jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

The only thing good about Abe's of Maine is the pricing. Low prices and low level of service and product deliery.

jdub82 Loc: Northern California

No way! I would NOT recommend purchasing from Abe's under any circumstances. The benefits of protection on Amazon when purchasing from a third party ONLY applies if Amazon is the shipper.

jayluber Loc: Phoenix, AZ

I had a problem with Abe's and will never deal with them again.

Vince68 Loc: Wappingers Falls, NY

What everyone else said... NO, Abe's is not a trusted supplier.

Hip Coyote

Having been in the law enforcement biz, now retired, I wonder how there has not been an investigation into the practices of this company? Certainly their activities cross state borders, affect people in the local jurisdiction, etc. And why would the various companies (Canon, et. al.) not cut them off in some way? The New York DA is certainly aggressive enough. From the various posts, sounds like this company needs some attention. These are not mistakes being made by employees, it appears that it is an enterprise designed to bait and switch.

fetzler Loc: North West PA

NO! NO! NO!

If you want camera equipment Adorama and B&H are the places to go.

MDI Mainer

Not everyone suffers from gray market phobia. It's the same product at a better price. If you have a warranty claim, or need out-of-warranty service, getting a repair may be more trouble, but not impossible. So making a rational choice depends on the price differential between an international vs. US domestic product. In this day and age of globalization, I for one see no compelling reason to support price fixing by camera and lens manufacturers.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Yep, and while they’re at it, they should take a look at 42nd st photo - same practices.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

RUN as far and as fast as you can!

MDI Mainer

This is a patently false statement. Here's what Amazon actually says:

The A-to-z Guarantee protects you when you buy items sold and fulfilled by a third-party seller. It covers both the timely delivery and condition of your items. If you're not happy with either, you can make a claim. Our team will decide if you're eligible for a refund.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GQ37ZCNECJKTFYQV

Hip Coyote

I don’t think the real issue is grey market. I have read about misrepresentation of the product, taking things out of the package and trying to sell that back to the customer, etc. I agree with the price fixing thing... or refusal to repair a product not purchased in the US. I am traveling in Japan, buy a lens and can’t get it repaired in the US? That seems unethical as well.

MDI Mainer

And that is the type of shady dealing that tends not to happen when you buy from one of these cheap-but-suspect outfits through Amazon, simply because the economic cost to the merchant of getting kicked off the Amazon platform for repeated claims far out ways the profit from one dubious transaction.

All I'm suggesting is that one can make a rational, economic decision about a particular transaction, rather than just have a visceral response to a particular seller. But of course the choice is up to each UHH member!

Ollieboy

They left Brooklyn many years ago.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

You sound like either an Abe's employee. There is NO OTHER WAY you would support that seller!

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

So the question is would you be willing to send the grey market item back to the country of origin for service? (Including arranging the service, packing and shipping, customs and a multi week (or month) wait? In the days of simple film cameras and manual focus lenses, repairs weren’t so frequent, but the complexity of digital cameras and AF/IS lenses has changed that.

Regarding Abe’s or 42nd st, have you actually experienced their bait and switch and open box products without accessories and 3rd party (paid) warranty? I have. Before I knew better, and when I was just starting back in digital after a decade or so hiatus from film, I made the mistake of buying a Canon 7D and 24-105L lens from 42nd st. A nightmare. First, they ignored the order for a week. When I called asking about a ship date, it was suddenly “out of stock”. BUT, they had one IF I bought their 3rd party warranty and an extra battery. The camera arrived in a white box (this was before I understood grey market) as did the lens without a warranty card, or any accessory but a charger - no manual either, and the battery was from some unknown company. The “warranty” consisted of a plastic card from an unknown company. When it was all done, I had a grey market camera, an open box lens, a useless warranty, and I paid at least as much as if I’d paid fair market price from a reputable company. All my complaining calls were never returned. Fortunately, none of the items failed, but I’d never make that mistake again. But YOU should do what you feel is best for you.