Canon 5DIII Body only - Big Value - $2,599 on eBay

Big Value is once again selling Canon 5DII bodies on eBay. This time the going price is $2,599.

That is not as great of a deal as in the past. The "normal" selling price at Adorama, B&H, etc. is now $2,995. I was able to buy a bundle with 24-105 and 600EX at Adorama a few weeks ago for $2,899, which equals a net cost for the body of $2,699. That is only $100 more, from a Canon USA Authorized Reseller, for a guaranteed Canon USA body.

Big Vale Canon 5DIII sale on eBay

Note: Although the Big Value auction says "Canon USA Warranty", in some cases Big Value has shipped a 5DIII body with no "Canon USA & Canada" 2-part warranty card. Some people get the card, others just get a slip of paper that says "Register your camera at www.canon...."

If your camera arrives with NO CANON USA & CANADA 2 piece warranty card, it is likely GREY MARKET.

Canon **may** still fix it under warranty in the US, at their discretion. You would be better off calling Big Value and insisting on a Canon USA product with warranty cards. They might offer you an additional discount, and/or a 3rd party warranty. At that point it is your decision on whether to accept their offer or return the camera.

DO NOT BE TIMID ABOUT RETURNING THE CAMERA IF YOU ARE NOT HAPPY WITH GREY MARKET PRODUCTS. They are playing on the ambiguity of exactly what is required to receive a Canon USA warranty. When you send a camera in for service, Canon will only ask to see a receipt of purchase. But it is not fair of Big Value to "pretend" that they are selling you a Canon USA body, and "hoping" that Canon continues to play nice on warranty.

The best criteria to determine whether you have a true Canon USA body is that 2 PIECE warranty card.

Good luck!

Michael

There are two discussions that always come up around the Big Value sales: 1) Grey market products (which I have addressed above), and 2) Canon Authorized Resellers.

Here is a staetement from the Canon Price Watch web site on Canon Authorized Resellers and warranty service, based on a poll of their readers:

"The results of our warranty poll! We received 27 responses covering all three Canon US repair centers.

US Model Cameras and Lenses bought from unauthorized dealers are eligible for warranty repair service. We had no reported incidents of US items from unauthorized dealers being rejected for service.

Please note that this is just our data and observations, and the official policy of Canon Inc. may be subject to change, but for now we believe that US model items are eligible for warranty service, regardless of dealer status. We have changed the marking on these dealers as "Canon USA Warranty" in our listings."

http://www.canonpricewatch.com/product/03868/Canon-EOS-5D-Mark-I...