Insane European prices

[TheBassGuy]

REb

Yeah that is one thing but understand that now you really cant ever try anything because you have lost your retail presence.

A Musical Instrument is a personal and emotional part of our life. A computer you can spec with a certain amount of memory and screen and know that you are going to be happy. With a guitar you cannot say the same.

Also there are still additional costs that dont go away

Also please consider the same distributors sell our strings too....

THis is not a problem created by our dealers and distributors...its one we all fight together.

Valid point Sterling. The thing is however, that here in Europe the retail presence of Musicman guitars, is very very low. There has only been one chance in my life that I could test a Musicman guitar in a store. It was a beat down second hand Ray 5. Luckily the quality level of your guitars is very consistent and good, so I'm not afraid to order guitars online without trying them before buying. Strings on the other hand are widely available here and very fair priced compared to other brands, so Ernie Ball is well represented here.

I'm very interested in business models and selling methods. It's part of my bachelor (cultural/art management). Sorry for my thinking out loud idea's

-Ben

-Edit-

With my eyes on the Big Poppa smokers. How are you going to distribute these? Directly from factory world-wide, or trough retail stores here in Europe?

Sorry for the questions.

 

[DTG]

dell now sell in shops like pc world etc

they are also pulling out of ireland because it cheaper to make them in india now.the only reason they set up here is because of the tax benfits that our goverment gave them.
dont get me wrong what mickey dell did really worked,but customers are numbers to them and thats something i hope will never happen to EBMM.

 

[DTG]

i had no fear when i placed my order for a 25th,and yes i could have flown over and bought 2 of them but it doesn't fix the problem it makes it worse in the long run.surley if we sell more in europe then the cost will come down however long it takes.

may only prob is lazy assed sales guys that dont bother to do their job but thats a whole new thread

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

And don't forget, the general cost of living in most of western Europe is higher than North America. Not much else is cheaper over there either and wages are generally higher. That is also a factor when you see the comparison pricing.

 

[Hellboy]

REb

Yeah that is one thing but understand that now you really cant ever try anything because you have lost your retail presence.

A Musical Instrument is a personal and emotional part of our life. A computer you can spec with a certain amount of memory and screen and know that you are going to be happy. With a guitar you cannot say the same.

Also there are still additional costs that dont go away

Also please consider the same distributors sell our strings too....

THis is not a problem created by our dealers and distributors...its one we all fight together.

Oh, so true. I don´t know if this is good or bad in the long run but it seems like peoples (musicians) thinking when it comes to buying stuff is changing lately. Lots of people here in Sweden buy their equipment from Thomann and other internet based music stores or on eBay these days. Not just synths and fx devices but even guitars and basses and many don´t try their new bass before buying. Now I was very much against this initially and I still am since I do enjoy to walk into a music store and twiggle around with the instrument that I´m interested in for abit but I´ve also bought basses online and I´ve honestly never had any problems when doing so. I personally don´t care too much if the instrument isn´t setup well cause I´m comfortable doing that work myself but some people are not and they will need help with this. Tricky questions and one never knows in advance how things will turn out in the end if one decide to change business model. If one manufacturer decide to do things differently, then others will most likely follow if it works and they need too to stay competitive. Tricky, tricky questions and we´ll see how things change in the long run. Interesting times we live in. But one thing is for sure, noone wants the same situation in the music manufacturing business as the record companies have were people break the law and steal their stuff without paying for them. Horrible situation. Hard to download a 25th Anni 5-string HSS. But I guess that the instrument manufacturers will need to find ways to cut costs ahead. Nothing new there. Tricky path to walk since you don´t want to create problems for the business by cutting too many corners....

//J

 

[tommixx]

WOW...I had no idea! Sounds like I need to start specializing in selling all my stuff to Europe! I like to buy and try a LOT of different stuff and I have taken a beating in losing money each time I buy and sell something here in the US. Does it really make sense to consider selling used gear to the European market? I have bought and sold and traded between 250 and 300 basses alone over the last 5 or 6 years, should I be offering them for sale in the EU? Would you guys like to buy used gear like that? I had no idea that the pricing was that crazy and did not think it made much sense to try and do European deals. I have done a few for people but I guess I did not realize just how much of a difference in pricing there was. I have a bunch of stuff I could be selling to the EU but I do not know if it is worth my time or not. Is there really that much interest in it? It makes me wonder if I should list my Fiesta Red Classic for sale ONLY to the European market? I wonder what it would be worth there?



