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What does Nikon USA model mean? At some online stores they specify USA and they are a bit more then the ones at the same store that do not say USA.

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Products specified as USA are intended by the manufacturers to be sold only in the U.S. and the warranties are generally only applicable if the item is bought in the U.S. or shipped to the buyer in the U.S. from a foreign seller. The other items are usually the identical product but are not intended by their manufacturers for sale in the U.S. These are sometimes referred to as Grey Market items. If you purchase such a product and have it shipped to an address in the United States the manufacturer might not honor the warranty if you need service or replacement during the warranty period.

In general, online stores that sell grey market items are viewed as being a little shady and are sometimes known to use deceptive business practices to increase their profits on a sale. There are exceptions, especially stores such as B and H and Adorama, who offer gray market items to their international customers as well as their customers in the United States.

For more on how a shady grey market seller operates, see this answer to another question.

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    \$\begingroup\$ +1, but note that B&H offers grey market products to all customers, including US customers who choose to forgo the US warranty. See B&H's page about grey market products for more. \$\endgroup\$
    – mattdm
    Commented Oct 22, 2013 at 23:39
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    \$\begingroup\$ B&H also is pretty good about notifying when items are Grey Market and what that may mean. Shadier vendors are likely to downplay that information. \$\endgroup\$
    – tenmiles
    Commented Oct 23, 2013 at 14:29
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The less expensive, non-USA versions are likely gray market cameras, often exactly the same device in about the same packaging, but imported by someone other than a Nikon-authorized importer and therefore lacking a warrantee.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Since Nancy is seeing both USA and grey market items at the same site, it would follow that they are either an authorized Nikon dealer who sells to both customers from the USA and customers from other countries, or an authorized Nikon Dealer who uses the old switcheroo to sell you a "cheaper" camera and then try to force you to "upgrade" to the "superior" USA model, since it is the only one in stock. \$\endgroup\$
    – Michael C
    Commented Oct 22, 2013 at 20:49

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