Gray Equipment


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Fred

New Member
Mar 4, 2002
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Singapore
www.frednmich.com
Hi All,

I was wondering whether it will be a good idea to buy gray/export equipment, it's usually cheaper and is very tempting. I was told by the sales person from a major camera shop that it's worth buying lenses which are for export as lenses seldom breakdown.

What do you think?
 

Sorry fred, crash your thread... what is gray market actually? Read of gray market stuff plenty of times, but I don't really catch it.:dunno:
 

Originally posted by Mudpool
Sorry fred, crash your thread... what is gray market actually? Read of gray market stuff plenty of times, but I don't really catch it.:dunno:

Neither black non white lor ;)

It's those stuff that doesn't come with the agent/distributor warranty, shops who sell them will usually give their own warranty. Hope this helps :cool:
 

Originally posted by Kit
I've personally bought a few gray items and it hasn't affected me in one way or another.


Do you mind sharing with us the items you've bought? Don't have to be specific, just state the type ;)
 

Hmmmm.........Bought a few lenses, a flash. That's about it. My friend too bought 3 gray lenses and a flash. So far(touch wood), no problems for him also. I personally feel that the few hundred dollars savings is too good to resist.
 

For Nikkor AFS and VR lenses, it is quite risky to buy gray. Might cost much if break down...

If they are too much different in price, then of course is hard to resist. I have asked about the 80-200mm f/2.8 (N) gray price, and is just S$100 different...so better go for Nikon Singapore one.
 

Hi Guys,

Thanks for responding to my question ;)

Gray AFS zoom lenses cost about $3xx-4xx less, quite a saving to me :cool: But like what Kho King said, it may cost alot when it need to be repaired :(
 

I once bought a gray canon 17-35mm L lens. No problems. However, nowadays becoming more kiasu. No more gray market for me.
 

In Singapore, I heard shops call it parallel import...or shop warranty.
 

i've gotten a gray SB28 speedlight from Hong Kong before... much cheaper than the retail price in SG. no problems so far but then it's like insurance. it's not that you need to repair stuff constantly, but when you need it, you have to pay the price. one thing i must comment though is that things like lens and accessories are quite well-built, so sometimes it's worth getting gray products, but just remember to check the stuff properly before you leave the shop.
 

Firefox has hit the nail on the head. It's like insurance. And if you look at it that way, grey market equipment makes a lot of sense. I saved S$800 by buying my 80-200 AF-S from HK. That's $800 for a single year "insurance" premium (since that's as long as the warranty lasts anyway) for a S$3000 lens. Not very good premium really is it?

Nikon SG will probably hate me, but there's nothing really wrong with buying grey, you just lose the warranty. The equipment is still made with the same QC as an officially imported Nikon product. Which if you buy decent stuff, will easily last more than 1 year. Should anyway. The difference in price is because you cut out Nikon SG. They don't make a "cut" off the equipment, nor are you paying them for providing the warranty cover, marketing and advertising, etc.

Just to even things up, I think about back focusing and thank goodness that my dig body is not grey, but then again it's not like it's being sorted either. At least the loaner's arrived...
 

A second thought...if the price of gray market is similar to 2nd hand price (less 20%+-), then I will definitely choose gray market stuff...since most 2nd hand stuff will have no warranty too and is still better buy new than 2nd hand.

HK gray market stuff are sure cheap, but not so in Singapore...since most Singapore shops buy gray from HK. I wonder where does the gray market stuff in HK comes from.
 

althought I didn't get any "official" answer from the shops, what I get from asking them about their grey "warrenty" is that I think they have "connections" and actually pass the equipments to the official repairmen... maybe the repairman do it after work or something.
 

Originally posted by Jed
Firefox has hit the nail on the head. It's like insurance. And if you look at it that way, grey market equipment makes a lot of sense. I saved S$800 by buying my 80-200 AF-S from HK. That's $800 for a single year "insurance" premium (since that's as long as the warranty lasts anyway) for a S$3000 lens. Not very good premium really is it?

