GREY MARKET SHOPS?!?!

[FotoPhreak]

I've read several people's posts who have mentioned various online camera shops.

What I didn't do was write them down as I found them, so I was hoping those that purchase items through the net would let me in on some of their knowledge.

The only one I know is B&H.

1st question, is B&H a grey market shop?

2nd, what are the top 3 online sellers, that will deliver to Australia (i.e. outside the US/EUROPE)?

3rd I also remember viewing some post about various 'ratings' websites that provide ratings on online sellers ... if anyone has any idea which post(s) this was from or of the specific websites that would be great.

4th, what is the postage time normally from this online shops?

5th, do they cover the same sort of warranty as if you had bought from a shop (I guess what I am getting at is how close are they to grey market themselves?)

Thanks.

[dn7elson]

FotoPhreak wrote:

is B&H a grey market shop?

Yes, and no. They offer either USA warrantied models or unauthorized source/grey market models at a lower price. How much lower depends upon effective promotions and item.


what is the postage time normally from this online shops?

Many, B&H included, seem to ship orders within 24-48 hours of receipt. I ordered a lens from B&H online late Sunday evening, it was processed on Monday with a UPS tracking number assigned, shipped on Tuesday (evening) and in hand by Thursday. This was with standard shipping, but I am only a 5 hour drive from NY.

If you are willing to pay for priority shipping, most have overnight or 2nd day delivery options available. This might be a bit pricey from NY to Australia, but may still be available if needed. Certainly 2-3 day delivery from shipping is possible.

do they cover the same sort of warranty as if you had bought from a shop

With grey market warranties, you generally have to look to the seller for repairs or to the repair facility for the region that the item was produced for sale. For example, if the item was produced for sale in Asia and you bought it from a New York online vendor, you would have to return it to the vendor for warranty repairs or send it to the repair facility in Asia for warranty work. Whether you would have to pay for additional shipping for the return of the item is an unknown. If the vendor goes out of business or does not support the warranty, your only choice would be the latter option. You do however, need to find the region for the item to know where to send it. Then, to muddy the waters further ;) you can consider an extended warranty from a 3rd party (such as those offered by B&H) that have their own requirements and conditions.

[GenEOS]

I bought my D60 and my 70-200 f2.8 L through an outfit called buydig.com

ALL USA warranty and New in box, no factory refreshed.

I got excellent service and price (at the time). Overnight delivery is a little steep, but i had both in less than 24 hours and still saved money.

No tax...

[FotoPhreak]

dn7elson wrote:

Yes, and no. They offer either USA warrantied models or unauthorized source/grey market models at a lower price. How much lower depends upon effective promotions and item.



How do I tell between the two types mentioned here?

[Canuck]

FotoPhreak wrote:
dn7elson wrote:

Yes, and no. They offer either USA warrantied models or unauthorized source/grey market models at a lower price. How much lower depends upon effective promotions and item.



How do I tell between the two types mentioned here?

FotoPhreak,
On B&H website, it says USA or import on the item, right near the price. USA is USA stuff; import is greymarket. Ez as that!

I can't speak for any other sites, though

[defordphoto]

dn7elson wrote:
Many, B&H included, seem to ship orders within 24-48 hours of receipt. I ordered a lens from B&H online late Sunday evening, it was processed on Monday with a UPS tracking number assigned, shipped on Tuesday (evening) and in hand by Thursday. This was with standard shipping, but I am only a 5 hour drive from NY.


That's the same time frame for the West Coast too. I live in Washington State and I just ordered two filters on Sunday evening and I got them today. B&H is very consistent and very reliable. I cannot recommend them highly enough.

[scottbergerphoto]

There is really no such thing as a Grey Market Shop. There is USA and Grey Market products. Grey market products are produced for sale outside the USA and are either imported back into the USA or never leave the USA but change hands in port. As such they have no USA Warranty. You must rely on the seller for any service. As a result, the safety of a Grey Market purchase is highly dependent on who you buy it from. BandH is highly reputable and if you want to save a few dollars it's fairly safe to do so. Bear in mind that Grey Market goods may have minor cosmetic differences, a different name, and a manual that is not in english. You should always ask when buying camera equipment from a retailer that sells both Grey and USA which they are selling you. Also, only buy Grey Market goods from established retailers with a physical prescence, not a web address or PO Box only.
Scott

[daaaveman]

Check out www.bizrate.com. They provide a ranking of most retailers but also allow you to read posts by customers (or victims) of the retailers. What I have found is that they are usually all good reviews or all bad reviews. For example, B&H has over 50,000 entries with 96% positive, 2% neutral, and 2% negative. Very high marks. Places like Cameratopia and A&M, whose ads you've probably seen in the magazines, have upwards of 90+% negative feedback. It's a good place to check out a retailer.

[defordphoto]

Also check out www.resellerratings.com and http://www.panix.com/~donwiss/pictures/BrooklynStores/

[CoolToolGuy]

The thing I like about B & H is that they tell you which item is which. They don't jump up and down and shout it, but as mentioned before, the item description will state 'USA' or 'imported'. I have bought from other online stores when I thought I was getting USA stuff and actually got imported because there was no indication that they weren't USA items.
With Canon products, the difference is usually the warranty. Occasionally they change the model name between the USA and other versions (Digital Rebel versus 300D), and in some cases there may be feature differences in the product, but there is usually no difference in quality.
One of the things you should look out for in a low online price is when the vendor strips away pieces of the product to get the low price, and then tries to sell them to you. For example, a low price on a body that normally comes with a strap and battery.

Hope this helps

Have Fun

[GenEOS]

If it does not state on the website. You must be very specific in the questions you ask before buying. That bizrate site is a good one for checking prices and checking out what people think of the company. I am very cautious when buying on line. Ask lots of guestions, even questions you think might be a no-brainer....

[jcsorensen]

Delta International deals in a lot of Grey Market products, but also carry USA warranted items. They have provided me, and others based on comments on this forum, with outstanding service and prices. I believe they ship world wide. Try www.deltainternational.com