Local vs Grey Market

[Renae]

Just interested in everyone's thoughts....

I am planning to buy a 5DII and have been doing some research on price. DWI have it for a great price $2,500 (ish). I just went to the local camera shop to find out how much i could get one for duty free - $3,100 (ish). The local store has small perks like free sensor cleaning & they hire lenses to people who buy camera bodies off them which could come in handy. There is also the Canon Australia warranty HOWEVER $600 is a BIG difference and I am definitely not made of money. It seems like a no brainer money-wise but I am concerned about warranty issues on the grey market cameras. $2,500 is a lot of money to lose if something goes wrong & the grey market warranty is dodgy. Anyone had any good/bad experiences with items being purcahsed or repaired under warranty by either DWI or DDP?

[junqbox]

If you would like that camera store to still be there in a few years time, buy from them or another 'white' market retailer.

[kiwi]

dont forget that you are likely to pay 10% gst + up to $100 in charges importing, then, how much are you prepared to pay for an australian warrantee ?

[mikew09]

I think I must have been a member to long on this forum for the number of times I have seen this topic :-) lol.

There is arguments in both directions and if you search you will find a pretty even split I think. Personally I like to support local business and for me to date I have always been able to bet them down to within $50 to $100 of grey market - in fact my 50D I got for less than grey at the time.

You also need to consider import duty and such. I would like to recommend trying the site sponsors price wise too - probably where my next purchase will come from.

Personal preference I think but I like to feel I am doing my bit for the economy. My personal thoughts.

[calloyd]

Hi Renae
I was in the same quandary when I was looking for my EOS 550D last April. I ended up spending more and buying on the local market. Good thing I did too because I had to send it back to Canon yesterday! Things shouldn't go wrong with a new camera but sometimes they do.

I was in one of the local camera shops a couple of weeks ago and heard a guy bargaining for a lens for the same price as the "grey" market one. They accepted his offer without hesitation so it's worth a try, the worst they can do is say no!

Hope my camera doesn't take too long to come back - I feel as if I've lost an arm :eek:

[Roosta]

Same as above, go local, Might be less camera shops up your way, but if you do your homework, there are plenty of shops in OZ that sell over the net with secure shipping, AUS PHOTO site sponsors is a great place to start, also QLD or WA for to closeness for shipping.

If you settle for a local shop and then buy more gear later, you will be remembered and probally have more barganing power after buying a top camera of them..

Best of luck

[Bear Dale]

Sometimes its just hard to buy local when the $$$ is huge between grey and white.

[JM Tran]

QUESTION: hey what comes first? The Chicken or the Egg?




ANSWER: None. The Grey Import vs Local thread ALWAYS COMES FIRST


hahahaha!

[kiwi]

i have a pretty simple rule, buy bodies local and lenses grey.....bodies are more likely to go kaput

[Colinc1]

With the exchange rate the way it is at the moment,there are some excellent prices on the grey import sites, a lens i am looking at is nearly 40% cheaper than what i can get locally.

It has also just crept under the $1000 mark, so a bonus in avoiding complications with customs,
and rather than wait to see if the exchange rate improves further,i ordered it tonight.

I am not sure how the exchange rate would be effected if the reserve bank increases rates next week.

[jbee]

I think you will find Collin that customs may well look at it's value here when assessing it, when it is that close to the $1000 mark, and not what you paid for it. They are not daft

[Tanne]

If you buy from a trusted grey store it should be okay. Theres a couple really well known ones that professionals buy from (and many people on here I have read to!) buy from. They are in Aus with store fronts and pretty good customer service and good if you ever need to return. Then you have the dodgy ones to.

[Big Pix]

....... cheaper is not always a better deal......

....... buying from store fronts have been well worth the odd minor hic up with lens and bodys....

I have had lens exchanged, and re calerbrated no questions asked

bodies re calerbrated and camera body exchanged in I case .......

EDIT: you are unable to get this service with a web purchase

[Tonym]

I was looking at buying a grey market 50D because the prices were a lot lower than local stores had the cameras advertised for but I was a bit worried about the warranty so I asked at a local store if they would do any deals and thet ended up only $90 dearer than grey price. I bought the camera straight away and the guy said if I need any lenses or other accessories to come and see them which I did when I bought my 100-400L, after shoping around on the web and they also priced matched that. They have definatly got my business for any other goodies.

[Lintrathen]

I obviously have been very lucky with my photography purchases over the years as I have yet to have a warranty issue (send in for repairs/replacement). So my personal premise is to forego any warranty considerations.
My current equipment is all ex-eBay USA (over the past 4 years or so) and is all "going like a rocket".
Whilst I try to support the local economy, the governent taxes "luxury" items to death and then the GST to boot (taxes upon taxes). Export items from the USA/England exclude any form of purchase tax.
It has been mentioned of the Customs involvement - they will hold any parcel showing a value of around $1000 and above, and you will have to pay duty.
Many camera stores will haggle over pricing...... just be brave and negotiate.
Regards

[Lizzie]

Hi,
My two bobs worth is I have purchased "grey" and "white" with the caveat the "grey" I purchase from is local to Queensland with a brick and mortar shop front of long standing reputation. The "grey" importer from whom I buy, purchases from the overseas manufacturer of hypothetically say Canon, not Canon Australia (who I believe import from the same Canon manufacturer) The "white" product is sourced from Canon Australia, enjoys the warranty through Canon Australia and should a defect be found the camera is returned to Canon Australia who send it out to a camera repairer or replace. Should a defect occur in the particular "grey" importer with a shop window of bricks and mortar they send it out to the repairer or replace in line with the warranty with the purchase. Forgive me but could the repairer could be the same one in both instances. So the "grey" importers can have a much lower price as bypass one level of sale. Having said this the "white" purchases have been on a par price wise with the "grey" if you take in to the salesperson the print out of the price you can purchase the item.
I consider both the "grey" and "white" dealers that I purchase from as "local", the only local thing in both instances is jobs...

