Canon USA Addresses the Gray Market

[weixing]

Canon USA, UK, etc are their own P&L centres. Why should they cross subsidise via way of a warranty an item bought from another country.

Simple answer: ONE company. ONE world. ONE global economy. Not only for Canon, companies, makers, sellers of products. But also for us, buyers, customers. 8)

We don't tell Canon in what countries to manufacture their products. Canon is in no position to tell us, their customers, where to buy their products - as long as they come from their factories. They should be grateful when we spend our money on their products rather than on those from competitors. It would be in Canon's own best interest to keep us, their customers as happy as they possibly can. That includes the very best aftersales service they can possible pony up and offer to us. For all their products, for all their customers, no matter where we live, work and purchase Canon products.

Fair is fair.

While that it a ideal view, its not a realistic one, not at least until all countries come up with the same regulations, same taxes, same liability laws, etc. Companies have separate P&L centers because they have to deal with the different laws and tax rates.

In fact, its not one world. Here in the USA, its not even one country, each state has its differing laws and differing taxes. Politics plays a huge part. At least, some laws are common, so that makes it possible to sell the same product in most states, but some products can only be sold in certain states.

Hi,
I still remember a few years back when astronomical products in my country was very expensive (easily double the price of the selling price in USA) and quite a few USA major astronomical manufacturer told their online retailer that they are not allow to sell outside USA when we try to place order. As a result, those USA virtual address shipping service become very popular in our local astronomy community.

Have a nice day.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Precisely. Of the products I import from Japan to Canada, I only have to get approval (CSA in our case) for the items that plug in to the wall. My cameras don't plug in directly and neither do lenses.

Perhaps you have never imported a car from Japan, or a TV from the UK. Its the different standards, laws and taxes at work.

 

[cosmopotter]

Precisely. Of the products I import from Japan to Canada, I only have to get approval (CSA in our case) for the items that plug in to the wall. My cameras don't plug in directly and neither do lenses.

Perhaps you have never imported a car from Japan, or a TV from the UK. Its the different standards, laws and taxes at work.

Yes. I have. If you read my previous posts you'll see that. I know the standards and difficulties much more intimately than you do. That was my point.

 

[martti]

W sih that the bodies and the lenses could come with a scan code that you could use to register your product and to trace it down if it has been stolen. Canon has its registration service but I do not know what they actually do.
Would it not be qite simple just scan the code to know if you have a warranty or not?
If I order from eBay how can I tell if the product is grey or stolen or counterfeit?
Unless, of course I use international sellers with 99.91 per cent satisfaction and the .09 is typically somebody Franch.

 

[martti]

I get all my camera stuff from Asia because where I live the local dealer only has a limited stock. He also charges ridiculous prices because people do not know what the legal 'world prices' are. there is no local Canon or any other camera repair work shop. All things Canon will be sent to France and taken care by Diana which is the official canon repair agent. The trip there and back takes 2 months.

I bought a crappy Canon point and shoot from South Korea. It was so crappy I only had it a couple of months and I sold it to a friend of mine. Three weeks afterward, the camera ceased to function totally. Diana repaired it under warranty. When I had dropped my 35mm L lens, Diana's offer was 40% more expensive than authorized dealer's offer in Helsinki, Finland. So clearly, Canon's rules are adapted to the country in question.

When I had a problem with an Olympus camera, they asked me to send it to the French dealership and they sent me a new one, an improved version also. Which failed 14 months after I had bought it but luckily I had managed to sell in in the meantime.

Some internet dealers have their own guarantee policy that you can extend up to 3 years with an additional fee, of course. Instead of waging war against gray imports, Canon should establish a similar system as long as the market has not been taken over by swifter small companies.