Grey market camera vs. New!

[slaman]

Hi,

I was about to purchase a "new" camera from a person not a store - there is no receipt, so there will be no warranty by Canon. One thing I wanted to make sure of was what the difference between new and grey market cameras were. Are there more accessories that come with a "new" version? What questions should I be asking to make sure its not grey market? Is it wize to spend less money but forfeit the warranty - I'm pretty sure these cameras are fairly sturdy (I have heard bad things about the rechargeable battery though)

Any thoughts would be appreciated...

 

[Vegito]

You can't tell !!!! well some times you can but its basically the same thing except grey will say NOT for sale in US or like NOT for sale outside of Japan. You dont get USA warranty with grey market products. Sometimes grey market product are made from cheaper material.. sometimes it's not.. it's a risk...

 

[FrustratedUser]

What do you mean with grey-market? Used, stolen... or what?

 

[slaman]

i'm not exactly sure - I've seen some ebay auctions specifying that the camera "is not grey market"

the warranty wont apply to my case because Canon wont honor a warranty w/o a sales receipt :/ meaning if you buy this used or from an individual, you're out of luck. I guess I will take my chances $475 CDN is a decent deal for a S110

 

[corkyg]

"Grey" market cameras are not necessarily bad. There are basicall three types of such products available. The full US Retail version, the "Grey" market version, and refurbished versions.

The safest is the full US retail version. It is imported legally and is documented with a small sticker. That means that the importer paid all the proper duties and taxes, and also, the device itself meets all US laws, FCC and otherwise.

The Grey market devices are those that are imported from a non-US distributor, but are not intended for the US Market. They are often intended for overseas markets, and may or may not be covered by a warranty in the US.

Refurbs are exactly that . . . devices that have been returned as defective, fixed, and re-packaged for sale.

PriceScan makes it a point to distinguish between these types of merchandise. You can often buy excellent equipment in the grey market, but in effect, you are assuming a risk . . . your are being self-warranted or self insured. Sometimes it is well worth it. Each case must be checked out, and a wise shopper asks the right questions. Some times when prices are too good to be true, they are!

Here is a sample of grey market products:

Non-US Distributor

US Distributor

 

[Woody419]

If you posted this same question in the Canon forum at DP Review you would get a ton of answeres. Some manufactures honor a warranty even if it is a grey market item, I don't know about Canon, but I am sure the good folks in the Canon forum would know. The G2 by Canon is an excellent camera, but I would never consider buying it without a warantee, if you are buying a less expensive camera you pays your money and you takes your chances.

 

[Kingofcomputer]

for 35mm, APS cameras, almost every manufacturer gives worldwide warranty.
shouldn't dc also have that kind of warranty?

to claim warranty, the most important thing is to have the receipt/proof of purchase,
since it's worldwide warranty, where did you buy it is not important.

 

[Woody419]

<< since it's worldwide warranty, where did you buy it is not important. >>


That right! The camera has a warranty. Unfortunately, for those who buy a grey market Canon camera in the US to get warranty work you have to ship it to Japan. Unless you buy from a dealer that does its own grey market warranty repairs like B&H Photo.

 

[Kingofcomputer]

oh yes, it seems that those camera makes treat dc as computer stuff, only warrant the us models in the us if purchase in the us.