RustyBug
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On
|
 p.5 #15 · Why are Leicas so expensive? | |
1bwana1 wrote:
So, expensive, but the market says not overpriced. Which is my point.
If the market demand is greater than Leica can keep up with, they can sell all they make without all the discounts and promotions we see in other brands, then by definition they are not overpriced. The resale market also supports Leicas pricing model.
The exception in Leicas product lineup smay be the SL cameras, and L mount lenses. Inventory always seems to be overstocked, and deals/discounts are frequently used to move product. Personally I see why. Form factor and performance doesn't compete well against other brands, and it doesn't offer a strong enough unique user experience to overcome those deficits....Show more →
Valuation comes in a variety of forms.
Classically, there is intrinsic value (i.e. the cost to manufacture or the value of its commodity components, etc.) and the extrinsic value (subjective).
A lot of folks "harp" on Leica as being overpriced, as a "luxury" brand, when a zillion others will do the same thing, or better from a technical or features perspective, etc.
But, as a form of extrinsic value ... the experience of shooting with a Leica is something that is not done the same (speaking to the M, mostly) by other brands. For some folks, the experience of their haptics has value. People will pay (i.e. they value) certain experiences. People pay for a vacation to relax on a beach. One could argue that you can just stay at home and relax, instead of spending the money to relax. What, you say it isn't the same thing to sit in your living room, as it is to wiggle your toes in the ocean ... well, they both let you relax, don't they.
For many, the arguments that the Leica experience is only a luxury brand ... it falls short. For them, it is an "experience" brand. The haptic of the size / weight / precision of manual focus, rangefinder, etc. Some folks pay lots of money to go to concert after concert after concert ... in order to enjoy the experience of it. I can dig on a concert, too. But, the amount of money someone spends to go to a dozen concerts a year ... well, that's a luxury, too.
We all have our own sense of valuation when it comes to what we will pay for in terms of an experience. I can take a picture of a lion at the Wild Animal Park for little money. I can take a picture of a lion in Africa for a lot of money. Two different ways to get a picture of a lion. Two different experiences. Two different valuations. Two different costs.
For those folks who are trying to present an objective case against a subjective experience ... it's an illogical rationale (oxymoron) when you try to apply rationale to subjective emotion (i.e. the experience) associated with extrinsic value.
And yet, folks still try to do so ... to eternity and beyond. 
|
. I am native German but don't believe anything in your above mentioned list other than the salaries give a logic explanation to the pricing. It is much more simple: because Leica can. They have a huge profit margin on each item for sure.