Singaporeans - another question for you

[JBass1]

I am thinking about what to do with my amp when I move to SG. I have GK 800RB which I could pack in a suitcase, but my 4x10 cab is another story. I have been wanting to get a new setup (Ampeg or SWR) but I'm not sure how available those amps are in SG - and also I'm afraid the price would be insanely inflated (are there any good second-hand websites/shops there for amps?).

Anyway - would it be economically worth it to ship my 4x10 rather than buying another cab? It's about 85lbs and I would be open to waiting a month or maybe even more for it to arrive. Does anyone know how much this would cost? What would you do - sell the cab and buy one when I get to SG, or ship the cab and try to save money?

Another possibility is I ship it there, then sell it marked up with what it cost to ship it there so I don't really lose much, and then I could put that money toward a new amp. Is there a market for used (GK) amps?

Very confused, just need some advice.

Thanks.

[ehque]

The markup on new equipment here is quite steep. Although not as bad as Australia, it is almost always cheaper for me to order online. I usually save 20-30% this way, with few exceptions. However, I have not shipped bulky items like amps, cabs, or pedalboards. It costs about $200 to ship a bass from the US here.

It might be hard to sell your amp here, though. The market is pretty small. The two main Internet places where gear is sold or traded is www.soft.com.sg and www.luthermusic.com. You can check there to see if your gear will find a market.

[JBass1]

Originally Posted by ehque

The markup on new equipment here is quite steep. Although not as bad as Australia, it is almost always cheaper for me to order online. I usually save 20-30% this way, with few exceptions. However, I have not shipped bulky items like amps, cabs, or pedalboards. It costs about $200 to ship a bass from the US here.

It might be hard to sell your amp here, though. The market is pretty small. The two main Internet places where gear is sold or traded is www.soft.com.sg and www.luthermusic.com. You can check there to see if your gear will find a market.

thanks, there seems to be some good stuff on those sites - now I'm leaning toward selling the stuff here if I can and just buying used there. do the music stores there sell used equipment too?

[shinobi]

there's hardly any used amps (or used stuff in general for that matter) in the stores here.

i suppose the definition of 'horribly inflated' would be if it costs significantly more than if purchased from overseas+shipping, be it used or brand new. most shops sell at a markup, while a few will outright rip you off (and it's not hard to figure out who they are)

considering the fact that brand new stuff sells for higher prices here, that indeed results in higher selling prices in the 2nd hand market, though they probably trade relatively slowly.