Is this website legit?

[mycognitivecreations]

Found this Hong kong based website that sells cameras. It is very cheap compared to what is offered out there. Anyone has any experience dealing with them? Prices shown are in USD.

 

[pixmedic]

yea...i would say stay away. if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. im betting its a scam site.

also, its the second time recently you have linked that same website.
any more and im going to think your just here to spam that link and act accordingly.

 

[Jeff15]

There is no such thing as a free lunch.........

 

[Dave Colangelo]

Could be grey market cameras which most people will tell you to stay away from. Most of the big makers sell "officially" only through authorized dealers. Since there are lots of markets out there and lots of ways the cameras get from the factory into our hands the grey market has come to be pretty sizable. Nikon has had some issues with fakes here and there on the grey market.

 

[Overread]

In general camera gear has little variation in price from major retailers because the profit margins are often quite tight. So when you see a site selling for way under the market normal it should send up warning signs.

The site could be a scam, or it might be grey-market. Grey imports are not illegal, but they can come with limitations. For example Nikon won't even service cameras from outside of their regional market so if your camera comes from overseas its got to go back overseas for servicing by Nikon.
Good grey market sellers often have additional warranty options that can overcome this limit without having to ship cameras overseas all the time (this increasing wait time for you and potential postage loss/damage).


However not all grey market importers are safe nor legit. If you can't find many reviews from impartial sources then the site would be high risk and the potential saving might not be worth that risk. Digital Rev is a legitimate grey market importer with a good track record. At the very least you can use them to compare the prices {{header.title || 'DigitalRev - Focus on photography'}} and, if the site is way under grey market prices then that's an even bigger warning sign.



edit - also WOW am I late to the party but Kai no longer does the Digital Rev videos!

 

[keen.observer]

It may be a rip off. If legit-as far as sales, ads, products delivered, etc-it is probably offering grey market goods with no US warranty. It may be perfectly legit. Two chances out of three (rip off, or grey market goods vendor) for a bad idea. How lucky do you feel? Personally, I don't usually bet when the odds are 67% against me.

 

[keen.observer]

Grey Market items can be a good deal, or a bad deal. They are risky. If you buy a grey market item-one produced for the Asian, or European, market rather than the US market-and get no US warranty, you may get a great item at a great price...or you may get a lemon you can't repair...or a good item with no charger, no body caps, etc. If you can repair it, you will need to send it back to Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, or wherever, to get it repaired at YOUR expense...having no warranty. If so, it will cost you more than you would save, so it is cheaper, and more secure, to get a US market item with warranty. To save money, you can buy a used, or factory refurbished, item in the USA and some such sellers will offer a warranty. Others won't. Most of what I own was purchased used in the USA-some with seller warranty, rather than factory warranty, and some without-and I have not had problems with it. Even if it had needed repairs, and I'd had to pay for it, the savings on the purchase price would have covered a good part of the repairs, if not all of it. I recently purchased a used 28-80mm lens....for just $29.00 in the USA. It works fine. I did buy one grey market item...a Nikon 1 S1 mirrorless camera with a "one inch" sensor. It cost me $79.00. It worked fine for two years, and then stopped working. I had gotten my money's worth out of it by then, so I have no complaint. It taught me what I needed to know about the Nikon 1 system, and I will soon be buying a new USA market / warranted Nikon1 J5....probably direct from nikonusa.com. At $79.00 I did not risk much on the purchase of the grey market S1. I would not risk much more than that, on a grey market purchase, however. To each his own. You need to decide your own level of risk. Buying grey may save you hundreds of dollars, and get you a fine item which works well for years. Then, again, it may get you a piece of garbage which isn't worth the shipping charge, or it may get you nothing at all as the item never really existed and your money is gone for nothing. How much you are willing to risk on such a venture-if you are willing to risk it at all-is up to you.

 

[keen.observer]

bhphotovideo is charging $2398.00 for a Sony a7sII. So why buy elsewhere, and pay hundreds more?

