A Yamaha spokesperson told US press today that a number of dealers had been transshipping ‘grey' or unwarranted products into the country and selling them online at cheaper rates than at traditional retailers, causing problems for the company's licensed resellers.
The spokesperson offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to the identity and prosecution of individuals who open cartons and alter factory serial numbers on Yamaha audio products – making them difficult to trace.
Yamaha Music Australia general manager, Simon Goldsworthy, told SmartHouse News this morning that he has been aware of "grey marketing coming in for a while now," however local "parallel importation rules don't prohibit this sort of thing."
"Two suppliers can buy the same brand depending on terms of distribution because we don't own the Yamaha trademark here," said Goldsworthy.
