Do not buy any Sonus Faber used

Here's more of the note posted by Sonus Faber:

WARNING

IF A SONUS FABER PRODUCT IS:
1. Directly imported by you from another country, OR
2. Purchased directly from a dealer OVERSEAS, OR
3. Acquired by you from an UNAUTHORIZED North American based re-seller,
ALL SONUS FABER PRODUCT WARRANTIES ARE NULL AND VOID

In other words, you will only be provided a North American warranty on Sonus faber product purchased from a SUMIKO authorized Sonus faber dealer.

IN ADDITION, SUMIKO WILL NOT SUPPLY PARTS AND/OR SERVICE FOR ANY SONUS FABER PRODUCT WITHOUT PROOF OF PURCHASE FROM A SUMIKO AUTHORIZED DEALER IN NORTH AMERICA.

PLEASE CONTACT SUMIKO FOR A SONUS FABER DEALER IN YOUR AREA,
OR TO DETERMINE IF A DEALER OFFERING SONUS FABER IS AUTHORIZED.

Note in the third to last paragraph they say that it has to have been purchased from an authorized dealer not that YOU have to have purchased from an authorized dealer. This is most likely aimed at the grey-market but I would check with them to be sure if I was about to buy used. After all, you don't really know where the seller originally purchased the product.

Great Business model. Welcome behind the iron curtain..ahem I mean ...free world :-)

I agree it is probably due to grey-market competition for US based dealers and distributers There is a big mark-up on some of these products by the distributer which makes buying overseas for expensive items seem attractive. I ran into this when I bought a used Japanese cartridge and the US distributer would not even answer a question I had about a specification (stylus tip to mounting hole distance) when I read him the serial number. He basically hung up the phone on me. I ended up calling Japan at 2:00AM EST and found someone who spoke English and could answer my question.

It's a tough issue. The US dealers and distributers loose out when we buy overseas. I don't really blame this policy, but it does force the buyers to think very carefully before buying items of unknown origin. I guess it's "Buyer Beware" or pay up.

Peterayer,
I see it totally different way. US distributors for Sonus Faber are probably substantially more greedy than ones from other countries so that it makes more sense to purchase from overseas+ expensive shipping! INSANE.
I've seen on ebay lots of smashing deals on new Grand Piano for low $2k ranges from overseas that saves at least $1k vs. buying new from US dealers/distributors.

Nevertheless, I'd like to encourage owners('goners) of US purchased models share necessary purchase information with ones that need to order parts for their used models so this nonsence is at some magnitude newtralized.

The moral behind it should state: A cork shouldn't help S-holes from being 'penitrated'-).

The way I read it, it is talking about warranty issues, as a couple of others pointed out. I am sure you can still get replacement parts, they just won't be covered under warranty.

You also don't necessarily have to go through the American distributor, either. A friend of mine just bought a replacement part for a foreign make CD player on ebay, and installed it himself. He got the part much more inexpensively, and the international shipping costs would have been passed on to him by the distributor, anyway.