Shimano: Direct Imports and Non North American Fishing Products

Distribution of Shimano products in North America

Shimano North America Holding sells and supports Shimano and G. Loomis branded fishing rods, reels, gear and accessories and Power Pro fishing line in the United States through Shimano North America Fishing (SNAF) and in Canada through Shimano Canada Limited (SCL). As the only authorized importers of these products in North America, SNAF and SCL distribute these products through Authorized Retailers and Distributors located in North America. Together with our network of Authorized Retailers (see link below), Shimano provides industry-leading customer service and support for its products distributed in North America. The products distributed by SNAF and SCL are “localized” to meet the needs of customers in the North American market and are engineered to comply with local safety regulations and governmental requirements, where applicable. Legitimate North American products come with different accessories, manuals, and warranties than the versions intended for sale in other global regions such as Asia and Europe.

Why are ‘non-localized’ products risky?

Since ‘non-localized’ products found in North America are not imported by SNAF or SCL, theseyou may be getting products havewith specifications designed for other markets or may even be counterfeit.
For a list of localized fishing rods and reels please visit:
English: https://fish.shimano.com/en-US
French: https://fish.shimano.com/fr-CA

Shimano warranty
Authentic Shimano products directly imported from abroad may qualify for warranty from the original seller. With the exception of Electric Reels, as discussed below, SNAF and SCL provides warranty services for legitimate ‘localized’ products provided:

• The owner is original owner
• The owner provides proof of purchase from an Authorized Retailer

If seeking warranty for a ‘non-localized’ rod or reel, please contact the original seller. Warranty policy follows the region in which the item was sold from.

Eligibility for repair service
SNAF and SCL do not stock service parts for models that are sold in other markets or imported for sale in North America. Therefore, for any repair or warranty requests for non-localized models, the customer must contact the original seller and arrange those services in that market.

Eligibility for repair service (Electric Reels)
“Non-localized” electric reels may not bearlack of FCC or ISED certification., SNAF, SCL and our network of service centers cannot perform repairs, modifications or service on such ‘non-localized’ electric reels, whether purchased abroad or locally. To ensure a Shimano electric reel meets FCC or ISED certification it should be purchased from an Aauthorized Rretailer.

Missing user manuals or foreign language menus on electric reels
Because ‘non-localized’ electric reels are not designed for sale in the United States and Canada and are not certified by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States or by Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) in Canada FCC, these electric reels, which SNAF and SCL do not authorize be imported into the United States and Canada, often do not include user manuals or include user manuals or other documents that are incomplete or non-compliant with certain laws or regulations or include manuals or documents that and may even be in a foreign language.