Grey Imports vs Genuine Stock

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Ste_James

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Hi im wondering why any one would pay more for a camera/camera lens etc if when the price is so much cheaper from places like digitalrev etc who clearly dont pay import duty and hence pass on the savings.

How does companies like warehouse express and jessops make any money? why dont they just go grey? ive been reading through the posts here as a new member i imagine this has been touched on before but apart from uncertainty with the warantee its a no-brainer to buy the same model produced from the same production line cheaper, what am i missing here?
 
You hit the nail on the head. Warranty issues... If something goes wrong, you have to ship the item back to the place you purchased it from.
 
In the case of Jessops at least, they need everything on credit, so buying in huge amounts f stock from overseas is out of the question...
 
I agree that people buy new UK stock over Grey imports because of the warranty. What I cannot for the world understand is why people buy secondhand equipment that is sometimes more expensive than Grey imports that have an Intl Warranty or indeed that have the warranty from a UK based company. Surely a new grey import camera body with a warranty from a UK company has to be better than a second hand body with no warranty?!?!
 
manualfocus-g said:
I'm presuming many people like to handle the camera in store first and then take it straight home :) Plus, I'm guessing many want to support their local shops.

There's no warranty issues with Digital Rev etc. though and I've had no issues with the quality of my purchases :)
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There is the issue with supporting a local store. I got my D700 from my local LCE branch and the staff there always seem very helpful & friendly.

It's a bit like with bikes - I could get them much cheaper online but it's nice to have a local store with knowledgeable & friendly staff.
 
I am all for supporting your local store. That doesn't really explain why people are willing to buy second hand cameras or lenses off eBay for as much as a grey import with a warranty!
 
It is indeed a strange phenomena, I have a friend who's default setting for any purchase is "I'll get one from ebay" so there must be others. There's probably more technology in a new DSLR than a space shuttle so why risk it with little in the way of warranty.

(I do realise photography is not as risky as space travel!) :)
 
Getting back to the grey import question I really don't understand why some high street retailers don't sell grey imports...make it clear what the difference is and let the consumer decide. With companies like HDEW doing it online I don't see why not ?
 
Beardy said:
Getting back to the grey import question I really don't understand why some high street retailers don't sell grey imports...make it clear what the difference is and let the consumer decide. With companies like HDEW doing it online I don't see why not ?
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Isn't there a tax implication with grey? Plus, EU or US stock may not be covered in the Uk by warranty, so you'd have to send it back to country of origin. That's probably not something that UK shops want to get involved in.

As for warranties, they're often not worth the paper they're written on. A grey import with US warranty for £900 or a used UK product with 6-month shop returns policy for the same..... I'd probably go used UK. How much would it be to post the item back to country of origin in the case of something going wrong. I don't imagine a Uk shop selling grey would want any of that hassle....

Sale of goods act covers much of it when things aren't of a useable quality doesn't it?

Anyway, why not support a UK business instead of one somewhere else without the economic problems we have in the UK?.....
 
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Beardy said:
Getting back to the grey import question I really don't understand why some high street retailers don't sell grey imports...make it clear what the difference is and let the consumer decide. With companies like HDEW doing it online I don't see why not ?
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Because the manufacturers (Nikon, Canon, Sigma etc.) would not be best pleased with them doing this.

It's the same as a Ford dealership selling replacement parts - they could quite easily do it, and offer cheaper prices, but Ford Motor Company would put pressure on them to stop.
 
How do B&H get away with it in the US then ? Certainly for all the Nikon gear they list US and Imported/Grey equipment alongside each other at different prices.
 
Beardy said:
I am all for supporting your local store. That doesn't really explain why people are willing to buy second hand cameras or lenses off eBay for as much as a grey import with a warranty!
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This is quite simple really. People who buy from eBay 'assume' they are getting a deal, because its eBay!
 
pmac said:
arent digital rev a Hk company?
ive been looking at two nikon lenses the 24-70 and 70-200vr2.
both of these are more expensive from DR than jessops.i thought they were a hk retailer so would be cheaper
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not always though. DR pre pay the import duty for you. (we'll you pay ity - they give it to the man)

Jessops are 95% if the time really competetive for big ticket stuff. Just the small stuff they're bad at
 
Beardy said:
True! It happens in the classifieds on here too ;)
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The difference here though, as a lot of warranties are non-transferable, if you get an item from a well known member, they will always help you with any issues with regards to sending it back to be repaired under the warranty.

eBay sellers, I am almost sure will want nothing to do with it.
 
