Often times in our store, and on our online store we get customers telling us that they are seeing the "same" Canon product but for a way lower price on another website. We take a look at where they are finding this low price only to find out that the products that are being sold are NOT USA Canon products. This is also called gray market products? All Authorized Dealers adhere to MAP pricing, and we all have the same rebates and specials. So if you are seeing a product at a "too good to be true price" that's exactly what it is, too good to be true.
Customers in the U.S. may find that Gray Market products do not meet their expectations because they were not intended by Canon for sale in the U.S.
In some cases, sellers of Gray Market products may attempt to localize the products themselves by adding, changing or removing certain accessories from the product, which may result in the following:
• Illegal or counterfeit accessories included in the product packaging, such as batteries, chargers and ink tanks, which may cause injury or serious damage to your Canon product
• An incorrect power cord or adapter which was not provided, or quality checked, by Canon
• Missing, incorrect, or illegal copies of software which may not function
• Missing or poor photocopies of the original manual
• A fake Canon U.S. warranty, a warranty provided by a third party, or no warranty at all
• A device with a missing or fake serial number, making the divide ineligible for prairie by Canon U.S.A., under the limited warranty for the device or under any other circumstances.
Customers should also be aware that Gray Market products may not be eligible for:
• Coverage under a U.S. Warranty
• U.S. promotions, including mail-in and instant rebates
• Technical support
• Membership or grams and other service benefits.
Here are a few samples of what to look for when buying Canon products
At pictureline, we are Authorized Dealers for all the products we sell, we always have been, and always will be. It is important to us that we sell our customers legit products and the gear we all want (and have) in our photography bags at home.
Make sure when you're buying any of your camera gear that you are indeed buying it from an Authorized Dealer, this will save you headaches and money in the long run!
Original article can be found here.