gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

Are there any problems finding repair services for gray market gear? If warranty is an issue, you can get reasonably priced personal property insurance that covers repairs or replacement.

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

I can’t speak to availability of service for grey market equipment. However, personal property insurance should not be considered as a replacement for a warranty. If a piece of equipment has an issue not related to an accident or theft, etc, don’t work expect your insurance to pay.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

I’m not sure how to differentiate between an accident or a manufacturing flaw. It seems to me that a repair is a repair. I may have to read the fine print or talk to my agent on that one.

pendennis

Nikon and their repair facilities won't touch gray market items for repair. You'd have to send the item back to the country of manufacture for repair. Nikon requires serial numbers for everything, and they know what was Nikon, USA, and what isn't.

BebuLamar

If the camera is a Nikon and they won't fix gray market cameras then it's a big problem. I don't mean Nikon techs are better than independent techs but they don't have the parts or the tools to do the job.

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

I have a personal articles policy thru State Farm. A couple years ago, during a visit to a schnapps distillery (tasty stuff btw), the server dripped some into my Canon G16 lens. I called State Farm after returning home and put in a damage claim. The agent blessed the claim and I asked what kind of claims are considered questionable. His answer, non accident related like “it just stopped working” or “I lost my camera, not a reported theft.” Visible damage is actually your friend. It’s worth clarification with your agent, then I’d follow up with contacting the claims department for a final reading. I think the riskiest scenario is, “I lost it.”

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

If I am not mistaken (I am frequently) Canon will repair grey market items

BebuLamar

Yes Canon will and for Canon if the warranty expires then it makes no different gray market or not.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

To a large extent, it depends upon the brand of gear and where you're located.

You're in the US, where you'll have no problem getting gray market Canon gear repaired. You can send it to Canon USA's own repair facilities or have it repaired at a qualified independent shop. If needed for the repair, Canon freely sells parts to anyone who wants to purchase them. Of course, there's no warranty, so any repairs would be at your expense, although I've heard and read of a few instances where Canon waived the charges. They've been rare, but in the event of a recall for a known problem I'm pretty certain they'll do any needed repairs at no cost, regardless whether the item is gray or "official". The only possible problem is an older model for which needed parts are no longer available. Usually there's a supply of replacement parts for some years after a product has been discontinued. But, that's not always the case. If I recall correctly, there were issues getting some auto focus system parts for the Canon EF 200mm f/1.8L USM lens, just a year or two after it was discontinued. Once supplies of repair parts are exhausted, it might not be possible to get a camera or lens repaired.

On the other hand, if it's a Nikon you may have problems getting a gray market item repaired, if needed. Nikon USA has two rather strict policies that effect getting repairs done. First, Nikon USA's service centers and short list of "authorized repairers" (about 20 shops nationwide, last time I looked) will not work on gray market items. Even if you were willing to pay for the repairs, they won't touch gray market items. Second, with a few minor exceptions, they have a policy of not providing repair parts to anyone outside their own service centers and authorized repairers. As a result, independent repairers will have difficulty obtaining parts, if needed for repairs. There is now sort of a "black market" of repair parts and a network exchanging parts from donor cameras, as well as some third party replacement parts being manufactured.... but it's rather hit and miss. Some US customers have been able to get repairs done by shipping their gray market Nikon gear to other countries for work. Nikon USA does offer to sell mostly "cosmetic" replacement parts such as rubber grips or battery doors for select cameras. They listed about 80 items (out of, what, 10s of thousands?) on their website, last time I checked.

Simple stuff such as sensor cleaning or light seal replacements or possibly even calibration... things that don't require replacement parts... or that use "universal" types of parts... no problem getting the work done just about anywhere you choose, on any brand of gear.

I don't know much about other manufacturers policies and repair work. I also don't know anything about how Canon or Nikon treat gray market and repairs in other countries.

The good news is that repairs are rarely needed. Modern cameras are pretty durable and most manufacturers quality control is pretty effective. Personally I've been shooting digital since the late 1990s... Went 100% digital with DSLRs in 2004 and have used five or six different generations of them in the years since. Out of around 15 or 16 digital cameras over the years, I've never had one fail and need repair (knock on wood!). I've always hit that "gotta upgrade now" wall, before wearing out the cameras or having any need for repairs (I do sensor cleanings myself). I've had several "issues" with lenses, which I've upgraded far less frequently. Some lenses I bought 20+ years ago have been on every DSLR I've ever owned and are still in regular use. Some of those lenses were bought new, some used and some were refurbished. The few lenses that needed something fixed have largely been repairable (and since I use Canon gear, I had free choice of where to have the work done and could "shop around"). With one or two exceptions, I bought cameras new, not used, never gray market and with standard manufacturer's warranty on the new ones. Some lenses or other accessories might have been gray market, though I don't recall ever specifically seeking them out. There's simply not very much savings buying gray market, in most instances with Canon gear.

DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area

Almost certainly, normal wear and tear would be exempted from coverage.

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

From all the threads about Gray market gear here I would say your not saving any money buying Gray Market. Some MFGS. won't repair them for love or money.
You pays your nickles and take your chances.

traderjohn Loc: New York City

Did you try using Google to find the answer? Don't get paranoid about this grey market nonsense. It's the same manufacturing process.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Send it to country of origin only for warranty work. Otherwise most camera repair shops can repair Nikon.

chippy65 Loc: Cambridge

is the "Grey Market" situation the same in the UK?

brooklyn-camera I Loc: Brooklyn, NY