I see more and more people buying Grey Market Computers, but most of the time, it’s by accident. They didn’t know there was something amiss or abnormal. I’ve touched on grey market tech before in my traptop posts, but this topic deserves one of my Too-Many-Words write-ups.
Black & White & Grey
In the US, you’re probably using white markets most of the time. Whether it’s a corporate big-box store, or a licensed professional at your door, those are all part of white markets. They are fully legal, and there are laws in place to protect all participants.
Black markets are to be avoided, because of their illegal or dangerous nature. This includes counterfeit and stolen merchandise or products that circumvent safety standards. Most of us recognize black markets and know to avoid them.
Grey markets are sandwiched in between. When you take part in a grey market, you’re not doing anything illegal, but you are also not buying through normal/official/regulated channels. This can mean that your personal cost could be different or lower. It could also mean that the law doesn’t help you as much, or you have less recourse, if anything goes wrong.
Now, all of this is not to say you must avoid grey markets. There’s a time and place for those. Selling your car to someone over Facebook, buying a TV at a pawnshop, trading your labor for a homemade pie — there are plenty of examples of grey market commerce that are perfectly kosher!
I’m asking you to learn about and focus on grey markets, because the lines between markets are getting blurred. When it comes to buying computers, there is a overlap of the white and grey markets. If you unknowingly buy a computer from the grey market, you may come to regret it later.
Grey Market Computers
Grey market computers are easily found on Amazon, as well as in eBay listings and less often on WalMart‘s website. I don’t see too many on Best Buy’s or Staples’ websites, but that could change. They can be hard to spot, because they resemble white market computers in many ways:
- Listed as New! or New in Box
- Big Brand Names
- 30-day return window, full 1 year warranty against defects
- often comes with Windows 11 Pro and lifetime license to Office
It all looks good, but the devil in is in the details. If you’re going to consider computer purchasing on Amazon or similar “marketplace” sites, you must learn to dig in and understand:
- “New” on the grey market means that no one has used the computer, but the box may have been opened and the computer may have been altered
- If the PC is warrantied through a 3rd party seller, then that is who you contact with questions and support requests (not the original manufacturer)
- Amazon is generally less helpful, if you are dissatisfied with a purchase you’ve made through a marketplace seller (than if you had purchased directly from Amazon)
It is still possible to buy a workable grey market computer. Disaster is not guaranteed! But let’s go over some lesser and greater risks, so your eyes are open:
Risks
Some lesser problems that can crop up from a grey market computer purchase:
- The computer’s warranty will have shifted. Even though HP or Dell built the computer, you cannot call them with your PC problems. The reseller is who you would turn to. In many cases, that can be difficult. Amazon resellers commonly do not have a support number or website. Communications with them can take a lot longer or be restricted to the Amazon messaging system.
- Shipping and restocking fees may be applied, if you have to return a grey market item. This goes for returns, but also for sending in a device for warranty repair!
- Your good deal may later reveal itself to be a bad deal. Example: the $600 laptop you’ve bought could turn out to be a $200 traptop that had $50 worth of RAM added to it.
And then there are some worse risks I should describe to you:
- 3rd party sellers might not communicate well, due to a language barrier. They might misunderstand your questions. Or they might “ghost” you.
- The laptop itself may be a nice machine, but the upgrades added could be low-quality, used or faulty. And that could lead to a defective or inoperable system, soon after you begin using it.
- The Windows or Office licenses could stop working at a future date. This is due to overuse piracy. Some resellers legitimately buy bulk (volume) licenses to use on computers. They allow the reseller to install the software 100 times, for example. And when the company installs that software on 500 computers, Microsoft will eventually catch it in a software audit, and deactivate those licenses with a kill-switch. This can happen months later, well after the warranty period, and the seller has skipped town.
White Market Computers
If you’ve read this far, chances are you are thinking, “Alright, enough already, you’ve convinced me to avoid grey market stuff! How do I make sure I’m buying from the white market?” It’s not too hard:
Buy from the big-box, big-name physical stores. You’ll be able to see that everything they sell is truly new-in-box, with the original manufacturer seals on everything. Open-box and refurbished items are clearly marked, as well. There is no confusion if you put yourself in a physical store.
Shop online at stores that do not allow 3rd-party sellers. That rules out Amazon, WalMart and eBay. The big price-club-style stores are safe, as well as Best Buy, Staples and similar office-supply stores. I also like Microcenter. Or you can just shop directly with a specific computer manufacturer at their website.
If you’re going to shop where the white and grey overlaps, then you must be ready to drill down into the details and scrutinize everything! On Amazon or Walmart, look for the seller name and where the computer ships from. It’s often in small print, somewhere below the pricing. If you can spot “Ships and sold from Amazon”, that means you’re still in the white market. “Ships and sold by Fungbasintry Technologica” is probably a grey market offering.
And if you have any doubt, try to contact the support staff of the main website. Ask them about the item for sale, who is selling and shipping it, and where the warranty lay.