Is there a difference with a Nikon camera being made in USA than in another country?

Rose petal · May 30, 2015

I wish I can find the article again but I read online it's better to get a Nikon that says made in USA, why is that? Are the one made else where not has good? I want to buy my Nikon d5500 on eBay because its significantly cheaper than anywhere else but it seems the ones on eBay are made else where like Taiwan

PhotoTeach2 · May 30, 2015

None are "made" in USA.

They have been imported by an official importer and carry a U.S. "WARRANTY". (vs "world" warranty)

They are known as Grey Market and cheaper. Many feel safe to buy them.

But often they won't repair them even if out-of-warranty and you are willing to pay for the repairs. So their is a risk involved.

Rose petal · May 30, 2015

So if I buy a grey market camera if it breaks Nikon won't fix it? Even though it's new?

Chikubi · May 30, 2015

Exactly. Nikon will not fix a grey market camera even if you offer to pay for the repair. That's why grey market is cheaper - you're assuming the risk and burden of service yourself.

buybuybuy · May 30, 2015

Rose petal said:
So if I buy a grey market camera if it breaks Nikon won't fix it? Even though it's new?

Here, read this link:

https://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/331/~/what-is-gray-market%3F

Excerpt: "Nikon Inc. USA cannot provide any technical support or warranty service on Gray Market items. Additionally Nikon Inc. USA cannot perform any fee-based repair work on Gray Market items. Please do not contact Nikon Inc. USA for help with any Gray Market products. Please contact the reseller or importer of your Gray Market items for warranty and service information as well as software updates and downloads."

sterretje · May 30, 2015

buybuybuy said:
Rose petal said:

So if I buy a grey market camera if it breaks Nikon won't fix it? Even though it's new?

Click to expand...

Here, read this link:

https://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/331/~/what-is-gray-market?

Excerpt: "Nikon Inc. USA cannot provide any technical support or warranty service on Gray Market items. Additionally Nikon Inc. USA cannot perform any fee-based repair work on Gray Market items. Please do not contact Nikon Inc. USA for help with any Gray Market products. Please contact the reseller or importer of your Gray Market items for warranty and service information as well as software updates and downloads."

That second 'cannot' should be read as 'is not willing to'.

buybuybuy · May 30, 2015

sterretje said:
buybuybuy said:

Rose petal said:

So if I buy a grey market camera if it breaks Nikon won't fix it? Even though it's new?

Click to expand...

Here, read this link:

https://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/331/~/what-is-gray-market?

Excerpt: "Nikon Inc. USA cannot provide any technical support or warranty service on Gray Market items. Additionally Nikon Inc. USA cannot perform any fee-based repair work on Gray Market items. Please do not contact Nikon Inc. USA for help with any Gray Market products. Please contact the reseller or importer of your Gray Market items for warranty and service information as well as software updates and downloads."

Click to expand...

That second 'cannot' should be read as 'is not willing to'.

Joseph T Lewis III · May 30, 2015

Rose petal said:
I wish I can find the article again but I read online it's better to get a Nikon that says made in USA, why is that? Are the one made else where not has good? I want to buy my Nikon d5500 on eBay because its significantly cheaper than anywhere else but it seems the ones on eBay are made else where like Taiwan

You are probably talking about what are commonly called gray market cameras (cameras bought outside the official sales and distribution channels of the manufacturers).

If you have time to spare, here's a thread that goes into great depth about what gray market gear is, and why one usually cannot get warranty service on it in the US.

Gray Market Gear and Warranty Discussion

Guidenet · May 30, 2015

Now you know to avoid grey market. It's more than just losing a US Warranty. Some grey market sellers are also scam operations or bait and switch companies. They've been known to take important items out of the box, then either substituting a cheaper item or charging you extra for something which is normally included free. For example, they might remove the battery charger and replace it with a cheaper charger, or just claim it didn't come with it and want to charge you extra for the Nikon charger. This can be common behavior with some grey market retailers.

I'd stick to B&h or Adorama. I know if the price on some camera is significantly cheaper somewhere else, something isn't right. They also sometimes sell grey market but they tell you up front on their site if it is grey market. They will warrant it themselves and don't take things out of the box. I would still avoid grey market, even from them. Any price savings is just not worth it with respect to peace of mind.

For example, if you buy from a reputable company like B&H and have a problem, you can just mention their customer care expert, Henry Posner, and he'll come to these forums to answer your questions. You can't get service like that from eBay or even Best Buy. Experts like Henry are worth their weight in gold.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

Mark B. · May 30, 2015

I'm not aware of any.

Rose petal · May 30, 2015

I saw an article that says b&h was the biggest contributor to grey market so is that adorama, I was confuse because it seems many buy from those two sites. How about best buy are they grey market?

buybuybuy · May 30, 2015

Rose petal said:
I saw an article that says b&h was the biggest contributor to grey market so is that adorama, I was confuse because it seems many buy from those two sites. How about best buy are they grey market?

