Anti Gray Market Information - Source agma.asn.au

Nortel Networks

Besides the danger of an unsatisfactory business relationship with a Grey Marketer, you are also exposed to other risks associated with the grey market product.

For example:
• Grey Marketer’s terms and conditions reflect the fact that there is value in who you deal with.

In other words – YOUR WARRANTY (IF ANY) IS WITH THE GREY MARKETER NOT WITH THE MANUFACTURER.

• Although some grey marketers offer warranty periods, they usually do not have resources or in many cases the capability to meet such warranty commitments.

• Software Right To Use (RTU) licenses are non-transferable by non-authorized parties. Nortel Networks software may only be licensed by Nortel Networks or its authorized channels, which leaves the customer liable for various types of intellectual property rights infringement.

• Performance issues with the unknown and not properly tested equipment. Such products are not covered by a Nortel
Networks warranty, and are not entitled to receive repair and replacement services and other type of customer support, including software upgrades.

• Some equipment may be stolen, and software provided may be illegal.

• Additional costs which will drive the total cost above the authorized Channel Partner’s price.

Epson has launched a program designed to stamp out unauthorised sales of point of sale (POS) products, following incidents where agents had imported products not designed for the Australian market.

There had been incidents in the past where some resellers had sold products that had not been configured for, or did not have the necessary regulatory approval, for Australia and New Zealand markets. This had affected end users.. these grey market products could have differences in firmware or lack a C-tick approval.

POS products in question could include receipt printers, touch-screens, and invoice printers
 

Nikon

For local safety regulations and certifications (FCC, CE, UL, etc.) and government requirements a manufacturer provides special packaging (manuals in the appropriate language, power cables designed for the local receptacle, etc.) and product engineering designed to meet local codes. Manufacturers also have service and support agreements with the authorized importer.

Gray Market items are not designed to be sold in a particular market and cannot be supported by the authorized importer because they may not meet mandatory safety and certification codes. Because these items are not designed for a particular market they may not function properly, or the authorized importer may not be equipped to provide service, support or software.

Because the resellers' cost is less they can sell Gray Market items for less. Unfortunately this price savings is only on the initial purchase; because service and support is more difficult to obtain it may end up costing the consumer more in the long run.

If the deal was just too good to be true, it probably was. One of the first indicators that a piece of Nikon merchandise might be Gray Market is if the price is considerably less than most other resellers.

Please contact the reseller or importer of your Gray Market items for warranty and service information as well as software updates and downloads.

CR Kennedy & Company Pty Ltd

Parallel and Grey Imports are described as product imported directly into a country by a company or persons other than the manufacturer's authorised distributor in that country.

CR Kennedy & Company Pty Ltd does not provide any warranty or guarantee for parallel /grey imports. We will not honour any warranty or guarantee supplied by parallel importers such as camerasdirect.com.au, d-d.photographics.com.au, dwidigitalcameras.com.au, dwidigitalcameras.com.au and globalmediapro.com.

2) Products sourced from America and Japan requiring battery chargers, etc, will not meet Australian electrical standards. Plugs will require an adaptor. Adaptors supplied by parallel /grey importers are often not electrically approved.

3) In many instances products supplied for Australia have special modifications for the Australian market. iriver MP3 players for example have a different operating system to the unit supplied in the USA. If you purchase parallel grey imported product you risk purchasing product that may not easily work under Australian conditions.

4) We have had a recent case where product supplied by an e-bay vendor was found to be stolen goods. This instance is now a police matter.

5) CR Kennedy & Company Pty Ltd. operate in a global market place. The lines we represent in Australia are globally competitive in price. The savings by purchasing from parallel/grey importers are small. The risks are great.

Ebay Trader Goes Bust

ONE of the biggest Australian sellers on eBay has gone bust and its owner is in China, leaving hundreds of buyers hundreds of thousands out of pocket, according to some estimates.

The Queensland seller, known on eBay as ebusiness-supplies and registered in Australia as EBS International Pty Ltd, was wound up on Friday and was under administration, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission said.

Hundreds of customers around the country who bought exercise equipment, pocket bikes, quad bikes, electric guitars, furniture and other household items from EBS International now have little chance of receiving their items or a refund from the seller.

Those who paid with PayPal, which is owned by eBay, would be entitled to refunds through a fund set up specifically to deal with this matter, said PayPal's managing director, Andrew Pipolo.

Queensland police confirmed its fraud department was investigating 12 complaints against the company but there was no evidence of criminality so far.

Sydney Morning Herald - Asher Moses

• We sum it up in the section below that we display when we believe others are selling the same (or similar) item "Gray Market". Often they con you with misleading wording regarding warranty and approvals.