, exactly?

In any case, I immediately shot a roll with the body to check it out, and all
the images came out flawless.  So I guess I actually got a pretty good deal, for
once.  I am very pleased.  (I'm one of those people that others make fun of
because I always end up paying full MSRP for everything.)