I'm surprised by the alacrity with which you reach conclusions--even largely imperfect ones.

B&H clearly demarcates grey market from Nikon USA products. Visitors to their site--even first-timers--would surely know this!

What bearing does its alleged prominence as the "biggest contributor to grey market" have on your ability to shop there?

Perhaps I'm missing something, but I think you owe an explanation...

Joseph T Lewis III · May 30, 2015

buybuybuy said:
Rose petal said:

I saw an article that says b&h was the biggest contributor to grey market so is that adorama, I was confuse because it seems many buy from those two sites. How about best buy are they grey market?

Click to expand...

I'm surprised by the alacrity with which you reach conclusions--even largely imperfect ones.

B&H clearly demarcates grey market from Nikon USA products. Visitors to their site--even first-timers--would surely know this!

What bearing does its alleged prominence as the "biggest contributor to grey market" have on your ability to shop there?

Perhaps I'm missing something, but I think you owe an explanation...

I would like to see the link to the article which demonstrates B&H is the "biggest contributor to grey market" (as well as an explanation of what that somewhat nebulous term means). Rose Petal, we're waiting to hear back from you...

donaldsc · May 30, 2015

Don't believe everything that you read - even if you can find the article which you apparently can't.

Tom_N · May 31, 2015

Rose petal said:
I wish I can find the article again but I read online it's better to get a Nikon that says made in USA, why is that?

The ones that are imported through Nikon USA have a warranty that is valid in the US. If you buy a Nikon that is "grey market" for the USA, you won't be able to get official Nikon warranty service in the US. Some posters claim that Nikon US repair shops won't even touch grey-market cameras if you offer to pay the entire repair bill.

I suppose it is also possible that camera menus and manuals might be localized by country, so that a camera that was meant for the Chinese market might, e.g., have a manual in Chinese and menu screens in Chinese.

Rose petal said:
Are the one made else where not has good? I want to buy my Nikon d5500 on eBay because its significantly cheaper than anywhere else

DANGER, DANGER Will Robinson!

Any time you see camera gear being offered for significantly cheaper than what reputable dealers like B&H Photo Video and Adorama sell it for, ask yourself why it is cheaper, and what is missing.

There are many horror stories of "Brooklyn camera shops" that will pull a bait and switch from an (implied) Nikon USA camera to a grey market one, strip standard accessories like the battery out of the Nikon kit, then offer to sell accessories back to you at an exorbitant price. If you refuse and say you will be happy with just the stripped, grey market camera body and/or lens, the equipment suddenly and "mysteriously" goes out of stock and stays that way forever.

I don't know what games people might be playing on eBay, but I know the vendors aren't there because they want to give you something for nothing!

Tom_N · May 31, 2015

Joseph T Lewis III said:
buybuybuy said:

Rose petal said:

I saw an article that says b&h was the biggest contributor to grey market so is that adorama, I was confuse because it seems many buy from those two sites. How about best buy are they grey market?

Click to expand...

I'm surprised by the alacrity with which you reach conclusions--even largely imperfect ones.

B&H clearly demarcates grey market from Nikon USA products. Visitors to their site--even first-timers--would surely know this!

Click to expand...

I don't believe that B&H Photo Video explicitly marks camera bodies as USA or gray market. If my memory is correct, Henry Posner (B&H representative) once explained that by saying that all of their new bodies come through the official importers, and that none of them are gray market.

For lenses, B&H's current practice seems to be to mark gray market lenses as "Imported" (near the price box) while not marking "USA" lenses at all. (I could swear that they once did mark the USA lenses with a "USA" label, so maybe they changed the design of their Web site.)

Rose petal · May 31, 2015

Is Canada ci dude a "world" or USA warranty?

PhotoTeach2 · May 31, 2015

Rose petal said:
Is Canada ci dude a "world" or USA warranty?

Is Canada USA ???

And IF it does include U.S. warranty, they will usually say so.

COYQ · May 31, 2015

Rose petal said:
I wish I can find the article again but I read online it's better to get a Nikon that says made in USA, why is that? Are the one made else where not has good? I want to buy my Nikon d5500 on eBay because its significantly cheaper than anywhere else but it seems the ones on eBay are made else where like Taiwan

But the camera from an approved dealer. If you want to save a few £$£$ then buy a secondhand or ex demo camera again from an approved dealer.

Why save a small amount and risk being scammed or having to pay for a faulty item to be repaired.

JamesGaston · May 31, 2015

For warranty service in the US you need a bought-in-US Nikon. For warranty service in Canada you need a bought-in-Canada Nikon. Curiously, Canadian Nikon bodies have longer warranties, probably to dissuade us from driving over the border to purchase.

I'll echo what other's have said: buy from a reputable dealer such as B&H, if you are in the US. If you are in Canada you need to buy from a Canadian dealer. B&H won't sell Nikon-branded lenses and bodies to Canadian addresses (believe me, I've tried!) though you can buy other brands.

Is there a difference with a Nikon camera being made in USA than in another country?

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