Has anybody with a broken rod had their warranty claim denied because they failed to produce a valid sales receipt, either with an over-the-counter claim or from Shimano themselves?

I've heard many people say that they've returned their rods to BPS or Cabela's for an immediate exchange from stock without any hassle, even if they weren't the original owner. Some were turned away simply because it's up to the store if they want to issue OTC exchanges on Shimano rods, receipt or not. But the 2010 catalog says you need a dated sales receipt.

Here is a PDF file of the entire 2010 Shimano catalog.  The warranty info is on page 3.

http://fish.shimano.com/publish/content/global_fish/en/us/index/customer_service0/catalogs.download.-mainParsys-000107-downloadFile.html/Shimano_2010_Catalog.pdf

If it is a lifetime it shouldnt matter.  The register reciepts fade in a short time too. 

I have none of my receipts.  If that happens to me, I'd just contact Shimano to see what they suggest. 

Yeah, that might be the best bet.  My experiences with Shimano customer service have been good so far with the one defective reel that I had years ago.  Ern is right, too.  It doesn't take long for some receipts to fade and become illegible, even when stored in a folder in a file cabinet.

I just ship mine in.  Been doing that for years and I haven't had any problems.  I do leave some info about myself just in case they want to get a hold of me.