Impact of Internet Guitar Sales on Local Guitar Shops, Everywhere, USA

[Guitarbarian]

Originally Posted by Manothemtns

Nice work...no doubt you'll keep it up!

Well, as long as I'm breathing, anyway.

[Jaden]

Originally Posted by chippygreen

Reverb, AGF and the Internet helped me get back into acoustic guitar on my time and my terms. I have a fairly hectic work schedule - I leave the house for work at 6.45 am and I am rarely home before 7.30 pm. Weekends are filled with activities for the kids, household chores, errands and family obligations.

I read AGF at night, watch lots of Youtube videos, and correspond by email with dealers, sellers and forum members. The Internet is my lifeline to the world of acoustic guitar.

In the 2 years since I've gotten back into guitar I've:

- purchased (Reverb) and sold (AGF) a wonderful Northwood
- purchased (Internet dealer) and sold (AGF) an excellent Avian
- purchased (AGF) my Carter-Poulsen
- purchased (brick and mortar store in Tokyo) my K. Yairi
- purchased (two different Internet dealers) my Bashkin GC and OM
- purchased from Asia (Internet dealer) my Michaud
- purchased (local Guitar Center) a GS Mini for my younger son
- purchased (local Goodwill) my Yamaha
- traded three guitars that were gathering dust for my Martin M-36 (local shop, but which I located online!)
- located a local luthier who fixed up a '92 Strat with seized electronics from years in storage & dressed the frets on my Carter-Poulsen
- met online, and then in person at Woodstock, Michael Bashkin, and ordered a build from him
- met online, and then in person at Woodstock, Joel Michaud, and ordered a built from him

I like local shops and patronize them when I can. I like the local GC and Sam Ash and have always been respectfully treated there. I like luthier built guitars and that the Internet has made all of them accessible. I like the amazing selection at Dream Guitars, boutique sellers on Reverb, transacting on AGF. I like that Marcus Wong always has time for silly questions about build choices. When I think I might like to try another Martin, I like that Elderly and Maury's are there, but I too fear for my local place and wonder if I need to put in a custom build just to help them keep afloat.

But I cannot imagine how many years it would have taken for me to do this without the Internet and online transactions - not to mention having to bargain for time off and live with the guilt of running to the local store at the expense of a kid's homework or practice.

Nor do I think any store in NYC much less any store in the country, would have offered me the variety, access to luthier-built, foreign production and mainstream brand guitars, and exposure to size, build, style, tone wood, and more as in the modern era of Internet purchasing.

Very interesting post; nice guitars!

[Texsunburst59]

I stopped buying new guitars years ago, and I refuse to sell or purchase online, whether it's E-bay, Reverb, GC, Sam Ash, G-base, TGP, AGF, etc.........

I want to buy and sell my gear in person.

I want to be able to play, hear, and assess if the instruments checks all the boxes.

These day I only buy used, and I buy primarily form CL and pawnshops.

I live in an area where people live WAY beyond their means, and usually bit off more than they can chew.

A lot of musicians in my area make high dollar purchases on gear, and realize they've over extended themselves financially.

A LOT of very nice good quality gear ends up at pawnshops and on CL for pennies on the dollar.

I usually buy 5-10 electric guitars, acoustics, basses every year at AMAZING prices.

There's NO online store or B&M that can touch the prices I'm getting on these instruments.

In a way I'm supporting local business,I'm just not supporting guitar shops.

It is what it is , I guess.

[Steadfastly]

Originally Posted by menhir

The world is not going adapt it's buying or selling choices, spend more money than they have to, nor be looked down upon because they chose to purchase from vendors that sell to the great unwashed masses that some people consider are below them, just to make life easier for someone else to get the price they want for a guitar. Get used to it. Get over it.

It's just history repeating itself...again.

And frankly, a guitar that is purchased and ends up in a closet is still money in the maker's and seller's pocket and if they ain't making money, they're gonna stop making guitars.

You've just got to stop making sense and being so reasonable.

Posts like yours are just thread killers.

[Manothemtns]

Originally Posted by Steadfastly

You've just got to stop making sense and being so reasonable.

Posts like yours are just thread killers.

Pretty aggro. Guess one good turn deserves another.

[Manothemtns]

Yep....killed my desire to carry on.

[Manothemtns]

Originally Posted by Texsunburst59

I stopped buying new guitars year ago, and I refuse to sell or purchase online, whether it's E-bay, Reverb, GC, Sam Ash, G-base, TGP, AGF, etc.........

I want to buy and sell my gear in person.

I want to be able to play, hear, and assess if the instruments checks all the boxes.

These day I only buy used, and I buy primarily form CL and pawnshops.

I live in an area where people live WAY beyond their means, and usually bit off more than they can chew.

