Do not buy any Sonus Faber used

I've had bad customer service from Sumiko that this statement on their web site just seals the coffin tight! Stay away from anything Sumiko does should be the message IMHO.

Not having read any of the above replies, my thoughts:

Sumiko is not the manufacturer, "just" the NA distributor. I'm sure if SF wasn't happy about their policy, things would change (either the policy or the distrubutor). Sounds more like an effort to help the NA dealers stay in business. Think ahead: no dealers, no distributor = what? mail order from Italy? Good for the Italians and nearby countries, not so much for NA.

"Drive the prices down considerably", maybe (actually probably) for the gray market products. Might actually help the "real" products. Boxes are tough to keep around but a copy of the receipt can easily be tucked away and becomes a selling point. Ads might say, "OBM and R". Don't have the OBM? Well, pack it well and don't forget the R. It's part of the deal.

My 12 cents (adjusted for inflation).

"Drive the prices down considerably", maybe (actually probably) for the gray market products. Might actually help the "real" products. Boxes are tough to keep around but a copy of the receipt can easily be tucked away and becomes a selling point. Ads might say, "OBM and R". Don't have the OBM? Well, pack it well and don't forget the R. It's part of the deal.

My 12 cents (adjusted for inflation).
Onemug (Threads | Answers | This Thread)

For those who don't have a receipt, lower resale value. That can equal to someone (seller) looking for another brand for their new purchase. That would equal less sales for them. After all, who wants to buy something you can't fix... No one is asking for something for nothing. I wonder how people have every receipt for everything they own?

Also, a lot of us have a good memory when someone treats us right. A lot of us have a better memory of those who've done us wrong!

Well, I guess this policy won't affect most of their clients who buy new from authorized US dealers. But all that sounds really bad to me. I have never had any interest in either Sonus Faber or Audio Research though.
Will it hurt their business? I don't know and I don't give a damn.