Prices are hundreds of dollars higher for Alpine, Focal, JL Audio and other well known brands of audio equipment from licensed dealers. For example, Focal 165V2 components are $499 in the sanctioned stores...$250 to $300 on various Ebay and other unlicensed internet sites.

I'm tempted to buy from them because I'd save around $500 for high end front/rear speakers and amp.

I know buying from these unofficial sources means no factory warranty, and the risk that they could be counterfits. But I wonder how often the gray market products actually fail.

I don't recall any threads on this topic and I'd appreciate anyones input.

 

The "grey market" components on eBay and the various online resellers are almost never counterfeit - it's both difficult and expensive to copy electronics and speakers and end up with anything that looks close to the original.

Most of the time, the "grey market" items are simply overstock that the retailer is selling "out the back door".

Here's a hypothetical example. Let's say that I'm a retailer, and if I order twenty sets of Focal speakers, I get a hefty price break from my distributor. The problem is, it might take me six months to sell twenty sets out of my store, and I don't want that much of my money tied up in inventory.

So, I go ahead and buy twenty sets to get the discount, keep however many of the speakers I think I can sell from my store in a reasonable time, and put the rest on eBay for just a little bit over my wholesale cost, just to get my money back. I can't offer the manufacturer's warranty on the items I put on eBay, since I'm not licensed by Focal to sell on the internet, but there's nothing inherently wrong with the speakers - they're not refurbished, they're not factory "seconds" or blemished units - they're just overstock.

 

As long as the seller has good feedback on Ebay for selling the same or similar products, I would think they are trustworthy enough to buy from

 

Yep, I bought all of my gear gray market. The local car audio shops markup in the area have been unrealistic for years.

Try www.ikesound.com, www.mmxpress.com

I have bought all of my eclipse digital amps via ebay. Like they said above, look at the feedback, also if they are an ebay store, you'll likely not have an issue.

 

Grey market goods are in almost every case the exact same as the US market stuff, except for labelling in some cases and, of course, warranty. Most likely you will not be able to get the manufacturer to honor a warranty on grey goods; it's usually up to the merchant to offer their own. Grey market goods are very popular and available in photography circles.

In such cases, if you have problems with a grey market product, the manufacturer will still offer a fix, but not under any sort of warranty. As for counterfeits, they are rare. You'll likely never find a counterfeit camera body, head unit or other complex item, but speakers, lenses and 'simpler' items can sometimes be faked and not noticeable on first inspection.

Caveat emptor!

 

Most of the time the 'grey market' stuff is the same as the original and may work perfectly fine. Coming at this from a brick and morter store's view point I can say that I don't like on-line stores. But not because of the prices, more for the misinformation many of them give. I see many sites that say full manufacturer warranty, but don't tell you that unless you buy the product from a authorized dealer there is no warranty. Also they hide a lot of stuff in the fine print. Many sites have horrible return policies. A lot of stuff is non-returnable. If it is returnable you have to pay a 15% restocking fee, 5% processing fee if you used a credit card and shipping both ways. Many of them do this even if you refuse the product due to shipping damage.

The biggest thing to remember with going to an actual store is that you have a person to ask advice of who works with this product daily. You also have the convinience that if you have a problem there is an actual person to talk to, not someone to try and call or e-mail. You can get a lot more done in person than you can over a phone. Also over time you build a relationship with a specific dealer and they can help you get the most out of your system. Yes, you do pay more for this. You are paying for the store owner to hire people who are more than just clerks, pay them a good wage, pay for the building, electricity, insurance, tools, training and for them to be able to make a profit. You are also paying for sevice. The costs of an on-line store of significantly lower and therefore so are the prices, but so is the service and your options.

Most people have to decide what their comfort factor is with this. For many of my customers they don't feel that comfortable with it once they see the whole picture. For those who don't see the value in this and want the lowest price then they should buy online and get the lowest price they possibly can but should not come back in later asking for advice on how to hook up their product or how to handle a problem with it. If you are only looking for the lowest price then you have to make sure you have all the knowledge to deal with what may come up later. It's all a matter of choices and dealing with the results of those choices.

As for failure rates. My previous profession for 15 years was selling and installing car audio and there is about a 10-15% defect rate for properly installed product. Higher for improperly install product. Now I deal with home audio and video which only has a 5-10% defect rate. Better but still a pain when it breaks.

 

I saved big on ebay... almost 50% for my Alpine equipment...

IVA-D100 700.00 retail closer to 1100.00 locally
MRA-D550 375.00 Retail 950.00
2x MRA-M300 80/ea Retail 250.00 Ea
XMkit 40.00 Retail 100.00
2x SPX-177R 6.5 Components 200.00 Retail 450.00
6F Tsunami Cap 129.00 Retail 250ish

 

Thanks everyone for your input. Consensus here is pushing me towards the internet. Although Greg S does raise some cogent points.

Ideally, I'd like to find an installer with Mini experience who does not sell components, or does not care if I bring in my own stuff for him to install. I've yet to locate that person here in North Jersey, southern NY or eastern PA.

Please private message or email me if anyone has a referral.

 

Based on the positive feedback, I bought a pair of Focal Access 165A1 components from an eBay dealer. They listed at authorized dealers like Tweeter for $269. I paid $174, shipping included and no sales tax.

They've been in for six weeks now. No problems. Sound great.

Thanks again everyone!