Q & A - BUYING DIGITAL CAMERAS

There are many web sites that sell digital cameras at below manufacturer MSR prices and most of these sites are selling “Gray Market” products. We do not sell “gray market” cameras.

Q. What is a gray market Digital Camera?

A. Manufacturers have different product specifications for each country that they do business in. This may be due to different standards, languages or economic considerations specific to each country. A gray market product is any product that was built with the specifications for a country other than the USA. These cameras are imported into a foreign country, then exported out of that country, and sold in the USA. This practice is not approved by the manufacturers.

Q. Is a gray market camera warranty valid in the USA?

A. No. Gray market cameras contain a warranty specific to the country that imported it. This warranty is not recognized by the camera “factory service” agent in the USA and therefore you will not be able to have the camera repaired under warranty in the USA. In fact, you may never be able to get the camera serviced at all within the US by a “factory authorized” service facility, even if you are willing to pay for it entirely yourself. So your only option for getting that camera fixed may be shipping it back to the country of origin (several hundred dollars, because you will pay for round trip shipping). Some “gray market” dealers advertise a store warranty, but typically if your camera has a tiny scratch or any signs of use, the dealer will not repair it under warranty because they will claim it was misused.

Q. Are all digital cameras made the same as the ones sold in the USA?

A. Absolutely not! While the quality of these products may be similar, they are designed with features that may not work properly in the US. For instance, one popular digital camera has the following warning on the manufacturers’ site: “European specification cameras are set up for the PAL video standard and therefore are not compatible with the NTSC standard in the U.S.A., thereby making the video preview feature non-functional (and this is not correctable). It further warns that cameras originating from Asia will not have English language menus. Each market requires different specifications, and a product destined for one market is simply not the same as one intended for another.

Q, Are there other problems with gray market?

A. Yes. Aside from the often missing cables and accessories, gray market products frequently come with outdated software, manuals and documentation in another language and battery chargers that are not compatible in the USA.

Q. So how do I know if a dealer is selling a gray market camera?

A. First, if the price of the camera is below the price advertised by RITZ camera it is most likely a gray market camera. Call the dealer and ask them if the specific camera selling at the advertised price is a grey market camera. Most of the time the dealer will be honest and tell the truth, (although some may not). Also, ask the dealer about their return policy. Always remember “you get what you pay for”.

CAUTION - BE AWARE OF OTHER CAMERA SELLER TACTICS

Some unscrupulous Internet digital camera sellers advertise a very low price for cameras that they do not stock. Your order placed over the Internet will result in a phone call from the seller. Then the seller will push hard to sell another camera with little or no savings. Your credit card payment, submitted when you placed your order on their web site, may not be refunded for several weeks.

Some unscrupulous Internet digital camera sellers advertise a very low price for certain cameras but will not sell that camera without selling overpriced accessories.