No, I'm not emailing you about a price

[Kevidosa]

I saw a guitar I was interested in on a website, it had a price. I called just to see if they'd take any off. Right off the bat they took about $400 off. Then another $100 after we talked a bit. I think it pays to call most times. I'm surprised to hear how many people just buy without negotiating.

[Osage]

Originally Posted by TBman

I'm surprised it's legal here. MAP sounds like price fixing to me.

It's only "advertised price" fixing. The dealers are free to sell below the minimum advertised price, they just can't advertise that they're doing it. Or I guess legally they can advertise that they're doing it but they'll lose their contract with that manufacturer.

[lowrider]

I'm a New Yorker. My wife is a Jewish New Yorker. If I don't at least try to get a better price, she'll throw me out of the house!!

[Maryc-k]

If you are just window shopping, it’s easy enough to estimate pricing. Look for comps, or email the manufacturer of the instrument for a price list.

But, as with buying a car now, it’s like the Wild West out there now. You may or may not find what you are looking for when you finally decide what it is that you want.

[jazzguy]

Originally Posted by TheGITM

Yep. This is very common. It's not that the seller is hiding something. As others have indicated, they are likely wanting to sell it at a price that is below what the manufacturer allows in advertising. If the seller lists it at the manufacture's MAP, then it could turn off some customers. Some sites have an ability to show you the price once it's added to your cart. Some don't.

I'm not sure why it's a problem to email or call to get the price. Either you like the price, or you don't.

What they said above. No disrespect to the OP, but it seems you have assumed the worst about people and their motives. You are missing out on some fabulous guitars by not simply calling the store.

[ALBD]

Originally Posted by Brooklyn Bob

Yup. Minimum Advertised Price.

Where it puts me off is with used guitars

[TBman]

Originally Posted by jazzguy

What they said above. No disrespect to the OP, but it seems you have assumed the worst about people and their motives. You are missing out on some fabulous guitars by not simply calling the store.

That's a good point, thanks.

[srbell]

I understand the reason for dealers advertising new guitars. If I see "Call for price" on a used guitar it's an immediate NO from me though. I won't call to ask the price for a used instrument. Someone else can have it.

[Mark Stone]

Originally Posted by TBman

One of my pet peeves about shopping online is when a vendor doesn't list prices and just puts "email us for price" on the info page for a guitar.

It's not going to happen.

Even if it's a guitar I am very interested in, I would rather buy from an upfront seller than the "email/call" type.

If I'm shopping and I'm looking to spend $6,000 maybe $8,000 I'm not going to care if you're $100 more than Guitar Center, or some place that would involve $300 in shipping

Ok, rant over.

Yeah, I don't care for that either. It always smells like a scam, even though it probably isn't.

[captain_jack]

Originally Posted by TBman

I'm surprised it's legal here. MAP sounds like price fixing to me.

That would only be true if it was different manufacturers colluding and setting prices together right? If it's just a single manufacturer setting prices for their own product, how is that price fixing?

[brencat]

Originally Posted by TBman

If I knew that calling up/emailing would get me a better price, of course I would, but if you are window shopping and don't want to commit just yet, wasting people's work time with phone calls about a sale that is months down the road isn't fair to them.

Okay, that's fair. But you also didn't mention you were just window shopping in the OP. Based on that little missing detail, I and quite a few of your colleagues here interpreted your statement in a different context, as can be seen we are now on page 3 of this thread.

Carry on

(I wouldn't call to waste anyone's time either if I wasn't ready to buy)

[TBman]

Originally Posted by captain_jack

That would only be true if it was different manufacturers colluding and setting prices together right? If it's just a single manufacturer setting prices for their own product, how is that price fixing?

Isn't it back door price fixing? If mfg #1 sets map at $1,000 for X guitar and mfg #2 has an X equivalent guitar, mfg #2 will set its map at or close to the map of mfg #1 to "compete" with #1.

But I'm just guessing at that though.

[SongwriterFan]

I called about a used guitar once. They had it on the website for $10k.

They quickly offered it to me for $6500.

I said that I had been thinking about offering $6000. They accepted.

Definitely worth the phone call.

[captain_jack]

Originally Posted by TBman

Isn't it back door price fixing? If mfg #1 sets map at $1,000 for X guitar and mfg #2 has an X equivalent guitar, mfg #2 will set its map at or close to the map of mfg #1 to "compete" with #1.

But I'm just guessing at that though.

Isn't competition inherently the opposite of price fixing?

[Shortfinger]

Before, when things were normal, and Wildwood Guitars had their office, showroom, and warehouse in nice little old Louisville, CO, you could go in and ask to play a few, and while there, listen in on the conversations their excellent sales guys were having on the phone with customers.

Very, very sharp guys, good players all of them, acoustic and electric, talking about custom-shop this, vintage that, signature specials in small runs, guitars from one to a hundred thousand.

And you got the impression all the sales were conducted this way, over the phone. No clicks to add it to your shopping basket. Live calls.

So when you see one of their listings at their site that says, "call," it's because they want to get you on the other end of a hookup, so they can sell.