My buying a Leica M6 from the UK DHL shipping experience

Huss · Dec 5, 2022

There is one big advantage of the old type rewind knob that the M3 and MP use. Not only is it stronger, but the outside is disconnected from the inside until you lift and eegnage the outside knob. So you never have issue of it loosening up or unwinding by rubbing in your clothing etc. It also will not unwind if you accidentally let it go while rewinding.
The angled crank is faster to use though, just pointing out the advantages/disadvantages of both.
I think the old style looks better. But I also really like the red dot on the M6, which the MP does not have. Eh - can't go wrong with either.

Sirius Glass · Dec 5, 2022

Can I buy one now at the same price?

madNbad · Dec 5, 2022

Huss said:
There is one big advantage of the old type rewind knob that the M3 and MP use. Not only is it stronger, but the outside is disconnected from the inside until you lift and eegnage the outside knob. So you never have issue of it loosening up or unwinding by rubbing in your clothing etc. It also will not unwind if you accidentally let it go while rewinding.
The angled crank is faster to use though, just pointing out the advantages/disadvantages of both.
I think the old style looks better. But I also really like the red dot on the M6, which the MP does not have. Eh - can't go wrong with either.

Thanks for the response. When I owned my first M6 and the first TTL, I always thought the angled crank felt kinda cheap and not particularly well made. The Millennium has the post rewind and even though it's slower, it's also a lot sturdier. When I bought the M4, it's from an early run and the rewind crank is made of solid brass and has a much different feel than the later versions. I tend to carry the camera across my body with the lens facing me so the rewind doesn't rub but I can see how that would be annoying. Have fun with it.

Huss · Dec 5, 2022

M6, 35 FLE, Lomo Metropolis

Sirius Glass · Dec 5, 2022

Huss said:
M6, 35 FLE, Lomo Metropolis

Is the lens making these people look heavy? If so get your money back.

koraks · Dec 6, 2022

Sirius Glass said:
Is the lens making these people look heavy?

That was poor taste, Sirius. Please don't.

Ernst-Jan · Dec 6, 2022

koraks said:
Not necessarily. Depends a lot on the country. DHL is one of the major players though. It's basically a subsidiary of Deutsche Post, the German postal service.

And also here, it is the other way around. I wasn't home when Fedex was delivering, I had to drive 120km single journey to pick up my camera.
On the other hand, in the village if live, I have DHL at 600m, DPD and PostNL/TNT at 800m. I don't know if I can ship with Fedex, UPS is business only. At my work (B2B) we use UPS, they pick up stuff when we have it. I have no idea if it is feasible, if you have a smaller company and usually DHL because that is what is beter for B2C in Europe, to call UPS for a single package to the USA.

Huss · Dec 6, 2022

Forgot to mention. DHL left the package in my lobby, unattended. Even though I said signature was required for release.
Anyone could have walked off with it.

Sirius Glass · Dec 6, 2022

koraks said:
That was poor taste, Sirius. Please don't.

My bad.

drfoxmd · Dec 19, 2022

mshchem said:
I've had reasonable luck DHL from Japan. FedEx is far and away the best with customs, they send me follow up letters that show everything, they call if there's any question.

I have had good luck with DHL. I think it may help if you register as an importer with them. It.s very easy and I think it helps expedite your shipments. Very easy to do. Just call and ask for an import agent.

Ian Grant · Dec 19, 2022

Huss said:
Forgot to mention. DHL left the package in my lobby, unattended. Even though I said signature was required for release.
Anyone could have walked off with it.

Here in the UK no company has required or requested a signature since the start of the Covid pandemic. Usually they take a cell phone photo of the person taking the item, or of where they left the package. I know from talking to the MyHermes/Evri driver that to begin with they had a lot of claims that items were not delivered, because there were no signatures there was no proof of delivery and many fraudulent claims, and the drivers began photographing the drop-offs to protect themselves.

It's still not satisfactory, only the Royal Mail here in the UK require high value, supposedly signed for, items be accepted by someone at the address, or a neighbour. Amazon show how much they trust their own delivery service by using the Royal Mail for high value items.

Your last line says it all, but luckily that did not happen.

Ian

film_man · Dec 19, 2022

Ian Grant said:
Here in the UK no company has required or requested a signature since the start of the Covid pandemic. Usually they take a cell phone photo of the person taking the item, or of where they left the package. I know from talking to the MyHermes/Evri driver that to begin with they had a lot of claims that items were not delivered, because there were no signatures there was no proof of delivery and many fraudulent claims, and the drivers began photographing the drop-offs to protect themselves.

It's still not satisfactory, only the Royal Mail here in the UK require high value, supposedly signed for, items be accepted by someone at the address, or a neighbour. Amazon show how much they trust their own delivery service by using the Royal Mail for high value items.

Your last line says it all, but luckily that did not happen.

Ian

Depends on the company. From my experience, Royal Mail will leave a card, DPD will either leave a card or take it to the local collection shop (depends on the item), DHL always calls me if I am not in to ask if I want to taken back or left with a neighbour and which neighbour. It all depends a bit on the actual driver doing the drop. Amazon just dumps stuff at my door, no better than Evri in that respect.

A lot of it depends on the person doing the drop as well. Sayin that, Evri and Amazon puts a lot of pressure on drivers to shift as many packages as they can (I don't know if they get paid by the delivery or something) so they tend to just dump, take pic and run.

