Novice buying questions

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Originally Posted by burrhead

Thank you, that allays some of my concerns. I don't really know what a gray market is but I see it mentioned a lot in my reading. I don't mean to step on toes or be unethical. I am concerned about getting scammed being pretty green.

Thanks again.

The actual Gray Market is a legitimate business model that imports new products, bypassing the authorized Distributor. So, they almost never have a valid warranty. In the USA, JomaShop, Alan Furman, Costco, etc., are Grey Market Importers, other countries have theirs too.

It is grossly misused here and frequently seems to mean anything

The secondary market, which most watches are here, were sold by an AD to a consumer, so have an active warranty. If you get the card, it is just as valid for you as it was for the original purchaser.

The real Grey Market shops do not deal in counterfeits, it is against the law and they would risk their business license. Resellers and the secondary market is a crap-shoot, so we always say to investigate the seller in-depth before putting down your cash.