Amazon.com selling M8?

P

pass

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is that possible? they are even giving a release date.

http://www.amazon.com/Leica-Digital...r_2/104-3865612-7062323?ie=UTF8&s=electronics

Leica M8 10.3MP Digital Rangefinder Camera with .68x Viewfinder (Silver Chrome)
Other products by Leica
More about this product List Price: $5,300.00 Price: $4,795.00 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details You Save: $505.00 (10%)

Availability: This item will be released on December 5, 2006. Pre-order now. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
 
pass said:
is that possible? they are even giving a release date.

http://www.amazon.com/Leica-Digital-Rangefinder-Camera-Viewfinder/dp/B000J6FTVU/sr=1-2/qid=1161855100/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/104-3865612-7062323?ie=UTF8&s=electronics

Leica M8 10.3MP Digital Rangefinder Camera with .68x Viewfinder (Silver Chrome)
Other products by Leica
More about this product List Price: $5,300.00 Price: $4,795.00 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details You Save: $505.00 (10%)

Availability: This item will be released on December 5, 2006. Pre-order now. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Click to expand...


So, what this says to me is that December 5th is the bookend on the release of the M8 -- that is, if Amazon is being told it can start to fulfill orders on the M8 as of December 5th, that's the latest possible date for initial order fulfillment and, more likely, the camera retailers on whom Leica depends for bread and butter, will have gotten an initial distribution already. So the good news is that for those of us on our dealers' lists, it will be before December 5th. The bad news is, it may not be much before December 5th...
 
I noticed yesterday that B&H and Adorama also have the M8 in their listing.. but both say "out of stock".. I think B&H will take the order, while Adorama puts it in your 'wish list'
 
You would think Amazon would throw in a book of Super Saver Shipping coupons if you bought the M8 from them (you qualify for Super Saver Shipping with $25 purchase)...
 
Leicabug said:
Is Amazon.com an authorized Leica dealer?
Click to expand...

That is also my question... So the page shows "Amazon.com Sales Rank: #273 in Camera & Photo" up from #497 last night. I guess there were people here just placed their orders. :)

It shows that the black one is hotter than the chrome one as the Amazon Sales Rank is #127.
 
I have to admit I am a big fan of Amazon (never thought I'd say that when they first appeared).

But, with an item of the M8's relative newness and complexity, I'd go with a trustworthy dealer like Popflash (Tony Rose) www.popflash.com . That way, you can be assured of someone taking care of you if you need any help later down the line. And on a new product, you very well want that insurance and customer service built in.

Besides, Tony and Josh are just plain easy and friendly to work with.

cheers
 
I got on Popflash's list yesterday---they are no longer taking deposits, as they said they don't know when they will be able to deliver, and didn't want to hold people's money with uncertain delivery time. I agree---great people to deal with. I recently bought several Zeiss ZMs from them.
Dave
 
Regarding Amazon, I think their return policy is pretty good. I bought a Panasonic DMC-LC1 from them two years ago ($1200 camera) tried it for a weekend, and didn't like it. Put it back in its original packaging, got a return authorization from them online, and returned to them, no questions asked.
 
That's surprising Sax, usually anything like that you have a lot of trouble returning. Maybe it's down to location.
 
Amazon does have a relatively headache free return policy, I agree.

But anything short of a full return, and you'll have difficulty finding a customer service agent at Amazon who even knows what a M8 is.

You're likely to hear the famous line from JAWS ...

"it's a whaaaaaaat ???" (in southern drawl)

Go with an expert/specialized dealer like Tony Rose, and you will have a safer experience.
 
The last time I looked, Amazon did not even publish their customer service phone number on their web site, which is sort of offensive. I looked and looked for it on their web site, and wasted a good deal of time going round and round various help pages. It turns out the best way to find it is Google, because other people have made it a point to post the Amazon number on their web site. One such web site got so many hits, as I recall, that it was the subject of a newspaper article. And once you find the customer service number, good luck finding anyone who knows anything. I once got a totally empty package from Amazon; they hadn't even taped it shut, and someone stole the contents. They sent a "replacement" packaged exactly same way, and then kept billing me for the one I failed to return, i.e. the stolen one. Eventually straightened it out. That said, I've gotten some very good deals at Amazon, including a very good price on the Canon 85/1.2 lens and the MacBook Pro. And if you use their credit card, you end up getting a few percent back in coupons toward future purchases.
 
Seems to be that any customer service likely required for the M8 will be provided by Leica, and Leica only. Other than refunding, what else can be expected except perhaps having extra bodies available for you if your's goes in for repair? I doubt many shops will be able to do that. On this subject, Kodak had a excellent for fee service that included immediately sending a replacement camera if you had to send yours in. How is Leica's customer service?
 
The question about them being dealer is perhaps moot. They are an online merchant service/portal for authorized dealers of a lot of products, so that may be the case here.

And what's with the $5300 suggested retail price? I talked with a local dealer here and the Leica specialist said the price was $4795, which corresponds to "list" price that I've seen published online elsewhere.

If the Amazon listing is just a portal listing from an authorized dealer, then fine, any service issues can be handled with the dealer. But if it's Amazon themselves, no thanks. Returning without any hassle is one thing, but what about warranty service?
 
And since when was a "no questions asked" return policy a good thing? It just encourages people to buy stuff they're not sure about, use it (in some cases for up to 30 days) and just bring it back, instead of doing the proper research. Then said equipment goes back on the shelf (or in the warehouse) and the next person buys what is essentially a used item.
No thanks, I'll stick with dealers who charge a restocking fee and resell the item as used at a discount.
 
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