Purchasing... gray market concerns...

[Leadfingers]

Im in the market for a new Rebel... probably a T6s. I have found a few discount dealers, but I seem to recall hearing on this board that if you buy discount, that there's a chance you'll get a gray market body.

How would I be able to tell?

 

[Loswr]

Lack of a Canon USA warranty card is a good clue.

 

[Don Haines]

Lack of a Canon USA warranty card is a good clue.

Not here in Canada

I think the OP meant how do you tell if it is grey market BEFORE you purchase it....

If buying in person, Neuro is right.... look for the warranty card. It's a lot harder online, you have to find a dealer you can trust. First step is to check if they are an authorized dealer.... if they are not, the odds of grey market are quite high. Several of the major players (B&H for example) sell both grey market and official products and label them as such.

Also, ASK! Tell them that you need a formal quote and that it must not be a grey market item, and that the quote must contain warranty information. At this point, if it is grey market, one would hope that they would decline selling it to you....

 

[unfocused]

Go to canonpricewatch.com and check their listings. They have the current prices from both authorized and unauthorized dealers. They only list reputable sellers, so if the place you are thinking about buying from is not listed on that site, don't buy from them. Buying from a reputable seller is more important than grey market vs authorized dealer, anyway. Best prices for authorized dealers are usually in their "street price" program,

If someone is selling anything for significantly less than others, it's always a good idea to be suspicious.

Canonpricewatch also has some detailed blog posts about the differences between grey market and not grey market.

 

[Loswr]

Lack of a Canon USA warranty card is a good clue.

Not here in Canada

Isn't it the same? My warranty cards have stated Canon USA and Canon Canada in them. Interestingly, that was true also for the EF-M 11-22, even though it's not sold in the US.

 

[Leadfingers]

Interesting answers, all.

CanonPriceWatch only shows the T6S at retail pricing. But its got other good info. I'll keep it handy. Thanks!

I'm seeing the T6S at some retailers for $649 to $699 (body only). That's discounted, but still high enough to be legit, I think. I'll call them and report back


Here's one example...
http://americancameracompany.com/index.php?id_product=973&controller=product

 

[Arty]

The Canon website lists authorizes dealers.

 

[m8547]

Again I do apologize for going off topic.
Although maybe it is on topic people mistreat and see photographers as chumps so maybe the best bet is just staying with the authorized dealers. Does a hundred off a fragile piece of electronics really justify the risk.

It's not like you are getting a fake product. I don't know of any fake Canon cameras. It would be too much work to make one. Canon cameras are durable, and you will probably never need to use the warranty.

What you don't get is guaranteed warranty (but you can probably use it anyway) or good support like the ability to return it hassle free. Also, most of the profit probably goes overseas because the camera was probably purchased overseas.

Here is the USA authorized dealers list:
http://www.usa.canon.com/app/pdf/dealer/CanonAuthorizedDealers.pdf

If it's not from one of those, it could be imported, or it could be extra stock that an authorized dealer is trying to get rid of. Authorized dealers need to sell a certain amount of stuff to keep their status, so sometimes they sell to unauthorized dealers at a lower price, who in turn sell stuff to you. It doesn't matter either way because it's the same camera either way.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Interesting answers, all.

CanonPriceWatch only shows the T6S at retail pricing. But its got other good info. I'll keep it handy. Thanks!

I'm seeing the T6S at some retailers for $649 to $699 (body only). That's discounted, but still high enough to be legit, I think. I'll call them and report back


Here's one example...
http://americancameracompany.com/index.php?id_product=973&controller=product

Learn to use Canon price watch, they list the low priced ebay gray market sellers that have a good reputation and do not list sellers that have been troublesome.

They show $759 as the lowest price for a US model. What happens is they refer you to a authorized seller who has agreed to sell at the discounted price. Its usually one of the major companies, but its not a good idea to list them, or the deal may go away.

http://www.canonpricewatch.com/product/05717/Canon-EOS-Rebel-T6s-price.html

 

[Leadfingers]

How concerned should I be about non-authorized resellers? The ones I'm looking at are all US-based, so they aren't in some asian chop shop...(I hope)

After receiving a body, I assume I could call Canon and register it for the warranty. If there's a problem with the pedigree of the body, they'd tell me right then... correct?

 

[Ozarker]

Lack of a Canon USA warranty card is a good clue.

Neuro, when I buy a Canon product I always register it right away (I always buy a USA model). However, I don't keep the warranty card or the boxes. Mistake? My place is so small. No excuse for throwing the cards away (but I did)... but I now know I should have saved boxes for when I want to sell.

 

[dash2k8]

I've bought numerous gray market items over the years and am no worse for it, but maybe I'm just lucky that I didn't have to use the warranty. As others have stated, gray is exactly identical to domestic. Buy domestic for the warranty, or if you've lived a mostly lucky life, then buy gray and save some money.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Lack of a Canon USA warranty card is a good clue.

Neuro, when I buy a Canon product I always register it right away (I always buy a USA model). However, I don't keep the warranty card or the boxes. Mistake? My place is so small. No excuse for throwing the cards away (but I did)... but I now know I should have saved boxes for when I want to sell.

The bill of sale is what is needed for warranty service. If you do not have that, they usually go by 1 year after the date of manufacture. Anyone can register a product, even 5 years after buying it, so it is not proof of purchase, but it gets you lots of sales e-mail and any service notices.

 

[Ozarker]

Lack of a Canon USA warranty card is a good clue.

Neuro, when I buy a Canon product I always register it right away (I always buy a USA model). However, I don't keep the warranty card or the boxes. Mistake? My place is so small. No excuse for throwing the cards away (but I did)... but I now know I should have saved boxes for when I want to sell.

The bill of sale is what is needed for warranty service. If you do not have that, they usually go by 1 year after the date of manufacture. Anyone can register a product, even 5 years after buying it, so it is not proof of purchase, but it gets you lots of sales e-mail and any service notices.

Thanks! I have all my sales slips. That's what I needed to know.

 

[Vivid Color]

Dear Leadfingers,

here is a link to an excellent article by canonpricewatch.com on how to buy online and what to watch out for.

http://www.canonpricewatch.com/blog/info/

Be sure to click on the blue links and read the underlying articles. While knowing whether you're buying a US/Canada or graymarket item is important, there are a lot of other things to look out for as well. Hope this helps.

Vivid Color