Yup, buying stuff from the US and the warranty issue, is well known. (been buying stuff from the US for a long time, last thing in the long row of stuff was a Nook). But i'm not worried, so far if i don't solved the issue by myself the contacts i got in the US has helped me .
So thats no issue for me at all, been working as a IT professional since 94 & got a degree in electronics and among other things designed multi-layered PCBs and programmed MCUs, so most HW or SW related problems i can manage on my own.

If the device starts and handles a "burn-in" test before it gets shipped to me, the HW should last until the warranty is out, and after that you are on your own anyway. If it gets broken in transit the "transporter" is liable as you got proof that it worked before it was shipped.