Leica marketing genius?

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picker77

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Being a never-owned-a-Leica guy who is seriously considering buying one, I wanted to actually handle a couple before plunking down big bucks. So I did an authorized dealer search on Leica AG's website for a dealer within 200 miles of Oklahoma City. Zip, nada. So I did one for the Dallas/Ft Worth/Arlington metroplex (6.3 million people, easily in the top ten in the USA in population). Same result. Zip. Nada. Nearest dealer to me is Houston or possibly Denver, either is a 10-hour drive one way.

Am I supposed to fly to L.A. or NYC and beg these people to let me touch one of their cameras before I give them a bunch of my money?

What an incredible joke these people are when it comes to marketing... Maybe Barney Frank has bought them out, too. I guess it's back to shopping for a Zeiss Ikon... :mad:
 
Why not just ask if there are any members in your area?

Take them out for coffee and maybe they will be generous enough to let you shoot a roll on their equipment.
 
Zeiss, too... :)

Zeiss, too... :)

Before anybody says it, I just checked for Zeiss dealers. ROFL! There is one, in NY.
Man, you gotta really want one of these things to go through this. :) So it's back to Ebay, I guess.

I wonder, do people buy new Leicas like they buy mail order Nikon lenses--namely put three on the plastic, pick the "best" one and return the others for credit? It always seemed to me that would eventually result in what's left on the dealer's shelf being 75% rejects by somebody or other.

But in all honesty I must admit I'd probably handle the cameras (if I could), then faint when I heard the dealer's factory-dictated price, and go to Ebay anyway. So maybe I just answered my own question.
 
you could could reduce the risk of buying from ebay by buying from an established member in the classifieds. - they do tend to be very trustworthy.
 
david.elliott said:
Why not just ask if there are any members in your area?
Take them out for coffee and maybe they will be generous enough to let you shoot a roll on their equipment.
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A good idea, David, I'll keep looking for someone like that. There are two large camera clubs in my area (I only belong to one of them) but if a question doesn't start with Canon or Nikon, or mention megapixels, interest is pretty much nil. I can't even get a 4x5 transparency processed without mailing it to another state, and only one place in my city of about a million still sells 120 film. Sad situation.
 
freeranger said:
you could could reduce the risk of buying from ebay by buying from an established member in the classifieds. - they do tend to be very trustworthy.
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Yes Sir, absolutely true. But trust and risk isn't the problem. There are several mail order/internet places and RF Forum and APUG members I trust 100%. But it would make sense to me to actually look through a .58, .72, and .85 VF and be able to pick the one combination of framelines and magnification, if any, that I could live with while wearing my glasses. Or to handle and compare a used M3 vs the M4 and M6, etc.

I probably should have never asked the question, didn't mean to stir up folks, I was just a little surprised that I can walk downtown in my home city and test drive a $75,000 BMW, Mercedes, Jag, etc., but can't find a place within 500 miles to look at a Leica camera. It could be I just don't understand how upscale marketing works.
 
I'm looking at an old Leica ad from 1986 and they list Cliff's Camera Shop in Enid, Camera Gallery, Inc. in Tulsa and The Camera Shop in Fort Worth. I have no idea if these places are still around, or if they sell Leicas anymore, but it might be worth a try.
 
Do ya think that it's the practice of people going into local shops to handle the equipment, then ordering it from an internet seller in New York to save 5% that has reduced the local availability of photo equipment?

Phoenix must be backwards though. There is used Leica equipment in three stores here that I can walk in, ask to see it and have it handed to me in the store. One of them has new cameras as well (Tempe Camera). I bought my Leica there.
 
Seems to me the desire to actually touch and use an expensive purchase like a Leica before handing over the cash is very rational. I know I've handled cameras that other people tell me fit their hands like a glove but, in mine, they're just awkward.
 
Tuolumne said:
Face it. There just isn't enough foot traffic in most camera stores to justify their carrying Leica.
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The problem is, there aren't many camera stores left to get foot traffic. Past a certain point, this won't simply be a "Leica problem."


- Barrett
 
In Dallas there is Cooter's Village Camera and in Arlington there is Arlington Camera. I've been to both. While the selection is not extensive, you might give either a call and they will most likely be able to get you what you need (both are listed as authorized dealers for compact cameras). I did a test drive of the M8 at Arlington Camera.
 
I just go down to my local camera shop, ask them if i can putz around with their demos. Maybe it's because I live in Boston, but I've been able to play around with just about every camera currently on the market, just for giggles, with a gurantee that i wasn't even going to buy any of them....from a wee lil g10 to a hassy H3D
 
[FONT=&quot]If I owned a small camera shop in OK I’d tie up all of my funds on inventory that sat for years on the shelf. :p
[/FONT]
 
tmfabian said:
I just go down to my local camera shop, ask them if i can putz around with their demos. Maybe it's because I live in Boston, but I've been able to play around with just about every camera currently on the market, just for giggles, with a gurantee that i wasn't even going to buy any of them....from a wee lil g10 to a hassy H3D
Click to expand...

I like to keep my local stores in biz by dropping a few bucks there every now and then (and then, and then, and then...)
 
Leica don`t have no new customers. They are living off the past glory and those of us who are part of of it for 20 years or more know what to expext.

So yes, they need a marketing genius to move forward because as the old customer base dies off, guess what.
 
Ronald M said:
Leica don`t have no new customers. They are living off the past glory and those of us who are part of of it for 20 years or more know what to expext.

So yes, they need a marketing genius to move forward because as the old customer base dies off, guess what.
Click to expand...
I do see well heeled kids with Leica digicams, and their alliance with Panasonic seems to be working as well. The future belongs to small format digital if market share is the indicator.
 
I guess I'm lucky because here in Memphis we have an authorized Leica dealer, Memphis Photo Supply. They're always busy when I go in and the guys are super nice. Before I purchased my Leica I went in and played around with an M4-P, M6 TTL, and an M8. They carry both new and used Leica equipment. I try to make all of my purchases there so that they will stay in business. However, I am guilty of using Freestyle as well. Two places I don't want to go out of business. :)
 
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