Curious!

Peace,

T

 

[Hellboy]

WOW...I had no idea! Sounds like I need to start specializing in selling all my stuff to Europe! I like to buy and try a LOT of different stuff and I have taken a beating in losing money each time I buy and sell something here in the US. Does it really make sense to consider selling used gear to the European market? I have bought and sold and traded between 250 and 300 basses alone over the last 5 or 6 years, should I be offering them for sale in the EU? Would you guys like to buy used gear like that? I had no idea that the pricing was that crazy and did not think it made much sense to try and do European deals. I have done a few for people but I guess I did not realize just how much of a difference in pricing there was. I have a bunch of stuff I could be selling to the EU but I do not know if it is worth my time or not. Is there really that much interest in it? It makes me wonder if I should list my Fiesta Red Classic for sale ONLY to the European market? I wonder what it would be worth there?



Curious!

Peace,

T

I´ve always wondered why some american sellers on eBay won´t sell to european customers.... It really doesn´t make sense... It´s not that much extra work really.

//J

 

[F Clef Jean]

Many thanks to all the posters for their replys.
To set things straigh on my account: I was more than happy to pay what I payed, because I know I will enjoy an excellent instrument for decades to come. I also do know the system and where these extra costs come from and I never blamed EBMM for this in any way.
It just seems to have gone a little out of control and is causing young musicians to have to settle for either less quality or saving up for twice as long. It's good to know everyone recognises the problem, but that's little or no comfort for them.

However, I've been dreaming of my own SR for many years (even with VERY little retail presence) and was now finally able to get one. It looks, sounds and feels amazing, so I say: money well spent, even if twice the US retail price

And yes I think I will buy another one after all in the near or distant future, but I will come and get it (or 2, one to sell) in the US. Maybe I'll throw in a visit to the MM factory

 

[tommixx]

I´ve always wondered why some american sellers on eBay won´t sell to european customers.... It really doesn´t make sense... It´s not that much extra work really.

//J

I have offered to sell to International buyers for about a year now and have done several deals. The thing for me was that a lot of them wanted me to declare the value at a HUGE discount to the actual value of the item sold. That made me very leery about doing the deal. I cringe at the thought of sending a $3,000 or $4,000 instrument across the globe with no insurance! I have bought and sold thousands of items and had to ship and had them shipped to me and I have been fortunate enough to have only needed to file a claim in a few instances so I guess the numbers are on the buyer's side to be fair. BUT what if the item is lost or stolen and the insured value is so much lower than the replacement value? Will the buyer expect me to make it good? I am really interested in this because it seems like I could help a lot of people out and essentially keep trying out a lot of stuff and not lose any money in the process. I am surprised I have not done this MUCH sooner! If it is possible to make it work and not have the risk hanging over my head I would have no problem selling exclusively internationally. Maybe even offer some kind of buying service. I don't know, what do you guys think?

I would love to sell my Natural SR5 HH and replace it with a Natural SR 5 H right now but I would take such a beating selling it in the US that it does not make sense to do it financially. If I could at least get what I have in it back out of it I would gladly sell it today and have a 5H in just a few days to replace it!

Peace,

T

 

[J0ttem]

Aye guys, being a European resident, I feel your pain.
Finding a new MM here for a good price is very hard, if not almost impossible. And if you want a specific finish, you'll likely have to order it, as it wont be in store anywhere.

I buy most of my EB stuff on Ebay, even with the custom tax, it will save you hundreds of euro's.

 

[Jimmyb]

A lot of people won't ship to Europe because of the risks with shipping etc, but to a large extent, this can be avoided with good communication between buyer and seller.

