Grey Market Lens` (Page 3): Gray market are brought in from out of country dealers. Not the ones who have "legal contracts" with the company to sell here.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

BIG ROB wrote:

Why are companies so hard on the gray market items?

Gray market are brought in from out of country dealers. Not the ones who have "legal contracts" with the company to sell here.

GC likes NIKON Loc: East Greenwich, Rhode Island

So where does the advantage of bringing in product from another country (so called Grey Market product) come from ?? Does Nikon sell directly to dealers in other countries, where they sell to NikonUS here in the states who acts as a middle man and takes a cut therefore making the price higher to US Buyers ???

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

GC likes NIKON wrote:

So where does the advantage of bringing in product from another country (so called Grey Market product) come from ?? Does Nikon sell directly to dealers in other countries, where they sell to NikonUS here in the states who acts as a middle man and takes a cut therefore making the price higher to US Buyers ???

Advantage is price, taxes and currency exchange rate create most of the difference. Also those foreign distributors figure US customers will not pay the shipping for warranty work so they give a price break.

Brucej67 Loc: Cary, NC

Not for Nikon, domestic sales only, must have the yellow warranty sticker.

jeep_daddy wrote:

Yes, and your point is?

I know you said you got a Nikon lens from a Canadian and the Nikon repaired it. If you know anything about Canon and Nikon, you'd know that the non grey market products are retailed in the US and Canada or North America. These are not grey market. That is why they repaired your Canadian lens.

hammer531 Loc: Fall River , Ma

Hoosier in GA wrote:

I know that the major camera companies will not honor a warranty on a grey market item. My question is.....if it is out of warranty would they repair it, for a fee?

Nikon will not . But I believe Authorized Photo Service in Morton Grove , Il . will . They used to be the midwest warranty center for Nikon .

Brooklyn-Camera Loc: Brooklyn, New York City

Canon will repair your grey market lens, just that you will pay the going rate for the repair job. Grey money saved Vs. Repair cost? Sometimes a bargain is not a bargain. If lens goes past the guarantee time you did OK, if it needs repair during a guarantee period you would kick yourself for purchasing a grey market item. It's a crap shoot, you gamble?

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Hoosier in GA wrote:

Here is my dilemma......I purchased a Nikon 300 mm f/4 used. There isn't a serial number on the lens. So, I don't know if it is grey or domestic. I did send it to Nikon, will know more next week.

I noticed on B&H website that the same lens did not have a serial number either.

Holding my breath
Hoosier

Interesting. Let us know how this turns out.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

GC likes NIKON wrote:

So where does the advantage of bringing in product from another country (so called Grey Market product) come from ?? Does Nikon sell directly to dealers in other countries, where they sell to NikonUS here in the states who acts as a middle man and takes a cut therefore making the price higher to US Buyers ???

I'm just guessing here, but you could probably order a few dozen cameras from a lower-priced seller in another country. You would then sell them here as imported - no USA warranty. Of course, buying them at a much lower price might be tricky.

marki3rd Loc: Columbus, Indiana

orrie smith wrote:

no

Depends on what camera mfg you are dealing with. Nikon probably NO..

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

jerryc41 wrote:

Nikon USA will not repair an "imported" product. However, it still has a Nikon warranty, but you would have to send it to the country where it was sold.

http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/331/~/what-is-gray-market%3F
http://www.dslrbodies.com/nikon/about-nikon/nikon-warranties.html
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/gray-market.htm
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/buy.htm
http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/standard_display/gray_market

You take a trip to Hong Kong and buy a Nikon Camera at a great price. Bring it back to the States and it craps out on you in a month. Youy send it back across the Pacific Ocean to Hong Kong for repair. Hoping?

rjriggins11 Loc: Colorado Springs, CO

They don't, but I do (if I can get the parts). I repair alot of gray market equipment for folks coast to coast.

Hoosier in GA wrote:

I know that the major camera companies will not honor a warranty on a grey market item. My question is.....if it is out of warranty would they repair it, for a fee?

orrie smith Loc: Kansas

Hoosier in GA wrote:

I know that the major camera companies will not honor a warranty on a grey market item. My question is.....if it is out of warranty would they repair it, for a fee?

one thing you need to be aware of is some, not all, are actually counterfeit. very hard on some to tell the difference between actual gray market and counterfeit.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

Hoosier in GA wrote:

Here is my dilemma......I purchased a Nikon 300 mm f/4 used. There isn't a serial number on the lens. So, I don't know if it is grey or domestic. I did send it to Nikon, will know more next week.

I noticed on B&H website that the same lens did not have a serial number either.

Holding my breath
Hoosier

There is a serial number on it somewhere, you just didn't spot it. Unless someone filed it off or burned it off with acid. Neither Nikon nor Canon will even work on, or supply parts for "grey market" lenses. The can be repaired, under warranty, at the respective Japanese factory locations which will obviously add to the shipping time and cost. Some resellers sell "their own" warranties with these items. The bottom line here is that if you can wait the extra time and don't mind the hassle, you can save some money, sometimes. Personally, this doesn't make sense. YMMV.

LittleRed

From personal experience a Canon lens purchased in the USA will be repaired in Canada under warranty, and also in the USA. The warranty is truly a North America one, unless that has changed in the past year. I purchased a lens from Adorama online while vacationing in Texas. When I retuned home I needed a repair, sent it to Canon Canada and it was repaired at no cost. Since it was originally purchased in the USA they also would have repaired it.
As for Nikon, the warranty is only good for the country where you bought it. Nikon USA will NOT honour a Canadian warranty, as will Canada not honour a Amrican one. One probable problem is that Nikon Canada offers a 2 year one while the USA is only for 1.
Nikon does have what they call an International Warranty available but the restrictions contained in it are something else. Check it out online to see what I mean. I wouldn't ever consider it myself.

RJ

Hoosier in GA Loc: Milledgeville, GA

LittleRed wrote:

From personal experience a Canon lens purchased in... (show quote)

RJ...thanks for the info. The reason I asked this question is I could not determine where it was manuf. because I couldn't locate the s/n. Well, shouldk now soon...lens will be del'd tomorrow.