The discounted price is far below the MRP. Is that normal in AV, or a red flag?

Asked, in some form, by almost every first-time buyer.

Both, and knowing which is which protects you. A big gap between MRP and the offered price is normal in AV; a price far below the entire authorised market is the red flag.

Normal first. AV MRPs, especially on imported gear, are set high, and real prices at authorised dealers sit well below them. That is standard practice across the market, not a trick, and it applies to every serious brand. So a quote showing a substantial MRP-to-offer gap is telling you nothing sinister; it is telling you the MRP is a ceiling nobody pays.

Now the red flag. Everyone legitimate buys through the same distribution at broadly the same landed cost, so nobody can be dramatically under the whole authorised market on sealed, current stock without something else being different. The something else is usually one of: grey import with a warranty valid in another country; an older revision or open-box unit sold as new; no GST invoice; or a quote that will grow later through "extras". Occasionally it is a dealer clearing stock at a loss, which happens, but is not a pattern to plan a purchase around.

So the method: compare offers to the authorised market, not to MRP. Ask two or three authorised dealers; the numbers will cluster. An offer inside the cluster is a real price. One well outside it needs an explanation, and the explanation should be checkable.

Whatever the discount, three things must survive it: a GST invoice in your name, the authorised channel, and the India warranty as per brand or distributor policy. A discount that costs you any of those was not a discount; it was a transfer of risk from the seller to you at a small fee.

If you have a valid quote from an authorised dealer, share it with us and we will do our best on price. If a quote looks too good, share that too; I will tell you what I think is behind it, without naming anyone.