Grey Imports Should You Shouldnt You ?

What Are Grey Imports?

A grey import is equipment that has been supplied by a manufacturer in a different part of the world, for example supplied by Canon Hong Kong to a shop in Hong Kong, and ends up being sold on to you in the UK.
This equipment may be purchased by you directly from a shop in Hong Kong (meaning you are importing it yourself into the UK), or it could be imported into the UK by another company and then sold on to you.
The key point is that the manufacturer has sold it into a different (not UK or EU) geographic market, and someone else is then importing it into the UK.
Grey imports are normally a lot cheaper, but there are also some downsides that you should be aware of and take into consideration.

If You Get A Good Deal Should You Care?

If you buy a grey import, it doesnt neccessarily come with a valid UK manufacturer warranty.
This means the UK branch of the manufacturer would not offer free warranty repairs in the unlikely event of something going wrong within the warranty period (typically one year).
You would therefore have to rely on the shop to provide warranty repairs instead.

There may be other issues such as the manuals being in the wrong language, (from Portus Digital this has never been the case in my experience) or the item not having a UK plug. These are pretty minor.
Depending on how you purchase the grey import, you may be liable to pay import duty and UK VAT in addition to what you are paying the shop,( again from Portus Digital the price you see is the price you pay) and this can make the price considerably less attractive.
Personally I would never buy from a shop based outside the UK.

Why Are Grey Imports Cheaper?

Grey imports may be significantly cheaper than UK stock products.
Another factor is that the manufacturer may believe that consumers in Europe are simply prepared to pay more for things, so they make the prices higher than in, for example, Hong Kong.

Import Duty And VAT

If you buy a product from a shop based in Hong Kong, and they send it to you from there, then you may be liable to pay import duty and VAT.
See this page on the HMRC site for details: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/post/internet.htm

Having to pay VAT on top of the price you have paid the shop, plus import duty and/or handling fees, can make the price of a grey import far less attractive – it is therefore vital to know whether you are importing the product into the UK or not, which means you need to know where it is being sent from.

There are some UK based shops ( Portus Digital is one of these) that import the products themselves from outside the EU, and then sell them to you in the UK. In this case the products should be sent to you from within the UK, and you should not be liable for import duty – and will pay UK VAT on your purchase as normal. As mentioned above, these products can still be cheaper than UK stock, due to the way the manufacturers vary pricing for different parts of the world.
I would highly recommend either of the below retailers:

HDEW Cameras

Portus Digital

I have used both of these retailers, their service and support are  exemplary

How do You Know Its A Grey Import

Whether or not you choose to buy a grey import is a personal choice for you.
The main point for me is that you should have the information to enable you to make an informed choice – knowing the product is a grey import, and whether you will be liable for VAT and import duties in addition.
The problem with many of the grey import shops is that they try very hard to hide from you the fact that they are selling you a grey import. You will normally have to examine their terms and conditions in order to find out about possible VAT and import duty charges, and this is often the only way to work out if they are selling grey imports. Apart from looking for conditions that state you are responsible for import taxes and VAT, also look out for comments saying the products are not eligible for cash back promotions. I’m also cautious when a shop is offering longer warranties than normal – this often is a tactic to hide the fact that you will not get a UK warranty.
In the end though, if the price seems too good to be true compared to the UK prices listed on Camera Price Buster, for instance, then you can assume it is a grey import.

Is It Worth Buying A Grey Import

I am afraid I am a serial offender, it can save so much of your hard earned cash that it would be rude not too !!
But its a personal choice that you must make, weigh up the price saving (taking into account VAT and import duties) against not having a UK warranty. 
And factor in the chance of having to use the warranty based on the type of product. You might feel that you want the reassurance of the UK manufacturer warranty on a £1500 lens, but not on a £50 lens filter which has no moving parts to go wrong.
Just make sure you know what you are getting and where it is being sent from, if it is sent from within the UK then in my opinion its a no brainer.

Camera Price Buster is a great site to find the best prices – but do your own research too.