The only thing that I ever experienced a problem with was a pedal I bought on E-bay from a seller in the US. He was really reluctant to send me the tracking number and kept insisting I check with Customs (not that easy to do when you don't know when it was supposed to arrive). The pedal never reached me, but to be honest, I don't think he ever sent it. Still, lesson learned.

With EBMM's you can't buy them new, because it voids the dealer's agreement, ie they can only sell in their own country. This is done to alleviate warranty issues that may arise, after all, why should the importer have to look at repairs for guitars that they never handled?

Anyway, it is what it is, I'm sure if BP could change it and be fair to everyone (including the distributors who have supported EBMM for so long) I'm sure he would.

 

[Jimmyb]

dell now sell in shops like pc world etc

they are also pulling out of ireland because it cheaper to make them in india now.the only reason they set up here is because of the tax benfits that our goverment gave them.
dont get me wrong what mickey dell did really worked,but customers are numbers to them and thats something i hope will never happen to EBMM.

Great point Dave!

 

[DTG]

I have offered to sell to International buyers for about a year now and have done several deals. The thing for me was that a lot of them wanted me to declare the value at a HUGE discount to the actual value of the item sold. That made me very leery about doing the deal. I cringe at the thought of sending a $3,000 or $4,000 instrument across the globe with no insurance! I have bought and sold thousands of items and had to ship and had them shipped to me and I have been fortunate enough to have only needed to file a claim in a few instances so I guess the numbers are on the buyer's side to be fair. BUT what if the item is lost or stolen and the insured value is so much lower than the replacement value? Will the buyer expect me to make it good? I am really interested in this because it seems like I could help a lot of people out and essentially keep trying out a lot of stuff and not lose any money in the process. I am surprised I have not done this MUCH sooner! If it is possible to make it work and not have the risk hanging over my head I would have no problem selling exclusively internationally. Maybe even offer some kind of buying service. I don't know, what do you guys think?

I would love to sell my Natural SR5 HH and replace it with a Natural SR 5 H right now but I would take such a beating selling it in the US that it does not make sense to do it financially. If I could at least get what I have in it back out of it I would gladly sell it today and have a 5H in just a few days to replace it!

Peace,

T

Yeah I dont think it would work out too well.1 customs and 2 karma thing again.but I dont see any issue selling the odd bass

 

[cellkirk74]

I think you will be getting better prices if you sell used stuff to europe at the moment than you will get in the states.

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

I have offered to sell to International buyers for about a year now and have done several deals. The thing for me was that a lot of them wanted me to declare the value at a HUGE discount to the actual value of the item sold. That made me very leery about doing the deal. I cringe at the thought of sending a $3,000 or $4,000 instrument across the globe with no insurance! ... Will the buyer expect me to make it good?

I have yet to sell a bass internationally or even long distance on the continent, but being the seller, you have to assure that instrument gets to the buyer in good condition or be able to reimburse the purchase price. I can understand the buyer wanting to pay as little as possible in customs and taxes, but personally, I would make it a condition of any sale that it had to be fully declared and insured.

 

[Spudmurphy]

Caveat Emptor
If the buyer wants the seller to under declare the value to escape paying duty/taxes then he (the buyer) will have to face up to the consequences if the package goes missing or is damaged IE the buyer will only recover a fraction of the true value and obviously less than he has paid to the seller

Also beware under declaring items, because it has been known for Customs Officers to understand the true amount of the guitar and levy on that true amount.
Spud

 

[Subscript]

If you're willing to ship internationally you will for sure get more interest in whatever it is you're selling online.

 

[DTG]

Dear France,

I would like to complain, as the French wine that I bought in my local shop is far more expensive than it is in France.

I suggest in future that all transport and import costs are negated, so that I can buy this wine at the same price that it is in the country of manufacture.

Love
Jimmy

Very funny dude best post I have read in ages

 

[projectapollo]

25th Anniversary

For all the EU folks.... I just posted a mint 25th 4HSS in the sale thread. Sounds like it could be a bargain for you.

 

[Hellboy]

For all the EU folks.... I just posted a mint 25th 4HSS in the sale thread. Sounds like it could be a bargain for you.

Don´t do like me. Read BP´s post below....

//J