Beware of Gray Market

USA Today warns shoppers to beware of who they’re buying stuff from:

Spot an amazing deal on a digital music player, camera or other electronic product online this holiday?

Be careful: Some sites sell imported models with no warranties. And some manufacturers are striking back by refusing to service unauthorized imports.

The battle is over the growing “gray market,” says Steve Salter, a vice president at the Better Business Bureau OnLine. Many manufacturers tweak their prices from country to country, based on currency fluctuations and what the market will bear. Gray-market resellers snap up goods in cheap countries, often in Asia, and resell them in pricier markets for a profit.

Some good advice I use is to go with online companies with long histories (even if the internet has been mainstream for not so long) like Amazon.com and Buy.com. Also consider an online store with a bricks and mortar place. Talking to a real person face-to-face can solve a problem. When considering bidding on something on eBay look at the seller’s ranking and check out their feedback. Even still you could stumble on a crook with a marvelous reputation. So find out what kind of protections your credit card company gives you.

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