In message <eZgHj.3422$CM5.8158@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>, S B <sb@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
writes
>People,
>
>This question may have been asked before, but I still do not understand
how
>come that brand-new SLRs (and probably other cameras) are considerably
>cheaper on eBay? The salesman at a photo store said with a touch of
disdain
>that all cameras sold over the internet are "grey market" and never come
>with a warranty, even if one is promised. Well, what about sellers
dealing
>in photo equipment and having feedback ratio close to 100%?
>For example, I can get a Canon 40D with 17-85mm ISU + some extras at
1475.00
>Canadian, while the guy in this quite reputable store asks 1688.88 for
the
>same set (with no extras)? And this shop-boughten camera is made in
Thailand
>anyway.
1 Shops have over heads.
Many eBay sellers just have a store room and minimum overheads. Some
times run as a side line Therefore the sell a lot of items with a much
reduced margin. However any back up from them is zero. They just sell
as many boxes as they can the most efficient way they can.
2 Not all eBay seller are honest.
Feedback reactions can be (and often are ) faked. There have been
stories of good not arriving, the wrong goods, incomplete goods, new
advertised but clearly 2nd hand arriving.
3 Grey market.
This is a hot topic in any distribution chain from cars to jeans and all
manner of good.
There are Official Distributors in a country. They get their stock
through Official channels and offer the full manufacturers warranty and
sometimes additional protection of their own. They have a lot of
experience and staff that are usually happy to help on the items you
have bought and, in this case, photography in general. However they tend
to sell at "recommended retail price" or within an agreed level of
discount.
There are other sellers in the country who will source the goods from
the cheapest place they can world wide and sell at the lowest price they
can. This gives several problems.
It pisses off the official distributors who are playing the game for the
manufacturer and not selling below a certain floor limit.. T
The grey im****ts will often not be recognised by the official
distributors and the Official local office for the brand. No one wants
to spend money sup****ting something the have not sold as they get no
income from it. So if you have a problem you will have to go back the
place you got it from. If you are lucky they will be a "normal" store
and assist. However many of the grey market im****ters tend to the
box-****fter type and selling high volume at low margin in a way that is
not geared to any after sales service.....
Then you get eBay and the Internet....
Internet. Many businesses just trade mail order and these days use the
Internet (normally as well as conventional adds in magazines) They have
listed business addresses are safe to deal with in fact most have the
walk in store they started with. The same applies if you buy from a
mail order place inside your country they will probably be an official
distributor or have official stock.
If they are outside your country whilst they may be official in their
own country the things they supply you may not be sup****ted by the
official distributors in your country. However the local office for
that brand may sup****t items bought from an *official* distributor in
another country. Nikon US is one of the few that will not.
Buying form an unofficial distributor tend not to get you sup****t from
anyone.
However..... there is no such thing as a free lunch. any one can get a
web site, card payment, free phone line, accommodation address and
appear as a cor****ation whilst operating out of a spare bedroom or just
a mobile phone and a laptop from a friends couch. They make their
money be selling cheap and hope that no one comes looking for sup****t or
warranty . etc.
eBay
Some reputable shops and distributors have a presence on eBay as an
extension to their normal Internet presence . However many eBay sellers
are literally working from a shed or spare bedroom. Some only have an
accommodation address in your country and are actually somewhere else in
the world.
The problem with eBay is you have no idea what you are getting until it
arrives. There have been stories of people ordering cameras and
basically getting a box of assorted second hand parts with manuals in a
language that they did not understand and no warrantee cards. Unless
you want to travel half way round the world to sort it out (which
usually costs far more then the good are worth) you are stuck with a box
of unsup****ted junk.
As for made in Thailand... (or china, Singa****e, Taiwan etc ) that is
where most things get manufactured... Even major "local brands" will
often have the manufacturing in the cheapest place globally. IBM's were
made in China.
The answer to your question is to haggle. Most shops will give a little.
BUT or price match with other *legitimate* offers but not usually with
unofficial or grey im****ts.
Remember with the one bought in the local shop you can go back and get
help, warranty etc. They will, usually, be friendly and helpful with
advice on cameras and photography in general. What to get for doing
certain things etc.
With the eBay one you are on your own.... (assuming that what you
actually) get is what was expected. If you turn up at a camera shop
asking for advice with one fo these grey or unofficial im****ts they may
well be too busy to talk to you....
Finally where do the cheap cameras come from?
Second hand part exchange items.
Refurbished items
stolen
special batches for a particular local market (all instructions and on
screen menus in Swahili or Lithuanian with some features disabled)
old stock (the one with the known bug that can't be upgraded except
though the Official dealers)
obsolete stock (from before they changed the connector and the old style
connectors can't be obtained any more)
There is NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH
OK there is but for every free lunch there are hundreds of thousands of
scams. Scams and confidence tricks only work through the greed of the
mark.
--
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
\/\/\/\/\ Chris Hills Staffs England /\/\/\/\/
/\/\/ chris@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.phaedsys.org \/\/\
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
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