Identifying Grey market vs the original

[jblensvista]

Hello all,
i am looking forward to buy a Sony a7iii, in Bangalore, India. i found the authorized shops from the Sony website, and went to the stores, 
their was difference in the price between every shop and one particular shop was ready to sell the Sony A7iii body for 1,30,000 rs /-,
and this shop was listed in the Sony Authorized dealers
Iam so confused is it the original product or a grey market product,
Can any one help me with the camera serial numbers for India, or 
How to identify the camera is original or a grey market or Counterfeit.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

There's a world of difference between grey and counterfeit. I would liken grey to buying used and out of warranty. If the saving is sufficient, and the seller is reputable, that is possible route.

Of course, I don't know how much Sony kit you have bought up to now. Over the past three years, I think I'm at maybe four items, cameras and lenses --- but nothing anywhere near to 1.3 Lakh. Anyway, everything has come with a proper company tax invoice, of course, and a yellow A4 "Sony India pvt" warrantee sheet. If you have that, and the company is listed by Sony, I don't think you can go wrong for warranty claims.

I've bought from J J Mehta via Amazon, Fotocentre, via their own site, and  Videolinks. The latter do not list these items on their site, but you can get a price and buy by email. I wish I was nearer: Chennai to Kerala is too far for a shopping trip, otherwise I would visit their shop. 

 

 

 

[Chrissie]

9 hours ago, Thad E Ginathom said:

There's a world of difference between grey and counterfeit. I would liken grey to buying used and out of warranty.

I'm sorry to disagree, with all due respect:

To my knowledge, a "grey" article is an original, brand-new article which is made available in one country through bypassing of the dedicated sales channels of the manufacturer, which he has set up for that country.

Example: Switzerland is considered a country where its citizens are deemed to have a high purchasing power. Manufacturers are always trying to make a maximum profit, so they take advantage of the assumed difference in purchasing powers between different countries. That's why brand-articles (like a Sony camera) tend to be more expensive in Switzerland. India, by comparison, is probably considered a lower-wage country. That's why the same brand article is offered cheaper in India than in Switzerland, because otherwise people in India wouldn't afford high-end products at all.

That said: provided you get the certificate of originality/warranty upon buying in India, you may get a cheaper acquisition of an original brand item, compared to buying in your home country. But you will most definitely run into costly problems, if you need to have the product repaired back in your home country, should the need arise.

[Chrissie]

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_market#Description

[Thad E Ginathom]

13 hours ago, Chrissie said:

I'm sorry to disagree,

I don't think we disagree at all, but I do think that I worded the last post badly.

 

22 hours ago, Thad E Ginathom said:

I would liken grey to buying used and out of warranty

A grey item is exactly what you say. It should be brand new, but will have come from a different market, from which it is able to be sold at a lower price than the same item sourced from the local market. This means it probably will not be supported by the local manufacturer channels.

A risky proposition. Is the risk worth it? The answer is down to the amount saved, and how the individual feels about the risk.

When faced with this choice, a decade or so ago, the camera was new, grey-market, and sold as "shop warranty only." My way of evaluating the risk was to say, I would pay this price for the camera used, with no warranty, so I will accept this deal. 

The camera in question was a Canon P&S; not that expensive, but not cheap either. Whilst it broke down, it outlived the warranty by several years. My decision was ok!

Liken was probably the wrong word: it was meant to communicate the subjective experience. It didn't do that.

Personally, now, I might again go for a grey deal on $$$, but probably not on $,$$$. Added to which, I have the impression that Sony is ruthless about this sort of thing.