Is this a serious offer????

[Frank Fremerey]

PS I gave the JA connection a try.

See how it will work for me

[David H. Hartman]

That is encouraging, too bad it doesn't apply here.

+1

A number of years back Nikon USA would not even tell me if a used Nikon F3HP I was buying for KEH.com was a Nikon USA import or a gray import. I was told, "No one here [Nikon USA] will divulge that information."

Dave

[Frank Fremerey]

Many of my equipment items have "US" written all over them as if US stuff is better and would not be produced in the same factory as EU stuff or Asian stuff. I buy Nikon and Nikkor. Both are clearly not made in Trumpland. They are made in Asia. So the most genuine stuff should be of Japanese origin, right? My 1.4/24G was made in the Sendai plant before quake and tsunami hit. My D3 has 5 US designations glued to it. Is it a better D3 than one I would have bought in Hong Kong or Berlin? Absurd!!!

[Roland Vink]

There are not separate factories or assembly lines for cameras or lenses destined for USA or any other region for that matter, they are all made the same. The only difference is who imports them, and how they are supported (warranties etc).

[CS]

Many of my equipment items have "US" written all over them as if US stuff is better and would not be produced in the same factory as EU stuff or Asian stuff. I buy Nikon and Nikkor. Both are clearly not made in Trumpland. They are made in Asia. So the most genuine stuff should be of Japanese origin, right? My 1.4/24G was made in the Sendai plant before quake and tsunami hit. My D3 has 5 US designations glued to it. Is it a better D3 than one I would have bought in Hong Kong or Berlin? Absurd!!!

Sorry, Frank, but you're very mistaken about why Nikon USA has an issue with non-us Nikon equipment. Non US Nikon gear merely means that it wasn't imported by Nikon USA, so as far as Nikon USA is concerned that stuff is grey market. That also means that Nikon USA didn't make any money off of it, thus they will not touch it, for any price. Nobody, aside from you, has suggested that the US Nikon gear is any better than any other Nikon gear, it's all made in the same factories, regardless of where it goes after it's made.

Nikon creates the equipment that becomes Nikon USA gear, and they also create the grey market stuff, so blame them for the mess.


 

[David H. Hartman]

My D3 has 5 US designations glued to it. Is it a better D3 than one I would have bought in Hong Kong or Berlin?

If the Nikon equipment you buy has Nikon USA on then presumably it was originally exported to the USA. The serial numbers are different for different regions. The USA all over the product is to help the US customer buy a product that Nikon USA will service. If the product was not imported by Nikon USA they will not service it in or out of warranty.

Dave

If some item was bought during international travel or if one moves to the US from elsewhere there may be hoops for one to jump through to get service from Nikon USA. I'm not sure one way or the other. An item can always be shipped to Japan for service.

[Frank Fremerey]

Gosh. Am I happy to live in Germany. I am a global photographer using stuff from Nikon my trusted global supplier who pays an independent local service provider to service the stuff via NPS. Nikon USA seems to run a different business model. Did anyone see a camera for the EU plastered full with "EU" stickers?

[pluton]

My understanding is that:
1. Nikon USA will service non-US serial numbered Nikon products  IF they were purchased in a non-gray scenario. 
2.  There have been anecdotal reports going back 10 years that purchasers in countries other than the USA have purchased Nikon products that carry the 'US' prefix on the serial number.  So, if true, the 'US' designation on the lens/camera does not necessarily mean it is a USA market item.  Nikon assigns the serial numbers(US-prefixed or not) to each country or regional official importer as Nikon sees fit.

[Frank Fremerey]

Thank you, Keith. Sounds more like a franchise policy than a dependence of a Japanese venture

[Wannabebetter]

I believe but am hardly certain, that Nikon USA will service any equipment subject to an international recall (eg D600, D750) regardless of where it was originally purchased or what sales region its serial number reflects. HOWEVER in all other instances, to the best of my knowledge, Nikon USA WILL NOT even touch a "gray market", ie out-of-region, product requiring any kind of service call, regardless of whether or not it is still under warranty at its point of purchase. There might be an exception for NPS members -- I don't know.  Here in New York City, we occasionally get lucky with an item bearing a Canadian serial number [sic], especially if still under warranty, because the price of shipping to our cousins in the Great White North for repair is not hideously prohibitive. And the repair itself might cost less, too -- if one doesn't factor the expense then incurred shipping the item back to you. I even knew someone years ago who regularly commuted to Canada by car who really benefited in that regard.

