Purchasing from Japan

Accuphase DAC-40 in the slot! I'm shocked at how fast it arrived. Nicely boxed by the eBay seller, the inner Accuphase packaging was itself a work of corrugated origami art: a gem of a circuit board inside. I couldn't be more happy with this transaction. Maybe the moral of the story is.... Communicate with a potential 'grey market' seller, do a little research, follow your instincts, and save a bit of money if all looks good.

Do you know how grey market develops and what do you support by saving a few extra bucks?

inna,
    I appreciate the question. In this particular case I assume that the product was not obtained illegally. Of course, that is an assumption. And I understand that this sale might seem like it would take the same sale away from a U.S. authorized dealer. I would not have purchased this unit otherwise; when I inquired at the nearest dealer (three hour drive) I got only a curt, one word reply: $2,000. 
    I did purchase the Accuphase phono module from an authorized dealer, one that I was referred to by the official importer after an email inquiry. He offered, without my asking, a discount of about $650 off the list price. I'm still waiting for it, he said it would take about three weeks.
    I would only add that I highly value and appreciate the three actual stereo stores in my greater area. I have chosen brands that would not have been necessarily my first choice based only on the fact that I would rather get them from MY local dealer. I've spent thousands of dollars at these stores over the past years, and I just ordered a whole new cable loom from my local guy BECAUSE he is my local guy. And I think the cables are pretty good too.
    Lastly, I wouldn't have bought the whole amp except from an authorized dealer or used that had been from an authorized dealer. For this module, I rationalized my purchase. I hope that I haven't offended the audio gods too bad....

I don't know if Accuphase dealers in Japan would sell anything to the US residents, but I do know that official Accuphase prices in Japan are probably 40% lower than here. I heard that some people actually traveled to Europe to get some expensive equipment there. In the end it was not cheaper except that they had a week vacation in Europe for free. Interesting world.

It is not illegal to purchase from the "Grey Market", many people do and never have an issue with the component they purchased. For those people that do have service issues, they have no support from the US distributor and either have to seek out third party support or return the component to the country of origin. If you except that risk then there are no issues.