In Europe we are not familiar with a word that seems much more common in Mexico than one might expect. We refer to the gray marketA line of distribution and sales of mobile phones from English Voice gray market And that, it’s easy to guess, has something to do with the black market.
But the gray market, It is not illegal. According to Data published in El EconomistaIt’s called that because they sell Legal products through unofficial distributors. These distributors set price tags that they say fit, usually cheaper than the manufacturers’ official ones (note that a Samsung Galaxy S23 or S23 Ultra isn’t exactly cheap).
A situation that brands don’t like at all
The situation has reached such a level that manufacturers like Motorola and ZTE have blocked phones purchased from such distributors. And now Samsung is going to join them It looks at the gray market in response to threats. In fact, the Koreans issued a statement to formalize it:
At Samsung Mexico we are committed to complying with safety and local regulations in each of the countries in which we operate. Starting October 11, we will begin blocking smartphones that come from the gray market and that have been activated in Mexico since September 21, 2023. For users whose smartphones are blocked, we offer a 30% discount coupon, which can be redeemed through our official website www.samsung.com/mx or through the Samsung Shop APP available for Android devices. The discount code is valid until December 31, 2023.
Selling devices on the gray market This has become a problem for the Koreans. According to the media, at least one in five Samsung devices purchased in Mexico are obtained from these unauthorized distributors.
For now, there are no statistics How many phones will be affected? From the date Samsung announced in its press release.
