I took a chance on an "unopened and unused" Japanese cartridge here on Audiogon and learned an interesting lesson. I spoke to the seller over the phone and even contacted a reference of his. Everything checked out fine. The cartridge was in new condition, but it was originally bought overseas by the seller and never installed on his arm.
The cartridge sounds great, I saved some money and all was fine, until I contacted the importer/distributer to ask for the mounting hole to stylus tip distance specification for my Mint LP protractor. They said that because the cartridge did not come through them, they would not supply me with any specifications or even do repair work for a fee - no support, period. So in the end, it all worked out except that I had to call Japan in the middle of the night to get the spec. and I will not have a dealer to contact for repair work.
So I guess the lesson is, be aware if you are buying a piece of gear that did not enter though proper distribution/importation channels. You may have difficulty with product support.
