Do not buy any Sonus Faber used

Djohnson54 - Sorry if I seem too aggressive about this. I am a huge SF fan and have had great experiences with SF dealers and with Sumiko. Sumiko is not against the used market but they are against the grey market.

I understand why distributors are sensitive to the grey market. There is not enough volume in the high end to support high end brick and mortar stores and a significant grey market. I have purchased SF both new and used. I just will not buy high end equipment that has come through the grey mark.

Enjoy.

How does one know that the speakers he is buying used, in the classifieds, were originally purchased from a Sumiko authorized dealer?

If a person moves to the US with his speakers purchased through an authorized European distributor, can Sumiko refuse to provide parts?

Dtc,

No offense taken. I just wanted to make sure that you understood I was not attacking Sumiko/SF. My comments were just comments (not an attack) and were aimed at any manufacturer that makes a decision not to support gear purchased on the used market that originally came from an authorized dealer. Again, I understand the need to protect dealer networks as much as possible. Market forces will ultimately decide what works but I believe that a company that doesn't warranty such product will eventually be forced to change that policy or go out of business.

To extend the car analogy - imagine if, when you wanted to buy a new car, you had no market for the old one. :)

Phaelon, I think this should be a lesson to buyers and sellers alike. Buyers should get the original sales receipt and sellers should make sure they keep up with it to provide their buyer with some protection. Maybe it's just me but it amazes me how many ads I see that say they can't find the manual or this or that accessory. If they can't do this what's the chance of them having the sales receipt? Sheesh.

I have had very good service whenever I have talked to Sumiko. However, I have to wonder how often a speaker will need warranty repair anyway? After all, what's to really fail....the driver, the x-over the connectors...???? I could see that an amp manufacturer or other electronic manufacturer would have concerns, BUT a speaker manufacturer? Don't quite get it! How many times have you bought a speaker and it has had a problem during its limited warranty period...I never have.

I've had a very negative experience with a US distributor who offered NO
service or support of any kind for a NOS cartridge that I bought from a guy
who bought it overseas but never used it. I accept the policy, but I don't
understand it. I simply asked for a specification and was denied any
information when I quoted the serial number.

I have absolutely no regrets about buying this cartridge, though I did not
understand the implications at the time. The seller was upfront, though we
did not discuss possible repair issues down the road. I've had no problems,
so things are fine. It's not really enough money to worry about with
something like a cartridge, but an expensive amp or speaker is another
matter.

If one really wants a particular product and if it's rarely available in the used
market, I guess the choice is to either buy it new or buy it used from
overseas. One just needs to be aware of the risk, and this is what SF is
communicating to its customers.

Sumiko seems much more reasonable about this than was my old cartridge
distributer.