Kiseki and Lyra Cartridge Dealers in Japan and Taiwan

Thanks, V.  I am not in the market just now for any new/used cartridge.  My plate is full, for the moment.  What I would look for, if looking, is an original Purple Heart, from the good old days.  It's remarkable how much Kiseki's look like Koetsu's, which I guess fueled or fuels the idea that Sugano had a hand in both types.  I did know that he worked for Supex originally but had forgotten that little tidbit.  I never did like the original Supex cartridge very much; back then I felt without a doubt that my TOTL Grado outperformed it by a long shot.
Chakster, We've been over this ground before.  Assuming the ZYX cartridge you purchased from 2J was a "real" ZYX, what would he have to gain by faking the serial number?  That would seem like a lose/lose proposition for him.  In many if not most cases, at least in the US, the US distributors of high end audio goods will not want to honor the warranty on products purchased outside the US. Period.  So there's nothing to be gained by faking the SN; the warranty for a US purchaser of a new cartridge bought from 2J probably would not be honored, within the US, in any case.  Perhaps things are different in Russia.  Also, with whom did you inquire about the SN of your ZYX?  Did you contact the factory in Japan or what? Thanks.

Ooops!  I just thought of a reason why 2J might change the serial numbers:  To protect his source of ZYX cartridges.  This was already described by Viridian.

A faked serial # would be to protect his sources of the cartridges that he’s redistributing as gray-market goods. Presumably his suppliers would be breaking their distribution and/or dealer agreements with Zyx. Obviously you’re not getting warranty support either way. And possibly you can’t get re-tip/exchange/rebuild services on these units, either - which is the real loss. How often does the actual warranty on a cartridge actually come into play? They more likely meet accidental end or a natural death.

I agree that 2juki is most likely providing otherwise genuine products on the gray market, rather than counterfeits. Could still be worth it if the discount is steep enough. The markup from distributor to dealer to consumer is ridiculous considering they’re often just dropping an 8 oz package in the post. These very markups, the low-volume nature at higher price points, and the ease of shipping small cartridges, is the reason these gray market loopholes keep cropping up.