photoman022 Loc: Manchester CT USA

Are you willing to take the risk of having an irreparable camera? If so, go for it. If not, don't. I have two gray market Nikon's; I've had them for over five years; they have not had any problems. I knew the risk; I was willing to live with; and I pulled the trigger. Again, the question is: are you willing to risk it?

marycar53 Loc: Tuscumbia Al

I had a friend who bought a new Canon 7D recently and didn't realize it was Graymarket, even though she bought it through a dealer on a popular website. There was an issue with it, and Canon service wouldn't talk to her. Normally they are fantastic.

billbarcus Loc: IPNW

Since you're a Montana resident consider giving Bozeman Camera a call, or visit. They are an Authorized Nikon store and service center. I do all my camera equip. business with them and have bought both new and used gear. They are absolutely the best - the employees are all shooters and know camera gear inside and out .... Ha, see what they have to say about International cameras!!!

They ship UPS, and standard ground shipping arrives on my doorstep the very next day ... never an exception. I live in remote NW Montana and am forced to do business either by phone or internet. Bozeman Camera gets a five-star rating in my book.

Just for your information (and others here on UHH) Nikon USA DSLR camera serial numbers always begin with a 3. If it isn't a 3 don't touch it ......... no matter how good the offer and price - Period!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

CSIPETE

I bought a Nikon D4 and 24-70 f2.8 lens from E-global about 4 years ago in 2015 and imported into Australia. Saved $2,500 and I would not have purchased one if I had to pay full "Non-Grey" pricing in Australia. Still I felt it was risky at the time to buy something like that overseas. I may have been lucky but the camera and lens have performed flawlessly since the start and the shutter count, whilst only guessing, is probably up there around 200,000. These days I think it may be harder to buy "grey" with new taxes (on items over $1000?) to coerce people into buying local.

chats005

I agree with this input. You can buy a multi year extended warranty for your camera. If you deal with a reputable dealer on the purchase they can assist you with company providing the third party warranty if needed. A good multi year extended warranty can be purchased but not dirt cheap. You can pay $100 and up depending on the camera and duration of the coverage.
I would suggest you look at reviews on the extended warranty companies track record online.
Many members here shoot from the hip and just repeat other's opinions.
Do your due diligence before buying both the equipment and the warranty.

henryp Loc: New York, NY

From 2012
Nikon defends decision to stop supplying spares to independent repairers
https://www.dpreview.com/articles/4314058201/nikon-cuts-out-independent-service-companies

MDI Mainer

From the last paragraph of the article: "some people [independent repair shops] will self-import components."

So Nikon USA made the great business decision to antagonize both retail customers and industry participants.

jccash Loc: Longwood, Florida

I'm a Sony, Panasonic, Ikegami and Hitachi broadcast dealer. Canon and Fujinon lenses as well. None of them will honor grey market warranty and if they find a dealer selling grey market they come down hard on them... The only way I know if for warranty repair is send the camera back where you bought it (if you bought from a USA dealer or back to the country it's registered to for service.

ebcobol

I bought a point and shoot camera on the grey market for less than the US price for $150 but I would never buy a Camera grey market if we are talking thousands of dollars. The Nikon 850 is an example.

MDI Mainer

I didn't think we were discussing in-warranty repairs. Refusing to honor foreign warranties seems perfectly reasonable to me. As does restricting a licensed dealer from selling non-licensed merchandise of the same brand.

We were discussing the refusal to do any repairs at all to grey market equipment, even at the owner's cost and expense. Which I think is simply punitive, anti-competitive, and short-sighted.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

While there are many aspects of business in today's world that provide enhanced competition, there are just as many that limit or diminish it.
Dictating resale prices (even minimum resale prices) is a practice that was not considered legal or even ethical not so long ago. Excessive mergers or purchases can do the same, especially when the surviving entity shuts down the one that was acquired, rather than integrating it, as happened when Garmin bought DeLorme a couple of years ago.

gotr

Thanks

gotr

Thanks

Keen

When you buy grey, you gamble. Will it be a great, useful, item...or a useless lemon? Will it break down in 40 days, and cost more to fix than you saved when buying it? When it needs repair, you will probably have to send it back to China-or wherever-and pay the shipping, and insurance, charges to get it there, and then pay more to get it back when fixed. Buying grey can be a great experience....or a terrible one. You pays your money, and takes your chances. Then, too, even if what you get-when buying grey-is perfectly good, you may not get some of the accessories you would when buying stateside. You may be missing a battery, or charger, or cable, and have to pay extra to get those. Your instruction book may be in a foreign language only. Every case is a separate matter, and it is impossible to generalize by saying that it always a good idea, or never a good idea. It may be worth doing, or it may not be, in your case. The only way to know for sure, is to do it....take the chance. If you get screwed, that is just the dice roll going against you, and you have to eat the loss. If it works out being a great deal, with no problems, you are on velvet. How lucky do you feel? Many people prefer to not take the chance, and so never buy grey. That works well for them. Only you can decide what works best for you. Each grey purchase is a thing unto itself.....just as every dice roll is a thing unto itself. What happened before has no bearing on what happens next. You may get a dozen great grey deals with no problem, and then get terribly screwed on the next grey purchase.

topcat Loc: Alameda, CA

I have had several cameras and have had no problems. If you do, you can always find a local repair to correct it.
I broke the screen on my camera and had no trouble getting it repaired locally.