LTM to M adapters: Marumi

[pshinkaw]

I just received a pair of Marumi M adapters purchased from Merkle Camera in Toronto. Took about a week and a half to get to Texas from Toronto, not bad.

http://www.merklecamera.com/

They were priced and sold to me in Canadian dollars, so I was pleasantly surpised when I saw my receipt. They were only $40 ea.

-Paul

 

[Terence T]

They are about the cheapest quality adapters around. I have 2 and they work wonderfully. Both were from Merkle, great folks to deal with. They trade on evilbay as well.

 

[peter_n]

Hmmm, they have gone up if that price does not include shipping. Still a good price but before RFF members started recommending sourcing from Merkle, they were $30 each. Market forces at work of course but 30% is a heck of an increase.

 

[pshinkaw]

They quoted shipping of $9 to the US, but because of a mix-up in the ordering process, they courteously waived the shipping for me altogether.

When I acquired my M2 last month, it had only a 10 day money back warranty. I was in quite a hurry to get a lens on it to test it out, but all I had were LTM's. I ended up asking EP Levine in Boston to FedEx a used Leitz one to me. Cost over a $100.

I elected to go with Marumi's for the rest of the adapters I needed because of stories I read on this forum about the variabilty in quality of Camera Quest adapters. These Marumi's are very well made.

-Paul

 

[RML]

Indeed. Those Marumis were $30 (ex shipping) not too long ago. I have 6 or so, and all work a charm. But if they hiked the price by 30% you might just as well buy elsewhere.

 

[pshinkaw]

RML:

When a retailer raises prices by 30% what do you end up paying after the VAT is added? Where I live I pay an extra 8.25% if it is subjected to a local sales tax (over the counter sale or mail order within my state or from a state with a sales tax compact with my home state).

-Paul

 

[mtokue]

Wow maybe I should look into shipping some out from overhere!!

 

[RML]

RML:

When a retailer raises prices by 30% what do you end up paying after the VAT is added? Where I live I pay an extra 8.25% if it is subjected to a local sales tax (over the counter sale or mail order within my state or from a state with a sales tax compact with my home state).

-Paul

Paul, I live in Holland and VAT is 19% on photographic items. So, for me a price hike of 30% is just that. $30 becomes $39, and than 19% VAT on top of that. makes $46,41 instead of the $35,70 the adapter would cost before. That's for me an $11 price hike on a $30 item. That is getting a bit rich for me, especially when second hand Leitz adapters are often cheaper on eBay.