Logical or not it is the case. In the xing guang camera mall in Shanghai an old guy has a shop that is just loaded with Leica gear. He must have 40 M6's at least, tonnes of M7's and loads of lenses. Whatever you like and astronomical prices. I imagine he doesn't want to buy my stuff because he already has a tonne of gear...
I actually bought a few things from him before the prices jacket up extremely.
I remember, when I wanted, to buy a 28 Cron ASPH, I wanted for a long time, I slipped in his shop in the end of December 2009, to finally buy that lens, I have inquired a few days earlier.
When I came around, the price has been "adjusted" and there was simply no way, he would want to move the item instead of sitting on it, waiting for the announced Leica price increase, to take effect on new items a week later.
I often look around in his shop for the odd lens, I can't find anywhere else.
Often these days, I don't buy anything, as his prices are seriously over the top.
Last week, he had three really beaten 75 Lux samples - two v2 Canadian and one German v2.
All had mechanical issues (loose focus mount) and beaten cosmetics - no boxes, etc…
Prices started at 2800 EUR and ended at 3800 EUR for the beaten, loose German v2 :bang::bang::bang:
I bought a mint Canadian v2 with coding and box for much, much less in Germany instead.
He only buys high ticket items, as he is loaded with the cheaper stuff already. Sell a beaten M6 or used Voigtlander lens? Forget it. He will touch it for 40% of the market price - not worth to ask him.
When I bought a second hand MP for a then ok price, I had to argue for half an hour, so he would provide me a proper Leica strap for the camera :bang: He is a tough nut. It's good, his daughter stays out of the shop recently, as she was even tougher to deal with - she just refused and had that go f@#$%yo#$%sel% attitude, that I especially like with many Chinese vendors
😉
There has been a nice shop two floors down with a younger couple (tough wife with black framed glasses and nice husband to deal with).
I bought my second hand M8.2 from him and the R-D1 before - top quality, never any issues, always nice and friendly to deal with, nice real bargains as well, as my new 60 AF-D Micro-Nikkor for less than second hand price - until the day, she refused, to sell me something on my VISA card (which is a perfectly normal thing to use in every foreign country, I have been in).
That was the day, I stopped buying from them. So when Chinese don't buy second hand and foreigners can't pay in their shops (except, lugging bundles of RMB notes with them) - how do they pay their shop rent? Dirty business? I am genuinely interested - how do they make their money? I mean, Shanghai is not exactly inexpensive to make a living.
Sometimes, I really wonder, how this market works with nobody seemingly to bite on the crazy priced second hand stuff with quality really, really low in times.
@dfoo - you still in Shanghai? I like, what you do on your site a lot!
