When I find something very cheap on the net, e.g. a digital camera should I buy it immediately? Grey market items are US imports from either Asia or Europe thar are not intended for sale in the US. These are models targeted towards other world markets that don't carry the US warranty.
You can find some great grey market deals from a lot of photo equipment retailers. A good retailer will identify the object as a grey market item so the buyer can make an informed decision.
Is buying something grey market a big deal? It can be, if the item is a high end camera or lens and you have problems with it the US distributor will be of no help. Manufacturers typically frown on grey market goods as they work hard to keep their model lines unique and distribution channels well stocked.
Some retailers will offer a secondary warranty (usually through their store or a 3rd party provider) recognizing the risk you run with a grey market item.
Grey market items are a real "buyer beware" type of item. I have a grey market lens that I've been very happy with, same specs, same build quality as the OEM -BUT- no warranty and no support but at a great price.
You really need to weigh the "risk/reward" of the purchase. Is the money you'll save worth the potential risk of needing service or repair?
Good luck! it is from Europe
and only has a 3 month warranty How cheap? If its below 60% the price of advertise pricing somethings wrong. I wouldnt trust it. They may just sell you a devective camera or never send you a camera for all you know. Get it from a litet source like beachcamera.com Grey market is a camera (or other type of equipment) that was not meant for sale in the US. As such the warranty is not valid (with the exception of Pentax - They have International warranty).
Nikon WILL NOT REPAIR ANY GREY MARKET CAMERAS IN THE US! PERIOD! Warranty or not. You have to send it to Europe for repair.
Some manufacturers simply do not have the parts in the US to repair the grey market cameras. Other manufacturers will not repair them because they have strict guide-lines as to what they can and cannot repair (grey market being something they likely can't).
The ONLY exception that I am aware of is Pentax (International Warranty and Service) and Canon (parts for most grey-market models are available from Canon USA) - I do not know about Canon warranty for grey market cameras.
Canon sells the same cameras everywhere, but gives them different bodies and names... IE: Ixus (Europe) = Digital Elph (US), D400 = XTi, etc... | 