Anyone Else Crazy Like Me? (Page 4): More fun than "playing the market" and cheaper than golf, 🤔who could blame you. Likely cheaper than renting and gives you a chance to try...

James Slick Loc: Pittsburgh,PA

tinplater wrote:

I just bought, on Ebay, for $1050, my second RX10I... (show quote)

More fun than "playing the market" and cheaper than golf, 🤔who could blame you. Likely cheaper than renting and gives you a chance to try different gear, Sounds like a win.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I looked at lenses and cameras on ebay, but I wasn't tempted. : (

Shel B

When buying used Nikon or Canon equipment, is there the problem of running into "gray" market equipment? I'd like to buy a few lenses but I'm gunshy.

tinplater Loc: Scottsdale, AZ

Shel B wrote:

When buying used Nikon or Canon equipment, is there the problem of running into "gray" market equipment? I'd like to buy a few lenses but I'm gunshy.

Just curious, why would you think gray market would be inferior? The only difference is the presence of a manufacturer warranty with NEW white market gear. Once an item is used and then sold to another individual, the warranty is generally non transferable. The bottom line is the gear is the same. Fortunately I have never had an issue except once but Ebay refunded my full purchase price and shipping once the seller had received the package in return (despite his refusal to issue refund for a defective item).

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

tinplater wrote:

Just curious, why would you think gray market woul... (show quote)

The only negative I see about grey market once it is past the initial warranty period is that Nikon, so far as I know, will still not service most grey market Nikon products. I am sure they are independent service centers that will, but my understanding is that even they can't get genuine Nikon parts. This isn't a problem for Canon, and Nikon does seem to be changing their repair policy concerning grey market, so, perhaps this will not be as much of an issue in the future. For new gear neither manufacturer will honor a grey market warranty, but, if you want to pay, Canon, and to some degree Nikon, will make repairs.

James Slick Loc: Pittsburgh,PA

LFingar wrote:

The only negative I see about grey market once it ... (show quote)

I never understood why any company would refuse business by not servicing or repairing an out of warranty item regardless of where the owner bought it. (Unless it's stolen,I guess.) If I take a used out of warranty Chevy that I bought third hand from some guy in Hamilton, Ontario, There isn't a Chevy dealership in Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania that would not be glad to take my money to fix it, and sell me GM parts for it. I might be goofy, but I thought the entire point of business was to make money.

Shel B

Perhaps "gray market" was not the term I was looking for. I was referring to inferior equipment made somewhere other than the Nikon or Canon factory and sold as genuine Nikon or Canon...whether you buy it new or used. Equipment that is not genuine Nikon or Canon. Sorry for the confusion.

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

James Slick wrote:

I never understood why any company would refuse bu... (show quote)

Canon, Nikon, and probably other camera manufacturers do it to protect their authorized dealers. In the US all authorized dealers are part of Canon, USA and Nikon, USA. It all comes down to how the item is imported and which division, Canon, USA and Nikon, USA vs Canon, Japan and Nikon, Japan, or any other of their divisions made the money on the sale of the gear. Nikon, USA is not going to subsidize the warranties of products that were originally sold by Nikon, Japan. They are, in many ways, separate companies. It's all about how the companies and their subsidiaries are structured. The auto industry is set up differently.

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

Shel B wrote:

Perhaps "gray market" was not the term I was looking for. I was referring to inferior equipment made somewhere other than the Nikon or Canon factory and sold as genuine Nikon or Canon...whether you buy it new or used. Equipment that is not genuine Nikon or Canon. Sorry for the confusion.

The term you are looking for is "counterfeit", or, "knock-off". Like those $100 Rolex watches you can buy around Times Square!

James Slick Loc: Pittsburgh,PA

Shel B wrote:

Perhaps "gray market" was not the term I was looking for. I was referring to inferior equipment made somewhere other than the Nikon or Canon factory and sold as genuine Nikon or Canon...whether you buy it new or used. Equipment that is not genuine Nikon or Canon. Sorry for the confusion.

In the case of counterfeit gear, That could be a problem when all you can see is a picture. A knockoff Nikon lens certainly wouldn't have the build quality,let alone optical quality of the real deal Thats not easy to tell online, Just be sure you can return whatever you buy! What makes things harder now is the fact that manufacturers "farm out" the production of products all over the world, so WHERE something is made is no indication of who "made" it. Prime examples: "American" brand Apple iPhones are made in China, While "Japanese" brand Toyota Avalons are American made. Good luck finding Sony anything actually made in Japan!

And those are legitimate products!

TommiRulz Loc: Corpus Christi, TX

LFingar wrote:

The term you are looking for is "counterfeit", or, "knock-off". Like those $100 Rolex watches you can buy around Times Square!

100 bucks for a Faux - Lex ?? - I live 2 hours from the Mexican border, I can get a great faux-lex's in Nuevo Progresso for $20

James Slick Loc: Pittsburgh,PA

cthahn wrote:

Do what you want to do. You re not a serious photographer.

How exactly does this indicate that he's not a serious photographer? Your comment is a complete Non sequitur.