We often get asked if it is safe to purchase IT hardware on Amazon and similar sites.

While this option can sometimes be appealing due to the low prices there are a lot of risks in purchasing grey market hardware.

Grey market hardware is defined as any hardware that is not approved by the trademark holder or hardware intended for another country and imported into the United States by a private entity.

There Are a Few of the Most Common Risks in Purchasing Grey Market Hardware

1) Grey market hardware is not covered by the manufacturer’s warranty.  This means that if you need any support or your hardware fails you will be out of luck.  You will either have to pay for the repairs/support or replace the equipment.

2) Foreign hardware may not meet US safety and emission standards.  This can create a fire hazard or a threat of electrocution and can even result in fines in some states.

3) Grey market hardware is often counterfeit.  Not only is counterfeit hardware underbuilt and often dangerous, they introduce an enormous security risk to your network.  Counterfeit hardware’s firmware is not patched and therefore leaves you unprotected from countless vulnerabilities.

As you can see grey market hardware is by no means the bargain that it first appears to be. 

Over the long-run, this equipment not only has the potential to cost more but also puts you at risk for enormous financial loss due to the vulnerabilities being exploited by cybercriminals.

Vintage IT Services leverages one of the largest authorized dealers of IT hardware in the world and everything we sell to our clients is both made and supported by the manufacturers.  You can rest assured that if you have any issues with equipment provided by us it will be covered under the original warranty.

We also offer extended warranties from the original manufacturers for much of the equipment we sell.

If you are worried that you may have grey market hardware in your environment or are just in need of a network hardware refresh please do not hesitate to reach out to us at 512-481-1117 Ext. 116!