Along the crowded counters of Bi-Rite Photo in midtown Manhattan, bargain hunters contend not only with the usual bewildering selection of cameras and lenses but also with a choice of prices for the same item. The popular Nikon FE-2 camera, for example, costs either $279.50 or $239.50. What's the difference? Top dollar buys a camera backed by an authorized U.S. Nikon distributor. For the lower price, a buyer gets the same machine but with only Bi-Rite's guarantee.
Welcome to the world of the gray market. Embraced by bargain hunters at the same time that it is cursed by conventional retailers, the...
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