Buy From an authorized Dealer Only

[bigrockets]

Every manufacturer's web site will list authorized dealers. Some big on line retailers are not authorized dealers for some of the brands they carry. They get their camera either from the gray market or through a third party that is an authorized dealer. For example some large computer and electronics retailers sell Nikon cameras. They are not an authorized Nikon USA Dealers. They ship your Nikon from another third party authorized dealer. You still have a Nikon USA warranty but you will go through a little inconvenience (better known as hell) to get it serviced correctly. This is one reason why you should buy cameras from retailers who specialize in cameras. I don't go to camera stores to buy computers so why would I go to a computer store to buy a camera? Why is all of this important? Warranty work. If your camera turns out to be a gray market camera, sold by a US dealer but bought and shipped from say Hong Kong, you do not have a USA warranty. Nikon uses serial number coding for every country. All US authorized cameras, lenses and accessories can be identified as U.S. versions by the serial number. If you buy from other than a USA authorized dealer you do not have a USA warranty and you cannot get warranty service in the US. Can you send the camera back to Hong Kong or Japan? Sure you can and they will charge you for the repairs because you don't have a warranty there either. Before you buy any camera on line make sure that whoever is selling it is an authorized USA (or pick your country) dealer. Don't take their word for it, check the manufacturers list of authorized dealers because believe it or not there are some dishonest on line retailers who may not tell you the truth. So be carefull, do your homework and if the price seems too good to be true it probably is.

[Warin]

Back when I was in retail, I sold cameras. I had this one in-duh-vidual taht insisted on trying to work me as hard as possible for a deal. I finally offered him the camera he wanted at our wholesale price, plus 5%.

Instead, he bought it from a retailer in the US that was, even for the US, grey market.

Imagine his anger and shock when it broke down six months later... and as I had carefully explained to him when he brought it in to gloat over what a "great deal" he got... Nikon Canada refused to repair it under warranty. And then the shady place he bought it refused to help him. I was unfailingly polite to this twit as he raged at me (and I didnt even work for Nikon!) that he now had a broken and essentially unrepairable camera!

If a deal sounds too good to be true it probably is. And if you are buying anything electronic, be it a television or a camera, make certain that it is properly supported by a retailer that is authorized to sell that product in the country you are in.