Do not buy any Sonus Faber used

Good analogy Elberoth2; esp. since SF speakers can easily cost as much or MORE than I have ever paid for a car! The only motive that I could impute to VW if they were to implement such a policy, would be that they wanted to eliminate the private re-sale market. Now you may ask, how does that translate to our hobby? i believe that you would have a situation like the "bad old days". The only outlet for your used gear would be your local high-end dealer. He/she controlled the second hand market and would give you $0.10 on the dollar for your gear in cash (re-selling for $.50 on the dollar) or maybe $0.20 in credit toward a trade priced at full retail!!! No wonder they want to eliminate the re-sale market. Given that gray market is a small portion of total sales (of course, since margins are slim, its significant in terms of lost new sales), and re-sales would be a small portion of that portion, I don't think that the refusal to sell parts unless you can verify proper purchase is definitely aimed at restricting second hand sales. IOW, Audiogon!!!!

The day may soon arrive when we buy direct from the manufacturer or an arms-length specialized mail/internet dealer. They will demo their gear at trade shows near big cities, or through small, home-based hobbyists, advertise on sites like this on the net and in some paper magazines, and then sell direct and offer great service. Forums will discuss the quality of the components and level of customer service.

Wait a minute, this is already happening. There is one really good dealer in my area and many good quality, carefully assembled home systems where I have heard some great components. Specialist set-up guys go around charging a fee to set up systems and consult with audiophiles. The industry is changing.

I've also had multiple dealings with Sumiko and they have been positive. If interested in purchasing used SF speakers, I agree with the other poster about calling Sumiko firsthand to obtain clarification from the "horse's mouth." So to speak.

If the policy quoted is verbatim, I think it will be interested to see the impact, if any, on SF sales, both new and used.

Fortunately for me, I guess, when I demo'd SF speakers they did not connect with me.

Why should Sumiko (the distributor) support the grey marketer's activities?
Larryi (System | Threads | Answers | This Thread)

Why not? After all, they support the company that makes the grey merchandise.

Here's another angle on this discussion. What's a person who bought new SF product supposed to do with it if they buy another SF product? Stick it in the closet? Are all SF dealers willing to take used equipment bought from them back in on trade? What do they then do with the used equipment; sell it used? Will SF warranty it then?

I understand protecting your dealer network by prohibiting gray-market goods but the used market in legitimately-purchased product is different. I have said before that the used market can actually HELP equipment companies. There is a certain segment of the audiophile population that prefers to buy new. What do they do with their current equipment if they want to buy again and the dealer won't take trades? Toss it? The closet again? The dealers will sell more new equipment if the prospective buyer can recoup some of their investment in the equipment they have by selling it on the used market. There is a synergism between the new and used markets that shouldn't be ignored. If not for the used market, the market for new equipment would be substantially smaller.