Scubaroo
Contributor
"Grey market" is another term for parallel imports. Typically there is an authorised distributor in a market (eg Australia - the Suunto authorised distributor is Aquanaut), and then you will get Suunto products being imported by companies or stores not affiliated with Aquanuat, eg from a European source. They're not illegal, but the authorised distributor has every right not to provide warranty support should it be required. If the factory denies warranty support, it's just an indication of the ethics of the particular manufacturer IMO.
I'm having hassles with this sort of thing myself at the moment - wholesale prices quote by Australian distributors of scuba gear are often higher than retail prices overseas! I could literally buy numerous items from LeisurePro at RETAIL, ship it to Australia, mark it up, sell it here, undercut the local recommended retail pricing by 30% or more, and STILL make a worthwhile profit. But I don't, as I don't want my business to be labelled as a "grey importer". I'm having a hard enough time getting the industry here to recognise my business as a legitimate authorised business as it is, simply because I only sell online.
I'm having hassles with this sort of thing myself at the moment - wholesale prices quote by Australian distributors of scuba gear are often higher than retail prices overseas! I could literally buy numerous items from LeisurePro at RETAIL, ship it to Australia, mark it up, sell it here, undercut the local recommended retail pricing by 30% or more, and STILL make a worthwhile profit. But I don't, as I don't want my business to be labelled as a "grey importer". I'm having a hard enough time getting the industry here to recognise my business as a legitimate authorised business as it is, simply because I only sell online.