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Gray Market vs. USA?

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Scott D. Kilbourn

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Hi,

I have a question. I ordered a camera online, and just got it today. Is there any way to tell for sure if this is a gray market camera or not?

Thanks,

Scott
 
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Hi,

I have a question. I ordered a camera online, and just got it
today. Is there any way to tell for sure if this is a gray market
camera or not?

Thanks,

Scott
Click to expand...
is its significantly or even moderately cheaper than the going price (www.bhphoto.com for example) then its probably gray market.

check for explicit statements of "comes with a us warranty" on the website.

u know, i would actually buy gray market cameras since they potentitally are cheaper; unfortunately it doesn't seem as if there's such thing as a "good" "reputable" grey market dealer that sells at great prices. meeting that first requirement is hard enough.
--
michael
my Sony f707 & accessories: http://www.shout.net/~chan/gear/
 
I bought from DBuys.com. On their website, it explicitly states that their items are factory sealed with USA warrantees. I was just wondering if there is any way to prove that this is the case. This camera sells anywhere from 412 - 499. I got it for 418 plus a bunch o shipping. Is there anything that distinguishes a camera as gray market?
michaelmichael said:
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Hi,

I have a question. I ordered a camera online, and just got it
today. Is there any way to tell for sure if this is a gray market
camera or not?

Thanks,

Scott
Click to expand...
is its significantly or even moderately cheaper than the going
price (www.bhphoto.com for example) then its probably gray market.

check for explicit statements of "comes with a us warranty" on the
website.

u know, i would actually buy gray market cameras since they
potentitally are cheaper; unfortunately it doesn't seem as if
there's such thing as a "good" "reputable" grey market dealer that
sells at great prices. meeting that first requirement is hard
enough.
--
michael
my Sony f707 & accessories: http://www.shout.net/~chan/gear/
Click to expand...
 
Sure, by the serial number. It should start with 13 or 14. Also, I think someone mentioned here that only the US variety has the silvery stiker on the barrel saying "Certification" and showing the manufacture date. This is from an old post by Ivo:
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Country codes of serial numbers:
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10xxxxx: Japan
12xxxxx: ???
131xxxx: Japan
132xxxx: USA
16xxxxx: Canada
17xxxxx: Europe (Continental)
185xxxx: Sweden, Russia
186xxxx: UK
189xxxx: Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, South Africa, Saudi Arabia
19xxxxx: Hong Kong, Australia, China, New Zealand
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Hi,

I have a question. I ordered a camera online, and just got it
today. Is there any way to tell for sure if this is a gray market
camera or not?

Thanks,

Scott
Click to expand...
 
Hmmm. I can't edit posts here...

Anyway, there was a warrantee in the box that was all in English, with a Ft. Meyers, FL address and US phone number. All the manuals were in English. Could any of this be a clue?
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Hi,

I have a question. I ordered a camera online, and just got it
today. Is there any way to tell for sure if this is a gray market
camera or not?

Thanks,

Scott
Click to expand...
 
Really? I did register the camera last night with no problems at all. I got an email from them about three seconds after I clicked the submit button with all the information. So if the camera were gray market, the registration site would've rejected me?
Richard Cooper said:
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Hi,

I have a question. I ordered a camera online, and just got it
today. Is there any way to tell for sure if this is a gray market
camera or not?

Thanks,

Scott
Click to expand...
Simply solution: Go the mfg web site and register your camera.
They will tell you.
Richard Cooper
Click to expand...
 
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Richard Cooper said:
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Hi,

I have a question. I ordered a camera online, and just got it
today. Is there any way to tell for sure if this is a gray market
camera or not?

Thanks,
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Scott

Simply solution: Go the mfg web site and register your camera.
They will tell you.
Richard Cooper
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Sorry, I read your post and you were questioning grey market goods and US warranty.
Richard
 
My question is , how can I tell whether I got something gray market. According to the site I bought it from, they don't sell gray market products. I wanted to verify that the product I got was not gray market. I just called Sony, and they said that there is really no way to tell. I would think that there must be something that distinguishes gray market products from "official" ones. Otherwise, how would you really know what you were getting?
Richard Cooper said:
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Richard Cooper said:
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Hi,

I have a question. I ordered a camera online, and just got it
today. Is there any way to tell for sure if this is a gray market
camera or not?

