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Buying Guides
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Everything you want and need to know about choosing the right product, simple, easy and straight forward,
without any meaningless tech talk. |
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Guide to International Models
(IE: Direct/Parallel Imports, Grey Market, etc)
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Most items we carry are obtained from one source, the manufacturer's official USA distribution arm, usually a direct subsidiary, such as Canon USA, or an authorized USA wholesale distributor.
However, a great many other items are also made available to us via what most people refer to as the "Grey Market". These are essentially direct equivalents to sister models packaged for USA consumption, but intended for primary sale in other countries. Unfortunately, the term "Grey Market" carries a negative conotation in the minds of many; some even believing that "Grey Market" goods are illegal. Though perfectly legal and embraced by many leading retailers, the image of "Grey Market" has often been poisoned by unscrupulous merchants, who either misrepresent international models as USA, or refuse to back them when defective.
Why would it ever make sense to purchase such items?
First of all, such items are usually far less costly than the USA equivalents. This is primarily due to swings in currency, or oversupply situations in the countries from whence the items arrive. Yes, the warranty coverage represents a trade-off. For the most part, a manufacturer's official USA distribution arm will not honor warranties for such items. This does not mean that an international model is unwarrantied. When purchased from a merchant who does back and warranty the product, AS WE DO, this risk is removed, leaving the buyer with a clear choice, if they wish to save money.
Other trade-offs might include USA distributor rebates, which usually exclude international models, but again, the price difference is usually far more than the USA rebate.
Our warranties usually mirror the manufacturer's official USA coverage, covering the same defects. All international model product descriptions include warranty coverage periods, as do the descriptions for the USA units. Should an international model require service for defects within our coverage period, we will absorb any repair cost. Just as you would with the manufacturer, you would only be responsible for shipping costs. You would ship the item to us instead of to the manufacturer's service agent, and WE would forward the item to an authorized USA service facility, at OUR expense.
Availability is another major reason for considering international models. Many hot new models are released in extemely limited quantities. It can take the manufacturers a surprisingly long time to catch up with demand, and the Grey Market occasionally provides supply when the USA fails to. Sometimes, models are discontinued in the USA while still being available overseas, another case where the Grey Market fills a need.
Does it make sense for you to forego the official USA product in favor of the grey?
This is basically a matter of comfort level. We've been in business, located in the same neighborhood where we began, nearly 40 years. You can rest assured that we will not fold up and disappear during the course of your store-backed warranty. Would you prefer knowing that you can ship a defective item to the nearest manufacturer repair center, instead of back to us? Then, yes, you should stick to the USA model. Due to currency swings, if the price difference between USA and international is minimal, then again, perhaps it pays more to take USA. By and large, however, when both are available, it makes far more sense to go with the greater savings, and choose the international model.
Are there any differences other than warranty, between a USA and intenrational product?
There is usually no physical or mechanical difference between international items and USA counterparts. A USA and international lens, for example, share the same specifications, materials, tolerances, quality checks, and are manufactured in the same plants. They usually include the same accessories in the box. You can always see what these items include in our product descriptions.
Cases where mechanical differences might exist include a few flash units, where the USA is scaled in feet, while the international is in metrics. The product name would identify such situations.
Some Grey Market digital cameras with video out and movie clip features, may be made for overseas video standards, such as PAL (The USA standard is called NTSC). Again, such a situation would be identified in the product name. Essentially, PAL video footage cannot be displayed on NTSC televisions and VCRs. They CAN be displayed on most computer media player software, and such short video clips, intended by design for computer viewing, are rarely viewed on TVs or VCRs anyway. For those who merely intend to save such video footage to their harddrives or CD disks, it makes little sense to spend extra cash just to allow for TV viewing of such files.
The vast majority of our international digital products are set to NTSC. The same applies to camcorders. The only PAL system camcorders we carry are for those who actually need PAL recording, mostly customers residing in locations where PAL is the standard. International NTSC camcorder models, which are compatible with all USA TVs and VCRs, have NTSC identified in the product name to avoid confusion.
Sometimes, an international model is a different color than the USA, or one will be avasilable in more colors than the other.
By far, the greatest differences are in product nameplates (model names). Some manufacturers apply different model names to cameras in the USA than the same cameras are called overseas. For example, a USA Minolta Maxxum is a Minolta Dynax overseas, the USA Canon EOS Rebel 2000 is an EOS 300 overseas, Pentax IQ Zooms are Pentax Espios overseas, etc. Whenever such situations exist, we will identify the item first by the international nameplate, with the USA equivalent in parentheses. Except for the name, these models are the same mechanically.
The Grey Market also extends to film.
As warranties do not apply with film, price is pretty much the deciding factor for many on whether to take international film (INTL) over the offically distributed USA product.
Film identified on our site as USA is either made in the USA, or made for the USA.
We take great care to see that all our film, whether USA or international, are transported and stored under proper conditions.
To summarize, no one need fear purchasing international goods from us. Your purchase will be backed by us and you will always know what you are getting, and you will get it at the right, honest price.
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