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How much will you pay for an exotic cartridge....

I noticed on another forum that there is an interesting point brought up by a US distributor/dealer about his perception that one of his potential customers bought a top end cartridge ( that he reps) from an off-shore dealer/source...and how he intends to try and stop the practice of ’grey market’ sales. ( At least for the lines that he carries).
This gent seems to believe that because he signed some paperwork somewhere that may ( or may not) give him exclusive rights to distribute the gear in the US, that he has the right to try and prevent anyone abroad from selling to US customers! To that, he wants to have the manufacturer try and enforce his right to do the above. Now, one could ask, what’s the issue with this, right? And here’s the rub, the dear distributor is adding over $8K to this product for the simple task of ordering and having shipped a cartridge from Japan ( Yes, i know the shipping of such a large and heavy item is expensive...and the dealer has to stand by the product...whatever that means when we are talking of a cartridge!) The profit motive is high here, and the opportunity to fleece some of the US consumers is also...so i get that, but to come on an open forum and complain about the practice that one of his potential customers did such a thing....is an interesting marketing tactic, IMO.
So, my question is this..how much will you pay for that exotic cartridge to insure that you are buying it from a "legit" US rep, and not from a grey market...or in this case out of area dealer....what’s fair to you...a few $$s- or the sky’s the limit??
128x128daveyf
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
if you are one of those folks who are happy with the performance of their thirty year old cartridge and its veiled performance, then I can see how saving a lot of $$ is beneficial.

I am one of those guys on audiogon who actually compared some of the best NOS vintage cartridge to $3000-5000 NEW modern LOMC cartridges reviewers are raving about. I did the comparison tests in my own system, not at distributor’s system or his shop. And i paid for all my cartridges and purchased over 50 different samples, in my situation it wasn’t about saving money, more like a personal research.

Never in my life i would buy a $4000 cartridge again, the price has nothing to do with performance and i know it. This is nothing but marketing and someone already explained this strategy in the earlier posts on here. You’re perfectly explained how big is the distributors margin in modern high-end world.

The only way to find out what’s the best is to buy and compare, the only modern cartridge i’d like to keep is my Miyajima Kansui, the rest of my cartridges are all those rare vintage models (the best ever made, mainly MM and MI, but some of the best LOMC too .. all in perfect condition like new and fully original).


mikelavigne
2,200 posts
 
interesting thread.

i happen to be the customer described in the opening post who bought the cartridge which prompted the USA distributor to get upset. it’s a complicated situation which i’m not going add anything here about. people have their perspectives and opinions.

i have bought and sold many pieces of hifi gear in my life, and typically anyone who is selling the brand/model that i have bought gained from my ownership of that product. i am pro-dealer, pro-distributor and pro-manufacturer.

that particular distributor decided his own path.

in my day job i manage a franchised auto dealership and deal with this stuff x1000.

btw; i love the cartridge, it’s easily the best i’ve ever heard. and i've heard a few.
lohanimal
659 posts
 
As the world of high end audio shrinks - so do the dealers that can demo a product. I don't mind uplift when there is good product support and advice - along with demos. Theres a lot of risk in audio these days and at the top end i guess businesses taking big risks on products that don't sell in high numbers justifies a greater uplift. There's an awful lot of manufacturers and dealers who really are not making much money at all - in fact it is a labour of love and in many cases a side job. it's no wonder that many shops and importers have shut up shop and closed down. Maybe they have to work harder for their money now and expect lower profits, but that might not be financially feasible. Think about it - import - duties - stock - premises - staff even before a sale...
I owned my own law firm for a short time and sold it within a pretty short time as people thought to shop for law on the web and through the odd internet search - whilst the law society did not clamp down on charlatan lawyers. You pay your money and take your choice.
I try to buy new goods from dealers - that's just me.
daveyf's avatar
daveyf OP
2,920 posts
 
@lohanimal I think what you states applies far more to gear like amps and speakers than it applies to cartridges. Same goes for cables, reputed to be the biggest profit source in high end audio.

BTW, are there actually any “charlatan lawyers”..?
mulveling's avatar
mulveling
1,961 posts
 
Agree with millercarbon’s points. Hell, sometimes with the savings you can buy a SECOND, if you get ripped off on the 1st one or some reason, and STILL come out ahead. And I really think getting ripped off is pretty rare in this game (always shop smart). For those of us who can buy mail order and install it ourselves, the reality is that there is very little value to dealer / distributor support on a cartridge. I build a long-term relationship with my local dealer for tube amps, speakers, turntable, etc - and it works out great! Both parties happy. With cartridges the value just isn’t there. You buy the cartridge, and if it’s going to be defective it’s most likely going to be immediately apparent - so you request a refund for DOA, which applies no matter the source (PayPal or CC dispute as a last resort for sellers who won’t play ball). After that, it’s probably either going to die by your own (error) hand, or through use over a long lifetime (hopefully!).

The only exception to this is if you miss out on any sweet trade-in or rebuild deals that may be provided only through the "authorized" channels (it would have to be a hell of a sweet deal though) - or manufacturers that won't service retip / rebuild cartridges without a paper trail. 
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