How to Identify a Canon 40D Grey Market Camera

Unfortunately selling grey market electronics is a profitable business. Retailers looking to make a quick buck will pass off used equipment, often with rebuilt parts, as new. This equipment often doesn't come with a USA warranty, receipt or customer service phone number. When purchasing any electronics, including the Canon 40D digital camera, be sure you throughly research the product you are purchasing. Use these steps to tell if the Canon 40D camera you are purchasing is grey market, or an authorized product, new from Canon.

Check the sales ad of the Canon 40D Camera for warranty information. Grey market products will often include a warranty of some sort. Look at the ad to make sure it is a USA warranty, if you are purchasing the product to be used in the USA. Many grey market products will contain a warranty from a foreign country, that will do you no good if you need to have warrantied repairs made in the USA.

Ask to see the camera's packaging before the purchase. Look at the canon 40D box, and make sure it still has the original barcode intact. Grey market dealers will package re-built cameras in discarded boxes, altered boxes or fabricated boxes. If the packaging looks manipulated, or different from the advertisements from Canon, it may be a grey market camera.

Try shooting with the Canon 40D camera you want to purchase. If the retailer won't let you turn on the camera, and see it function, be wary. Grey market cameras are often rebuilt, with off brand electronics inside. They may function to a certain capacity, but not fully.

Ask about the return policy before you buy your Canon 40D. Returning items that don't work properly, or are not satisfactory is a common service offered by retailers. Some may only offer a 24 hour return or exchange with delicate items, such as electronics. If no return policy or receipt is supplied , they may be selling you a grey market product.

Research the retailer where you will purchase your Canon 40D. Check to see if the retailer offers customer service assistance after the sale. Ask if they offer online or in-store classes. Find out if they have a phone number for questions. Try calling the number to be sure it works. Purchasing your Canon 40D online, or at a retail store, can be a safe purchase, if it is from a reputable dealer. Retailers won't want to deal with customers face-to-face if they know they sell grey market products.

Avoid online retailers that don't have a store front. Choose web retailers that have a physical presence in the real world. Grey market cameras are often sold by web retailers that can easily delete their website after a few sales, and re-post under a new name a few days later. Tracking your sale can be nearly impossible with this type of retailer if you have trouble with your purchase. If the retailer has a store front, you will always have a physical location and telephone number to follow-up on your purchase.

If the price on a Canon 40D digital camera sounds too good to be true, it probably is a grey market product. Avoid extremely low prices and quick sales.