Prices in the UK

[Tony Gamble <100113.1524@compuserve.com>]

You may find good prices for old Leicas here in London. I am told that the
Japanese come over for the auctions held by Sotheby and Christie. Whilst they
are here they go round the dealers who are mostly situated in the area south of
the British Museum. I don't think the dealers get much trade at all from the
British so they could be very pleased to see someone with a wad of notes.

When it comes from models of Leica that one would 'use'  take it from me, as a
Londoner, that you are not going to find 'best' prices in the UK.

The 35mm market is, as we say, clapped out here. 

I understand that one decent sized operation in the US, like B&H or Adorama,
will import more of one brand (say Canon) than Canon import for the whole of the
UK.

The Leica import operation here could, I guess, afford to work a one day week.
They charge significantly more than their German and Austrian counterparts - so
they sell virtually nothing. I'd love to know how many R7's they sold last year.
I bet it was less than 100.

Consequently, as the turnover  of new equipment coming on to the market is
minimal, any dealer will be seeking to take much more margin on second hand
trading than would be the case in the US.

I walk past R G Lewis every day. I am less than 100 yards from Jessups. I am
very fond of Len Lyons who runs R G L.  Take it from me he is the straightest
dealer around. He has one R7 in the window. It is a used one. It has 1,200 UK
pounds marked on it. It's been there, I think, since November.

Len knows that I'd swop my two R5's for two used R7's. But the upgrade, for the
two, would be over 1,200 UK pounds. It's not worth it.  So I, like everyone
else, sits tight.

Williams of Hove was set up by an ex-manager of the Hove Camera shop that Len
Lyons owned and had to liquidate!!

One of the shops in Pied Bull Market was set up by an ex-manager of Jessups. It
is a very small world and it's not making anyone rich.

Nobody is selling anything. I am told that in 1994 Hassleblad sold less than 20
cameras here. They are now doing better as the pound/yen gets worse. An entry
level Hassleblad is now cheaper than an entry level Japanese look-alike.


The Leica new APO zoom has still to be seen here. Any that are ordered will take
the back of the queue in favour of the dealers, from other countries, who are
shifting stock.

If anyone on the forum wants more gen on the UK scene I am happy to supply it -
and if anyone wants to compare prices I can easily 'snail mail' the next ad
pages from Amateur Photographer.

Cheap Leica? I'd suggest Vienna for new and you could try the UK for vintage.
But don't expect keen selling techniques here - it's not British - we'd rather
starve.


Regards,

Tony Gamble from London UK