Linhof on sale

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Should anyone be looking for any of the following Linhof cameras in the US they are going on sale now through authorized dealers at prices well below gray or direct import prices. All carry the US 5 year warranty and exact price is available from the stores - who should check with HP Marketing if they are unsure of the sale price. Technikardan 45S, Master Technika chrome, Master Technika black, Techniks 2000 chrome, Technika 2000 black, Technorama 617 S III with lens and finder.

Except for the TK 45S which will be in short supply for 90 days, all are in ample supply.

-- Bob Salomon (bob@hpmaretingcorp.com), December 20, 2001

Answers

How about accesories Bob? I am looking for the compendium lens shade for my TK45...

-- Jorge Gasteazoro (jorgegm58@prodigy.net.mx), December 20, 2001.

No just the cameras plus tge lenses and finders for the 617.

-- Bob Salomon (bob@hpmaretingcorp.com), December 21, 2001.

Bob,

I couldn't find anything on the sale from any authorized dealers that I know about. The rather rudimentary HP Marketing site had nothing that I could find either.

By the way, I appreciate the fact that you have provided a lot of useful information on products like Rodenstock over the years.

-- Phil Glass (Phi_glass@yahoo.com), December 22, 2001.


Some of the dealers aware of the prices are Ken Hansen Photo, Ken Mar Photo, EP Levine, Photo Gizzmmo, Midwest Photo, Scott at EP Levine,

We released the announcement to this NG nefore the dealers were told.

That blatent gray market dealers are not aware of the price yet, B&H is aware And so is Eli Kurland.

We are now out of the TK until next month and have also added the 90 and 180 lenses for the Technorama ro the sale.

-- Bob Salomon (bob@hpmaretingcorp.com), December 23, 2001.


" I couldn't find anything on the sale from any authorized dealers that I know about""

That means that they didn't dial an 800 number to ask us what it is or contact their rep to find out what it is. You should ask them why they don;t try to find out if yhey are unaware.

And you may have noticrd our web is being updated and being placeed on a new server as we speak. So everyday it is growing and changing.

Bot it is not a selling site (except for close outs) so the sale and oys prices would not go up on the site.

-- Bob Salomon (bob@hpmaretingcorp.com), December 23, 2001.



"That blatent gray market dealers are not aware of the price yet"

Now that much of the negative connotation has been removed from the term "gray market", a new term,"blatent (sic) gray market", must be invented to convince the consumer that direct imports are bad, very, very bad. So, what exactly is it that's "blatent" about these dealers? That they sell direct import goods and don't try to hide the fact. I have another word for such actions - it's called honesty. Sheesh, what's next, calling them black market dealers? In lieu of Bob's newly coined label of "blatent gray market dealers", I propose the alternate label of "honest direct import dealers".

Direct imports (aka "gray market") give the buyer a choice, and as this "sale" demonstrates benefit all buyers in the end by increasing competition for purchaser dollars and driving down prices, even those from dealers serviced by the "official" distributors. In this global economy, direct imports are a fact of life. They give consumers a choice and that's a good thing (if you happen to be a consumer). If the official, authorized, blessed and be-knighted dealers can compete price wise with the direct import dealers, then that's good for the consumers. So, please stop trying to paint the direct import dealers as evil. They are not. They provide a valuable service, competition, that benefits the buying public. If anything, they are the knights in shining armor that have driven down the prices on those wonderful Linhof cameras that are now on sale at prices more mere mortals can afford. In the end, that also means Linhof sells more cameras. So, both the consumers and the manufacturer benefits. Sounds like a win:win to me. "B&H is aware"

If they are, it is not reflected on their web site. They currently list the Technikardan TK45S "USA" at $3295 (in stock) and "Imported" at $2889.95 (in stock). They list the Master Technika at $5,799.95 (USA - special order) and $3,795.95 (Imported - In Stock) and the Master Technika 2000 at 5,395.95 (USA - special order) and $3,595.95 (Imported - In Stock). So, as you can see, the "official" USA versions are still priced $400 to over $2000 more than the "gray market" Imported equivalents. Plus, imported versions of all three models are listed as "In stock" while the USA versions of the Master Technika and Master Technika 2000 are listed as special order. So, if B&H is aware of these new special sale prices, they are keeping it to themselves. Anyone placing an order through B&H would be wise to make sure you are getting the correct sale prices on the USA versions of these products. Otherwise you might get a nasty $2000 surprise on your next credit card bill.

Finally, since B&H sells both USA and Imported versions of these products, where do they fall in this whole "gray market", "blatent gray market" continuum of direct import dealers?

Kerry

-- Kerry Thalmann (largeformat@thalmann.com), December 23, 2001.


Sorry for the missing k in the address.

-- Bob Salomon (bob@hpmarketingcorp.com), December 23, 2001.

"They currently list the Technikardan TK45S "USA" at $3295 (in stock) and "Imported" at $2889.95 (in stock). They list the Master Technika at $5,799.95 (USA - special order) and $3,795.95 (Imported - In Stock) and the Master Technika 2000 at 5,395.95 (USA - special order) and $3,595.95 (Imported - In Stock). So, as you can see, the "official" USA versions are still priced $400 to over $2000" Not any more. As I told you in e-mail the TK 45 S is 2575.00 with full 5 year U.S. warranty. This is M.A.P. and dealers may sell it for a different price.

-- Bob Salomon (bob@hpmarketingcorp.com), December 23, 2001.

Although I roasted Bob on his choice of terminology, in all seriousness, anyone looking for a good deal on a Linhof camera might want to check into these sale prices. There are some great deals to be had on these wonderful Linhof cameras.

Kerry - Technikardan TK45S user

-- Kerry Thalmann (largeformat@thalmann.com), December 23, 2001.


Bob,

I was just quoting the prices on the B&H web site. The prices I quoted were current at the time of my posting (and remain unchanged on the B&H web site as I type this response). I just quoted those prices so that anyone considering purchasing a Linhof from B&H could make sure they are getting the correct sale price - NOT the prices currently listed on B&H's web site (which is what your credit card will be charged if you order online).

As Bob mentioned, the current sale prices on Linhof cameras are below even B&H's previous "Import" prices as listed above. I'm not arguing about Bob's prices, just trying to pass along the information that the sale prices are lower than anything currently listed on the B&H web site, and hopefully save somebody a little money in the process (after all, that's the whole point of a sale).

Kerry

Kerry

-- Kerry Thalmann (largeformat@thalmann.com), December 23, 2001.



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