Canon Suing Grey Importers in US

[Mike Farley]

Canon is initiating lawsuits against US companies which sells its products which have not been sourced through official channels, so called grey imports. Will we see something similar here in due course, I wonder? In the UK, the difference in cost can be very substantial. As just one example, the official price of the Canon 5D Mk III is £2,249 although that is often discounted through cashback offers and there is currently a £250 deal available. Hdew Cameras is currently selling the camera for £1,459 with a three year warranty, rather than the single year offered by Canon. If the retailers are to be believed, their markup is low, often in single digit percentages, so most of the additional income is being retained by Canon, I am not sure what the situation is these days, but Canon often does not undertake repairs in house and farms them out to the same specialist companies which Hdew uses. While I accept that Canon et al have higher overheads, I am not certain that the average consumer gains any significant benefit from purchasing product through officially sanctioned sources.

There is also the question about how the grey market is supplied. I do not know the position for Canon and the rest, but Thom Hogan has frequently reported that Nikon has dropped stock into some Asian markets at heavily discounted prices in order to meet marketing objectives and/or dispose of excess inventory. Inevitably some of those units will end up being sold in countries other than those intended. There is no indication that Nikon or any other manufacturer alters the specification of their products according to where they are being sold, which would have the effect of increasing production costs, other than the variations you would expect for certain accessories such as chargers which are region specific.

The story is reported at Imaging Resource in a manner which is sympathetic to Canon, possibly as it does not wish to harm their relationship with them. I am waiting to see what Thom Hogan has to say as he does not have so much at stake and does not pull his punches.

http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/20 ... ales-in-us

This is the original story on Petapixel - http://petapixel.com/2015/11/23/canon-i ... r-dealers/

[Mike Farley]

As part of the ongoing legal process in the US, one of the defendants in the case has now responded to Canon's action.

http://www.photographybay.com/2015/12/1 ... -responds/

I am still waiting to see if Thom Hogan will give his views. He went offline at around the time this story broke, promising to be back by 14 December, although this date has been and gone without any new updates on his site.