Grey Imports

smr · 9 Jan 2015 at 10:55

I've been advised by a photographer I know personally as well as folk on here to generally avoid auction sites for fear of picking up grey import items and have adhered to this concept by using reputable dealers only, in my pursuit of my camera gear.

However, I am going to be looking for additional lenses in the future, one of those being the Tonika 11-16 mm uwa lens.

I've found a lens on the bay, brand new, and the DX II version to boot, which is quite a staggeringly low price of £300, it says it is brand new and unboxed and also that it is an "International Japanese Import"

Despite me saying that I only want to buy from reputable dealers, what are the actual draw backs of buying these grey imports? I just want to be clear on it more than anything, as obviously the prices are tempting, but if they are items which may have been refurbished/ sent back from customers I would rather fork out the extra money on brand new and genuine UK stockists delivering to me.

Basically, what is the real low down on grey import camera lenses and gear?

Greg0986 · 9 Jan 2015 at 12:19

I bought an Nikon 55-200mm on ebay for £117. I thought at that price it was an import, and it was. I compared it to a friend of mine's UK version and there is no difference at all. Don't see any issue apart from the warranty, yet the place I bought it from offers 1 years warranty anyway.

Phal · 9 Jan 2015 at 12:25

Ignoring any legality debate, the main difference is that grey imports tend to be cheaper due to no taxes and possibly better exchange rates etc and you don't tend to get any warranty support (or it at least makes it more difficult to get support).

The better, more established grey market sellers will offer their own warranty which goes some way to re-assuring buyers but it's still not quite the same.

Something also worth considering about the grey market lenses is that they tend to be harder to sell on later. The shops won't take them for part exchange unless you can prove tax was paid etc and some second hand buyers won't want them.

syn3rgy · 9 Jan 2015 at 13:50

grey imports, so tempting in price.
depends if you buy a for example, grey import Nikon Camera, you would have to send it back to where you got it to be fixed or whatever as Nikon will not repair it for you, However, if you got a grey import Nikon Lens, as far as i am aware, Nikon will service the lens as they carry an international warranty

Above&Beyond · 9 Jan 2015 at 14:26

I don't think you can mention certain Hong Kong dealers on here, but a lot of photographers use them and save a lot of money.

Phal · 9 Jan 2015 at 14:55

Above&Beyond said:
I don't think you can mention certain Hong Kong dealers on here, but a lot of photographers use them and save a lot of money.

You receive a lot of bubblewrap when you order a 200-400 from over there from what I hear!

squerble · 9 Jan 2015 at 16:11

I got a "grey" Nikon 55-300mm for significantly cheaper than shops over here. For such a low-end/basic lens, I'm not all that bothered. If I was getting a 70-200mm f/2.8, then I'd be buying from a UK dealer, no questions about extra price.

Phal · 9 Jan 2015 at 17:21

squerble said:
I got a "grey" Nikon 55-300mm for significantly cheaper than shops over here. For such a low-end/basic lens, I'm not all that bothered. If I was getting a 70-200mm f/2.8, then I'd be buying from a UK dealer, no questions about extra price.

In my experience, the cheap lenses aren't that much cheaper over there and it's the expensive lenses where the most money is saved due to the taxes.

With smaller purchases I often don't bother checking with any grey market sellers because it's not really worth the hassle.

Above&Beyond · 9 Jan 2015 at 17:41

squerble said:
I got a "grey" Nikon 55-300mm for significantly cheaper than shops over here. For such a low-end/basic lens, I'm not all that bothered. If I was getting a 70-200mm f/2.8, then I'd be buying from a UK dealer, no questions about extra price.

You're doing it wrong.

englishpremier · 9 Jan 2015 at 23:04

Just buy the lens used lens that's already in this country.

No-one really cares on ebay whether a £220 used lens comes form HK, UK or the South Pole. All they care is that it works as described.

When you come to sell it you'll get pretty much back what you paid for it.

D.P. · 10 Jan 2015 at 13:24

IMO, if you you are concerned about price then buy second hand from a reputable shop where you can try the lens on your own camera before purchasing. You will get some,ind of returns windows with this purchase and peace of mind while still saving money.

Otherwise buy from a reputable UK website.

Grey import are, apart form being illegal and immoral, just is t worth the risk to me. Canon and Nikon don't legally have to touch a grey important, even if you are willing to pay the full price of repair. Moreover, Nikon and canon are cutting down on independent repair places and are making it much harder for independents to get spare parts. If you buy an expensive lens or camera as a grey important and something like the mirror or focus system needs repair then you may end up with an expensive brick on your hands, or trying to deal with some dodgy HK chop shop.

Sure, most likely you won't get any issues no will save a bunch of cash by committing tax fraud. But there are better ways of of committing tax fraud that will save you more!

D.P. · 10 Jan 2015 at 13:32

englishpremier said:
Just buy the lens used lens that's already in this country.

