Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/06/03
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Guy Bennett writes: > Have you checked Leica prices in France? I > believe the M6 sells for about $3000, and, > if I am not mistaken, that is sans passeport. The current price is $US 2068, plus tax, and that includes the passport (as far as I know). This is only about $70 more than Don Chatterton wants in the U.S. ($1995). However, sales tax in France is 19.6%, and this brings the total to $US 2474. Since prices are always quoted with tax included in France, it hikes up the price a lot more. Of course, sales tax in most areas of the U.S. is not nearly so ruinous, so there is still a difference. Remember that Leica gear is made mostly in Germany, so it's cheaper to export to France than to the U.S., and when exchange rates change, it's the U.S. price that changes, not the French price (because France, like Germany, uses the euro, so there is no exchange involved between the two markets). I think both the U.S. and France probably get a worse deal on Japanese gear, but I haven't actually looked up prices and compared.