Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/07/14
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At 11:07 PM 7/13/96 -0700, Charles E. Albertson wrote:
>Roger---
> From the response you got (from Leica USA), it looks like their refusal
>to publish the price list is motivated more by antitrust concerns (concern
>about an accusation of vertical price-fixing, given the tight control they
>exercise over their retail dealers) than the simple logistics of typing the
>list up. No reason for them not to issue a catalog of what's on offer, though.
>
>Chuck Albertson
>Seattle, Wash.
Leica's "tight control", Chuck, is nothing more than a carrot that they
dangle in front of the dealers. For a dealer to get the full mark up from
Leica they must agree to and execute a policy of not advertising new gear
for less than the suggested price set by Leica USA. Leica has no control
over and probably could care less, if the truth be known, what prices the
dealer sells the new gear for. (Sorry about that preposition at the end)
In point of fact, the dealer requirements for Leica are extremely loose.
Leica dealers are appointed on a case by case basis. Dealerships run the
gamut from those with very nice retail facilities, the so called "plate
glass look", represented, at the top, by the likes of Tamarkin and to a
lesser extent by most of the rest of the dealers, to the obvious exceptions
such as Chatterton who has no store. He sells only mail order and not even
within his own state. Then, there's a dealer like Dan Black who, by his own
admission, doesn't know how he got a dealership, except that it might have
been a "pat on the back" for achieving the presidency of LHSA. (Corroborated
by Leica, BTW) I suspect that Leica's biggest interest is a potential
dealer's financial history and ethic.
All the above (excuse my rambling) still does not address the problem of
Leica not printing current equipment and price lists. The slick catalogs, as
said before, are out of date, always, and w/o the lists from Leica we have
no check on what the recommended price is against which we are "making our
deal", other than what the dealer tells us it is.
Bottom line is that selling only Leica to earn a living will result in a
"Maytag Repairman" like existence (outstanding exceptions noted that prove
the rule).
So call or write 'em already, and tell 'em to "Keep printing the lists"!
--
Roger Beamon, Naturalist & Photographer
Docent: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Leica Historical Society Of America
INTERNET: beamon@primenet.com