The ebay lister is also not 100% accurate when he states a loaner will be sent within 24 hours. This is almost always the case, but it is not guaranteed. Phase One does their best to provide a loaner within that time period and in the overwhelming majority of cases, succeeds.
Many, if not most manufacturers offer extended warranties on their products. It is not any reflection of the reliability of the product.
Extending a warranty is a pretty subjective choice - there are formulas to use for ROI purposes, but I've had many who buy the extra warranty for emotional reasons - they just want to feel more secure in the event. Otherwise, it is pretty cut and dried - you're gambling that the odds won't hit you. Repair turn around times for Phase One backs going to Denmark are an average of 10-14 days. So - you have to figure a 2 week rental in that event. We offer a 30% - 40% discounted rental repair rate to our customers who buy from us.
Obviously for mission critical work, on a daily basis, having a backup is essential. While that sounds like common sense, I would say that the majority of clients with medium format don't have a medium format backup (they're using 35mm DSLR or going without).
As some have pointed out - this listing is not a great deal. What isn't realized is that when you upgrade to an IQ140 (or other IQ) with a Value Add Warranty, the VA Warranty is reduced in price, usually by about $1,600 or so. A buyer is often better off finding a cheap older back and trading it toward a new unit with Value Add Warranty. That might be an acceptable eBay purchase (or we frequently have low cost units on our shelves we can sell at a discount to someone upgrading to a higher priced unit). eBay can be cheap, but a really good dealer, can also be creative.
You can buy from a dedicated partner who works closely with you and has your back, or you can buy from a virtual warehouse with few protections and no real benefit other than potentially saving some money. My recommendation is to find one of those partners that knows how to be creative to get you into something and will continue to work with you afterward.
As a footnote - I spent the past 2 days wrangling with a manufacturer for one of my clients to get a statement sent to their insurance adjuster on company letterhead for a discontinued product that was submerged under water for hours. I had to wade through admin and tech personnel - who were just doing their job - which is to make sure procedures and policies are followed. But I needed someone who could understand the bigger picture - the client didn't want even the possibility of using and trusting this drenched unit again and needed someone to understand this. It took 2 days, and included tracking down 2 company Presidents (1 on vacation). In the end, he got his letter, and now will order a new version of the closest current equivalent. Most dealers would have accepted the decline from the manufacturer at it's face and shrugged their shoulders that there was nothing they could do. With no dealer - he wouldn't have even had that potential.
Also, for accuracy sake -
There has not ever been a promotion or limited time price reduction on any IQ Series digital backs to date so far from Phase One. In December - still going on through end of January - there is a heck of a an ongoing promotion on P40+/P65+ units, new and refurbished:
https://www.captureintegration.com/pre-owned-phase-one-winter-promotions/Steve Hendrix
Capture Integration