Peteso wrote:
My concern is this sounds like speculation. I will return to something similar to my last question. If the gray market cameras are equivalent to their mainstream brand names, then why are/were they made? This last post suggests that they are even made on the same assembly line. Absent a reliable explanation, this makes no sense to me. Perhaps more importantly, getting back to some of the original questions, why would somebody want to buy a gray market camera if they can get the ārealā thing, all other things being equal? I am not asking these questions for opinions, rationale, or speculation. I have been involved in UHH long enough to know that we may have participants that actually have the answers that make sense.
My concern is this sounds like speculation. I wil... (
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The decision by Nikon USA is a business decision. The business makes its income by selling you a camera. If somebody else sells you the camera they donāt get the income. In order to protect their income they have a carrot/stick proposition. Buy from us and we offer a warranty as the carrot. Buy from an overseas supplier our stick is that you have to send it overseas to fix it. Remember when you bought your camera and had to decide which language to utilize? If the USA models were different than offshore you wouldnāt need that. If you can show me an example of differences other than model naming I will be shocked.
So why are grey market cheaper? A number of reason like exchange rates, volume discounts, lower profit margin expectations. I bought my Canon F-1 in the early 70ās from Universal Suppliers in Hong Kong. Paid a little less than US model but at that time a few $$ made a difference. If memory serves it was about $411.00 with shipping for a Pro grade 35mm SLR and 50mm f:1.8. All mechanical and tough as a tank. Not much to break. Now a semi pro grade camera with lens is north of $4,000 and while very robust there is a lot that can go wrong. The warranty is very valuable now and only the buyer can decide if the risk of buying gray market non US warranty vs warranty with a little extra in the price, is worth the peace of mind.