Honestly, staying away from those gray market Amazon listings is the smartest move for your peace of mind. I've been very satisfied buying from B&H and Adorama because they are authorized Canon dealers. Usually, the Canon EOS R6 Mark II Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera Body drops to 2299 during their seasonal sales. It's safe, and the US warranty works well if you ever need a repair... definitely worth the extra few bucks over risky imports.

To add to the point above: those refurbished units are a steal, but dont sleep on EDU discounts. If you have a student email, the B&H portal often beats public pricing. Check these specific routes:

• Canon EOS R6 Mark II Full-Frame Mirrorless Body via Canon Loyalty Program
• Bundles at Focus Camera Calling Canon support to trade in a junk DSLR for the loyalty discount is a solid way to beat retail sales.

Building on the earlier suggestion about the loyalty program, it is definitely a solid path, tho unfortunately their stock levels have been a total mess lately. It's honestly a bit of a letdown that prices havent dropped more across the board... was expecting a bigger push from the big guys for the summer season. If you want to stay under that 2300 cap without going gray market, keep an eye on Open Box deals at Best Buy for the Canon EOS R6 Mark II Mirrorless Camera. I've seen Excellent condition units go for around 2050-2150 which is a steal for a US model. Also, if you have a Chase or Amex card, check your merchant offers—sometimes they have 5-10% back at authorized dealers. It's not a direct price cut but it gets you where you need to be. Just make sure you double check the return policy if you go that route... usually it's fine tho.

Re: Building on the earlier suggestion about the loyalty... yeah those stock issues are a total headache. Honestly it reminds me of when my roommate was trying to choose between Canon and Nikon for his hiking trip. He was obsessed with comparing the color science and autofocus systems for weeks. He kept waiting for a specific loyalty discount to kick in but the site just wouldnt update. Eventually he got so frustrated he just borrowed an old DSLR from his uncle at the last second. It was a whole thing because the batteries were shot and he couldnt find replacements in time... just a complete mess. Its wild how much research goes into these things just for the logistics to get in the way. Japan is gonna be amazing for photography tho, hope it all works out for you.

Regarding what #1 said about gray market, agree. In my experience, check:

• Canon USA Refurbished EOS R6 Mark II for $1999
• Includes full US warranty
• Stricter QC than new units