Epson appoints Toner Warehouse as distributor

Printer vendor Epson has appointed Toner Warehouse as a national distributor in a further effort to curtail grey importing of consumables.

Toner Warehouse — which previously imported Epson toner cartridges from suppliers overseas — would now be buying Epson inkjet and laser cartridges and inkjet printing paper direct from the vendor.

Nigel Baker, business development manager at Toner Warehouse, agreed that the distributor’s direct arrangement with Epson “alleviates the risk” associated with importing products from overseas.

“Grey importing” of consumables increased the risk that non-genuine cartridges from overseas could make their way into the Australian channel.

Epson’s managing director in Australia Bruno Turcato told CRN last year that counterfeit cartridges are more likely to malfunction or do damage to printers.

Toner Warehouse’s Baker argued that there was “no margin advantage anymore” in importing consumables from suppliers abroad.

“The pricing we’re on with Epson gives us the opportunity to be exceptionally competitive out in the marketplace,” he said.

Epson has recently been clamping down on grey imported consumables.

Last June, it warned resellers to steer clear of potential counterfeit ink cartridges after a Victorian police investigation found several people allegedly selling thousands of phoney cartridges on eBay.

Epson’s Turcato told CRN at the time that similar investigations over the last few years resulted in legal action against resellers.

Toner Warehouse’s Baker said there had been “no instances” in the past of the distributor taking stock of imports without the knowledge that they weren’t genuine.

“We’ve been consistent in the years we’ve been dealing in the business [using] the same source,” he said.

Baker said Toner Warehouse would be competing with the “grey importers” in the marketplace and its goal was to take share from these suppliers with genuine products.

Toner Warehouse also buys direct from Lexmark, OKI and Brother. It has a sub-distribution agreement with Hewlett-Packard.

Epson’s marketing director Mike Pleasants, said Epson wanted end users and resellers to have the confidence of mind that they are buying a genuine product.