Why Leica charge $500 more in the US?

[bluepenguin]

Most of camera equipments in the US have a better price than Asia.
However does anybody know why Leica M8's price is $500 higher in the US?

US price: $4700~4800

Korea: $4200 (If you pay cash, it will go down to $4000)
Japan: $4750 (But there is 10% discount bonus ....)

 

[Socke]

$5634.93 in germany

 

[Leicabug]

Wow! It's hard to believe that Leica is selling M8 cheaper in Japan than in U.S.

 

[grduprey]

I suspect it has to do with import fees and what the market importer feels they can charge for the item. When I checked the prices in Germany last year they were much higher there than here.

 

[5:00 PM]

Two Words: EXCHANGE RATES. The dollar is very sick and probably not getting better anytime soon. That's what happens when you borrow money from China so you can fight stupid wars.

 

[Avotius]

Two Words: EXCHANGE RATES. The dollar is very sick and probably not getting better anytime soon. That's what happens when you borrow money from China so you can fight stupid wars.

woo, go us....but really, the m8 here is about 40000 yuan which is about the same as a down payment on a house or a small car at 5125 dollars, or 8 months of my salary...

 

[Jim Watts]

Most of camera equipments in the US have a better price than Asia.
However does anybody know why Leica M8's price is $500 higher in the US?

US price: $4700~4800QUOTE]

Still more than a $1,000 lower in the U.S. than the U.K. where they are £2990 or $5,910 at todays exchange rate.

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

Does the German price include sales tax (VAT)? This could be about 20%.

 

[Socke]

Does the German price include sales tax (VAT)? This could be about 20%.

It does and it is 19%, that's what you pay at Leica bei Meister in Hamburg.

 

[hth]

So German price is about the same as US before tax, as prices in US are generally quoted without sales tax.

Then you pay more in the end as you live in a country where more tax is collected (hopefully) for the benfits of the people.

/Håkan

 

[EmilGil]

Pretty much the same as in Norway, approx 42500SEK incl 25% VAT ($6175 USD! 😱 )

 

[EmilGil]

$4900 is still a lot of money...

How big is your fund? 🙂

 

[Sailor Ted]

\Then you pay more in the end as you live in a country where more tax is collected (hopefully) for the benfits of the people.

/Håkan

Your kidding right?

 

[shadowfox]

That's what happens when you borrow money from China so you can fight stupid wars.

Wow, be careful there, unless you have a solution that is less stupid than wars AND are prepared to carry it out, don't bite more than you can chew... or digest.

 

[Scarpia]

In the U.S. if you buy via the internet or by phone or mail from a vendor in another state you are not charged any sales tax. This infuriates state officials and they are contantly proposing legislation to end this practice, but so far without success. Our Scandinavian friends must remember that the U.S. is not called konsument samhalle for nothing.
Kurt M.

 

[Sailor Ted]

we have free health care, free nursing homes etc etc.

Free?

http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/global_gasprices/byprice.exclude.html

Norway retail price index 167, 100 represents average while Norway pays the highest prices for new cars in Europ link: http://www.finfacts.com/irelandbusinessnews/publish/article_10005755.shtml

That said it's comforting to see how a responsible oil rich nation conducts it's self and how it cares for it's people.

 

[EmilGil]

Ted: Those CNN gas price figures are not quite comparable. What do you think the average income is in Caracas compared to Oslo? A quick google search revealed $240 and $53000 respectively, a difference of 220♦x. Hence, the Venezuelans pay almost 4 times as much as the Norwegians for gas...

IIRC, Norway has the cheapest gas in Europe when adjusted for income. Unfortunately the road network maintenance is not what it should be, nor is the health care. But I dare say that it is a lot cheaper and better than in Venezuela...

 

[Sailor Ted]

My point was nothing is free- nothing. Also, fuel is a commodity so adjusted for income has nothing to do with it from the perspective of a free market. Norway is taxing the hell out of its citizens to pay for programs people who make enough money do not take advantage of anyway. As you stated health care is not what it should be- do you think the Leica M8 crowd is having their cancer surgeries performed at the public clinic or from a private physician not covered under the umbrella of social medicine? It sounds like you first pay for free medicine and then you pay again when you go to your private clinic- not a great deal in my book.

BTW, what does an M8 cost in Norway, $6175? What about high-end audio components and cable compaired to the US or the rest of Europe? Amusingly someone stated the US cannot build even one good car a while back to which I followed what about the new Corvette? They responded that the Corvette is a rip off due to it’s cost in Norway- something approaching $200,000 USD as I recall. Cost in the US? $60,000. The fact is taxes in Norway are extremely high to pay for "free" programs.

 

[rsl]

Ted, we just found something else we can agree on. You're absolutely right. There's no free lunch. People seem to think stuff is free if their taxes pay for it. No government has any money of its own. Guess where it all comes from...

 

[H.M.T]

I like your M8 fund Håkan. How many Svesetas does a M8 cost in Sweden?

Hi, in Finland M8 is 4200 EUR (incl. 22% VAT). And we also have free shcools, health care etc. Just like in Sweden and Norway.🙂