What to expect if I import an amp and preamp from a Japan seller via US eBay

@rsf507 -- No sarcasm intended at all, but please enlighten me why "No ebay Ads" is your qualifier?  Do I buy stuff off ebay?  No.  Do I know others that buy a ton of stuff off ebay?  Yes.  Would I buy an Accuphase from ANYWHERE?  No, I think it is extremely overpriced gear and I'd rather pick the money from the tree in my back yard and spend it on vintage gear like my MC-225, ARC SP-17, Dennis Had Inspire 45 and LP3.1, and some great sounding Chi-Fi products.  I found 3 or 4 ebay sites in Japan selling Accuphase gear for roughly half of the U.S. costs, and each seller has over 3,000 sold transactions and 97% or higher ratings.  Other than being in Japan, they have ebay statistics a heck of a lot higher than most other vendors, including online dealers in the U.S.

So am I a newbie at ebay?  Absolutely.  Have I heard horror stories on this site about ebay?  Absolutely.  But I've also read horror stories about Audiogon sales, U.S. Audiomart, Canuck Audiomart, etc., etc.  So I really want to know -- why does an audio dealer in Japan selling the same item for 50% off on ebay make that an automatic "No Deal" for you?  Other than the normal pitfalls of any audio transactions online, what am I missing?  Thanks in advance.

A lot of people here talk about ebay but it seems many of them have no clue about the buyer protections offered there. I've bought and sold a lot of expensive items on ebay for many years (particularly photo gear) and I've never been scammed. ebay has buyer guarantees and anyone who buys expensive anything without reviewing seller feedback has only themselves to blame. In fact many sellers gripe about how ebay tends to side with buyers before sellers. One of these days I'm going to upgrade my current Marantz Reference gear to an Accuphase E280 and I'm going to buy from a Japanese seller on ebay without a care in the world. 



 

Quite a variety of responses to my inquiry.  Warnings duly noted.  The only one I’m really worried about is the transformer.  I will want to buy something better than what the vendor proposed to send with my amp and preamp.  When I spoke with George Meyer, the high end repair company in the LA area, I learned two important things.  The first is that they will definitely repair my foreign bought gear should it be needed and are prepared to deal with the disparity in voltage.  They also suggested some better transformers for the , several of which cost thousands.  I’m prepared to deal with the lack of warranty and the reduced value of my imported gear if I should want to resell it, but I think selling it is  very unlikely.   As an elderly senior  I’ll let my heirs worry about that!  
 

eBay has some powerful buyer protection which helps.  
 

Lastly, I find it rather unsettling that there is such a disparity in pricing between Japan and the US.  That just shouldn’t be.  I do feel somewhat guilty not supporting a brick and mortar audio dealer here in the US, but the cost of being guilt free is way more than I can afford.  I wonder what accounts for the disparity?  Is it the Japanese manufacturer?  The US dealerships practicing a monopoly?  I’d like to know.

@OP. Differences in prices across territories are driven by: freight and insurance, duties - which apply to the ex-works price plus the freight and insurance, distributor margins plus distributor costs which include all the costs related to representing the brand - including advertising, dealer support and training, exhibiting at shows, and warranties/servicing work, dealer margins and sales taxes - though the latter may be lower than in Japan.

@echolane I purchased an amp from a seller in the Caribbean. it went through the customs process

When I received it, I plugged it in and sparks flew all over the place. Opened the unit, customs had Drilled holes in all 4-20,000mf caps and the power supply . Maybe you will have better luck with it coming from Japan...

For the keen eyes out there. I’m aware of the 4-20... it also happens to be my birthday....lol