A lot of musicians in my area make high dollar purchases on gear, and realize they've over extended themselves financially.

A LOT of very nice good quality gear ends up at pawnshops and on CL for pennies on the dollar.

I usually buy 5-10 electric guitars, acoustics, basses every year at AMAZING prices.

There's NO online store or B&M that can touch the prices I'm getting on these instruments.

In a way I'm supporting local business,I'm just not supporting guitar shops.

It is what it is , I guess.

I, too, use Craigslist for amazing deals. I'm a player and collector and the collecting part dictates that some of my guitars have to be purchased at deeply discounted prices. Otherwise, I'd be broke. Some guitars I cleanup, mend, and turnover...other finds are real keepers! But, when it comes to special order or most of my new guitars I frequent my FLGS an hour's drive from where I live in the country. I do this because I know they'll deftly handle any warranty issues I might have and any work on the guitar that I'm not comfortable doing myself. They have a fine luthier on their staff.

[Manothemtns]

Originally Posted by Denny B

I've purchased all my guitars both new and used, where I've gotten the best quality, price and customer service at the time...

No one business has a lock on those commodities, whether they're online, Big Box store or local B&M...I've seen the best and worst attitudes in all of them...

But if anyone else would like to give me a blank check for my next guitar, I'll certainly take your opinions under consideration...before I buy it where I want...

Well put. You're still spreading your money around which is, to me, part of where it's at.

[mcduffnw]

Originally Posted by AZLiberty

If I drive to Oregon and buy a guitar, I pay OR sales tax. Why should I pay AZ tax on a guitar bought in OR just because I had it shipped?

The real question is, how can some vendors ship so cheaply. I can buy a guitar case from Elderly and they will give me free shipping, but if I were to ship an empty box back to Lansing it would cost me over $80.

If you drive here to Oregon to buy a guitar, you won't have to pay Oregon sales tax...

Because Oregon doesn't have sales tax...yet, anyway


duff
Be A Player...Not A Polisher

[Manothemtns]

Originally Posted by Jaden

Very interesting post; nice guitars!

Nice guitars. I have a broad collection myself which took years to put together. The guitars were purchased on eBay, Craigslist, Reverb, and my favorite guitar shops...none of which include Guitar Center...which is the primary point of my post.

[Manothemtns]

Originally Posted by Gmountain

Companies that do a lot of shipping get different rates than you and I. UPS and FedEx negotiate different rtes for high volume customers, and those rates are much less expensive than you and I pay. In fact, the retail rates subsidize the volume shippers.

I realize that but not to the extent of "Free Shipping".

[Manothemtns]

Originally Posted by Gmountain

Companies that do a lot of shipping get different rates than you and I. UPS and FedEx negotiate different rtes for high volume customers, and those rates are much less expensive than you and I pay. In fact, the retail rates subsidize the volume shippers.

If each of us does our part it does make a difference. You can't squash another's set of core ideals and be a good person at the same time. Life's about the choices we make. If you want a haphazard, chaotic life, make haphazard, chaotic decisions. See where it gets you.

[Manothemtns]

Originally Posted by Paddy1951

This argument is not unlike what I heard when it was common practice for Walmart to build a store in a small town, and kill local businesses. Because Walmart could dictate prices, they could undersell the hardware store, clothing shops, you name it. Once these stores folded, people who lived in these towns were now at the mercy of whatever Walmart wanted to charge, whatever they wanted to carry, stock wise. And of course, Walmart as an employer.
If you needed something beyond the generic, you were not likely to find it at Walmart. If you needed knowledgible help...

I wouldn't be to quick to just write off mom & pop stores. All of us have at least some power as to how things can go. Where we choose to do business and spend our money can have a positive effect.

The premise of the my post is based on watching what happened to Main Street America after Walmart plowed through. Precisely the same thing. I learned from the experience and have never spent a dime at Walmart...or Guitar Center. I'm agreeing with you. Just taking my explanation a step further.

[mcduffnw]

Originally Posted by Gmountain

Companies that do a lot of shipping get different rates than you and I. UPS and FedEx negotiate different rtes for high volume customers, and those rates are much less expensive than you and I pay. In fact, the retail rates subsidize the volume shippers.

The "full retail" rates of UPS and FedEx don't subsidize the discounted businesss rates. They are just the super profit margin icing on the cake for those companies. They still make money off the discounted rates too...believe me.

Or rather, believe the UPS Account rep we used to have at the Guitar Center store I used to work at, who told me that one day when we were talking about rate pricing and profits.

duff
Be A Player...Not A Polisher

[Manothemtns]

Not sure what the answer is to sales tax here in the US. We've got several states where it's not required. I guess, perhaps, charge it across the board where a given buyer is of a state that requires tax and not where/when it's not. Complicated as to how to appropriate said taxes in an internet situation.