I Can't Buy A New Martin, Guild or Gibson From A US Dealer

[Brucebubs]

Originally Posted by BluesKing777

Another option...

Buy the Epi EJ200 $AU545 on gumtree...
Buy Hiscox case to suit. $AU280. Keep all ownership paperwork.
Buy off peak budget chepo seat (usually Monday night) Syd. to LA. when the 50s Gibson SJ200 are for sale, take Epi in Hiscox, show owner papers. “That’s my geetar, man!” Maybe sing: “Coming in to Los Angeles....”
Buy Gibson 50s SJ200 in LA, same look, put in Hiscox, leave Epi or sell.
LA. to Sydney. “That’s my geetar, man!”

OR, join ocean yacht racing team....


BluesKing777.

I already have an Epiphone EJ-200 .. so think how much I've already saved!!

[colins]

Sounds like your local enquiries caught the Aussie Gibson network totally unprepared. No excuses but it does happen.

Maybe the "happy ending" will be if Gibson Australia or one of the dealers get off their $%^&s and order one in for you.

[Brucebubs]

Originally Posted by colins

Sounds like your local enquiries caught the Aussie Gibson network totally unprepared. No excuses but it does happen.

Maybe the "happy ending" will be if Gibson Australia or one of the dealers get off their $%^&s and order one in for you.

You'll like this ... I asked a UK Gibson dealer if I could buy from him and they ship to me .. 'No problem but I need the guitar here to work out the box dimensions and total weight to give you an accurate shipping quote!'

I asked him, "Are you sure about that?"

[Dr O’Fluf]

Originally Posted by Sax Player Guy

...
I fail to see what global currency valuations and warranties have to do with your question...

Certainly in the UK US goods generally are more expensive. For example a $1000 should cost approximately £750 however I'd expect to pay closer to £1000.

Seems we have to pay a premium in excess of the import cost and any taxes applicable. So if I can buy directly from a US dealer that's depriving my local dealer of some revenue.

Of course the Catch 22 is when the local dealer can't get the item I want....

[RalphH]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

You'll like this ... I asked a UK Gibson dealer if I could buy from him and they ship to me .. 'No problem but I need the guitar here to work out the box dimensions and total weight to give you an accurate shipping quote!'

You may find that Gibson thinks it has two markets - "US" and "rest of world".

A lot of US companies operate in that way so you may find that a US dealer can't sell a guitar to that other "aboard" place, but if you're an "outside US" dealer you can send it wherever you want, except back into the US.

Originally Posted by Dr O’Fluf

Certainly in the UK US goods generally are more expensive. For example a $1000 should cost approximately £750 however I'd expect to pay closer to £1000.

Seems we have to pay a premium in excess of the import cost and any taxes applicable. So if I can buy directly from a US dealer that's depriving my local dealer of some revenue.

Of course the Catch 22 is when the local dealer can't get the item I want....

Yes but don't forget that $1000 doesn't include sales tax (US prices never do, even in shops) as where the £1000 will already include 20% VAT, so your £1000 is actually more like £830 pre-tax, which isn't far off $1000

[Dr O’Fluf]

Fair point, but even, back in the dim and distant past, when the pound was stronger most prices looked the same in pounds and dollars

[RalphH]

With a moving exchange you tend to find a price gets set once a year and the companies take the hit if it moves against them so the put in some padding - it's either that or change the sticker price as each shipment comes in.

It's also worth remembering though that if you buy direct from the US (unless you physically go there and bring it back as luggage as if it were yours all along) you will pay VAT + import duty. I once made this mistake years ago with a £4000 camera lens which was $4000 in the US. Ordered it online... and got slapped with a £700 customs bill it was still about £300 cheaper but not worth the hassle and potential warranty issues (not that I ever had any).

Part of the reason things are more expensive here is that the distributor pays import duty on items that get brought in from non-EU countries. It's all just baked into your sticker price - it effectively includes something like 25% tax once vat and duty are added.

[Fresh1985]

Im in the UK and I tried to buy a new martin from LA guitars only to be told the same thing.

I believe this is a very recent change (within last 12months).

