ZM "Grey Market" dealers?

[Dougg]

The official importer has expenses that have to be built into sales price of the item: Advertising and promotions, warehousing, sales team, warranty, parts, labor, customer service, etc. A grey-market item can bypass this at lower price, at the loss of services from the importer. However, the importer's advertising (and samples for magazine reviews) may have influenced the grey buyer's choice while not generating any profits.

I can sympathize a bit with the importer, as I've experienced a similar situation on a local level when I worked at a retail camera shop years ago. It was an Air Force town, and I'd have aircrew personnel come browsing into the store. Fine, and I'd spend time with them helping their shopping. A couple weeks later, they might stop back in with brand new gear, same as we'd been discussing, and say what a great deal they'd gotten on it on their recent duty-flight to Japan/Guam/Taiwan or wherever. Then some even had the brass to ask for help/instruction or service on the gear! Where's the profit for the store in that? Good will, certainly, in so far as that might eventually result in other sales...

 

[Olsen]

Here in Europe, sivilisation as we know it, the consumer is protected by a law (or 'raw', as the japanese are saying) regardless of what 'waranty' is stated in the instruction manual. Here in Norway, to take one example, a consumer can return the product after two years. Get yourself such a law.

That said, just like the US air crews we norwegians have a growing tendency buy our expensive photo gear in tax havens like The Canari Islands or Abu Dabi 'ex sales tax. Sales tax vary in Europe, but could be quite hefty, like 25% in Scandinavia.

Smuggling is a growing problem with cheap air fairs, internet and a steady flow of tempting new camera products.

Sales tax is a very important component in our annual governmental budgets, giving us health care for all and pension sceems you americans can only dream of, to mention a few. So this is not going to change. Quite on the contrary: European countries seems to increase the sales tax (and reduce tax on salary) and are implementing more sceems to control what their citizens are importing without paying sales tax. Like checking peoples overseas spening with credit cards etc.

But. On these smuggled products the european consumer must rely on 'international warranty' or return to Abu Dabi with the faulty camera.