USA & Grey Market Retailers

[Mark_48]

I've looking around for a good price on a new Canon 20D. I've gone to websites of most major retailers found in the backs of photo magazines. Most gear I've bought has been purchased at B&H and I've been pretty satisfied using them. Now after taking a look at a few other places, it seems there are quite a few that undercut both B&H and Adorama significantly. I'm suspecting that the lowball prices reflect "grey market" gear which I would prefer to stay away from. The problem is that most if not all these websites don't seem to state anywhere if it's Canon USA warranty or through the retailer due to grey market.

Would I be correct in assuming that most of the great deals are grey market?

[Sailare]

Would I be correct in assuming that most of the great deals are grey market?

Not a correct assumption. B & H has always been "retail" on the bodies. Thye are best on the lens. So if you buy some lens, at the same time as you do the body, you will get a resonably good deal from a trusted, proven dealer and only 1 shippng charge.

Also, It still too early, if ever for the 20D body to be so saturated in the market that "grey" starts to appear. It's different with lens'

[iof]

I've gone to websites of most major retailers found in the backs of photo magazines.
Some magazines will accept advertising from anyone, regardless of reputation.
I would check any retailer against http://www.resellerratings.com/ before ordering.
You will love the 20D, but order one from a reputable dealer to insure you get what you want.

Ron

[RDKirk]

I've looking around for a good price on a new Canon 20D. I've gone to websites of most major retailers found in the backs of photo magazines. Most gear I've bought has been purchased at B&H and I've been pretty satisfied using them. Now after taking a look at a few other places, it seems there are quite a few that undercut both B&H and Adorama significantly. I'm suspecting that the lowball prices reflect "grey market" gear which I would prefer to stay away from. The problem is that most if not all these websites don't seem to state anywhere if it's Canon USA warranty or through the retailer due to grey market.

Would I be correct in assuming that most of the great deals are grey market?

That would NOT be a correct assumption most of the time. They may sell unlabled gray, but they do the same thing with US imported items, too. If they were selling gray at such prices, it would be a good deal, but they're not even that honest.

They are just pulling a basic bait and switch. If you try to order those items at those prices, they will tell you that you have to buy a mandatory "kit" with it. The kit consists of a buch of overpriced junk that will add up to even more than the B&H or Adorama price.

If you insist on buying just that one item at the advertized price, they'll tell you they are out of stock of the "lens alone" or "body alone." And they will never get it in stock. If you decide to buy their collection of junk anyway, you'll find the shipping charge to be a hundred dollars or more...where B&H or Adorama would have charged only $15.

Basically, you can expect B&H and Adorama to be about the cheapest regular web price. Other places may have limited special prices--Dell does that (but Dell has horrible stocking issues), OneCall sometimes has short-term discounts. But those dscounts will rarely be more than 10 percent off the B&H or Adorama price, and then only for a limited time (an exception would be when a camera has been superseded by a newer model--other retailers will slash prices more than B&H and Adorama because they're more likely to get stuck with the old item when the new item arrives.

[Naytwan]

New poster here, but I have a little insight on this.

A friend on mine was looking to buy a 20D body. We called digital liquidators. They advertised a price of $900 or so for a 20D body. When we called to check and make sure it wasn't a misprint, the sales men said, "you might be happier with a Kit". So I asked him, that's with the lens right, he said yeah, lens, charger, etc. I was like "huh?" The sales men said, the advertised price is for the body only......literally. Just the body, no battery, no charger, no nothing. It was $1200 with no lens and all other items like the charger, cables and software.

[Mark_48]

Originally when I posted it was regarding purchasing the 20D without a USA Canon backed warranty, which I believe B&H refers to as an "Import" and generally is considered grey market. From what I've gathered thus far in this thread, a grey market camera may be lacking in more than just the USA warranty, it may not include some of the standard accessories. I think I had read elsewhere that someone had recieved a non-English users manual in a grey market package.
No doubt I'll stick with B&H as I've had very good luck dealing with them.

iof, thanks for the resellerratings.com link. That has proved pretty useful, particularly with the retailer ratings. The wife even used it to find a pair of shoes she was looking for.

[rsnadel]

There are several issues here:
* Canon authorized dealers that offer Canon-USA warranties. Not all sell at retail. Some very reputable dealers have begun dropping the price, though not anything like what the crooks advertise for.
* Canon grey market dealers that are also reputable. You do pay a premium for the Canon USA warranty. It's probably worth it...even if only to have the camera's insides cleaned 10 months from purchase date.
* Retailers that offer ridiculously low prices. As you've found, some pull the camera out of the kit (not even the lens kit...but the basic box that the camera body comes in). That means they'll charge you for items that come in the basic box, including battery, charger, software, manuals, strap...you end up paying close to what a legit dealer charges. Plus, you may get a retailer's warranty and not the Canon USA warranty. A retailer's warranty is only honored by that store.

Best suggestion: if you hope to buy at less than retail from an authorized dealer that will include the Canon USA warranty, try a search site like www.pricegrabber.com. When you find a store that looks interesting, check out user feedback at www.resellerratings.com to see how others rate them. If it's questionable, look elsewhere. There are a number of dealers that have dropped the price a bit and are still totally reputable.

[adamsti]

It has been my understanding after reading several forums that there is no such thing as a grey market body, at least with the Canon digital bodies. All are sold with the Canon USA warranty. If there was a grey market body firms like B&H would sell it, they don't. You will not find a grey market 20D anywhere, they are all USA. Now of course there still are the $900 body sellers like Digital Liquidators, even so, if you ever did get the body shipped to you it would have the USA warranty.

I may be wrong here but I don't believe so.

[rsnadel]

As I understand it: what determines whether Canon will service the camera is the receipt that shows where and when you purchased it. If you cannot demonstrate (with the receipt) that the item was purchased from a Canon USA authorized dealer, you run the risk of paying for service no matter how soon after purchase your camera needs attention.

[Camerasuppier]

If you need a Camera at gray market pricing with a warranty please contact me. We have the best prices and sell wholesale but not on websites. Derek Adair 603-682-3918 or Dadair@globalbd.com.

[Vega$50]

Dude...your one and only post...and it is to advertise....you get...shame finger...