Would you buy a gray market mb-d12?

[mark_stephan2]

<p>Adorama sells the Nikon MB-D12 for $379 for the USA model and $329 for the Imported model? I've recently picked up a used D800 with fewer than 1200 clicks and would like to get a grip for it. I've used a MB-D10 with my D700 for 5 years and I've never had an issue. Would you buy the Import and save $50? I could use the money saved for an extra battery.</p>

[SCL]

<p>Mark - I think the distinction between domestic and gray market, at least in the US, is that one is taxed differently than the other by the importer, hence the incentive to sell and service only the domestic rather than the gray market one. Third party items are a different horse altogether.</p>

[Dieter Schaefer]

<p>Only you can decide whether saving $50 is worth the risk of Nikon USA refusing to repair the unit should it need service.</p>

[helen_oster]

<p>I understand that this company is a Nikon authorized repair center, and WILL service all Nikon units, including direct import:<br>

<a href="http://www.nikoncamerarepair.com/">http://www.nikoncamerarepair.com</a></p>

<p>and that this guy also repairs and services Nikon lenses:</p>

<p>Rick J Riggins<br /> 1939 S. Quebec Wy. #203<br /> Denver, CO 80231<br /> <a href="http://www.discountcamerarepair.com/" target="_blank">WWW.DiscountCameraRepair.com</a><br /> <a href="tel:303-669-0945" target="_blank">303-669-0945</a></p>

[Two23]

<p>I woud simply buy a used one for even less on ebay. I don't buy new if I can help it.</p>

<p>Kent in SD</p>

[mike_halliwell]

<p>+1 Kent S.</p>

<p>...or maybe from a 2nd hand dealer with a 30 or 90 day return policy.</p>

<p>Grips are one of those things that, in general, are either going to work perfectly or be DOA. Battery box corrosion aside....it's not going to develop a terminal (sorry!) fault suddenly after you've had it for a few weeks.</p>

[robert_stig]

I havent bought anything nikon accessories and havent had any issue.

 

Hoods - caps - chargers - decoded/batteries - grips...all aftermarket

 

I have two grips for my d600 one just in case. Never had an issue. I will not biy a nikon accesory if I have other

alternatives.

 

I was very skeptic and very weary and scared to buy 3rd party but trying it more and more, I now only buy aftermarke and

very happy.

[rodeo_joe1]

<p>I find it really weird that America, where the consumer is supposed to be king, makes this stupid distinction between official imports and so-called "grey market". The stuff obviously comes out of the same factory - be it in China, Japan, the Phillipines or wherever - so why should it matter? Import duties/sales taxes should remain the same whether the goods have come through one importer or another.</p>

<p>Time you American cousins took this stupid, discriminatory and anti free-market practise to task.</p>

<p>Our beef over here is that we get charged your price in dollars directly in pounds sterling, despite there being a nearly 1.7:1 difference in the exchange rate!</p>

<p>Edit: If the difference is in after sales support, then you're obviously paying for what is in effect a warranty insurance premium. So why not buy grey market and take out separate all-risks insurance? It'll probably still work out cheaper than lining the pockets of Nikon's US agents. And if enough people did that then Nikon US would soon change its policy.<br>

Also; is your contract of sale not with the retailer as it is in the UK? If so, then any defective item is the retailers responsibility to put right within a "reasonable time limit". You don't make a contract with the importer, but directly with the person or business that sold you the item.</p>

[mike_halliwell]

<p>I've always found Nikon's Worldwide pricing 'Policy' truly baffling.</p>

<p>...and this comes at an interesting time regarding Nikon profits....</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>http://www.nikon.com/about/ir/ir_library/result/index.htm#y2015</p>

</blockquote>

[mark_stephan2]

<p>Helen, thanks for the links. I'm going to contact them about a Nikon 105 AF-D macro lens that needs repair. When I buy the MB-D12 I'm gonna save $50 and get the Import.</p>

[djthomas]

<p>RJ: The warranty should lie with the manufacturer, not the seller--which is another reason this whole gray market/home market thing sounds silly. As you correctly point out, whether I purchase the camera/lens/accessory any where in the world, they still all were made by Nikon; so from a customer's point of view, why should Nikon care where I purchased the item? They either stand behind the warranty or they don't.<br>

