Now's the Time to Purchase M8

US goods are high priced now in UK, especially when you have to pay VAT as well. We've been in a favorable situation recently for buying from UK though... especially when you consider the Leica 15% rebate. This is a great time to buy an M8!

I bought a new 35 Summilux from Robert White; they credited back the rebate when shipping the lens, but there was a "foreign exchange" fee of $75 from my bank, plus some $60 import handling fee from UPS. There's no US import duty on camera equipment.

I wonder if it would be wiser to specify "Royal Mail" when ordering, to avoid the UPS piracy?
 
Specifying Royal Mail would mean that the package was handled by USPS. For US buyers a UK seller could use the Airsure service which would guarantee delivery in 3-4 days. For an M8 you'd need to purchase additional insurance to cover loss but it would still be cheaper than UPS as long as USPS also don't charge to process documents. I've sold quite a few items to US buyers and shipped via Royal Mail Airsure and as far as I know there hasn't been a handling fee on the other side of the pond...
Traditionally RW are on the expensive side but with the weakness of sterling they are no doubt picking up a ton of business from US/EU and maybe even Japan (resulting in the insane situation where a new Zeiss is shipped from Cosina all the way to sunny Dorset and then all the way back to Japan ;)

They are highly reputable though and offer fantastic service - the kind of dealer who will sell you what you need, not what makes them the most money.
 
Leica should be happy, whatever the dealers are doing. They are dumping all those M8's they couldn't sell. Got to be killing 8.2 sales, but perhaps they haven't made quite so many of those.
 
I wonder whether Leica might just decide over the longer term to price their gear more in line with other makers, as a reaction to the interest in the M8 at these reduced prices.

Nah.
 
Doug said:
... there was a "foreign exchange" fee of $75 from my bank, plus some $60 import handling fee from UPS. There's no US import duty on camera equipment.

I wonder if it would be wiser to specify "Royal Mail" when ordering, to avoid the UPS piracy?
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IMO and extra $60 is a small price to pay for a tracking number and peace of mind. After all, the package is coming from 3500+ miles away, at least to mind end of the country.

On the other hand, you could probably have avoided paying the $75 by using a credit card with no foreign exchange fees. Capital One is such a card. (I don't work for Capital One, but it's the only card I ever use when I travel abroad, for this very reason.)
 
photogdave said:
I have to wonder if any Leica people have read this thread and what they would say to Robert White.
I could be wrong but it sounds like RW "handling" the cash back and taking it off the top of the purchase price for U.S. customers sounds kind of under the table.
I'm not angry at , nor do I blame anyone, for taking advantage of a great deal but to me this reads like RW is taking business away from U.S. dealers.
As someone who has worked in a competitive sales environment, I think this stinks and is dirty pool.
I hope I'm wrong and please correct me if I am!
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It is a global economy. $300 off an outrageous price in the US or 15% off plus exchange rate advantage in England for a lens? It is simple math. I hope I am not too late to buy. US retailers were making a killing off of exchange rates just a few months ago. If you want to spend more at your local dealer, then good for you.
 
"Do you have photos of the actual dumping taking place?"

No, I don't. And I did read here recently on RFF that Leica was actually selling M8's faster than they could be made, so perhaps my conclusion is erroneous.
 
Some years ago, at different times I bought a Fuji GW670, Gitzo carbon-fiber tripod, and a Voitlander 15mm from Robert White all at roughly half the price I could buy them from NYC. I've also bought several pairs of Mephisto shoes from France, also for half what they cost in the US. I'm sure plenty of examples of people from around the world saving by buying things from the USA can be found also. This is the world today, there's global e-commerce. Almost every kind of business and profession has to deal with it. People from the USA are flying to India and Thailand for medical procedures. These aren't poor people with no insurance either, for the most part it's people with money saving thousands on elective procedures like plastic surgery and dental makeovers.
 
This is an interesting discussion. I thought the going rate for a new M8 was something like $8,000. But even at $2,900, there must be quite a few people not affected by this great recession we are supposedly living through.

It's still something like a 10 MP camera, which leaves it begging in the marketplace. Especially at that kind of price. I'll stick to my M4-2.
 
I've been waiting 2 weeks for my M7 to come in from RW. I emailed them today and they responded saying that they're getting another Leica shipment in in 7-10 business days and my camera might be in that shipment.
Is this usual from RW? Has anybody else been waiting for something to come in from them?
 
I've been waiting on an M8. Apparently Leica has had issues keeping up with demand; mine shipped yesterday, but I ordered in January. They are very good at responding if you email them
 
PhotoMat said:
Or not ... depending upon your like/dislike of the M8.

Anyway, after sitting on the fence for quite some time, I finally decided to pull the trigger and purchase a Leica M8. For several months, I've been contemplating the purchase of a used M8. On a whim, I checked the prices for new M8s at Robert White. Combined with the Leica cashback program and the exchange rate between the US dollar/GB pound, I was able to purchase a NEW chrome M8 for less than $2900, and that includes shipping!

Robert White is waiting for a new shipment of M8s to arrive, but I paid for the camera yesterday in order to lock in at the current exchange rate. Also, the cashback program expires on Jan. 31. If anyone has been seriously considering the purchase of the M8, now is the time. You would be hard pressed to find a used M8 at this price, at least for the time being.

Matt
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am mildly interested in the M8 now and looking at the prices now, it now costs 2625 pounds?! big difference compared to when you purchased it
 
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