I'm considering purchasing a new, unopened DP from a private party and wondering how this might affect the warranty if I don't get an "appropriate" receipt. Does anyone know?
thanks in advance!

If it's unopened, then I think you should have no trouble sending in the warranty card. Hopefully, you won't eve need to use it

Your best bet would be to call the manufacturer or check what their website says about warranty claims.

Welcome to the forum!

If I was presented with this deal I would be cautious - I would ask myself why someone has an unopened DP to sell. Maybe it is legitimate but maybe it found it's way from the back of a truck to the person who is selling it. Unless there was a way to verify that it was legitimate, such as a receipt from an authorized dealer my instinct would be to steer clear.

Great advice from all - thank you. I think I'll avoid this one.

Jane, you already know it's a problem.

Some makers have transferable full warranties, which a second owner can assume IF the sale was originally made by an authorized dealer. Many do not allow a second owner to benefit from the original warranty. If the piano was originally come by in some shady way, it is quite traceable though the serial number.

'New' means, sold (and invoiced) by an authorized dealer and registered by them with the maker, on behalf of the rightful first purchaser (not when you mail in the postcard). The warranty period starts on the date of the sale, on the receipt, and warranty service is most times handled by the authorized dealer.

This is assuming that the box actually contains a piano.

But I would actually say that your problem starts with buying a piano that you have never seen, or played, unless you are particularly indifferent to what you get. Every groom does not necessarily want to marry a virgin; every virgin does not necessarily live up to the packaging--- never mind what it says on the box.

I would treat this transaction as if it were a USED piano. My thought process would go like this:

1. Do you think it's stolen? If so, forget it. Not worth a possible criminal charge over a piano.

2. What is the price? If you're not getting more than about 30% off a dealer price, probably not worth the risk, even for "new" condition.

3. If it's a good price on a desirable (to you) model, will the seller agree to let you open the box and test it at the time of purchase. This could be an agreement that you're going to buy it, as long as you can open the box right then and there, and inside there is a fully working model as shown on the box. If the seller won't agree to that, forget it. You'd never buy a used piano without playing it first.

4. As for the warranty, if you can get it via the card, great, but that would be pure gravy. As with any used purchase, price and condition are the driving factors. The lack of a warranty is a risk you take in exchange for a lower price. DPs from the major manufacturers are quite reliable, so odds are you won't need it anyway.

It does seem odd that anyone would sell an unopened piano, but if there's a reasonable explanation and it's a good deal, I wouldn't dismiss it out-of-hand. Reasons do exist -- an unwanted gift, bought at a store closing sale with no returns allowed, too busy/lazy to return it within 30 days, maybe just a lost receipt. Just make sure you get the seller's name and address on a receipt in case questions about its origin arise later.

Excellent!

Excellent advice - and thank you all for the "reality check". I admit I can be a bit frugal and it's not always the best thing - and I'm anxious to get my first DP (I live in a rural area and have only been able to try the Casio PX130 in person and it will suit my needs for now). This was a Casio PX130 on ebay and the individual listing it removed it once, re-listed it with added shipping charges, and then removed it again, re-listed it -- something very odd there. I will probably purchase a "blemished" model from a legitimate dealer - unless you recommend otherwise.

As a new person to the forum, I thank you all for making me feel welcome and taking the time to answer my questions without making me feel as if I'm asking silly or dumb ones.

Ebay has a buyer protection policy that should alleviate most of your concerns. If the item is misrepresented, eg, a box of bricks and not a piano, or even a piano that's represented as new, but is actually damaged, you can get your money back, even if the seller says "no returns." There's a link to the policy on the site. I bought my Yamaha P155 off ebay "new in an open box" from a dealer and have been satisfied so far.

A warranty card is not a ticket to a warranty repair. Conversely, in most states the lack of a warranty card cannot be used to deny you a warranty repair. The real purpose of the warranty card is to collect data on who you are and how you will probably use the piano. This data is valuable to them and because of this, they may imply that you need it for warranty repair. Less sleazy outfits offer added value inducements to persuade you to return the card. A returned warranty card may help you get a repair authorization if you have issues with any of the stuff I talk about below.

An independent service center has an agreement to provide warranty service on the product. In exchange, they will be paid (usually a pittance) by the manufacturer for fixing the unit. I can guarantee you that one of the first provisions of the service center agreement is that the service center, in order to be paid, has to include a copy of the VALID store receipt. Valid means it's legible, and be from an authorized dealer. I can tell you that all of the big 4 DP makers will probably not issue a repair authorization if you were to tell them your sad story about the new in a box DP you got from some guy on ebay. the poster who said "treat it as used" had it 100 percent correct and you were 100 percent correct to pass it up.

FYI for all of you: An email confirmation is not a valid sales receipt nor is any type of shipping document. This comes up a lot now that more and more units are being sold online. Most of the biggies like Musician's Friend, Sweetwater, etc. know this and will include one on the package with the shipping documents. A valid receipt is a finalized invoice with a sales date, a store logo/letterhead, customer name and a serial number of the specific unit. Any piece of paper lacking any of these thing will put you on the phone to the manufacturer's customer service reps to get a Repair Authorization that the service center can return in lieu of the proper paper. There are a lot of people bootlegging units in that they were bought at near wholesale from an authorized dealer or gray market source and then resold as new to end users. These units are also probably not eligible for warranty work as well. On a deal that seems a little to good, ask them flat out if they are authorized dealers for that specific company and watch out for slippery language. If they are an authorized dealer, they have signed an agreement. I myself, might go as far as to ask to see a copy of the first page. Less obnoxious people might just call the manufacturer to check.

Kurt
(Husband of the owner of a repair center for 3 of the big 4)

Thanks for the info, Kurt. It's always good to know more about how such things work!

Yes, thank you. I feel much more informed and am going to be cautious.