Pros/cons of grey imports?

[pgreen1011]

Hi,

I am looking to purchase a 7D and 24-105. After researching a supplier my head hurts :shrug:

Is there any down side to buying a grey import from a company that offers a 3 year warranty (hdewcameras) ?

Or should I go to a high street store (Jessops) pay an extra £339 and only receive 1 year warranty?

Initially it would appear a no-brainer. But I'll be spending a lot of money and wanted to make sure I have no regrets

Cheers

Paul

 

[andyred]

Hi Paul

Try Ian (Kerso) on here for a price as well, his are imports from America, but I know there are no issues with warrenty from Canon for lenses supplied by him. Will also give you a price comparison.

Have a search on here re HDEW - not sure about the warrenty they offer ?

 

[Flash In The Pan]

Hi,

I am looking to purchase a 7D and 24-105. After researching a supplier my head hurts :shrug:

Is there any down side to buying a grey import from a company that offers a 3 year warranty (hdewcameras) ?

Or should I go to a high street store (Jessops) pay an extra £339 and only receive 1 year warranty?

Initially it would appear a no-brainer. But I'll be spending a lot of money and wanted to make sure I have no regrets

Cheers

Paul

The only downside is the warranty - the 3-year one will be with the dealer, so if they go out of business you'll be on your own.The Jessops camera and lens will have proper Canon UK warranties, plus the advantage of being able to return them in person to a Jessops branch, should anything go wrong.

 

[Galaxy66]

Have you dismissed buying second hand? you can save even more and could even pick up a 7D / 24-105 still under warranty if that is really important to you.

However I would not worry too much about buying out of warranty, the 24-105 L's are built like a tank and have not had any major issues that I know of, be selective and look for a well cared for 7D and lens on here and you should be ok.

I have saved a good amount buying most of my kit s/h in mint condition and have never had any problems at all.

 

[pgreen1011]

Hi,

Thank you all for your rapid responses on a Sunday morning

Hi Paul

Try Ian (Kerso) on here for a price as well, his are imports from America, but I know there are no issues with warrenty from Canon for lenses supplied by him. Will also give you a price comparison.

Have a search on here re HDEW - not sure about the warrenty they offer ?

Hi Andy,

Waiting on a reply to a pm I sent Kerso.

The only downside is the warranty - the 3-year one will be with the dealer, so if they go out of business you'll be on your own.The Jessops camera and lens will have proper Canon UK warranties, plus the advantage of being able to return them in person to a Jessops branch, should anything go wrong.

The ease of returning to Jessops for me is the biggest positive. Maybe I'm being too cautious? Can't find many negative reports about the reliabillity to the 7D/24-105 combo

Have you dismissed buying second hand? you can save even more and could even pick up a 7D / 24-105 still under warranty if that is really important to you.

However I would not worry too much about buying out of warranty, the 24-105 L's are built like a tank and have not had any major issues that I know of, be selective and look for a well cared for 7D and lens on here and you should be ok.

I have saved a good amount buying most of my kit s/h in mint condition and have never had any problems at all.

I would consider 2nd hand equipment. I will keep my eyes open. The only down side is that I'm one of the people that "want it and want it now!!"

Thanks again for all your feedback

Paul

 

[Mitzyboy]

As I posted on another thread, I bought my camera direct from America and in effect I had no guarantee at all. It's been no problem, I just needed a plug change / converter for the charger.

That being said, had there been a subsequent problem with the camera it would have cost me!!

 

[KIPAX]

In cases like this I find it best to ask canon... people who know Before spending thousands on an import i contacted canon who told me a lens brought into the country would be under warranty and I could send it to canon UK for any problems.. however a camera body they would not honour an imported warranty..

That was straight from the horses mouth at Canon..

However reports on here from people say they have sent imported bodies to canon and got them fixed no problem.

So ya take yer chances with impoirted bodies... for my money I would take that chance with kerso who is more personal than companies.. has the same prices and will not let you down regarding getting any problems sorted if any occur

 

[srichards]

I find it mysterious that manufacturers won't warranty their products in other countries when they are the same product! It shouldn't matter what route it has taken to your hands. If you bought it from a UK seller than you should have full warranty with canon UK. Has anyone checked out that it is legal for canon to deny responsibility for cameras that were bought in the UK but imported from another country? (I'm sure all canons are made abroad so it is daft to decide one route will be warrantied and another won't)

 

[Galaxy66]

I find it mysterious that manufacturers won't warranty their products in other countries when they are the same product! It shouldn't matter what route it has taken to your hands. If you bought it from a UK seller than you should have full warranty with canon UK. Has anyone checked out that it is legal for canon to deny responsibility for cameras that were bought in the UK but imported from another country? (I'm sure all canons are made abroad so it is daft to decide one route will be warrantied and another won't)

The law in this country IIRC is that the responsibility, excluding serious safety matters, lies with the retailer not the manufacturer but obviously a lot of responsible manufacturers such as Canon will deal with any issues direct.

So on that basis they can exclude grey imports.

 

[Flash In The Pan]

I find it mysterious that manufacturers won't warranty their products in other countries when they are the same product! It shouldn't matter what route it has taken to your hands. If you bought it from a UK seller than you should have full warranty with canon UK.

Even if Canon UK didn't sell the item originally and so made no profit from the sale? Bearing in mind that the UK importer isn't necessarily a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canon in Japan?

 

[jimybell]

As posted prev, HDEW, give them a ring, talk to the guy about warranty,
Jim

 

[Alastair]

Even if Canon UK didn't sell the item originally and so made no profit from the sale? Bearing in mind that the UK importer isn't necessarily a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canon in Japan?

This is the bit most people don't realise.. they just see "Canon"/"Nikon"/"Sony" and assume it's all the same organisation in every country.

 

[kerso]

Paul, 7D & 24-105mm IS prices sent. Ian.

Hi,

Thank you all for your rapid responses on a Sunday morning



Hi Andy,

Waiting on a reply to a pm I sent Kerso.



The ease of returning to Jessops for me is the biggest positive. Maybe I'm being too cautious? Can't find many negative reports about the reliabillity to the 7D/24-105 combo



I would consider 2nd hand equipment. I will keep my eyes open. The only down side is that I'm one of the people that "want it and want it now!!"

Thanks again for all your feedback

Paul

 

[Flash In The Pan]

This is the bit most people don't realise.. they just see "Canon"/"Nikon"/"Sony" and assume it's all the same organisation in every country.

Just be thankful none of the camera importers in this country have the same deal going with our customs service that the Rolex distributor in the US has with theirs....

The Rolex trademark recordation with Customs indicates "Import of Goods Bearing Genuine Trademarks or Trade Names Restricted." This means that genuine Rolex products can only be imported with the permission of the trademark owner, Rolex Watch U.S.A. Inc. A private individual can hand carry one Rolex watch from a trip overseas without obtaining permission. Bring in more than one, and they will all be seized as a trademark violation. Purchasing a Rolex from overseas by mail is also a trademark violation.