No-one really cares on ebay whether a £220 used lens comes form HK, UK or the South Pole. All they care is that it works as described.

When you come to sell it you'll get pretty much back what you paid for it.

Some savy buyers do care if the second hand lens is a grey important because as I said, Nikon/canon are unlikely to touch it even if you are willing to pay full repair cost (not that warranty is transferable anyway, but they will just completely block the repair).

However as you say, many don't so you can buy and sell second hand at parity. You can buy a lens, use it for a year or 2 and sell it at the same price you got it for. Lenses are not like consumer electronics, they don't depreciate much at all. When looking at purchasing price I tend to ignore the absolute value but look at the effective ownership cost over a period of time. If I buy a new lens and hold it for 2 year then my monthly rental cost might by X quid considering if I was to sell it, a grey important is going to be somewhere very close- a little cheaper to buy and it will depcreaiate a little more. A second hand lens will be lower still and depreciate the least.

The downside if second vs new is the warranty,you have some risk of a repair cost.

Most of my lenses are second hand, really is the best way to go IMO and works out a lot better than grey imports. Plus is legal.

peige · 10 Jan 2015 at 13:44

Both my cameras have been grey imports, the well known shop where you can also BACS the money to get an extra discount too.
The saving is just too much to pass up. The new one, a 6D with 24-70
:- £1899 from a uk shop. £1358 from the well known importer, thats £541 less.

I have no problem with my cameras or lenses being imported but would always choose one of the known ones rather than ebay.

smr · 12 Jan 2015 at 11:44

Thanks for the replies, some interesting points.

jonneymendoza · 12 Jan 2015 at 12:07

Half my kit is grey import.

far cheaper and got them delivered quicker if i had ordered from the UK.

a1ex2001 · 12 Jan 2015 at 12:21

I have bought grey without issue including a warranty claim on a Canon S100 which went smoothly. I prefer to buy second hand on forums as generally it's cheaper and I like cheap!

mrgubby · 12 Jan 2015 at 15:34

D.P. said:
Nikon/canon are unlikely to touch it even if you are willing to pay full repair cost (not that warranty is transferable anyway, but they will just completely block the repair).

Where have you read / heard this ?

jonneymendoza · 12 Jan 2015 at 15:40

D.P. said:
as I said, Nikon/canon are unlikely to touch it even if you are willing to pay full repair cost (not that warranty is transferable anyway, but they will just completely block the repair). .

My mate got his 5d3 from HK imports. it developed a fault and he sent it to Canon for them to repair at a cost.

However, the place he got it from in HK have refunded him the repair costs.

So there you go, Canon will repair your camera regardless of where you bough it from.

So long as you pay them, why not?

business is business.

They get there money repairing it. win win

a1ex2001 · 12 Jan 2015 at 16:14

D.P. said:
Some savy buyers do care if the second hand lens is a grey important because as I said, Nikon/canon are unlikely to touch it even if you are willing to pay full repair cost (not that warranty is transferable anyway, but they will just completely block the repair).

Lol that is scaremongering at it's very worst, my s100 was repaired by a canon authorised centre I paid and the cost was refunded by the grey seller. The repair centre didn't care as long as I paid and all the supplier asked for was a copy of an email from the repair centre confirming the fault would normally be a warranty fix and a quote, they decided this cost was preferable to sending me a new camera I pad for the repair sent them the invoice (had to be marked paid) and they refunded me the money.

D.P. · 12 Jan 2015 at 16:48

jonneymendoza said:
My mate got his 5d3 from HK imports. it developed a fault and he sent it to Canon for them to repair at a cost.

However, the place he got it from in HK have refunded him the repair costs.

So there you go, Canon will repair your camera regardless of where you bough it from.

So long as you pay them, why not?

business is business.

They get there money repairing it. win win

a1ex2001 said:
Lol that is scaremongering at it's very worst, my s100 was repaired by a canon authorised centre I paid and the cost was refunded by the grey seller. The repair centre didn't care as long as I paid and all the supplier asked for was a copy of an email from the repair centre confirming the fault would normally be a warranty fix and a quote, they decided this cost was preferable to sending me a new camera I pad for the repair sent them the invoice (had to be marked paid) and they refunded me the money.

The issue is it is very unclear what Nikon or canon will do. They almost certainly don't adhere to any warranty so at best you have to pay for the repair or send it back to HK. However,there have been a number of cases where they have refused any kind of repair even at cost unless a valid UK receipt was presented.

It is all a bit of a gamble, but at bets you end up with a camera with a similar warranty to a second hand camera, but you pay more typically.

There is also a it difference between Nikon and canon. Canon seem more lenient and are more likely to repair grey imports, Nikon are very strict. Even then there are differences between regions, e.g. EU law forces Nikon to provide some kind of warranty even to grey market goods under certain conditions, but in USA and Australia Nikon will tell you to get lost if you can't show proper receipt of origin form within the region.