 

[chuasam]

Don’t expect sympathy when a box with bricks shows up.

 

[480sparky]

I have a bridge for sale in Brooklyn for a much better price.

 

[mycognitivecreations]

yea...i would say stay away. if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. im betting its a scam site.

also, its the second time recently you have linked that same website.
any more and im going to think your just here to spam that link and act accordingly.

Alright thank you. Yes, I posted a second time because I did not receive help for my first one

 

[mycognitivecreations]

Could be grey market cameras which most people will tell you to stay away from. Most of the big makers sell "officially" only through authorized dealers. Since there are lots of markets out there and lots of ways the cameras get from the factory into our hands the grey market has come to be pretty sizable. Nikon has had some issues with fakes here and there on the grey market.

Thank you! I did not buy from that website as I was suspicious of it as well. I opted to go with a recommended seller instead, although it was still grey import

 

[mycognitivecreations]

In general camera gear has little variation in price from major retailers because the profit margins are often quite tight. So when you see a site selling for way under the market normal it should send up warning signs.

The site could be a scam, or it might be grey-market. Grey imports are not illegal, but they can come with limitations. For example Nikon won't even service cameras from outside of their regional market so if your camera comes from overseas its got to go back overseas for servicing by Nikon.
Good grey market sellers often have additional warranty options that can overcome this limit without having to ship cameras overseas all the time (this increasing wait time for you and potential postage loss/damage).


However not all grey market importers are safe nor legit. If you can't find many reviews from impartial sources then the site would be high risk and the potential saving might not be worth that risk. Digital Rev is a legitimate grey market importer with a good track record. At the very least you can use them to compare the prices {{header.title || 'DigitalRev - Focus on photography'}} and, if the site is way under grey market prices then that's an even bigger warning sign.



edit - also WOW am I late to the party but Kai no longer does the Digital Rev videos!

Thank you Overread! I have got a grey import from a seller that does one to one exchange for manufacturing fault, so it wasnt that bad I guess

 

[mycognitivecreations]

Grey Market items can be a good deal, or a bad deal. They are risky. If you buy a grey market item-one produced for the Asian, or European, market rather than the US market-and get no US warranty, you may get a great item at a great price...or you may get a lemon you can't repair...or a good item with no charger, no body caps, etc. If you can repair it, you will need to send it back to Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, or wherever, to get it repaired at YOUR expense...having no warranty. If so, it will cost you more than you would save, so it is cheaper, and more secure, to get a US market item with warranty. To save money, you can buy a used, or factory refurbished, item in the USA and some such sellers will offer a warranty. Others won't. Most of what I own was purchased used in the USA-some with seller warranty, rather than factory warranty, and some without-and I have not had problems with it. Even if it had needed repairs, and I'd had to pay for it, the savings on the purchase price would have covered a good part of the repairs, if not all of it. I recently purchased a used 28-80mm lens....for just $29.00 in the USA. It works fine. I did buy one grey market item...a Nikon 1 S1 mirrorless camera with a "one inch" sensor. It cost me $79.00. It worked fine for two years, and then stopped working. I had gotten my money's worth out of it by then, so I have no complaint. It taught me what I needed to know about the Nikon 1 system, and I will soon be buying a new USA market / warranted Nikon1 J5....probably direct from nikonusa.com. At $79.00 I did not risk much on the purchase of the grey market S1. I would not risk much more than that, on a grey market purchase, however. To each his own. You need to decide your own level of risk. Buying grey may save you hundreds of dollars, and get you a fine item which works well for years. Then, again, it may get you a piece of garbage which isn't worth the shipping charge, or it may get you nothing at all as the item never really existed and your money is gone for nothing. How much you are willing to risk on such a venture-if you are willing to risk it at all-is up to you.

Thank you for your information. So far I have no issues with gear I got from a grey import seller. Was just curious why this website is able to offer such a low price. But from the replies, I have better steer away from it