Grey Market - More than Cameras & Lenses?

[Mark_48]

I've been looking around at the Canon BG-E4 grip for a 5D and noticed on one site with reviews, a reviewer stated he got a grey market BG-E4 grip that had an international warranty, but didn't have a USA warranty. Does that reviewer have a clue what he's talking about. I've never thought about Canon accessories being grey market, just assumed they were all USA, unless labeled otherwise.

[NSWESP]

Grey Market simply means imported from somewhere else, Grey Market and Canon USA Products are made in the same factory.

[Mark_48]

Grey Market simply means imported from somewhere else, Grey Market and Canon USA Products are made in the same factory.

I know that. The difference is the warranty and the rebate for purchasers in the USA . B&H and a few others show what is USA or grey market and it usually is in reference to cameras and lenses. I haven't seen Canon accessories listed as grey market anywhere and if I'm buying a BG-E4 I'd certainly prefer a USA warranted one.

Maybe I should have posed the question differently as, "Has anyone bought Canon accessories that are grey market, such as the BG-E4 grip, that didn't have a USA warranty?"

[NSWESP]

Grey Market Accesories (IE: Anything but Bodies and Lenses) Wont have USA Warrenties.

[Wilt]

I've been looking around at the Canon BG-E4 grip for a 5D and noticed on one site with reviews, a reviewer stated he got a grey market BG-E4 grip that had an international warranty, but didn't have a USA warranty. Does that reviewer have a clue what he's talking about. I've never thought about Canon accessories being grey market, just assumed they were all USA, unless labeled otherwise.

makes perfect sense!

Gray market truly means 'not imported and sold thru the legitimate authorized distributed for a particular geographic area'. So any distributor has the right to not honor gray market goods warranties. For example, Tamron offers 1 year warranty, but Tamron USA offers a 6 year warranty. If they made no profit in the gray market item, why on earth would they honor a much more generous warranty period?!?!?!

and Yes I have some gray market Canon items, without Canon USA/Canada warranty card. So it carries a serial number that is not on Canon USA import records, so they would know if I tried to get warranty service that it is not their import. What I don't know, in this case, is if Canon USA would honor the warranty and bill back the claim to Canon Japan factory so the factory covers cost rather than Canon USA eating the cost. I know that some manufacturers simply will not honor a warranty for gray market items...I think Nikon is like that.

[shimmishim]

I JUST got a BG-E2N from Adorama today that had an international warranty card...

they don't list it as grey market either... kind of shady...

http://www.adorama.com/ICABGE2N.html