| 释义 |
grey market, n. (Formerly at grey a. 8 a.) Comm.
[f. grey a. + market n., after black market n.]
a. Any unofficial or unorthodox trading (usu. of items which are scarce or in great demand) which, although legal, may be considered unethical; also loosely, = grey economy s.v. grey a. 8 a. Cf. *parallel importing.
1946Life 1 Apr. 32/1 In the Rocky Mountain region there is a gray market in toilet paper. 1952Economist 15 Nov. 451/1 My own experience is that the effect of the grey or black market is grossly exaggerated by the Ministry's estimate of 50 per cent of home production. 1963Listener 14 Feb. 275/2 In the countryside there is a gigantic grey market where the collective farms get together to defeat the demands of the state [sc. Czechoslovakia]. 1977Harvard Business Rev. Jan.–Feb. 102/1 American primary producers were selling direct..to overseas purchasers who resold the goods to American users. Gray markets are hardly new and are almost certain to give rise to peculiar marketing channels during times of product shortage. 1990San Francisco Chron. 26 Feb. c1/1 Word is circulating that the Japanese government has ordered Japanese semiconductor suppliers to quit discounting their products in the gray market.
b. spec. Trading in a security prior to its official quotation on the Stock Exchange.
1979Amer. Banker 18 May 2/3 In trying to strike at the ‘grey market’ in unissued bonds, the AIBD is attempting to muffle, if not eradicate, a glaring demonstration of the issuing market's imperfections. 1984Daily Tel. 28 Nov. 1/3 In the Commons, Mr Hattersley, Shadow Chancellor, attacked the Government over the development of the ‘grey market’ in the shares. 1986Times 16 Sept. 29/3 A big premium on Trustee Savings Bank shares has already emerged in ‘grey market’ trading before the shares have even been issued. 1989Observer 5 Nov. 26/2 Because of the threat of a grey market developing in water shares, the intention is to start official dealings on 12 December.
Hence grey markeˈteer n., one engaged in grey-market trading; grey marketeering n., trading in a grey market;similarly grey ˈmarketer n., grey ˈmarketing n.
1948Life 12 Jan. 34/1 For every ton of steel that actually exists in the gray market there are a dozen gray-marketeers trying to cut in on the deal. 1977Rolling Stone 19 May 40/2 But also prospering are ‘gray marketeers’ who take advantage of legal loopholes. 1984Financial Times 23 Feb. i. 4/4 Duracell, the U.S. battery producer, has mounted a two-pronged assault against ‘grey marketing’. 1984Adweek (Eastern ed.) 16 Apr. 77/2 Vivitar, U.S. maker of camera accessories, is seeking to stop the flow of unauthorized imports (gray marketeering). 1985Fortune 7 Jan. 67/2 Gray-marketers can profitably sell an ounce of the French Opium perfume to an American consumer for about $75, compared with $165 through the manufacturers' channels. 1990Computer Buyer's Guide VIII. iii. 105/2 A gray marketer may have picked up a few hundred copies of a program from a manufacturer's promotion. |