NEW Siglent SDG1032X for $250 (Warning)

[watchmaker]

I am parsimonious when it comes to money (read cheap).  So I looked for the best price for an SDG 1032x and found them for $250 on Ali Exp shipped from the USA.

I have purchased Nikon equip from Canada (Henry's) to take advantage of the exchange rate AFTER verifying NikonUSA will service them and does not consider authorized sales from Canada to be out of region or gray market.  FWIW, the two things are distinctions with a difference.  For example, Adorama used to offer new equipment that was 15% reduced from NikonUSA equip, that discounted stuff was purchased overseas and Adorama was actually the second sale.  Nikon International looked the other way because it increased the stock shipped from the manufacturing facility and looked good.  They knew full well which dealers were selling more stuff than their region supported.

So I looked up the warranty offered by Siglent.  No restrictions on region of sale.  Very reasonable.

BUT, third party sales (read true gray market) in which the item is sold "as new" from a non authorized outlet results in the warranty start date not being the day for "first use"; but the date of first sale (to the reseller).  Of course, this date is unknown to the buyer and that instrument may have been in the seller inventory for over a year.

I ran into this in a "new" car we purchased a couple years ago. Mileage under 500 miles.  Found out when the warranty was denied at another dealer because the original dealer had registered it and therefore it was not considered as new when sold.

Take home lessons: 

Just get it from Saelig

And always require a dealer attest in writing that your new car is in fact "first use".  There is a business advantage to the dealer for doing what he did, but that sale was illegal and he got into all sorts of trouble with the brand, regional sales and DMV.  But it was not worth our trouble.

Regards,

Dewey