Re[2]: The problems of living outside the USA

[seungmin@luxmail.luxcom.com]

     Hi,
     
      Several years ago, it took me more than one year to get a new 90/2.8 
     Elmarit-M (new design) from a authorized dealer.  I also heard at that 
     time that it would take even longer to get a 100/2.8 APO-Elmarit-R 
     (maybe two years).  Sometimes we all have to wait to get what we want.
     
     Regards,
     David

______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: The problems of living outside the USA
Author:  leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us at Internetmail
Date:    11/18/97 8:13 AM


>     Hi  Luggers   Ah the misery. Here in Africa we have a few problems 
>getting  Leica equipment and the reason given is "the backorders from the 
>USA get  first priority!". Now what I find strange is that most dealers in 
>the USA  seem to advertise that they have stock of all the usual lenses, 
>but my order  >from Leica for a 35mm F2 ASPH Summicron will "take weeks or 
>months to  arrive as they have all been pre-ordered by the USA, our 
>biggest market."  Is this really the case, and do other buyers in the 
>far-flung corners of the  world suffer from this problem or is it unique 
>to Africa?  Best wishes to all the LUG   Harold   My e-mail addresses are 
>as follows: haroldgess@journalist.com gess@icon.co.za Please use either of 
>these to reach me and, lest  you lose sight of it, have a nice day!
     
You in South Africa have it lucky, when I lived in Kenya it was basically 
impossible to get new Leica equipment. It had to be specially ordered and 
was subject to 100% import duty from the Kenya governement. My solution was 
to purchase equipment in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) which has to be the 
world's greatest duty-free shopping paradise. The camera counter at the 
Dubai airport was better stocked than most camera shops and the prices were 
better than any I have found. Dubai was a relativly cheap flight from Kenya 
and I would usually route my London-Nairobi flights through the Emirates 
and save my shoping until then.
     
- --
Matthew A. Cenzer
Department of History
Northwestern University
mcenzer@nwu.edu