real skinny on grey market vs official USA: you might have seen this before, it is Marc Tobias of Forbes interviewing Henry Posner of B&H Photo about grey market vs USA officially...

Budnjax Loc: NE Florida

you might have seen this before, it is Marc Tobias of Forbes interviewing Henry Posner of B&H Photo about grey market vs USA officially imported camera gear.

One thing I noticed important from what Mr Posner says is that Nikon USA won't repair a non-officially imported camera even if you want to pay for the repair. So, if you buy a used Nikon product you may want to call Nikon USA with the serial number and find out if it's officially imported or not before buying it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVsEtTkTDlM

imagesintime Loc: small town, mid-America

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVsEtTkTDlM

The Villages Loc: The Villages, Florida

Budnjax wrote:

you might have seen this before, it is Marc Tobias... (show quote)

I had spoken to Nikon on the same matter, and was told that unless the "used" camera had been registered when new (a US camera), or had been send in for service, at which time it was IDed as US, there is no way for them to comfirm that it is a US unit. The ID number itself is not sufficient.

They have no Master List for references as to which are US and which are imports. They advised that to really tell, they would have to inspect the camera. Seems there are certian internal features that can ID one from the other.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Makes me glad I am a Canon user. Nikon needs to be kinder to it's customers - after all, they DID buy a Nikon camera (or lens). There is no real reason they cannot repair a gray-market camera. There is no reason it should not be covered under warrantee really (are they really admitting that the stuff they sell elsewhere is inferior? ), but at least Canon will offer the repair service.

picturesofdogs Loc: Dallas, Texas.

Not that their stuff is inferior, just forces people to use U.S. distributors, from which they make a larger profit.

One of the reasons I left Nikon. Also buy from B+H. They're great.

The Villages Loc: The Villages, Florida

sb wrote:

Makes me glad I am a Canon user. Nikon needs to be kinder to it's customers - after all, they DID buy a Nikon camera (or lens). There is no real reason they cannot repair a gray-market camera. There is no reason it should not be covered under warrantee really (are they really admitting that the stuff they sell elsewhere is inferior? ), but at least Canon will offer the repair service.

You may have to rethink the Canon comment. The following Thom Hogan notice was posted in the past:

http://www.dslrbodies.com/newsviews/canon-issues-gray-market.html

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

That address's the OEM warranty policy, but not the after warranty repair question...

PCity wrote:

You may have to rethink the Canon comment. The following Thom Hogan notice was posted in the past:

http://www.dslrbodies.com/newsviews/canon-issues-gray-market.html

The Villages Loc: The Villages, Florida

Screamin Scott wrote:

That address's the OEM warranty policy, but not the after warranty repair question...

I think the notification answered that question. Or, as they say, you pay your dollar, and you take your chances.
:-D

gemlenz Loc: Gilbert Arizona

Budnjax wrote:

you might have seen this before, it is Marc Tobias... (show quote)

:thumbup:

Bill Emmett Loc: Bow, New Hampshire

Hello all, In almost every State, there is some sort of Lemon Law. In Louisiana, the protects buyers of merchandise of any brand within a reasonable time. These Lemon Laws, do not consider any company policies or warranties. This includes "gray market" or even out of warranty products.

B

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

PCity wrote:

You may have to rethink the Canon comment. The following Thom Hogan notice was posted in the past:

http://www.dslrbodies.com/newsviews/canon-issues-gray-market.html

And yet no where does it say they will not provide repair service for a fee. Members have posted here a number of times that they have been able to get service.

I do not have any gray market products, but am considering a white-box Canon 24-105 L lens - normally 1,000 for $630.

The Villages Loc: The Villages, Florida

sb wrote:

And yet no where does it say they will not provide repair service for a fee. Members have posted here a number of times that they have been able to get service.

I do not have any gray market products, but am considering a white-box Canon 24-105 L lens - normally 1,000 for $630.

Call Canon and let us know what they say. I guess they have final say.