Grey Market

[Hugh]

Hi. I received an xt-1 as a gift but discovered it is grey market. Seller wants me to pay postage and 15% restock fee to return. What should I do?

Edited June 21, 2016 by Hugh

[Aswald]

Grey import cameras are fine.

 

I guess, when you inherited the gift you inherited the reason for the restocking fee too.

 

To challenge the restocking fee, I guess you'd have to ask the reason for the restocking fee. You may also discover how this X-T1 came to be a gift for you too. Otherwise, I would negotiate the restocking fee.

 

Postage is fair I guess. Again it depends on the arrangements between the giver and the seller.

[susanjane]

Keep it. It's a nice camera. I wish someone would give me a gray market X-T1. 

[milandro]

You mean he didn’t disclose the fact that it would be shipping from another country and that your camera would only have the Fuji international guarantee?In this case see the policy of the company you paid with.

 

Paypal or your credit card might be able to get you the whole money back. Paypal also says that the shipper pays for return shipping.

 

 

However grey market is not as bad as one would make it out to be!

 

 

Wherever its shipped from, you are legally entitled to one year Fuji international guarantee ( and don’t just take no fro a answer because you are under the terms of the fujifilm international guarantee ), and all it might take to do is registering your product with Fuji. 

 

For some reason some importers think they they don’t have to, but it is absolutely false, it is part of their agreement with Fuji, I had the same problem with Apple NL accepting to repair, under guarantee, an Apple product which I purchased in Italy. After much rubbish talking they had to admit I was entitled to the guaranteed and fixed my computer at no cost. Moreover, there is a protection against importers not honoring the international guarantees in the legislation of most countries of the world and you can always ship your camera to another country’s fuji lab if unfortunately you live in one of the few countries where this doesn’t happen.

 

Fujifilm Tokyo head office will probably confirm that and help you through the procedure 

 

http://warranty.fujifilm-digital.com

 

This is a copy of the international guarantee as published from Fuji Australia.

 

http://www.fujifilm.com.au/hs-fs/hub/134521/file-2661233280-pdf/products/Products_Brochures/Warranties/FileAsset_1028.pdf

[Hugh]

Thank you folks for your replies! @susanjane: Indeed, I have the greatest sons and daughter-in-law I could hope for! Now down to business.

 

The kids are not camera savvy. It was advertised as a 'brand new import' with a 1 year warranty. They had no way of knowing the ropes. Their purchase price was $300 below current Amazon and other Fuji USA authorized dealers. If we returned the camera and rebought 'ligit', the difference would be $300 price difference in the body and $109 restocking fee. IOW, I'd be paying $409 for a warranty. We talked it over, and I'll be keeping the gift as is.

 

@Milandro. Thank you for the warranty copies. Mine came from Australia. Depending on my needs (I'm not a paid pro...no gigs per se) I could use the sellers one year warranty or I could ship it down under. I could also drive the unit to Edison, NJ, a mere 30 or so miles away. Fuji says they would give me an estimate and charge me for the repair. From what I've heard, some other companies will NOT work on grey items. They will provide no support and will not even sell parts. 

 

Now I am not encouraging anyone to go grey. Given the choice, I would probably not. At least not for a $1000 plus camera body. Lens? Maybe, It depends. But certainly not the $1999 100-400mm. For that, I'd go authorized dealer. So, let's hope all's well that ends well. I guess the situation could be worse. Time will tell.

[milandro]

Most brands of consumer electronics offer an international guarantee of some sort.

 

This is in support of international traders around the world who were heavily affected in the past by the absence of this. Local importers offer, generally, some additional guaranties but are bound from the international guarantee to repair defects for at least one year. The importer doesn’t do this for free. The original company compensates the lab for whatever repairs were made.

 

Guarantees apply also to secondhand items as guarantee is in most cases in the world transferable.

 

 

Grey imports are not illegal. The moment you buy a product and it arrives to you in a legal way and you register with Fuji  it is officially being imported by you. If the making company offers  an international guarantee and for repairs to be carried out at the importer’s or distributor’s lab this is part of the statutory rights of the buyer.

 

 

Years ago, within one year from purchase, I brought my old Emac, purchased from Apple Italy, at an Apple shop in the Netherlands where I was a customer, they tried to tell me that my computer was not covered by the international guarantee and they were saying something stupid like international guarantees apply only to laptops (!?!).

 

 

I contacted Apple in the US, they confirmed I was right, instructed their office of the NL to instruct the shop not to talk nonsense and to repair my guaranteed item.

Edited June 24, 2016 by milandro