From what ever place buy new Owon, there is factory warranty.
But most of sellers do not test/check enything. They sell just this condition what they have get after transport.
Also if they package bad, there is danger for transport damage. This is NOT included factory warrannty!
Also if it is Owon or what ever company who make products there is always posibility that unit have some error/fail. Even if/or factory have done final QC. There is not 100% sure unit is really fully ok. Also failure propability is most high just in new unit... after some ageing if no fail it is more sure it is ok, until there come product lifetime end.. then agen failure rate rise.
Some sellers may do also some kind of pre ageing "burn in" test with all functions test with measurements. Buying from these kind of sellers is absolutely more safe, but still all is statistic. Transport damage is bad and in these case you need trust seller that he take all responsibility. Also for safe it is better to use some good shipping company, DHL, TNT, FeDex etc. Normal postal service is cheap but if not extremely well packaged it is nearly as fishing problems.
Of course customer care is not free. All works need money. Handling risks need some amount of money.
Why there are not so much really good sellers who really also know what they sell and how take care about problems?
It is very easy to sell as dropshipper or nearly as dropshipper.
Risk to get bad unit is small but if it happend it is very sad and may take long time before problems are solved or sometimes buyer only just loose money.
If seller is "small" or "big" it do not meaning nearly anything. Just there are good sellers, exellent sellers and then bad sellers and even fully mad sellers.
Most of sellers do not understan anything what is meanig of "after sales customer care".
This is also difficult and it is nearly so that it can offer only locally.
Pricing is also now just as disturbed becouse there is old versions, versions without VGA, versions without LAN etc... some have now problem to sell old factory versions and it can see in price. Old units in stock.. and nobody buy, what to do. Lower price. This can easy now see in ebay. And also with some other seller who have before buy more big lot to stock becouse reducing shipping cost and get littlebit discount. Now they have old versions in stock, maybe lot of.
From Owon directly... maybe can not get before Christmas... you can look some seller who information that they can get new units after week 02 (2012). They just introduce scopes what they have not at all in stock.
Also remember that wire transfer is not free, you need pay all bank fees, also receiver bank fee. Dependent of buyer bank and location it may be up to tens of USD. Also it need wait this money transfer process. Today afaik there is queye in factory. Buy now, it do not come out next day, maybe next week or next month. Becouse selling trend is fastly rised... and why. Just becouse they are good if compare to competitors in under around USD500 class.
Final: If unit itself have manufacture fail or fails inside warranty time and all things are as stated in rulkes... Owon (Fujian Lilliput... ) is there and they stay behind warranty where ever you buy unit what are manufactured for sellin ion your local area. I have see on the cartons label "EU" and they are not made for local China markets! But do you know what versions some Chinese eBay seller really sell to you.... you ask seller... they may answer. maybe they even not know but still they answer just as chinese seller answer. (if buyer buy, he is good seller, how ever he have talked to seller, what ever he have promised so that buyer buy... and all maybe without any kind of knowledge. maybe some seller it is same selling makeup box or oscilloscope boxes.
Do not take these all words so seriously...