Distinguish Between Gray Market and US Lenses When Buying Used (Page 2): Well that is kinda odd, I seriously doubt that anyone can tell if the camera is an import by looking at it...

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

jerryc41 wrote:

Posters here have said that Nikon has to examine a camera to tell if it is gray market or not. Serial numbers do not help.

Well that is kinda odd, I seriously doubt that anyone can tell if the camera is an import by looking at it simply because they manufacture the same product for all markets. Could be in Japan they use Japanese characters instead of English when they stamp serial numbers etc but I doubt it.

I have no way of knowing for sure, I can say that I have been on OEM websites where I have seen a pages where you could enter a serial number to find out if it was a US model or an import. I can't recall which website as I am sure that I was looking at lenses when I came across that.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

leeinalex wrote:

hello all,

i did a search for gray market lenses on this forum and i see that there is no real physical difference between a gray market and a US lens. instead, it seems like the lack of warranty is the difference.

but what i don't know is when you are purchasing a used lens on craigslist, ebay, etc. is there a way to tell if the lens is a gray market or not?

the three brands of lenses i look at the most are: canon, sigma, and tamron.

thank you.

Thus far I have not had to worry about this as the only used lenses I bought are vintage and long out of warranty. Also the only lens I've ever had that had a problem was a purchased new one but the manufacturer would not admit there should have been a recall. Later copies of the lens were OK. I "fixed" mine with a firmware hack.

47greyfox Loc: on the edge of the Colorado front range

Gene51 wrote:

I would ask the seller if it is US product. The seller will either tell you yes. no, or he doesn't know. Use PayPal to pay for it. If it turns out not to be as the seller has represented, let the seller know that you will be returning the lens.

Gene, does PayPal’s refund policy apply to private sales? Like, for example, purchasing from an individual in a forum classified for sale topic (like UHH)?

rcarol

rjaywallace wrote:

It’s very simple - don’t buy lenses (or cameras) on Craigslist or eBay. Buy only from established sources like B&H, Adorama, KEH, etc. I know Craigslist/eBay prices are enticing, but you never know what you are getting.

Do you really believe that B&H, Adorama or KEH verifies that every lens they purchase is not grey market?

TomV Loc: Annapolis, Maryland

If I want a new lens/camera with a warranty then I buy it from an authorized US retailer. However, for most of my purchases, I buy used. In that case I assume that many possible repairs will not be cost effective and then those units will be sold on ebay for parts.
I have bought used for 15 years and had only 1 component fail on me, and that was a modestly priced 6 yr old camera. I have purchased $30,000 worth of lenses and never had a failure.

nadelewitz Loc: Ithaca NY

"Gray market" doesn't just affect warranty repairability. A camera or lens can be factory-serviced outside of warranty, of course at a price.
But a manufacturer can refuse to service gray-market gear altogether. THEY can tell by serial number. How YOU can tell when buying something, I don't know.

Bill P

I understand that if you are traveling overseas and purchase a Nikon product there, and it needs service, you can get them to repair it. But, don't know anyone who had tried and successfully done that.

PAR4DCR Loc: A Sunny Place

Gene51 wrote:

I'm not sure about other mfgrs, but that doesn't work with Nikon.

Why would this not work Gene? Correct me if I am wrong but doesn't Nikon equipment destined for the U.S. market have a certain serial number sequence? I thought the U.S products begin with a 2 or a 3. Will have to go look at my Nikon equipment.

Don

Bill P

I'm certain that Nikon could check their records and find out if your lens was grey, but the question is , will they?

But's not kid ourselves. Yes, Nikon can be A**holes when it come to warranty or not work, but do you think Sony or Olympus Leica are any different. Those are the ones I know about. Could be more. It's the nature of our system, that companies are forced to sell things at a price that isn't too good for them, so they try to reduce costs elsewhere. Believe me, there are other countries where cameras are a lot more expensive that in the USA.

If someone says they got a camera from B&H and they didn't know it was grey, run away. B&H is very clear on this.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

TomV wrote:

If I want a new lens/camera with a warranty then I buy it from an authorized US retailer. However, for most of my purchases, I buy used. In that case I assume that many possible repairs will not be cost effective and then those units will be sold on ebay for parts.
I have bought used for 15 years and had only 1 component fail on me, and that was a modestly priced 6 yr old camera. I have purchased $30,000 worth of lenses and never had a failure.

The numbers may be different but I do pretty much the same. And the only problem lens was a new purchased one and the manufacturer had refused to make a recall even though most of the first ones off the line failed (USM). I "fixed" it with a firmware hack to make the lens use the other in-camera focusing motor.

chrissybabe Loc: New Zealand

Bill P wrote:

Believe me, there are other countries where cameras are a lot more expensive that in the USA.

So does this mean that other countries pay more because the US gets a good deal and this is one way to cut costs ?

ronpier Loc: Poland Ohio

rjaywallace wrote:

It’s very simple - don’t buy lenses (or cameras) on Craigslist or eBay. Buy only from established sources like B&H, Adorama, KEH, etc. I know Craigslist/eBay prices are enticing, but you never know what you are getting.

Agree and they will stand behind the products with a warranty and at least a week or longer return policy. Cost may be higher but well worth it. Same with cameras.

DaveyDitzer Loc: Western PA

jerryc41 wrote:

Posters here have said that Nikon has to examine a camera to tell if it is gray market or not. Serial numbers do not help.

That's what they told me about a lens which I hadn't purchased, but wanted to know if it would be serviced by Nikon USA. Of course, I could not send until I owned it.

hookedupin2005 Loc: Northwestern New Mexico

leeinalex wrote:

hello all,

i did a search for gray market lenses on this forum and i see that there is no real physical difference between a gray market and a US lens. instead, it seems like the lack of warranty is the difference.

but what i don't know is when you are purchasing a used lens on craigslist, ebay, etc. is there a way to tell if the lens is a gray market or not?

the three brands of lenses i look at the most are: canon, sigma, and tamron.

thank you.

If it is a used lens, what does it matter? The warranty is more than likely expired anyway.

Bill P

I believe most European countries have more stringent warranty laws, while the US is pretty much the wild west. For whatever reason, it it to protect the US arm of Nikon. I believe that the USA distributor of Nikon is a company owned by Nikon, but I'm too old to remember what happened. I do remember that for many years, into the sixties, all Nikon products were imported into the US by EPOI, an independent US owned distributor. At some point Nikon took back their products.