Sent from my SM-G925F using Acoustic Guitar Forum mobile app

[hilts]

I now feel quite fortunate that I bought my new Martin from Jon at MFG in the US a couple of years ago. At the time, I saved nearly $1,000 even factoring in exchange and custom charges.

[wattsy]

Originally Posted by Fresh1985

Im in the UK and I tried to buy a new martin from LA guitars only to be told the same thing.

I believe this is a very recent change (within last 12months).

Yes, I think it came into force last February. It's worth pointing out that this type of restrictive policy is to protect the overseas distributors not the dealers.

For a guitar of the value that the OP is looking at, I'd be inclined to wait until the guitars are more widely available and, if necessary, travel to the USA to try in person before purchase.

[Goodallboy]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

I have had a very kind offer from a fellow AGfer and may go down that path.

I've also by-passed the dealers here and emailed straight to the Australian distributor for Gibson guitars for some/any information.

The lack of ability to sell you a new guitar is a blessing IMO.

[pieterh]

Gibson could have worded their response a bit better but at the end of the day nothing they said should come as a surprise to anyone. Others on this thread have pointed out the economic realities of an American manufacturer/supplier exporting to non-American territories, and this may extend to exporting special models. Companies establish a network of distributors and retailers in order to maintain a presence and a supply chain run by folk who are experts in and used to the local regulations regarding tax, warranties and so on. Serious distributors make a point of providing training and proper service in the name of the brands they carry. Some, like Taylor, even go a step further and establish their own local offices and workshops in order to offer the same service level customers receive “at home” (I’ve used Taylor Amsterdam two or three times and am very pleased with the work and level of customer service).

Apart from a relatively minor surcharge for import costs most of the upcharge paid in Europe or Australia or wherever is the profit margin for the retailer (and supplier) plus sales tax (which is usually much higher in Europe than it is in US states, some of which don’t have sales tax at all). Out of the profit margin the retailer has to anticipate and cover the eventual costs of any warranty work.

Reading the small print on some lifetime warranties you can see that there are conditions and exceptions. Regardless of territory the warranty will always be valid the longer of the two options available in any given country: in Sweden guarantees apply for the first year, with a second year also applicable if the fault can be proven to be a manufacturing defect. So Apple products have a one year guarantee but under Swedish law Apple have to honour the guarantee in the second year if it can be shown to be an original defect (I have explored this once!). If the manufacturer decides to offer a lifetime warranty then of course it is that which will be honoured - if you’re lucky that warranty will apply worldwide but it’s the exception not the rule.

To conclude:

Manufacturers rarely sell direct unless that is their business model (Carvin?). On the rare occasions that they do the price is never better than you would get by going to a retailer - the manufacturers rely on their network to distribute and sell their products locally. Furthermore a guitar manufacturer has no obligation to honour a warranty for an instrument bought in the USA but needing work in, say, France (or vice versa). Nor is the French distributor liable either as they have not received any payment to cover the work. However, you could get such warranty work done back in the USA but in reality it’s usually cheaper to just pay for it.

[SlopeD]

Yeah I was looking to order a Martin recently from one of our sponsors here and they can't ship to Canada as per Martin's new rules. Sucks because our dealers here are quite poor, everything is list price or higher, very little selection, no custom stuff really.

Oh well at least cites is gone so we can get used stuff.

[SlopeD]

Originally Posted by GroovyException

There are freight forwarding services that will provide you with an overseas address. The one I use gives me postal addresses in the US and the UK. The seller does not need to know that the instrument will end up in another country.

i was not aware of that, I'll have to look into it. Thanks

[catfish]

Originally Posted by SlopeD

i was not aware of that, I'll have to look into it. Thanks

An intermediary is risky for this transaction -- the guitar Brucebubs wishes to buy is quite expensive, and it is a fragile thing. What if it will be damaged during shipping? If the guitar has a defect, to return it back to the dealer for reimbursement would be highly problematic.

Then, there is a payment problem -- if Brucebubs will pay with his credit card issued in Australia, and the guitar will be shipped to an US address, not every dealer will agree to ship, suspecting fraud. Paypal also follows 'shipping to the authorized address' policy.