Grey imports are genuine stock. They're exactly the same products as the ones sold everywhere else.

The main issue is warranty, and very few manufacturers offer genuine international warranties. I believe Canon give this on "L" lenses, but I've never had to claim, so I'm not 100% sure about this. This means that you're facing additional shipping costs if you imported it, to return the item to the seller, if it needs warranty work or you're asking for a replacement/refund. Forget about the Sale of Goods Act. This only applies in the UK, and most of these transactions will be governed by foreign jurisdictions.

There may be another snag. I lived in South Africa for a long time, and Canon were quite happy to repair gear bought anywhere else, at their normal rates. This applied to grey imports too, because they wouldn't honour the warranty. Nikon were much stricter. They wouldn't work on grey imports at all, even if you were prepared to pay. I don't know the position in the UK. Having said that, SA prices make the UK look like a bargain basement and I knew lots of people who bought on the grey market, or imported privately, and thought it was worth taking the chance on big ticket items. B & H would just swap it out if there was a problem, but you still had to pay for the return, and they had an agreement with Nikon that they wouldn't sell camera bodies to SA customers for a while.

I'm sure retailers in this country could offer grey imports - it's perfectly legal - but I doubt if they want the hassle, because they won't have any recourse against the manufacturer/supplier. B & H are a huge company and I expect they can afford to carry any losses. US consumers also have high expectations, including the right to use something and return it for a full refund just because they've changed their mind (within limits, not all retailers do this, and some charge a restocking fee of up to 15%), so there's a marketing angle too.
 
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For me a manufacturers warranty is far more important than a sellers warranty.. especialy an ebay seller.... A seeller will make yous end the goods to them.. they then send to manufacturer or a third party.... A manufacturers warranty means you can cut out the middle man and a lot of time by sending straight to the people who will fix it.

MartynK said:
The main issue is warranty, and very few manufacturers offer genuine international warranties. I believe Canon give this on "L" lenses, but I've never had to claim, so I'm not 100% sure about this. .
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As a canon user and equipment buyer and reader of many stories on this subject... I asked canon... I have an email from canon UK that says they will honour any international warranty on any lens bought anywhere in the world.. they understand what a grey import is and they will honour the manufacturers warranty...

Canon UK also say they will NOT honour the warranty on any camera body bought from outside the UK .. this includes a third party bringing it in then you buying it wiht a UK reciept.. It has to be a UK warranty..

Thats the official canon line.. However I am aware that many people have bought canon imported bodies and canon uk have honoured the warranty...

Thus canon Lens its cheaper to buy imported.. I get all mine off kerso and recently saved over 1 thousand pounds on a 400mm lens by getting it off kerso... same warranty as buying it in the uk:)

Camera bodies.. its a gamble.. chances are canon will honour it with a uk reciept.. but they can refuse to if they wish..
 
Ste_James said:
Hi im wondering why any one would pay more for a camera/camera lens etc if when the price is so much cheaper from places like digitalrev etc who clearly dont pay import duty and hence pass on the savings.

How does companies like warehouse express and jessops make any money? why dont they just go grey? ive been reading through the posts here as a new member i imagine this has been touched on before but apart from uncertainty with the warantee its a no-brainer to buy the same model produced from the same production line cheaper, what am i missing here?
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If it means saving money then I would buy new imports with or without warranty. As for saving your local store, dont make me laugh cos I got sore lips at the moment :thinking: I purchased a 50D, cards etc from Jacobs, no incentive for a cash payment. Just over a year later and I go back in to trade up for a 7D. Their offer of £250 was a joke, near enough the same offer from London Camera exchange and anywhere else I tried, and that my friend is how they make their money.
 
Just be careful when UK shops are selling grey stock as UK.
I recently bought a Sigma 70-200 f2.8 from Amazon UK (not a reseller, or marketplace dealer, proper Amazon UK).. only to be shipped a lens clearly meant for the German market.
Sigma wouldn't extend the warranty to 3 years as the serial number showed as a non-uk designated etc..

Amazon admitted they were shipping kit from their EU disty but only after I complained and demanded a refund etc. Sometimes it's just much better to spend that extra cash to be able to return the lens to Jessops (for e.g) if there's any issues for a quick UK turnaround, as opposed to then having to ship back to China for non-manufacturer repair from the HK vendor etc.
 
u8myufo said:
If it means saving money then I would buy new imports with or without warranty.
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I paid 5.5k for a lens that you cant buy anywhere in the uk for less than 6.5k I wouldnt have saved 1k in a million yrs if there was no warranty... I would rather pay the full UK price than risk losing everyhting..

