EOS 5DIII Retail or Grey

[iaind]

I have the chance to buy probable US import at £2200/US$3500 against uk retail £2999

Guarantee is sellers own 12 month.

Should I go ahead?

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Will the seller be around for a year? What happens after 1 year? Personally, without knowing the seller, I'd consider his warrantyto be worthless. How will he deal with any recalls? With stores like Jessups closing down, I'd be very cynical. What does it cost to purchase a private warranty?

 

[Kernuak]

Also, you need to factor in import duty and taxes, often they bring it very close to the UK price. I was wary, but did go for a grey import in the end, going with DigitalRev and got the MkIII, with battery pack and spare battery for £500 less than retail. During the buying process, they state that any duty will be charged direct to them and from their reputation, I was more confident about their warranty. The downside though, which I didn't factor in, was the ability to claim back a tax refund at the end of year, but that would depend on how much I sold and how much gear I bought anyway. The year before last, I was able to claim back a few hundred, last year it worked out I had to pay an extra couple of pounds.