Question about Abe's of Maine retailer

[PEJKKJ]

I'm looking at a 1DX Mk II, and Abe's of Maine has what appears to be a great deal on new ones for $4,149.  In scouring their FAQ's it says that they are not an "authorized" Canon dealer.  Are these international models with no US warranty, or ones that fell off the truck?  Never ordered from Abe's before so not sure how to interpret them.

[PEJKKJ]

Thanks again, everyone. Appreciate the comments. The $1300 I was trying to save isn’t a big deal, ebiggs1. Just figured it was worth investigating. I want the DX for the 14-16 frames a second. Shooting a 7D II now at 10/sec and i’m Interested in the faster speed. Also the ability to export from 4K 60 fps video to images as well may help capture the hand & ball contact in volleyball even more than the 14-16 fps, although at a lower resolution. I don’t think the 5D mk4 has the video to image capture feature, and the 7 fps is too slow.

[ebiggs1]

Looks like 1DX Mk II all the way.    Go get it but from a good Canon USA retailer.

[TCampbell]

One motiviation for ordering online (expensive for expensive items) was to avoid sales tax.  But with recent tax law changes, most states now demand that online retailers collect tax.  This means your local authorized Canon dealer probably sells the camera for the same price as an online store.

An advantage of ordering local is that when you buy big ticket items, they are often happy to give you some complementary assistance with it.

[Dantalian]

DO NOT BUY FROM ABES OF MAINE!!!   I recently ordered a Canon EOS D90 without researching this company, because I had bought from them in the past and not had a problem.  I didn't get much of a discount on this $1,000+ product, so it didn't flag any concern.  First they added $100 to the cost, and when I called they said they'd added the "Retail Package" (no definition anywhere); they did issue a credit to my credit card for that.  But when I received the product it was in the "Kit" box (that originally held the kit lens), had NO USB cable at all, NO Warrantee Card, and of course no CD with the software to download your pictures.  But when I tried to register the camera and download the necessary software, THE SERIAL NUMBER CAME UP AS INVALID.  No software, no way to download photos.  I called them back after realizing it was a GREY MARKET PRODUCT with NO warrantee at all, and no way to obtain the necessary software.  They ARGUED WITH ME and of course wanted to charge a $156 "restocking fee"!!!  I'm waiting for the return authorization now and we'll see if they refund my payment in full (I'm still out the cost of returning the camera by certified mail).  I can't believe Canon hasn't sued this company - a camera with NO WARRANTEE at all and NO WAY TO OBTAIN SOFTWARE should be CLEARLY ADVERTISED AS SUCH.

[ebiggs1]

" I can't believe Canon hasn't sued this company ..."

Canon has no control over a non-Canon USA store.  It is, as always, buyer beware. It is usually a good idea getting some opinions before spending a lot of money from a place you really don't know.

[wq9nsc]

Dantalian,

You can file a dispute with your credit card provider when the merchant significantly misrepresents the product or associated transaction.  They are better at arguing with Abes or other such places than you will be.

Rodger

[Dantalian]

As to Caveat Emptor, I got suckered in because: (1) I had bought from Abes back when they WERE an authorized dealer (they've been around forever), and (2) the price wasn't significantly discounted so I never thought it could be grey market. If the serial number had been valid & I could have got the software online, and registered for the warrantee, I may never have noticed.

[wq9nsc]

I took a quick look at their website and they do mention "some items come with international warranties" but that is under their general Q&A section.  I glanced at the product description for a 90D which was the first Canon item that came up and the only thing I saw in the specific product area about warranty was the offer to sell an extended warranty.

I would dispute any RMA charge with your credit card provider.  Some states, New York for example, have a requirement within state law requiring sellers to explicitly and clearly identify gray market goods as such while in other states any protection is under the general area of misleading consumers.

My doctoral dissertation was partially about gray markets and their effects upon markets and distribution systems.  I have knowingly purchased a few gray market goods (because the product wasn't available through the "white"/official marketing channel) but never a Canon product until very recently.  Canon is obviously getting ready to replace the 5DS R and a long time friend from another country offered me a new 5DS R at a low enough price that I decided it would be worth trying out Canon's high resolution camera and to take a risk if it dies during warranty in a way that is beyond my technical ability to repair.  Given the reliability of Canon products and the low price, it was worth the risk to me but I do NOT encourage people to buy gray market goods unless they are willing to bear the risks and drawbacks that come with this type of purchase.  And I wouldn't do business with retailers that don't clearly convey the nature of the gray market product prior to sale.

Rodger

[ebiggs1]

It is not called "Honest Abe's".  Hmmmm....

[RobertTheFat]

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

It is not called "Honest Abe's".  Hmmmm....

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And it's not located in Maine. Reminds me of what's been said about the Holy Roman Empire: It wasn't holy; it wasn't Roman; and it wasn't an empire.