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How to check the intended market region from serial number?

Mar 15, 2017
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Hi all,

Over the last few months I've seen several eBay sellers make mention of being able to check if an item is a grey import or a genuine UK item from the serial number. Does anyone know if this is true? I've searched several times but each search seems to end with either links to decoding lens date/factory codes or discussions on the merits/downsides of buying grey imports, and I've not found any definitive guide to show which serials correspond with which market regions. Is this a load of nonsense or is there a link between serials and regions?

Cheers, Steve