While I suppose most people would return a defective/in-warranty item to the place of purchase, that is probably more so out of convenience. I don't hold the store/sales person liable for a defective item, but as an authorized sales outlet by Nikon, I know they are in some way tied to the Nikon network. If my local camera store goes out of business a month after I buy my camera and it then fails operate properly under warranty, I know I can still send it to Nikon for repair...unless of course it's a 'Gray Market' item.</p>

[dan_brown4]

<p>I'd be OK with the gray market for an accessory like that.</p>

[bgelfand]

<p>Here is one on KEH in EX+ condition for $313</p>

<p>https://www.keh.com/353155/nikon-digital-mb-d12-multi-power-batt-pack</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>I've bought clones of the grips and they duplicate the originals so exactly that they even have the same flaws as the originals, if that's any consolation. They (the clone makers) have fixed or replaced them quite willingly, however.</p>

<p>Search eBay for Nikon MB-D12 and you'll find lots of clones, used ones, and ones about which it is not at all clear just what they are. Much cheaper, in any case.</p>

[Rick Waller]

<p>Folks - arguing about the wisdom of either Nikon's marketing/pricing policies or US trade restrictions has absolutely NOTHING to do with the guy's question. I suggest that if you want to rant about either, open a separate thread rather than hijack the OP's post.<br>

to the point at hand - will personally never buy a gray product if it includes any sort of internal computerization or complex gearing or anything along those lines. But in the case of a grip, which is nothing more than an enclosure for some batteries and has few parts destined to fail? I would have no problem going gray. As someone above pointed out - while a grip can thoeretically go bad, paying $50 for "insurance" against a $380 item may be seen as excessively expensive. Only you can decide.</p>

<p>And - if it makes the decision any easier, APS that was recommended by Helen is an exceptional repair service. I am an NPS member and in cases where I need non-warranty work done (or work that Nikon Melville may charge for), I do not hesitate to send my gear to Chicago. The work is excellent, the turn around is fast and the price is competitive. </p>

[djthomas]

<p>The OP did bring up the discussion of gray market items. The question that apparently runs through a lot of people's minds when considering a purchase of one of these is "Will it be as reliable as a non-gray market item and will I be stuck with a broken piece of equipment if it does fail?" Somehow, there seems to be an impression/inference that items categorized as gray market are in some way inferior to your local home market "version"...</p>

<p>Am I correct in assuming that even if your gray market item does fail or is otherwise defective, it is still covered under a Nikon warranty, but in the case of the USA, it simply will not be repaired in the states, but must be sent to wherever the 'home market' is of that item? When you purchase a gray market item, do you know at the time of purchase what market (country/region) the item was intended for? Knowing this may help in the decision process as well. For instance, in the US, if I bought a gray market item intended for Canada, I might find that 'geographically acceptable' as the distance to a repair center (and shipping) is not likely to be prohibitive. But a gray market item intended say for Australia a bit more difficult to manage.</p>

[mike_halliwell]

<p>If Nikon know it's Grey because of it's serial number, then they know EXACTLY where it's not grey!</p>

<p>The idea that Grey's are quietly syphoned off the production line and sold on, warranty-less is fostered by Nikon's own overly-protective approach to fixing it's own products on a regional basis.</p>

<p>I've even heard the idea that they're the ones that failed Nikon's overly rigorous quality control and were meant for destruction and 'somehow' got sold on as seconds.. I particularly like that one!</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>As a moderator here, I would like to remind everybody that the OP's main concern is about getting a gray-market grip repaired should that become necessary in the future. And it looks like Mark is satisfied with Helen's answer. Additionally, previously Authorized Photo Service has repaired a gray-market 200mm macro I have: http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00BxJs</p>

<p>Otherwise, the topic of gray-market products in general and why they exist has already been debated many many times on this forum and is indeed off topic to this thread.</p>

<p>Additionally, gary-market products are not specific to the US. When I was growing up in Hong Kong in the early 1970's (when the government was British), they were common over there (and still are today, some 40 years later and the government is Chinese). And Nikon Australia is, of course, hostile to gary-market Nikon products in Australia: http://www.applianceretailer.com.au/2011/11/qbbjywuqna/#.U-oXudUfvao ....</p>