1 April 2011CopyrightVanessa Ferguson

When the bargain hunter becomes the hunted

This has resulted in an increase in the importation and sale of parallel imports, so-called ‘grey goods’.

Grey goods or parallel imports are the trade in goods intended for sale in one market that are exported from their original destination to another country without the authority, knowledge or consent of the manufacturer or licensed importer.

These goods are regarded as genuine goods in that they are sourced indirectly from the foreign manufacturer, but are not goods destined for this market. They are usually sourced from a country where the costs of such goods are low enough so the importer can sell them at a price lower than the domestic price and still make a profit.

Parallel importation of these goods does not follow the authorised manufacturer’s distribution channels. As a result, grey goods do not carry the manufacturer’s warranty and after sales support.

The biggest concern in the trade of grey goods is when counterfeit goods can’t be distinguished from legitimate grey-market goods. Examples of some of the instances where goods are seemingly grey goods but are in fact counterfeit are:

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