Was Your Gear Refurbished by Nikon?

As this article explains, Nikon marks all the gear it refurbishes:

 

This 'Secret Code' Shows if Your Nikon Gear is Refurbished

 

The lack of the punch marks does not mean your gear is not refurbished, it just means it was not refurbished by Nikon. Conversely, there is nothing to stop an unscrupulous seller from putting punch marks on used gear and claiming "Factory Refurbished".

Does this only apply to things that were sold as refurbished by Nikon, or is it also true of something that has been sent in for service and given a CLA?

or is it also true of something that has been sent in for service and given a CLA

Certainly not - I don't think anyone would be happy for have a lens or camera sent in for service returned marked "refurbished". Refurbished items are items that have been "resold" after undergoing whatever the refurbishment process entails.

Does this only apply to things that were sold as refurbished by Nikon, or is it also true of something that has been sent in for service and given a CLA?

This only applies to items that are refurbished by Nikon USA and then re-sold as refurbished to another owner.

 

If you send an item to Nikon USA to repair or clean, they will not punch those holes around the serial number, as those holes (indication of a refurbished item) will likely affect the (resale) value of the item. Customers would have been screaming. ;)

 

In particular, plenty of collectors would demand completely mint, like new items. Punching those holes can easily make the item pretty much worthless in the collection market.

 

See my post about the refurbished 80-400mm AF-S VR I briefly owned. Since it was defective, I sent it back to Adorama: Refurbished Nikon 80-400mm AF-S VR from Adorama

Edited April 6, 2018 by ShunCheung

Anyone is already f-ed and far from home if they're buying from a shop where this is of concern. Nikon will sometimes refurb its demo, sample or dealer returns and sell them as refurbs; Nikon fixes and returns your gear. I've never seen Nikon refurbs ever sold without abundant documentation and/or disclosure of this status. Nikon.ca once sold off small amounts of unclaimed repair gear but stopped some time ago. Serial #s offer another layer of protection.

The 'assumption' that punch marks are a sign of a NIKON refurb is the issue. Anyone could do that and claim it's been returned to Nikon's high standard (?) and being sold 'as new'. caveat emptor

 

IIRC there was a coloured sharpie mark in the tripod socket for refurb bodies. I think that was for firmware, but I can't be sure. Anyone know more?

I don't think anyone would be happy for have a lens or camera sent in for service returned marked "refurbished".

 

Sony did this with a flat-panel computer monitor that failed under warranty. On their instructions I dutifully shipped it back, in its original retail box (compact, custom-foam inserts). It came back stamped "Refurbished", in a huge generic box literally 3x the size of the original box, padded with those air-bag things. And yes, it was the same monitor, verified based on serial number, and on a small sticker on the bezel.

 

And you're correct. I was NOT happy.

Sony did this with a flat-panel computer monitor that failed under warranty. On their instructions I dutifully shipped it back, in its original retail box (compact, custom-foam inserts). It came back stamped "Refurbished", in a huge generic box literally 3x the size of the original box, padded with those air-bag things. And yes, it was the same monitor, verified based on serial number, and on a small sticker on the bezel.

 

And you're correct. I was NOT happy.

 

I think they just sent you another monitor that was refurbished rather than they fixed your monitor and stamped it "Refurbished".