I am about to acquire a D700. Since warranty doesn't transfer or is not in effect, does the import status really matter? Opinions?
FYI the grey market has 6,000 actuations, the USA model 36,000. Price difference of $250 (more for the lower count camera). Both fully functioning, both very clean.
I've heard that the warranty is the only difference on gray market items. So in my opinion if you are buying used, then gray market makes zero difference.
Nikon USA refuses to perform any service on grey market bodies in or out of the warranty period. That said there are many excellent service companies that are Nikon certified that will service your equipment at a lower cost than Nikon should it ever be required. You can also get 3rd party warranties like Mack for very reasonable cost that provide 3-5 year warranties and have options that cover things like accidental damage if you desire. I personally would not hesitate to buy grey market if it is a really good deal. That said Adorama currently has D700's listed on ebay which are Nikon refurbs and carry a 90 warranty. If you buy them using the Microsoft Bing.com rebate you can get them for a net price of about $1980. Just a thought, that is a good deal and something to consider. These units generally have shutter clicks of 100-2000.
Kingfishphoto wrote:
What is the Microsoft Bing.com rebate ?
You have to begin your shopping session at www.bing.com and find the item you want to buy and the participating retailer through bing.com. If you then make a purchase, you'll get a per centage of the item's price back
davenfl wrote:
Nikon USA refuses to perform any service on grey market bodies in or out of the warranty period. That said there are many excellent service companies that are Nikon certified that will service your equipment at a lower cost than Nikon should it ever be required. You can also get 3rd party warranties like Mack for very reasonable cost that provide 3-5 year warranties and have options that cover things like accidental damage if you desire. I personally would not hesitate to buy grey market if it is a really good deal. That said Adorama currently has D700's listed on ebay which are Nikon refurbs and carry a 90 warranty. If you buy them using the Microsoft Bing.com rebate you can get them for a net price of about $1980. Just a thought, that is a good deal and something to consider. These units generally have shutter clicks of 100-2000.
Dave...Show more →
Hmm I am going to have to say you are wrong about this. My grey-market D700 has been to Nikon twice, once for a clean and once for a wiggly hot-shoe, they fixed her up without any quibbles at all, I just paid the repair service fee. Mine comes from Japan.
I too have bought refurb bodies and have been very happy. Last one was a D300 for $1040. Looked like new. D700 prices continue to fall. Used ones are now under $1,900. If you aren't a pro needing one for work, consider waiting until mid to late January when camera prices typically take a seasonal nosedive. I would not be surprised to see D700 hitting $1,600 in February as people sell toys to pay bills. Meanwhile, I buy first class lenses to have in place. Those typically don't drop much, if any.
Just my .02 cents. I currently have a D80 that is Grey market. My shutter clicks are around 7000. Unfortunantly, my shutter is now having issues and I tried to send it back to Nikon. After they recieved it, I got the phone call that because my camera is a non-us version, they will not make any repairs to it. I was told to try and contact independant repair center. I would avoid the grey market products.
misanthropic a wrote:
Hmm I am going to have to say you are wrong about this. My grey-market D700 has been to Nikon twice, once for a clean and once for a wiggly hot-shoe, they fixed her up without any quibbles at all, I just paid the repair service fee. Mine comes from Japan.
Just because it came from Japan doesn't mean it's necessarily grey market. It depends on where you bought it and how the retailer got it to sell to you.
henryp wrote:
Just because it came from Japan doesn't mean it's necessarily grey market. It depends on where you bought it and how the retailer got it to sell to you.
This is true; the major Japanese retailers sell both product for local market and product for export. Export comes with a warranty for your destination market but it costs slightly more.
Hey Henry Posner!
Nice to see you here!
Where did you get those unsold D3's
Did Nikon take them or you've hidden them somewhere?
All of sudden they got the status of "discontinued".
I can't beleive that all of them have been sold.
I'm looking for a good deal on old stock D3 (not refurbished or used)
.