Used Leica lenses in Hong Kong

[jubbaa]

Hi All

I am going to be in Hong Kong on business on Wednesday and Thursday and have a couple of hours to do some shopping. I was wondering if anyone can recommend and reputable sellers of used leica lenses , particularly around Causeway Bay , Hong Kong Island area. Also interested to learn on how the used prices compare to that of the US. I appreciate a google search will yield some results but I was hoping for some uptodate info as I know asking prices vary from time - to -time and store locations close.

If it helps I am not looking for anything too exotic ( older 35mm crons, pref v4 and the newer version 5 50mm cron )

Thanks for your time and input.

James

 

[gilpen123]

Not sure on Hongkong side, in Kowloon side you can check Tin Cheung, All Good Friends and maybe 2-3 more stores. There are 2 Tin Cheung stores, one is all brand new and the other are used cameras/lenses. Used Leica stuff are not cheap in Hongkong, US is still cheaper.

This is the used store (Tin Cheung)

 

[Johann Espiritu]

+1 for Tin Cheung.

The Tin Cheung shop for used equipment is on Mody Road in Kowloon, across the Holiday Inn. It's right beside the Metro exit.

As above, it's not the cheapest place to buy used equipment (close to eBay prices). It's still good to visit, though, as they sometimes have some interesting stuff on display.

 

[Alfred L]

for your reference, price in HK dollars. USD$1=HKD$7.8
http://hklfc.com/forum/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=116287&highlight=meteor
the second hand leica product is higher price in "shop".

 

[Alfred L]

above is an online shop, the price is lower.

 

[peterm1]

When you buy camera gear in Kowloon just be aware that while the few stores named in the thread below are fine there are plenty of crooks and thieves.

Before I went there late last year I read about stores where "bait and switch" is the normal way of operating when dealing with tourists. They will bait you with a price too good to be true (which of course it is) on whatever equipment you want to buy. If you ask they will tell you yes its in stock but its in an offsite "warehouse". After you agree to buy and while they are "having it sent over" they will ask you to make the payment. When that has been done a phone call allegedly comes in to the store allegedly saying, guess what the last one has just been sold. They then refuse to give your money back and try to fob you off with some cheap crap valued at half the price you paid.

How do I know this really happens and is not just an urban myth. A couple of stores tried it on me (I knew about it before hand and so told them to get XXXXXXed and walked out if anyone tried this crap - quite a few did). Some tourists were not so lucky. I met a couple of people who got caught and could not get their money back when just this happened to them. The lesson is buy from a reputable store and if you are unsure never pay till the product is safe in your hand and you have tried it. Be suspicious if a store says that you cannot handle the lens or examine it closely. They will claim its just a display model or some such and you can be pretty sure these guys are the ones who will bait and switch. Oh and never buy from camera stores that line Nathan Road on Tsim Sha Tsui where they are pretty bad for cheating tourists.

Having said that its a great place to visit. If you want to know more about buying camera gear in HK watch these videos by "that Nikon guy"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II3iFgyG_I4&list=SP58E7E7EB2600344E&index=6

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_dTz34xZEY&list=SP58E7E7EB2600344E&index=8

 

[raytoei@gmail.com]

the hk website made my heart beat a little faster...all those nice lenses...

 

[Rayt]

Reputable used Leica shops in HK? Don't even think about it.

 

[gilpen123]

All Good Friends has an Ebay Store, you can check them out as well. Bought a few stuff from them (in person) no hassle so far.

 

[jubbaa]

Thanks for the input

Thanks for the input

Looks like I am going to have to tread carefully!!

James

 

[Johann Espiritu]

Oh, stay away from the "Cowboys in Champagne Court".

 

[Bisakok]

I've been living in Hong Kong for ten years. People here think anything "old" is very valuable and asking prices as a result are in my experience usually ridiculously high. My dad says the same thing is true for stamps. Apologies for the burst bubble, just my experience.