By George Petersen

Internet shopping is a modern marvel. There’s the convenience of turning to CDbaby.com or Amazon.com to find the latest music releases, or visiting eBay when you’re looking for Elvis EPs or repro cards for an MCI JH-24 multitrack. You name it, and you can find it somewhere on the Net.

However, one area of Net commerce that’s become increasingly problematic is the importing of gray-market goods. Unlike black-market retailing, where products are smuggled, stolen or counterfeit, gray-market merchandise is defined as items manufactured abroad and imported without the consent of the trademark holder.

Gray-market gear is common in the electronics, computer and photographic industries, yet for consumers surfing for great prices, it can be difficult to tell a legitimate, authorized dealer from a gray marketeer–and sellers of such merchandise typically don’t go out of their way to advertise this fact.

So who cares, especially when shoppers are looking for the best price? The dark side of a gray-market bargain may be that the product you bought was not built to U.S. standards (such as UL approval), or might have originally been manufactured for a different voltage or line frequency, and has been modified by some unknown person to operate on domestic current. Also, equipment made for use in Japan–where the AC standard is 100 volts–may operate for a while at the U.S. standard 117 VAC, but over-voltage will certainly lead to a shorter lifespan for many products. Granted, the AC problem is less common these days, particularly with the proliferation of devices equipped with switching power supplies, which will operate at any line voltage, or wall wart adapters that are easily substituted to match local power requirements.

Assuming fairness ever entered the mindset of a bargain-seeking consumer, the unfortunate aspect of gray-market retailing is that such sellers compete with legitimate importers, who often are the ones paying for the ancillary services we all need, such as printing brochures and catalogs, maintaining informational Websites, technical support (e-mail and/or phone), and sponsoring tradeshow displays, clinics and seminars.

More directly troublesome to users is the reality that gray-market goods rarely carry the U.S. manufacturer’s warranty, so obtaining guaranteed service may entail the cumbersome process of shipping the product back to the country of origin for repair. If you’re a pro and depend on a product, then you should know that the first-class perks of loaners and fast service turnaround are not going to materialize with your gray-market bargain.

Caveat emptor.

When not working on Mix stuff, George Petersen records and performs with the SF Bay Area-based rock band ARIEL. Check ‘em out at www.jenpet.com.

___________

So what do YOU think?

CLICK ON THE “COMMENTS” LINK BELOW AND SPEAK OUT…