I (US) have had a fairphone for a year. you can puchase one from murena and it works just fine.

I heard about Fairphones and really wanted one. I was disappointed to find that they have poor support in the US.

I think by 'poor' you mean 'none'? Last I knew if you bought one in the USA (from eBay, having a friend ship it to you, etc) you have zero support from Fairphone. There was actually an entry in a FAQ about this.

I can't blame them, I just wish it were different.

Yeah hard to justify a repairable phone when sourcing parts for repairs is going to be a major headache :/