B Stock Or Grey Goods, How to Tell?

What did you buy (mfr/model)? New? Used? Demo? There are various ways to tell if an item is B stock, but there's no cut and dry answer.

i cannot tell you anything about b stock. however, "grey" goods are items manufactured in the u.s. specifically for export and sale in foreign markets. sometimes price anomolies present opportunities for foreign purchasers to make money by buying abroad and re-selling here. you can sometimes identify a grey market item by its voltage set-up (220v instead of 110v), by its model number (it may be a mx43a rather than an mx43) or by cautionary language on its packaging (e.g., "for sale in [eurpoe] only" or "this item is not required to be serviced by a dealer outside of [the u.k.]"). the danger in buying grey market goods is that local dealers/service centers may be unwilling to service the item. if can get a serial number before you buy, you can always try contacting the manuf. to see if they can identify whether an item was manufactured for foreign export or not. i hope this is helpful.

To answer your question about "B stock", that usually refers to equipment that has been refurbished by the manufacturer. I don't believe serial numbers would be recorded during this process. Since most things sold on ebay are already used, that makes it even harder. To add to the previous post, generally the equipment's shipping box will be marked "refurbished", "RTV" (return to vendor), or something similar. If it was not in the original box, it's pretty hard to tell. You might check date codes of parts to see if one doesn't match the rest, or look for solder flux to indicate a repair. My experience with refurbished equipment has been pretty positive; if it failed, at least the infant mortality parts have been replaced!

Has anyone seen the arrival of the new Marantz SA-1, SACD player yet? What is the retail? Compared to the Sony SACD player??

Thanks everyone for the info. Just to add a couple things-It is a Denon DMD 1000 Minidisc Player/Recorder which is the official model #. On the back of the unit and on the box it states "Made In Japan" On the original box it says "DMD 1000 Black E3" (don't know what E3 means??)Also, on the back of the unit it says "This class B digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference-causing Equipment regulations" and "US and foreign patents licensed from Dolby Laboratories" The unit appears brand new as described and the manual is in English, Spanish and French. There are no other #s on the unit itself except for DMD 1000. There is no switch on back of unit to change voltages. Thanks again!

I can tell my predecessors haven't bought to many grey items.Grey market items all have the warranty card removed,the serial #has been cut out of the box and sometimes off the piece itself.Always ask if the piece comes with US warranty before.Personal advice:If the item has moving parts(vcrs,dvd/cd players)look for the best price that also has a US warranty.Solid state items, dacs and the like;some times the savings are to tempting;and so buying them are in the same 'Risk Category"as not buying an extended warranty.In that you save your money I ask:"Do you feel lucky?----""Well do ya?"