gray importer

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gray importer A term used to describe a company that buys products retail in one country (typically the USA) and sells them in another (typically the UK), relying for its profit and its competitiveness on the different pricing policies in operation in the two countries. Thus, if a printer manufacturer sells a printer at US$500 retail in the USA, then it may well be priced at £500 (perhaps $800, depending on the current exchange rate) in the UK, if bought through an official importer. It is the difference between these prices that is exploited by the gray importer.