Thanks,
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Richard Cooper said:
Richard Cooper said:
Scott

Simply solution: Go the mfg web site and register your camera.
They will tell you.
Richard Cooper
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Sorry, I read your post and you were questioning grey market goods
and US warranty.
Richard
Click to expand...
 
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Richard Cooper said:
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Richard Cooper said:
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Hi,

I have a question. I ordered a camera online, and just got it
today. Is there any way to tell for sure if this is a gray market
camera or not?

Thanks,
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Scott

Simply solution: Go the mfg web site and register your camera.
They will tell you.
Richard Cooper
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Sorry, I read your post and you were questioning grey market goods
and US warranty.
Richard
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Every camera should have a serial number. On this forum you can search for a list of s/n and it will show various s/n by country.
US warrantied cameras will have the US s/n.
Richard
 
I'm sorry for being so dense. ;)

I did a search on "Serial Number" (without the quotes), and couldn't find any lists for any products. Are they on the Sony forum, or some other forum?

Thanks again...
Richard Cooper said:
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Richard Cooper said:
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Richard Cooper said:
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Hi,

I have a question. I ordered a camera online, and just got it
today. Is there any way to tell for sure if this is a gray market
camera or not?

Thanks,
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Richard Cooper said:
Richard Cooper said:
Scott

Simply solution: Go the mfg web site and register your camera.
They will tell you.
Richard Cooper
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Sorry, I read your post and you were questioning grey market goods
and US warranty.
Richard
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Every camera should have a serial number. On this forum you can
search for a list of s/n and it will show various s/n by country.
US warrantied cameras will have the US s/n.
Richard
Click to expand...
 
Hi again,

Ok, I searched a little better, and found a bunch of lists. The last time they were updated was over a year ago though. I did not find any serial numbers that compare to mine. My serial number is 468###. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks guys.
Richard Cooper said:
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Richard Cooper said:
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Richard Cooper said:
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Hi,

I have a question. I ordered a camera online, and just got it
today. Is there any way to tell for sure if this is a gray market
camera or not?

Thanks,
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Richard Cooper said:
Richard Cooper said:
Scott

Simply solution: Go the mfg web site and register your camera.
They will tell you.
Richard Cooper
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Sorry, I read your post and you were questioning grey market goods
and US warranty.
Richard
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Every camera should have a serial number. On this forum you can
search for a list of s/n and it will show various s/n by country.
US warrantied cameras will have the US s/n.
Richard
Click to expand...
 
As was previously mentioned earlier, the lists previously posted here were for the Sony F707. From the lack of response, I guess no one has done the research for your model. Why don't you contact Sony, get the information and post it here for everyones benefit.

Mike G.
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Thanks
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Hi,

I have a question. I ordered a camera online, and just got it
today. Is there any way to tell for sure if this is a gray market
camera or not?

Thanks,

Scott
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Believe me, I'm trying. I contacted Sony and the person I talked to indicated that the serial number does not indicate anything about the area the camera has sold in. I was surprised at that. From reading the different forums here for the past few days, it seems like you can almost always tell something by the serial number.
Mike G. said:
Mike G.
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Thanks
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Hi,

I have a question. I ordered a camera online, and just got it
today. Is there any way to tell for sure if this is a gray market
camera or not?

Thanks,

Scott
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Normally Grey Market Cameras will have a different video output such as PAL or other standard not our US standard (NTSC). Some cameras though have a switch either Manual or Software based so that you can switch between PAL & NTSC. Usually the Dead give away is that the Recharger will not work in our Standard 120 Power Outlets. A grey market camera will have a Recharger originally made to work with the power outlets of the country of origin. Normally if someone is stuck with a grey market camera they have to buy a seperate Outlet Adapter($50 to $100) so that it can be plugged into our power outlets. Also the last difference would be that the software will be different or may not have any software at all.

Thanks Hope I Helped.
Joe M.
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Mike G. said:
Mike G.
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Thanks
Scott D. Kilbourn said:
Hi,

I have a question. I ordered a camera online, and just got it
today. Is there any way to tell for sure if this is a gray market
camera or not?

Thanks,

Scott
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
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