Consumers do not really benefit overall from grey imports. Although manufacturers may reduce prices in some (typically, richer) countries, they are at least as likely to raise prices in less developed economies, depriving consumers there of access to international brands and luxury goods, and so depriving them of a real choice and in some cases the full product.1 In addition, they will still have to pay all the taxes and the losses from lack of regulation which have been avoided in some way or lose the services those taxes provide. The loss of revenue from grey imports can mean that production is limited or even halted going forward, even though there is market demand for more products from the manufacturer. The film industry shows this clearly. Manufacturer protections of their products (for example region specific DVD's and PCs) actually increase costs for all consumers.  1 Etherington-Smith, James, '"Grey" imports: The black and white of it', mybroadband.co.za, 14 December 2010