Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

Just wondering if this is a legit deal here. The entity selling is called Video Photo 4 Less. They have a D850 "kit," for $2849.95. Includes all sorts of stuff, including a battery grip, but it lists the battery and charger as accessories. I wonder if this is a grey market outfit. The price just seems rather on the low side to me. It's on eBay.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/123295989529?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwZX-kvvP4AIVPyqtBh10SAoEEAEYASAAEgIhoPD_BwE

(I hope I'm not violating any forum rules by including the link here.)

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

I would stay FAR away!

cmc65

Run as fast as you can

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

That was my assessment.

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

Bill_de Loc: US

Run quickly before they move your post to the "Links & Resources" section where hopefully it will never be seen again.

--

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

I guess I can copy it over to that section! LOL.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

With a link, it will probably be moved to the Links sections.

Not Nikon USA

"Manufacturer Warranty: No
Vivitar 1 Year Limited Warranty"

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

It's too bad it works that way. I suspect it might be moved automatically, but that's just a guess. I can understand the desire to have a section for links, but we should be able to post links in articles that deserve them, rather than "never be seen again".

An alternative is to post it without the link and add it after several people have posted on the thread.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I have had several friends through the years who were involved in a variety of retail businesses, and based on many conversations with them, I've always been of the opinion that anyone reselling anything should have the option of selling their wares at whatever price they judge provides a reasonable profit to them and a good value to their customers. My state was never a participant in "Fair Trade" pricing that was common in a number of other states during the 1950s and 1960s. I also spent a number of years in the food manufacturing industry. We would have been laughed off of our customers' premises if we had ever tried to dictate product pricing to them anywhere in the country. Our customers ranged from quite small to extremely large, just like photography retailers. So I have no sympathy and offer no support to any manufacturer or distributor who dictates pricing in any way, especially minimum resale pricing controlling only the pricing floor.

That said, my position on gray (US spelling) market products has changed a little over the past two or three months. My belief, based on my experience over the past 50 or so years, had been that photographic equipment (cameras, lenses, flash units, and similar accessories) have been very reliable. Except for a couple of lenses whose diaphragms stuck and needed to be cleaned and relubricated, I had never had any sort of mechanical issue that even required a visit to my local repair shop. I'd never had any sort of failure or other problem anywhere close to the warranty period.

Last August, I bought a Nikon D850. After a period of use, I came to realize that the viewfinder mask was not clearing all the way when the camera was set for 3:2 full frame format. Images came out just fine, but the viewfinder mask (new to the D850) would not completely clear. This was not, of course, a fatal problem, but it was a nuisance at least and a composition problem at worst and needed to be fixed, so after some discussion with my local camera store and with Nikon, I packed it up and sent it in for repair under warranty. It has since come back completely repaired and restored to full compliance with operating specifications. (This was a required step as a result of the necessary extent of disassembly require for repair, not just a courtesy from Nikon.) The camera now works great, the viewfinder masks work properly, and I do think that autofocus may be even a little better than it was before.

During the repair, the viewfinder mask "plate" was replaced, along with a flexible circuit assembly (ribbon cable, I think) and a couple of other ancillary parts. Information is not available to let me know what the repair cost would have been if I'd had to pay for it, but since the invoice classed the work done as "Moderate Repair," and since the parts involved were fairly sophisticated and specialized, a reasonable guess would probably be somewhere around $400 or $500. Assuming that I'd have even been able to find someone somewhere who could have done that repair, the cost would have immediately eaten up any savings I'd have had from buying a gray market camera. And I still have 6 months of warranty remaining.

So no, I'll not ever buy a camera that is not readily repairable. They do fail and need service. And yes...many serve their entire lives without needing to have any work done on them, but even routine maintenance is not available in the US for a gray market D850.

This is my experience and my position. Others are, of course, perfectly free to choose otherwise.

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

Larry, you point is well taken. I've never believed that grey maket cameras were of lesser quality than bonafide U.S. market cameras. They just don't have a warranty (for us, anyway) and some of the resellers like to remove the contents of the box and sell the normally included items, like battery, charger, neck strap, USB cable, etc., and sell them as accessories. I think that's wrong. I also think it's wrong to advertise a product, such as this D850 and include a number of things as extras, but would be included in this overall price. Like you, I'd rather spend the extra money and get the U.S. model and have the warranty, so in the event something did go wrong I could get it fixed at no cost to me for a year. As has been stated many times, if it seems too good to be true, it is.

Bill_de Loc: US

There is no difference in the cameras. The issue is that Nikon Inc., headquartered in Melville, N.Y., is the official importer. They are a corporation that falls under umbrella of Nikon Corp., in Japan. Nikon Inc, commonly known as NikonUSA, handles their own warranties, customer service, etc. As a U.S. based corporation they probably pay taxes, including 6.2% payroll tax for all their employees.

Without receiving any revenue from the products they don't sell, they really can't be expected to support them. I don't think it is far fetched to think that most people would buy grey market if they could still get the same services from Nikon Inc.

--

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

Agreed. I wouldn't support something I didn't sell, either.

par4fore Loc: Bay Shore N.Y.

It is what it is, grey market, not so clearly described. This place also has over 100000 feedbacks with 100% rating. There are plenty of reliable sellers, selling grey market items so of course be careful.

Search eBay (digital cameras) "D850 USA" results 3
Search eBay (digital cameras) "D850" results 203

jbk224 Loc: Long Island, NY

Larry, of course, is right about the cost/benefit of buying US if he had to pay for the repair of a grey market camera. Just like insurance.
Bill's perspective, a little different though, comes to the conclusion that this US corporate version of Nikon, can really only support the equipment that 'they' sell. And it makes sense.
All right. This is the deal....
Nikon USA is not merely the US importer, but as Bill says is an arm or US corporate entity of the Nikon Corporation of Ja[pan. A part of the Mitsubishi Group. The US company was created to market their products in the USA. This includes; setting up a dealer network, stocking and shipping product, servicing and supporting the dealer network, promoting the products, developing strategies to enhance and improve the products; and last but not least...to support the end users...us.
Support end users not only includes general product information, but repair.
The US entity is not merely an outpost of Nikon Japan, but a fully fledged operating entity to support the US region.
A major cost includes the cost to service/repair their products and provide the customer experience that they hope will retain brand loyalty. Now, they could have just 'sub-contracted' all other aspects of Nikon USA to other corporate entities. For instance, hired a 'Rep' firm to market their product. Or hired a fulfillment center (Like Amazon-now an Authorized Dealer) to stock and ship their product. And, then, in order to save money; ask us all to ship our products back to Japan for service! How would that go over?
So, if Nikon is a rational entity--no different than any of us when we make economic decisions; then they must figure it makes sense to make this type of investment in the USA.
Therefore, their cost of operation is included in the cost of their product----distributed and sold through their Authorized Dealer Network.
Some have expressed that this is 'money grubbing' by a big corporation when they compare savings through the purchase of grey market goods. Grey market 'savings' are generally false. As noted by some, the products are broken out of the original 'package' and sold separately. And, most times, their purchase evades the proper payment of taxes. And then, if you do need service, you can certainly send it to the country of origin, since part of the US package is local service/repair. How much fun will that be?
So, to anyone who thinks it is reasonable to save a few bucks on an expensive piece of technology that will not be repaired locally at no
charge..then go for it. And when you do, please tell me if you also did the same thing for your computer and cell phone. And let me know if you ever purchased any type of insurance too.
Short story...Nikon USA has every right and obligation to deny support for products that are not purchased through their Authorized Dealer Network.