Hi All,

Don't know what sort of reaction I will get to this but here goes.

After spending a considerable amount on equipment from local suppliers i have elected to purchase from the "grey" market for several reasons

1. After considerable research both here and overseas I cannot find any difference in the branded products being offered

2. The price difference on most items is considerable, sometimes up to 40%

3. The warranty's being offered both by the manufacturer and the supplier state that they have local authorised repair agents to handle any warranty issues (local suppliers of the product?)

I have heard all the scare stories from local suppliers stating that "sometimes the products appear to be the same but use inferior components". They are refurbished ( I have found that where this is the case itis stated as such)

I have to date not been given a reasonable answer as to why we in Australia are paying a premium for what is essentially the same item obtainable overseas

I know we should support our local retailers but at what price should we be supporting them or the local distributors (who are in all reality just another middle man)

I do not begrudge paying a little more to purchase from a local supplier but when this "liitle more" is upward of 15% or more on a product in the 1K$ or more price range it is a lot of money to pay for the "local" product

I await the answers
Surely if one is purchasing from a known reliable merchant (and this can be easily checked via the web) the goods are of a merchantible quality and are as stated

Would not the "local" suppliers be speaking up loudly if the "grey" items were not genuine and be enforcingg strict rules re:- warranty repairs etc

I was informed by one US supplier that if a product was purchased in Australia and taken to the US it would be considered a "grey import" and hence the local supplier would not warrant it locally but would still repair the product.