Can you tell us which shop did you buy your lens?
 

Originally posted by Kho King
A second thought...if the price of gray market is similar to 2nd hand price (less 20%+-), then I will definitely choose gray market stuff...since most 2nd hand stuff will have no warranty too and is still better buy new than 2nd hand.

HK gray market stuff are sure cheap, but not so in Singapore...since most Singapore shops buy gray from HK. I wonder where does the gray market stuff in HK comes from.

Good to see your talkin cock like usual.

Gray AFS lenses (as per your first post) are fine, I've never heard of an SWM failing in the field.

TO ALL

Gray items are NOT covered by the manufacturers warranty and in the case of Nikon gear no Nikon distributor or authorised repair agent will EVER service a gray market item, no matter how much money you attempt to pay. This is a cold hard fact.

Nikon in the past decade have tightened up their warranty servicing and now keep an extensive database of equipment serial numbers and port of delivery so they know where a lens/body was shipped and in which country it was supposed to be purchased. Add to this the fact that most of Nikon's warranties are now country specific or region specific means buy gray at your peril.

As far as I am aware Canon, Minolta and Pentax are all closing the loops in their warranty arrangements as well.
 

Originally posted by Ian


Good to see your talkin cock like usual.

Gray AFS lenses (as per your first post) are fine, I've never heard of an SWM failing in the field.

TO ALL

Gray items are NOT covered by the manufacturers warranty and in the case of Nikon gear no Nikon distributor or authorised repair agent will EVER service a gray market item, no matter how much money you attempt to pay. This is a cold hard fact.

Nikon in the past decade have tightened up their warranty servicing and now keep an extensive database of equipment serial numbers and port of delivery so they know where a lens/body was shipped and in which country it was supposed to be purchased. Add to this the fact that most of Nikon's warranties are now country specific or region specific means buy gray at your peril.

As far as I am aware Canon, Minolta and Pentax are all closing the loops in their warranty arrangements as well.

Ian, when u have never heard of a failing SWM lenses doesn't mean that this lens never fail. I don't think that ALL the SWM lenses that produce by Nikon are 100% faultyless. These lenses are expensive, I just point out the fact that if you have to send this lens for service, you sure need to pay much money.

Maybe in the country you live, your Nikon distributor won't touch gray market lenses, but this doesn't apply to ALL countries. Maybe the Nikon stuff you bought in your country is just valid in your country...but this is not the case in Malaysia or Singapore. Nikon Malaysia and Nikon Singapore are still giving INTERNATIONAL WARRANTY to their Nikon stuff. You are not the world...so do you yourself a favour before you start bombing me like before again.

I am willing to take up any correction, comments, discussion...butYou are just too proud of yourself...rude in writing...
 

Originally posted by Ian


Good to see your talkin cock like usual.

Gray AFS lenses (as per your first post) are fine, I've never heard of an SWM failing in the field.

TO ALL

Gray items are NOT covered by the manufacturers warranty and in the case of Nikon gear no Nikon distributor or authorised repair agent will EVER service a gray market item, no matter how much money you attempt to pay. This is a cold hard fact.

Nikon in the past decade have tightened up their warranty servicing and now keep an extensive database of equipment serial numbers and port of delivery so they know where a lens/body was shipped and in which country it was supposed to be purchased. Add to this the fact that most of Nikon's warranties are now country specific or region specific means buy gray at your peril.

As far as I am aware Canon, Minolta and Pentax are all closing the loops in their warranty arrangements as well.

Ian, I understand that you are trying to warn us the risks we would take if we are to buy gray market items.

However, the tone of your first sentence is really bad. I don't think you should insult anyone like that.

You have never heard of SWM failing in the field, but I have. Even my canon USM fails before. You should not conclude anything from what you have not heard.

Not trying to pick a quarrel with you. Just hoping that we have a more gracious environment here in clubsnap.
 

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