jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Very good article by Thom Hogan about gray market. There's good, and there's bad, but mostly bad.

http://www.dslrbodies.com/newsviews/gray-market-is-changing.html

MtnMan Loc: ID

Good article. I really like the rational approach.

Note, though, that the failure rate for higher end cameras is actually less than 5% vs. the 20% he uses in the example. And about half those failure are due to accidents; i.e. not covered by warranty. So a better number to use in the probability calculation is 2-3%.

https://www.squaretrade.com/htm/pdf/Camera_failure_study.pdf

Thus if you can save $50 on a $2,000 item you should go grey.

BTW Nikon paid shipping both ways on their firmware recall on my 200-500 lens. That is the only time I've had to use Nikon warranty. So far I've accumulated over 50 equipment-years with Nikon stuff so am at about the 2% rate squaretrade found. In that case the problem wasn't fatal anyway.

repleo Loc: Boston

Jerry, good news but for all of the wrong reasons.

I had a different experience with the 'gray market' scenario. I bought my Sony A6000 on impulse in response to a one day sale on eBay. The small print did state that the product MAY be gray market or the lens may be a white box version (taken out of a kit package) or the box may be a two lens box with one of the lenses removed. For $500 with lens I decided it was worth the risk - the price was too good to resist. To my surprise, what I got was a brand new, USA warrantied, single lens package in the proper boxes - the real deal. It has worked flawlessly for over a year now. I suspect the dealer put in the caveats so they could undercut the official Sony pricing.
However, if I was buying a more expensive camera I wouldn't take the risk and would go to a more reputable dealer.

MtnMan Loc: ID

What reasons are wrong?

davefales Loc: Virginia

Good one, Jerry. Thanks.

repleo Loc: Boston

From the article......the other entity that’s getting hurt by Nikon’s current approach is your local camera dealer, who is going to be suffering from that same decline in product sales as NikonUSA. Given the state of the camera market, dealers don’t need any more pressure than they’re already experiencing. And NikonUSA can’t afford to keep losing dealers, because they act as a buffer for inventory.

Shellback Loc: North of Cheyenne Bottoms Wetlands - Kansas

That article is from May 2015 -
This article is from May 2016 -
Amazing how fast things change...

http://nikonrumors.com/2016/05/16/great-news-you-can-now-repair-some-nikon-grey-market-cameras-at-third-party-us-repair-facilities.aspx/

Ksocha Loc: Bethesda, MD

Doesn't sound so bad if you are buying a prime lens. How any of those ever have a warranty problem?

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Very few.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

I find it very difficult to buy a Nikon camera or lens that will fail in its first year after purchase. In my many years using Nikon I never went through that experience and indeed gear failure in my case has been extremely rare.
I was surprised by the statement that the author would like to know what is exactly that Nikon does to a refurb product. Supposedly that product should be thoroughly tested before release. Useless to say that I do not see often complaints on refurb products and those I bought never gave me a headache.
I usually buy refurb from Cameta. They offer a one year warranty on those products. I do not buy grey market products but buying abroad from an authorized dealer to me is as good as buying here and it is my understanding that Nikon services those products. By the way, whenever I have had in the past a problem with a camera or lens I have sent them to ACR (Authorized Camera Repairs) in Morton Grove, Illinois. Prices are reasonable, service first class and customer attention top notch. Returns are faster than sending the product to Nikon.
A grey product could end up being a bargain. I do not believe Nikon tests each camera or lens they sell and those cameras and lenses are made in the same factory where the genuine imported items come from.
As the author said, make an evaluation before buying grey to make sure the deal is worth it.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

At least with Canon, they will repair grey market items at a price. They simply won't honor the warranty.

After reading all the reviews about Abe's of Maine, it might not be worth the trouble and worry to buy grey market. All the bait and switch crap and lies they tell you. It seems that they send an email to everyone that orders something from their web site asking you to call them and confirm the order. Then they off stuff like a battery for $150 that will last 8 hours verses the OEM battery that only lasts 1 hour. Very funny because all my Canon batteries last all day. LOL

Reinaldokool Loc: San Rafael, CA

Being a local dealer is really tough these days. The price pressure is high. It is impossible to stock the variety. The online stores with the exception of amazon don't collect or pay taxes, but the local does, yet the online stores do use public resources for free. (Taxes pay for those roads that the brown truck tears up.) The local dealer pays a living wage to salespeople while online box stores pay minimum (or less. That's the dispute going on right now about B&H.)

We have a great little dealer here in San Rafael. Seawood Photo has been around for so many years. I used to buy from them when I was in grad school in the 1960s.

Now, to my shame, I never think of them when I get ready to buy something. I automatically fire up my computer.

A late New Years resolution. I'm going to go to Seawood next time and give them the first chance.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

I bought my first DSLR in 2010 at Sam's Camera, and my second camera at Best Buy. I got a good deal through both. I had to ask BB to match an internet price and pay tax, but like you said, you should support your local stores. I admit, I did buy my last 2 cameras from B&H though. I wanted the 5D IV right when it came out and B&H was my best bet.

twowindsbear

Go to www.seawood.com for the best of both worlds.