I'm specifically not mentioning the speaker model since I don't know for a fact this is fraudulent, and it's probably rare enough that it would identify the seller.
There's someone on Reverb advertising an apparently "unopened in box" pair of speakers I am interested in for about 60% of the US price from an authorized dealer. The speakers are made in Europe (they're currently in production), and the selling price is below any European dealer price also. They aren't "used but mint", but actually (reportedly) sealed.
What really raised my eyebrows was that looking through the seller's history, they seem to have sold identical pairs of these speakers several times before over a few years.
There are (cosmetic) copies of the same speakers available for an awful lot less than the real thing, and it's also possible to find reproductions of the manufacturer's badge etc, so I'm sure it's possible to profitably counterfeit them without too much trouble if you were so inclined.
I realize I'm probably answering my own question here (if it seems to good to be true, it is!) and I could, of course, ask the seller about their provenance. But for those who know the vagaries of the hifi distribution chain, is there any plausible channel through which a bunch of such things could be obtained by a private seller that wouldn't be fake? Call me naive, but if they are fake I'd be slightly scandalized to have found a pretty high-dollar scam happening repeatedly on a major reputable platform...
There's someone on Reverb advertising an apparently "unopened in box" pair of speakers I am interested in for about 60% of the US price from an authorized dealer. The speakers are made in Europe (they're currently in production), and the selling price is below any European dealer price also. They aren't "used but mint", but actually (reportedly) sealed.
What really raised my eyebrows was that looking through the seller's history, they seem to have sold identical pairs of these speakers several times before over a few years.
There are (cosmetic) copies of the same speakers available for an awful lot less than the real thing, and it's also possible to find reproductions of the manufacturer's badge etc, so I'm sure it's possible to profitably counterfeit them without too much trouble if you were so inclined.
I realize I'm probably answering my own question here (if it seems to good to be true, it is!) and I could, of course, ask the seller about their provenance. But for those who know the vagaries of the hifi distribution chain, is there any plausible channel through which a bunch of such things could be obtained by a private seller that wouldn't be fake? Call me naive, but if they are fake I'd be slightly scandalized to have found a pretty high-dollar scam happening repeatedly on a major reputable platform...
Yes, serial number is a good thought.
I have no experience in the business, but I'm trying to think through how they could have been obtained legitimately. Must have been bought the first time by a distributor / dealer at much less than MSRP. Do prestigious brands have minimum advertised price contracts with official dealers? I'm thinking perhaps either dealer stock bought out of bankruptcy / private winding up sale, or a dealer realizing they have more units than they can sell and discreetly shuffling them off on to this secondary market at a much reduced price.
I have no experience in the business, but I'm trying to think through how they could have been obtained legitimately. Must have been bought the first time by a distributor / dealer at much less than MSRP. Do prestigious brands have minimum advertised price contracts with official dealers? I'm thinking perhaps either dealer stock bought out of bankruptcy / private winding up sale, or a dealer realizing they have more units than they can sell and discreetly shuffling them off on to this secondary market at a much reduced price.
I assume those components have quite a markup, probably 50% or so. That leaves some wiggle room, if you are a) an authorized reseller and b) want to get rid of inventory. There might even be contractual sales numbers that have not been met yet and even selling at a loss might be a good idea to either fulfil your contract or qualify for a kickback (we had that with one large Apple dealer several years ago, he sold to us computers at a loss to meet kickback threshholds).
However checking the serial# with the manufacturer might be a great idea, who knows if they have been stolen or went unpaid to a dealer. Or are a complete fake - maybe you could find a forum member in that area to have a look at it...
However checking the serial# with the manufacturer might be a great idea, who knows if they have been stolen or went unpaid to a dealer. Or are a complete fake - maybe you could find a forum member in that area to have a look at it...
I have read of a number of people being scammed on Reverb.com. I wouldn't call it a reputable platform. I even read of a guitar speaker scam where the person got a too-small box with a brick in it and then was ignored by the 'seller'. The circumstances you describe could well be one of these, where the same pictures are used over and over. I'd be very careful and do your due diligence.
I've gotten used to turning my back on 'too good to be true' listings as they become more commonplace.
I've gotten used to turning my back on 'too good to be true' listings as they become more commonplace.