Hi everyone, I fully understand the concept of Abe’s of Maine - I’m not looking to be cautioned on the context. What I’m curious of is if there are generally positive experiences buying from Abe’s if you know what you’re getting into (grey market)? I don’t consider myself being scammed if I know I’m buying an out of market camera as this is my informed decision. What I’d like to know is your experience buying from them - have you received a complete package for the grey market item you’ve bought or do they send our refurbs listed as new items (this for me is a scam)? If you’ve knowingly purchased (lenses and bodies) what has your experience been? Are you receiving retail products or are they out-of-box etc?
Appreciate the insights!!
I helped my dad order a camera from them or someone similar. Years later, he sent it in for repair and the company refused to repair it because it was “illegally sold” or some language like that.
Grey market. You can buy gear much more cheaply in various other countries, so sketchy retailers basically buy inventory from those countries, import it, sell it slightly below its domestic MSRP to incentivize buyers, and pocket the difference. Basically, it’s a way to inflate profit margins while still undercutting other retailers. Problem is that just about every manufacturer is wise to this and refuses to have anything to do with the gear in question, and the only way to know for certain that you don’t have a grey market product is to check the serial number with the manufacturer, at which point the retailer already has your money and will usually make it very difficult to get it back.