What you should consider when importing a phone?

Importing the latest, necessary smartphone can save a lot of money, but there are a few key points to keep in mind. When a new premium smartphone enters the market, it will usually be sold at a huge price as a new iPhone smartphone. Let's check the prime things before buying the phone abroad.

Is it safe and legal to buy an import phone in a grey-market?
- What is a grey-market?
- Popular grey-market suppliers
How can I find a reliable seller?
What about the warranty?

Is it safe and legal to buy an import phone in a grey-market?

What is a grey-market?

It's an unauthorized and unofficial market where products are bought and sold at a lower price than the official price of that product.

Popular grey-market suppliers:

Amazon,
eBay,
Alibaba,
Aliexpress.

Mostly, buying a grey-market phone is entirely legal. Of course, it depends on your country but in most of them, you can buy a phone via popular websites. There are some restrictions in law for importing products but mainly mobile phones don't fall under them. Undoubtedly, manufacturers might not like it much, but grey-market imports are perfectly legal.

How can I find a reliable seller?

There are several ways to test whether your seller can be trusted or not:

Check the store history - Usually, most of the Internet shops store above 3 years, so it can be in your filter list;
Check user reviews - You can judge seller credits based on different user reviews especially the negative reviews;
Check store sales - If there are more sales it means you can trust more;
Check goods return rates in the past - If the return rates or dispute rates too high, you can give up.

Also, there are other ways to check your seller. You can compare them together and start ordering several products between them, and then check yourself personally based on the quality of the goods, speed of delivery, price, customer service, etc. You will definitely find a seller you can trust.

What about the warranty?

The big consideration to keep in mind is warranty support. Predominantly sellers inform you in an announcement how long it will be covered. Additionally, the important thing is whether your phone will be covered in your country or just in case you will send it to the country where you bought it.
If you buy a phone directly from a foreign supplier instead of a local seller, he must also comply with the same legal restrictions. The challenge is that prosecuting a warranty claim against an entity thousands of miles away can be a nightmare, requiring many emails, forms, and delays.
Before you decide to call the local customer service department of the gray phone manufacturer, remember that he is not obliged to solve warranty or repair problems. Some brands offer "global" guarantees and may at least examine the device for compliance with warranty guidelines and even offer repair at a cost.