You must be a gambler.. or maybe your advice is based on spoending a certain amount of money? :)
 
I'd buy lenses outside of the uk. I know Nikon definately honour the international warranty, and I'm pretty sure Canon would as well. There are good savings to be made on lenses from buying abroad. And don't get me going on the trade-in policies of our "friendly local camera shops" no discount when you buy new gear off them for cash, and the offer you very little for your goods when you trade against items significantly dearer! Absolutely disgraceful!!!! Hence why I would buy lenses from overseas!
 
Just a thought. What's the position if you buy gear in another country, while you are legally resident there - not a visitor - and bring it back to the UK while its still under warranty?
 
AFAIK, you'd need to send it back to country of origin for the Warranty repair, as the warranty is usually with the local distributer.
 
Thanks for this. I was really thinking about countries outside the EU, though.

I suppose the same question crops up if you buy a camera/lens in the UK and it goes wonky during an extended visit to the US, Far East or wherever.
 
mjjiva said:
afaik nikon lens carry a Europe warranty as long as you have a copy of the receipt nikon uk will honour it.
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nope for lenses the warranty is worldwide, as long as you have the warranty slip and reciept
 
Will Nikon official/authorize camera repair shops will handle and fix camera body/lenses even if the item is a grey import? (warranty given by online supplier already lapses)

Is the service fee the same as with a genuine UK stock item?

Thanks! :)
 
popeyebx said:
Will Nikon official/authorize camera repair shops will handle and fix camera body/lenses even if the item is a grey import? (warranty given by online supplier already lapses)

Is the service fee the same as with a genuine UK stock item?

Thanks! :)
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They will repair grey import lenses as long as the receipt is in your name and the receipt is from a recognised camera retailer. It doesn't have to be a Nikon dealer but the receipt does have to be from a retailer. So if you buy a brand new lens from someone on eBay that is selling a lens they bought on holiday to make a bit of cash you are not covered.

Bodies are not covered...have to be UK stock.
 
Beardy said:
They will repair grey import lenses as long as the receipt is in your name and the receipt is from a recognised camera retailer. It doesn't have to be a Nikon dealer but the receipt does have to be from a retailer. So if you buy a brand new lens from someone on eBay that is selling a lens they bought on holiday to make a bit of cash you are not covered.

Bodies are not covered...have to be UK stock.
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What if the lenses don't have any receipt?
 
I've just sent a Sigma 150-500 OS lens off for a warranty claim. I bought the lens from Panamoz in january 2012 and when I contacted them about it they emailed back very quickly with a return address in London and not to return to Hong Kong. As soon as they've had it checked they'll let me know, and they will issue a brand new lens instead of waiting to have it repaired. Hopefully it wont take long but I've never had to claim for a warranty on anything else I've bought so I can't compare them with anyone else.
 
modchild said:
I've just sent a Sigma 150-500 OS lens off for a warranty claim. I bought the lens from Panamoz in january 2012 and when I contacted them about it they emailed back very quickly with a return address in London and not to return to Hong Kong. As soon as they've had it checked they'll let me know, and they will issue a brand new lens instead of waiting to have it repaired. Hopefully it wont take long but I've never had to claim for a warranty on anything else I've bought so I can't compare them with anyone else.
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that doesn't surprise me they would send out a brand new one, HK billed digital rev £40 for my £280 LX7.

I was shocked at the mark up...
 
I have 6 lenses, 17-85 kit with camera, 70-300 of amazon that says "Made in Taiwan", and four from SE. It cost me about £800 less for the four than amazon, and they all say Made in Japan and work well. Better than the two sourced from the UK (they are however better lenses).

I knew going in any warranty would be a nightmare, but I figured when saving that much would certainly pay for a repair or even a replacement for one of them. Bit concerned to read that Canon might refuse to repair a 'grey import' rather than just charge, but you takes your chances and cross your fingers.
 
Well I have just ordered a Canon 70-200 f2.8 mk 2 from Panomoz and i have just paid £1298 for it brand new, you cannot get a second hand one for that.

If Canon recognize the warranty world wide why the hell do people pay 3,4,5 hundred pounds more for the same item??

People say to support your local dealer/shop. well I went into mine and he had this lens for sale at £1795 so he can shut down for all I care at prices like that

spike
 
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