[CS]

Thank you, Keith. Sounds more like a franchise policy than a dependence of a Japanese venture

Keep in mind that not every country has the same laws governing warranties and the sale of goods, including different taxes, and consumer protection laws. It costs manufacturers real money to comply with these laws, warranty work itself costs money, and if that cost isn't built into the sale price of items, then the official servicing facility loses money. Every "baby" Nikon, Nikon USA, Nikon Canada, etc, has to stand on it's own, and they operate independently. This comes down to how far each "baby" Nikon is willing to go in the name of customer service, or perhaps more appropriately how much it will cost them.

The grey market phenomenon isn't restricted to photo gear, and it certainly is not restricted to the USA. You say it's important to you to support Nikon, but you, like most of us, look to buy your Nikon gear at the best price you can get. That might not support the "baby" Nikon where you live, even though it supports the manufacturer, Nikon Japan.

We can buy grey market Nikon gear all day long here in the US, it's perfectly legal, but it is not warrantied, or subject to service, by Nikon USA. Yes, you can send it to Japan for service under Niko's International warranty, and good luck with that if you don't speak the language. Sellers (B&H, Adorama, etc) can offer their own warranty on grey market goods, but how effective that might be with modern high tech gear that Nikon will not sell parts for to third party service facilities, is an open question. One might expect extended delays in getting the items serviced under those conditions. Not only will Nikon USA not sell parts or technical info for this gear, they won't train non-Nikon people to use the special equipment needed to do the work.

Some grey market items differ from official imports because they were made to comply with different laws and/or marketing situations. Cars are a very good example of this, and all cars registered in the US have to meet US safety standards that might not apply to the region that the cars were originally intended for.

[David H. Hartman]

+1

[Jan Anne]

Fact of the matter is that in 10 years I've never send a premium camera or lens in for service so why pay for the privilege?

I've sold 1300 euro lenses secondhand for 650 because one can buy a new grey import for that price, in the good old days I sold used lenses for 80-85% of the local new price so checking out new lenses was rather doable but I can't justify doing that when loosing half the investment in less than 2 years.

[CS]

Fact of the matter is that in 10 years I've never send a premium camera or lens in for service so why pay for the privilege?

I've sold 1300 euro lenses secondhand for 650 because one can buy a new grey import for that price, in the good old days I sold used lenses for 80-85% of the local new price so checking out new lenses was rather doable but I can't justify doing that when loosing half the investment in less than 2 years.

Don't misunderstand, JA. I don't pay any more than i have to for Nikon gear, but, if I want to be covered by warranty then I'm forced to ignore Nikon grey market stuff. Todays bodies and lenses are mostly high tech items, so I want a warranty if it turns out to be needed, and I want to be able to use Nikon USA after the warranty period, if necessary. Most of my gear is just fine and has not been in need of service, but I will pay for the peace of mind knowing that Nikon is available if I need them. YMMV


Some Nikon gear is prone to service, even if it sits unused, for example my 20-35 f/2.8 zoom with the man-auto sliding ring on the lens collar. Mine is getting sticky, so I either need to have it serviced or sell  it. Granted, that is not one of today's high tech lenses, so I don't have to go through Nikon USA for service unless I want to. But the point is that sometimes service is needed. Unlike you, i have yet to sell one Nikon lens or body, I keep what I buy, and unless somebody makes me a good offer on the 20-35, it will stay here. Now with digital I have that focal range covered by my 12-24 f/4 DX, and Sigma 17-50 f/2.8.

Evidently, if I understand Bjørn, you can use Nikon service with your grey market items if you need to, I can't. OTOH, if you trade gear that often it's costly to always have the latest gear. I have no problem with people buying grey market, but it just doesn't work for me. You won't find many Nikon shooters here in the US that buy grey market gear because of the lack of Nikon USA support.

[David H. Hartman]

I know there are multiple issues with gray market but I principally blame the mother ship. Nikon USA however is so un-customer centric that it will not aid a customer in avoiding buying gray market used products. That to me is unconscionable. Nikon USA is also refusing to sell part in California which is against California law. Last I knew a law suite was in progress. If Nikon USA loses they will still put a lot of independent repair facilities out of business. Some of the parts sold in would most certainly find their way to other states where it is legal to not sell parts. Again I blame all of this on the Nikon Japan for not having a world wide policy.

Gray market? In the USA it's not gray it perfectly legal because Nikon Japan owns Nikon USA (or something along those lines). It's an alternate "white market" but gray market is the accepted term though incorrect.

Dave