THECAMEOGROUPINC

I am new to photography and have heard about Grey Market Camera's. What are the cons and what are the pros of purchasing such a camera?

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Basically:
Pro: less expensive
Con: some manufacturers will not touch them for repairs (even warranty).

BebuLamar

They are a bit less expensive. How much you have to find out. In my opinion not enough for me to buy them. They have no manufacturer warranty. Some manufacturers like Nikon won't even repair them for a fee either. Otherwise, since most manufacturers make the same model of cameras in the same factory, by the same workers so they are identical.

nimbushopper Loc: Tampa, FL

This has been discussed ad nausea. Basically you pay less but don't get the manufacturer's warantee, and in fact some(like Nikon)won't ever work on one even if you are willing to pay! The item is not of a lesser quality but was meant to be marketed in another country. Usually a store selling one will give you their store warantee instead, so make sure the store is a reliable one if you choose to go this route.

MMC Loc: Brooklyn NY

Pros is price. Cons is no warranty from US Nikon, only from store and problem to find Nikon repair shop. BTW I have Grey Market Nikon D750, saved about $500.0 and still did not have any problem. Recall is working for Grey Market cameras. A couple years ago I sent my camera for recall repair for free and my camera was repaired with no charge. Buying Grey Market cameras like gambling, you can win and you can loose.

repleo Loc: Boston

It’s really just about the warranty. To use the manufacturers warranty you will need to send it back to the region it was originally intended for. If it is a Nikon, Nikon USA wont touch it - ever - even for a fee ( some exceptions). Some retailers will offer a third party warranty as part of the package or as a separate option. If you are getting a bigginer level camera I wouldn’t worry about the warranty. They don’t usually give much trouble. If you are spending a couple of thousand on a set up you might want to give it more thought.
Also, the charger may have a non US plug.

1Feathercrest Loc: NEPA

You can lose, pronounced "looz". ("loose", pronounced "looce" means not fastened )

therwol Loc: USA

Cheaper price. You're not paying for the USA warranty. If it breaks, you're screwed. I don't know about all brands, but Nikon will not even work on these cameras for a fee with a few exceptions. (Some of their higher end DSLRs)

If you buy a camera overseas in a brick and mortar store and have the receipt, Nikon will service it in the USA but for a fee. You can't buy it online and get this service.

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

Believe Sigma USA is charging an extra flat fee of $250 just to look at a non-authorized sourced product...
But don't take my word here...

From Sigma's Web Site:

Gray Market
As of January 1, 2017, any product that is not imported by the Sigma Corporation of America or purchased from an unauthorized Sigma USA Dealer will not be serviced under warranty regardless of the service required. The Sigma Corporation of America Service department will service these products for a minimum $250 charge in addition to the required parts and labor charges at the owner's expense. Important Information regarding Gray Market Sigma Products

Again... this isn't hype or hearsay...
Check this out for yourself, k?

https://www.sigmaphoto.com/service-support

btw, personally I purchase my kit refurbished by and from Nikon USA... comes with a 90 warranty and I've never had any issues...

Keen

Pro: Grey market costs less.

Cons: Grey market comes with no warranty you can use here; often comes without accessories (battery,lens caps, body cap, owner's manual, etc); may be defective; may be non-existent....the seller taking your money, and delivering nothing; may arrive, but be other than advertised....a different model, damaged, etc; is a huge gamble. Maybe you will get a working item in good condition, for less money, and maybe you won't.

To Consider: I bought one grey market camera because it: was something I wanted to try, cost very little, and was a discontinued item I could not get otherwise. I was prepared to end up losing out somehow, but lucked out. The item arrived, was in working order, had very few, and slight, scratches on the body which did not effect it's performance, and it lasted a year before not working any more. It gave me my money's worth of service. I only spent $70.00 on it, and it gave me at least $70.00 worth of use. I might have gotten totally ripped off, but was willing to risk $70.00 on this particular gamble. I would have not risked it, or more, on some other gambles. At $70.00 this gamble paid off, because the thing worked well for a year. If I had spent $300.00 on it, it would not have been worth that. YOU have to decide which gambles are worth what stakes to you.

Remember: A grey market sale is "as is"....meaning you have no recourse if you get nothing, or get a damaged item, or if it breaks after a week of use, or such. Even if it comes with a warranty, you will probably have to pay to insure it, and ship it back to China-or wherever-and then pay to have it shipped back to you, and also pay to insure it on the return to you. So....even if you do not pay for the servicing of it overseas, the whole thing may cost more than it is worth. If you get a grey market item, spend as little as possible on it, and figure you are probably going to get nothing for it...like betting on a dice roll at a Craps table. If you get something worthwhile, fine. If you don't, you won't lose a lot.....IF you don't risk a lot.

Buying grey market IS a Craps shoot. Most people prefer not to risk it. Do ya feel lucky?

insman1132 Loc: Southwest Florida

Hi Cameo, if you search Grey Market on this site's search engine you will find numerous previous threads on the subject. Most persons posting here would not purchase Grey. I respect their opinions. But I am one of the rare one's who has. However I was not buy a DSLR and lens. I Purchased two Bridge cameras Grey market and both came brand new in their original box with all the accessories you would get if purchased from your local camera store. I have had them several years and they work perfectly. Square Trade Warranty Company says that the incident of returning a camera under the Mfg warranty during the first year (the only time that original mfg warranty prevails) is very, very low. That puts the odds of getting a good camera seriously in your favor. I saved almost 25% on one purchase and almost 30% on the other. That is not small change. I purchased through Amazon and both were eligible for their return policy during 1st 30 days. If I remember correctly at least one of them offered a warranty to purchase from the seller.

I would not purchase Grey from an unknown seller or one with a bad reputation. Hope this is helpful.

therwol Loc: USA

A couple of things in what you say. If you buy something that is missing the battery and other accessories, it isn't because it's gray market. It's because you bought from a dealer who removes these things. Gray market only means it was not imported by the USA importer such as Nikon USA. There is no difference in the equipment other than lacking a USA warranty. Some dealers, and we know who many of them are, take everything in the box and sell the items separately.

Second, something like Nikon's international warranty only applies to equipment actually purchased overseas and is linked to a specific country. You can't just randomly send equipment to China for repairs.

THECAMEOGROUPINC

Thank you.

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

Canon will repair grey market items

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

For Nikon, if you are in the US and buy a new gray market Nikon camera that carries a one year warranty, if you need warranty service Nikon USA will NOT service it. You must send it back to the country of origin for service. ie: if the camera was originally sent to England Nikon market, then you must send it to England Nikon for warranty service.
Once the warranty service period ends, Nikon USA will continue to NOT service it should it need serviced.
Moral of story, if you want a new Nikon and you want service in the US, buy a USA Nikon from an authorized Nikon dealer, like Adorama or B&H for starters.
Gray Market Nikon camera's can be sold for less than what a Nikon USA camera will sell for in the US, that is the HOOK most retailers use to get you to buy.