The "grey" seller, Australia (and I am not talking about an overseas "grey" seller eg Hong Kong where I must say I was sorely tempted but concerned with warranty) in my experience have the item delivered by courier the next working day in my location.

Cheers,

[Dnator]

Export items from the USA/England exclude any form of purchase tax.
It has been mentioned of the Customs involvement - they will hold any parcel showing a value of around $1000 and above, and you will have to pay duty.


I am looking at upgrading my equipment and so am following this thread with interest.

Lintrathen - I am curious - when you say the export items don't have a purchase tax, are you referring to a tax in the country of purchase, i.e. USA or England? If they are over $1000, and sent to Australia, do you still have to pay the GST on them?

Cheers

[para]

i have a pretty simple rule, buy bodies local and lenses grey.....bodies are more likely to go kaput

Agree would be a bit wary buying a camera offshore but lenses yes, recently saved myself a fair bit buying from the us just do a bit of research from the shop you are buying from.

[tek]

All good points mentioned.

I'm certainly also one to support the local bricks and mortar industry and would be keen to find how just how much room the retail stores have to move.

E.g. the body and lens I am after is $1550 shipped from HK. Assuming I am hit with GST let's call it $1700.00. Retail shop is selling for $2200.00. Would they really have $500.00 to move? I'm all for establishing a relationship with that store and keep going back for my gear however I also don't want to insult the business owner.

[Bercy]

This is very much a recurring discussion. When you pay a bit more for quality, the issue of price is soon forgotten as you enjoy years of pleasure, and when you by cheaply and things don't work, you are forever reminded of what you might have had if you had paid a little more. This is not just about the camera - this is about making the right choice, buying the right accessories, the right warrantee and the right after sales service. I looked at the bona fide Australian (online admittedly) prices and I agree reputable providers that I have dealt with or have no concerns about their reputation have them for $2.900. The grey advertised price +shipping +insurance+import tarriffs(GST) and I would say your not far off. I have negotiated in photo shops and chains like Harvey Norman - they get the floor manager and he/she does a deal. All you have to do is ask!

Good luck

berni

[bricat]

I have dealt with a grey importer for my 7d. Landed I think was $1900 after duties etc. Best price I got here was 2200. Oh the import came with 2 kit lenses and the price here was body only. And he is now a site sponsor(digital review):D. Of course I get warranty and I might have to wait a little longer for repairs if required(touch wood). It's not as if I am losing an arm or something. And yes I was a little worried sending the money overseas without seeing the goods but I could not be happier. I would still be trying to save money for my purchase if not for grey imports . cheers Brian

[davomate]

I recently paid under $1500 for my 7D body from DigitalRev.com. Only annoyances are a photocopied manual and a battery charger with a travel adapter. If it has to go back for warranty I have my 450D to fall back on. I have also imported a 70-200 f4 for a similar price earlier this year, and in neither case was I charged GST or duty. I have saved well over $1000 on these and the 15-85 I imported last year. Enough money for another lens...

[Flash Hit]

My 20c worth, I purchased the 7D with all the trimmings from DWI and the price advertised (over $3000) was the price I paid and not a penny (sorry CENT) more. Their repairs and warranty work are carried out in Sydney. I had one small problem with DWI and they were on it (and fixed it) like a seagull onto a sick prawn.
All said - it's a personal choice and this is good for my typing practice!

[davomate]

If it has to go back for warranty I have my 450D to fall back on...

Guess what, it did. My 7D developed a sensor fault (vertical lines on all the images). DigitalRev offered a local repair if the quote was reasonable. But this took 2 weeks and was in excess of the purchase cost. DigitalRev took another week to agree that I should return it to Hong Kong. Then the Christmas and New Year period at Canon HK. Then held up an extra week in Australian Customs on the way back because they are cracking down on under valued imports. In all I was without my camera for over 2 1/2 months. Made me very glad I had not sold my 450D. Now learning to use my 7D again, because I only had it for 3 weeks before it developed the fault.

[macrocephalic]

Some of the grey importers offer insurance extra, I'm not sure of the cost, but if grey+insurance is the same price as local+local warranty then I'd take the grey as insurance covers accidental damage etc.

[Camerashy]

I agree with Bercy, the best deals are not grey or non-grey, they are in person. Humans are much keener to do deals than websites, they can lose their jobs if they don't sell things. You will be surprised how low they go.

[8perpetual]

Sometimes its a matter of luck. I got a grey set 85L which was dead sharp. No regrets. Saved me $400. If you have the chance to test the copies before hand, that will be great.

[Bennymiata]

I don't mind paying a little more to buy locally rather than from overseas, but it depends on what you're buying, and how much you can save.
I recently bought a new 60D, and an L lens, along with a 580EX II flash, and saved myself around $1,000 by buying grey imorts.
Evne though they were all sent together, I paid no duty or taxes and I received the one parcel in about 4 days.
All the equipment works flawlessly, so I'm happy.
I have bought a couple of other lenses locaaly however, as their price was so close to the imports, that I preffered to pay more.

I think the deal is that if you can save significant money, it's worth the risk, but if the difference in price is small, say around 10-15%, then i'll buy locally.