Will you buy lens from overseas without international warranty?

OrdinarilyInordinate · Mar 2, 2015

It highly depends on the discount as compared to the domestic options or domestic used market value. . If the discount is significant enough to take the risk and later pay for repairs, part of which would be sufficiently covered by the discount, it could be worth it. As long as the seller has excellent reputation and reasonable refund option if the lens is broken on arrival. It's a sum of multiple considerations.

43Shooter · Mar 3, 2015

Tom Caldwell said:
Over what seems zillions of lenses I have never had a subsequent problem when buying a new one. Camera bodies are pretty reliable too - but not quite as reliable as lenses.

Paul De Bra · Mar 3, 2015

The chances that the lens doesn't work are very low. But the chances that the lens has what is commonly called a decentering problem, meaning a less sharp side or corner, are high enough to not take the risk to order a lens when returning it for a problem is too much trouble.

When you get a lens in a store, can try it for such problem and if it's ok then take it home is often ok. There have been lenses with problems that develop over time but most often after the warranty expires anyway. (Broken flex-cables spring to mind.)

I have had too many issues with decentering to consider a difficult warranty issue. This was mostly not with Olympus but the manufacturing process and (lack of) quality control is pretty much uniform across the industry and that isn't good. (Consumer-grade lenses are not checked individually for proper calibration, only for not being dead. Professional lenses of at least some brands are checked individually but even then not for decentering.)

JohnLock · Mar 3, 2015

I've ordered a few from Japan and Taiwan because they were not readily available here in the U.S.-- never had any problems. It's just a risk (although small) that the buyer has to be willing to take-- or not. I don't think I'd order really expensive gear w/o warranty.

Jl

OrdinarilyInordinate · Mar 3, 2015

JohnLock said:
I've ordered a few from Japan and Taiwan because they were not readily available here in the U.S.-- never had any problems. It's just a risk (although small) that the buyer has to be willing to take-- or not. I don't think I'd order really expensive gear w/o warranty.

Jl

If you do buy brand new from overseas dealers, you can purchase insurance from companies like Mack. The only issue is that they told me warranty repairs could take a while depending on part availability, for gray market stuff. But they'll still cover it. There's probably Square Trade too and maybe other options. Mack is cheaper though.

Tom Caldwell · Mar 3, 2015

43Shooter said:
Tom Caldwell said:

Over what seems zillions of lenses I have never had a subsequent problem when buying a new one. Camera bodies are pretty reliable too - but not quite as reliable as lenses.

Click to expand...

Tom Caldwell · Mar 3, 2015

alcelc said:
Sherly said:

Hi everyone,

I am planning to purchase some MFT lenses during my trip to Japan, including one of the main lens I want to use during the trip: 12-40mm f2.8. I checked some shops like Map Camera and Yodobashi, the price for some lenses are S$100-300 cheaper (after less tourist refund) than Singapore where I live. This is for the M.Zuiko and Panasonic lenses which prices range from S$400-1200. However it seems there will be no international warranty and some of my friends have raised this concern.

With the price difference, would you rather take the cheaper option or the warranty valid for your country? Thanks in advance for the opinion.

Click to expand...

Agreed with Tom's opinion. If the saving would be big enough, then probably OK.

BTW, so far M43 products are well constructed. Specially those Pro grade lenses chances for service within its 1st year of life might be small.

However, you still have the risk of accident. Whenever accident struck, a lens without local warranty would be a disaster.

I bought an imported 7-14 for US$900 (market price of valid local warranty was US$1,200 at that time). On my first trip 1 month after my purchased, it fell off from hanging on my neck into a river by accident. Despite it had been in the water for just a split second, it became a water tank. After returning home, although the lens could be used normally after proper drying up 2 days after the accident, thinking as what I would do back in the film day, I took the lens to Panny's service center for a checking and likely a good cleansing of the water mark leaving inside the lens elements (I didn't trust the inhouse technician of the store where I bought the lens could handle my expansive lens). OMG, Panny charged me an upfront inspection fee of US$300+ (already more expansive than I bought one with warranty in the first place! If it was, would be free for inspection during warranty period). Worst, it was returned and declared not economically repairable (charged me further US$20+ to issue a certificate for my insurance claim!)!

I wish it wouldn't happen to you. But as Tom said, the saving must be big enough to justify your possible risk.

Accidents and insurance claims are something else and not really a warranty issue anyway. I bought a very expensive lens overseas years ago for half the local price. It has never given the slightest hint of trouble but is well out of any possible warranty claim by now even if I had paid the extra.

But in the end it is a personal buyers call.

Henry Richardson · Mar 4, 2015

For many years I have bought camera gear, both bodies and lenses, in Japan and the U.S. even though I sometimes live in Japan and sometimes in the U.S. If I have a problem then I may be in the wrong place to use the warranty. Fortunately, in over 40 years of buying cameras, lenses, flashes, etc. the only times I have ever had quality control problems were with:

Konica Minolta 7D #1

Konica Minolta 7D #2

Sony A100

Sony A700

They were all A-mount digital cameras. I never had a single problem with the many Minolta cameras and lenses before. All of my many Canon gear, Olympus gear, and Panasonic gear have been problem free. Never had a problem with any Sigma, Tamron, or Tokina lenses either. Just the 4 bodies above all had problems.

--
Henry Richardson
http://www.bakubo.com

OrdinarilyInordinate · Mar 4, 2015

Agreed--accident insurance is something that has to be arranged for separately, such as through special itemized coverage from your home insurance.

Jon Ragnarsson · Mar 4, 2015

The price difference is just too much to ignore.

I've bought lenses/cameras from USA, Japan and Hong Kong without any concern.

Inthecage83 · Mar 4, 2015

Good luck with an International Warranty. It's not as if that isn't a tangled mess to begin with

cptobvious · Mar 4, 2015

If you buy an Olympus product that was made before September 2014, there should still be a worldwide warranty card in there. At least for U.S. buyers, Olympus should still honor the worldwide warranty pursuant to the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, which requires the warrantor to honor the terms of the written warranty. I don't know what the laws of other countries are regarding warranties.

Since Olympus has quite a bit of overstocked inventory sitting on shelves, there's a good chance (but not guaranteed) many of their older products sold by Japanese sellers still have the worldwide warranty card. I just bought an E-M10 and a few lenses this past month from a big U.S. electronics authorized retailer and all of the products still had the worldwide warranty card.

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Will you buy lens from overseas without international warranty?

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