Big price difference

Is there something mechanically different in a camera purchased from an authorized canon dealer and one for hundreds less from Hong Kong?

Thank you.

Lore wrote in post #17733862
Is there something mechanically different in a camera purchased from an authorized canon dealer and one for hundreds less from Hong Kong?

Thank you.

A warranty. Canon won't honor the warranty on grey market goods.

Lore wrote in post #17733862
Is there something mechanically different in a camera purchased from an authorized canon dealer and one for hundreds less from Hong Kong?

Thank you.

No,

Warranty and support is the difference. Politics.

Very best,

Be wary of the ones from shady dealers in the US as well - if the price seems too good to be true, it probably is. They open the box and take out all the other stuff - battery, charger, cables, etc - and you get JUST the body.

nathancarter wrote in post #17733970
Be wary of the ones from shady dealers in the US as well - if the price seems too good to be true, it probably is. They open the box and take out all the other stuff - battery, charger, cables, etc - and you get JUST the body.

Yeah, then they call you, after they've ran your charge, to try and sell you all of the stuff that they took out of the box.

Lore wrote in post #17733862
Is there something mechanically different in a camera purchased from an authorized canon dealer and one for hundreds less from Hong Kong?

Thank you.

The grey/gray market products come off of the same production line. They were just intended for a different distributive chain.

Unauthorized dealers can be located both domestically or abroad, but since they don't have any relationship with the manufacturer, they can advertise below MAP. And the serial number is valid for registering gear with CPS. Obviously, there's legitimate concern over the 1-year warranty or the lack thereof. After the warranty period expires, I see no practical difference, apart from any potential variance in the packaging or included accessories.

Canon issues a missive wagging its finger at grey market purchases, but they'll do that since they have an interest in preventing price erosion. Read up on it at canonpricewatch. They claim that some unauthorized dealers offer their own 1-year warranty, and they claim that Canon has serviced at least some grey market products.

Some people feel strongly about it. It just comes down to what you value and how risk averse you are.

nathancarter wrote in post #17733970
Be wary of the ones from shady dealers in the US as well - if the price seems too good to be true, it probably is. They open the box and take out all the other stuff - battery, charger, cables, etc - and you get JUST the body.

This is exactly correct.

On a few occasions I have seen extremely low prices on current Canon cameras and called the vendors offering these deals. In each instance, the sales rep told me that the price was for the camera only; no battery, no battery charger, no camera-to-computer cables, no instruction manual, no warranty card, no software disc, no strap, no body cap - NO NOTHING except for the camera body itself, a zip-lock bag, and a few foam peanuts.

With grey market items you can get inssurance for next to nothing and will cover more than what the warranty from Canon does.


But there have been cases of Nikon DSLRs been counterfeited so I wouldn't risk it.

I've yet to see a good Canon fake but the Nikon ones even fooled the big camera sellers.

Lore wrote in post #17733862
Is there something mechanically different in a camera purchased from an authorized canon dealer and one for hundreds less from Hong Kong?

Thank you.

No official Canon UK one year warranty, and the substiture UK power cord/plug is probably not a Canon OEM part.
Panamoz give a 3 year warranty with them in Exchange.
Is it any good and will they be around in 3 year ....... Well I cant say - not put it to the test!
But I saved £1,100 so that would buy a fair amount of repairs. :-0

I ended up buying "like new" open box from Abe's of Maine and saved $200

Lore wrote in post #17745333
I ended up buying "like new" open box from Abe's of Maine and saved $200

Great!

You never did tell us what model of camera you were looking into. Would you be able to fill us in on the details of your Abe's of Maine purchase? Model, price, included accessories such as battery charger, warranty, etc?

Tom Reichner wrote in post #17745384
Great!

You never did tell us what model of camera you were looking into. Would you be able to fill us in on the details of your Abe's of Maine purchase? Model, price, included accessories such as battery charger, warranty, etc?

G7x it came in the box, all accessories included and sealed, camera still had cover on the screen. Essentially new. Paid $465 free shipping I got it in 3 days.
I purchased it under the "used" section on Amazon, it was listed like new with all accessories, was only opened to record serial number?

Wow - that's great! Congrats! Hope you get to get out & have fun with it soon.

I believe Abe's is no longer an authorized dealer, so there is still no warranty

Although if there are any issues it should be easier to deal with than something bought overseas

Insurance for camera gear is such a good price nowadays and covers you better than a warranty.. I wouldn't think twice about buying a grey import..