Huss · Mar 30, 2023

ok, to close the loop on my Leica M6 purchase from the UK, so people can see the full experience, warts and all.

My initial tentative savings, given the favorable exchange rate at the time, was to be $1800 over buying in the USA.
A few days ago I received a notice from the California Dept of Tax and Fee Adminstration for use tax, as DHL had declared it to customs when the camera was imported. DHL had declared the value at $4250, and the state of California said I owed them $423 in tax.

So basically my savings on importing a new M6 went from $1800 to about $1300 after I also take into account that little $46 fee that DHL plonked on top.

There you have it, I saved $1300 by buying an M6 from the UK when the exchange rate was super low. I would guess now you'd save maybe $1000 seeing the GBP has strengthened.

mshchem · Mar 30, 2023

The tax man cometh.

MattKing · Mar 30, 2023

Huss said:
ok, to close the loop on my Leica M6 purchase from the UK, so people can see the full experience, warts and all.

My initial tentative savings, given the favorable exchange rate at the time, was to be $1800 over buying in the USA.
A few days ago I received a notice from the California Dept of Tax and Fee Adminstration for use tax, as DHL had declared it to customs when the camera was imported. DHL had declared the value at $4250, and the state of California said I owed them $423 in tax.

So basically my savings on importing a new M6 went from $1800 to about $1300 after I also take into account that little $46 fee that DHL plonked on top.

There you have it, I saved $1300 by buying an M6 from the UK when the exchange rate was super low. I would guess now you'd save maybe $1000 seeing the GBP has strengthened.

Was there any federal duty charged?
(I would have expected Canadian duty if I had imported it to Canada).

Huss · Mar 30, 2023

MattKing said:
Was there any federal duty charged?
(I would have expected Canadian duty if I had imported it to Canada).

No, it's just state sales tax that is charged.

Huss · Mar 30, 2023

mshchem said:
The tax man cometh.

Yup. But I wanted to show the full, real deal of doing this. So anyone else who may do it knows what to expect.

Hassasin · Mar 30, 2023

Huss said:
Yup. But I wanted to show the full, real deal of doing this. So anyone else who may do it knows what to expect.

How did you not pay customs on new camera? Strange. Used photo gear yes, but new? Has something changed, or got lucky?

MattKing · Mar 30, 2023

Hassasin said:
How did you not pay customs on new camera? Strange. Used photo gear yes, but new? Has something changed, or got lucky?

Used or new there shouldn't be any difference in the rules.
In the application of them, perhaps.
It may be that there is a US zero tariff rate for camera equipment manufactured in Germany.
By the way - for tariffs, it is the country of origin that matters, not where you purchased it from.

Huss · Mar 30, 2023

Hassasin said:
How did you not pay customs on new camera? Strange. Used photo gear yes, but new? Has something changed, or got lucky?

Nothing to do with luck. You have to look up the customs charges for whatever product you are 'importing'. Cameras are not charged customs. But lenses are.

Post #1 in this thread has the link to the customs charges.

But, you will have to pay sales tax in California if the importer reported it. Which DHL did.

Hassasin · Mar 30, 2023

Huss said:
Nothing to do with luck. You have to look up the customs charges for whatever product you are 'importing'. Cameras are not charged customs. But lenses are.

Post #1 in this thread has the link to the customs charges.

But, you will have to pay sales tax in California if the importer reported it. Which DHL did.

OK, thanks.

Sirius Glass · Mar 30, 2023

Huss said:
ok, to close the loop on my Leica M6 purchase from the UK, so people can see the full experience, warts and all.

My initial tentative savings, given the favorable exchange rate at the time, was to be $1800 over buying in the USA.
A few days ago I received a notice from the California Dept of Tax and Fee Adminstration for use tax, as DHL had declared it to customs when the camera was imported. DHL had declared the value at $4250, and the state of California said I owed them $423 in tax.

So basically my savings on importing a new M6 went from $1800 to about $1300 after I also take into account that little $46 fee that DHL plonked on top.

There you have it, I saved $1300 by buying an M6 from the UK when the exchange rate was super low. I would guess now you'd save maybe $1000 seeing the GBP has strengthened.

I could have sold you a Hasselblad for less and you still would have been able to use Zeiss lenses.

MattKing · Mar 30, 2023

Huss said:
Nothing to do with luck. You have to look up the customs charges for whatever product you are 'importing'. Cameras are not charged customs. But lenses are.

Post #1 in this thread has the link to the customs charges.

But, you will have to pay sales tax in California if the importer reported it. Which DHL did.

FWIW, the tariff item highlighted in that link isn't the correct one. The correct one is just below it - 9006.53.02.
Same result though - unless the camera you are importing originated in Cuba or North Korea .

Huss · Mar 30, 2023

Sirius Glass said:
I could have sold you a Hasselblad for less and you still would have been able to use Zeiss lenses.

Already have one.

Huss · Mar 30, 2023

MattKing said:
FWIW, the tariff item highlighted in that link isn't the correct one. The correct one is just below it - 9006.53.02.
Same result though - unless the camera you are importing originated in Cuba or North Korea .

Cool.

That link is extremely useful because it is the actual reference. Not some "I heard from my cousin's neighbour.." claim for factual info that I so often see on the internets.

My buying a Leica M6 from the UK DHL shipping experience

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My buying a Leica M6 from the UK DHL shipping experience

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