way overpriced!!!!!!!!!

dr_love2112 · #1 08-01-2005, 03:26 PM

i went to my local guitar shop in baytown texas. they had a USED behrugher cab 4x10 alummium speakers for $499, a dean bass for $629 and it felt cheap, guitar cables for 30 bucks, and one fender custom shop pickup for $99. The only thing in there that is a ok deal is guitar picks 20 cents each and a fender p bass was 259. but i just wanted to let you know because im pretty mad and the vibe in teh shop is a bad one.

T. Alan Smith · #2 08-01-2005, 03:39 PM

Hate to break it to you, but that's how 80% of the shops in this country are bro.

tplyons · #3 08-01-2005, 04:52 PM

Yep, it all sucks to be a bass player. Everything is "overpriced" but we're actually just spoiled with the internet. Way back when before this internet thing, people bought things for what was on the tag, no price matching.

jive1 · #4 08-01-2005, 04:56 PM

Just a hint:You don't always have to pay the sticker price.

Haggling is OK, and many dealers mark up their prices and sell them for less than the price tag.

**Kelly Lee** · #5 08-01-2005, 05:06 PM

thats one of the reasons I love my local store, Rainbow Guitars. If I find something at Musician's Friend they will match it with no problem. Ofcourse, they are normally cheaper than them to begin with!

43% burnt · #6 08-01-2005, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jive1

Just a hint:You don't always have to pay the sticker price.

Haggling is OK, and many dealers mark up their prices and sell them for less than the price tag.

inside scoop...shhhh. When I worked at a music shop we marked everything up at least 15%...and if someone was serious about an instrument but was hesistant about the price-15% off was the deal. Moral of the story, don't be afraid to make them an offer. The prices are usually (with the exception of vintage, rare or high level gear) built for deals. Good luck

Pantsman · #7 08-01-2005, 06:40 PM

My favourite ploy is to go in there, check how much what i want costs, lets say $400, then i will come back later with about $360 in cash and offer them the $360 cold hard cash. Works every time.

PilbaraBass · #8 08-01-2005, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pantsman

My favourite ploy is to go in there, check how much what i want costs, lets say $400, then i will come back later with about $360 in cash and offer them the $360 cold hard cash. Works every time.

Forget the $360...try it with $300...it costs shoppes money to keep inventory and if they can move it for any profit it is worth their while. You just sometimes have to remind them of that...

adrian garcia · #9 08-01-2005, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pantsman

My favourite ploy is to go in there, check how much what i want costs, lets say $400, then i will come back later with about $360 in cash and offer them the $360 cold hard cash. Works every time.

they know about guys like you, that's why they mark it up before you get there!

seriously, as long as you made a deal, you and the shop are happy, they wouldn't sell stuff to break even

jive1 · #10 08-01-2005, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adrian garcia

they know about guys like you, that's why they mark it up before you get there!

seriously, as long as you made a deal, you and the shop are happy, they wouldn't sell stuff to break even

Reminds of a Guitar Center story.

About a decade or so ago there was this used BC Rich guitar with a wild paint job. I noticed it was there a couple of months. So I asked the guy how much, and he responded with $700. I balked and reminded him that it was there for a while. He got down to $650, but I offered him $250. It was the end of that.

Anyway, the guitar wound up being there for a year. It became a running joke between me and the salesman for that time. I always offered $250, and he always declined. I'd try telling him that the president of Guitar Center was going to fire him because he could sell that guitar in a year or how the dust and rust on it depreciated it more, if they sold it to me year ago they would have save $100 in strings, etc. That guitar wound up being there for 6 more months.

I went in and then, the guitar was gone. The saleman told me that he sold it to a guy for $700 who was so happy to get it that he gave him a $50 tip, etc. Yeah right. I found out years later when I noticed that a friend had it. It sold for $350 out the door.

Moral of the story, I dunno?

Oh yeah, a store will reduce considerably for an item that's been sitting for a while but a while can be a year or more.

dr_love2112 · #11 08-01-2005, 10:37 PM

yea guitar center usally beats musicans friend on everything but my local shop (not GC) is always too high on everything. and i tried to talk to guy down to 350 at least on that cab and he gave me a dirty look and said 400. but i only go in there when im board and aint got notheing else to do. but at GC i got my geddy at 599 when MF and GC was selling it for 699. so i know how to deal......but the local shop is just money hungry. i saw them sell a pair of nickle dunlop strap locks (12 bucks at GC) and they sold them for 35 bucks and that was with "Haggling".

**cheezewiz** · #12 08-01-2005, 10:56 PM

GC and MF are the same place.

syciprider · #13 08-01-2005, 11:00 PM

You can also buy from SameDay (free shipping). You get the goods cheaper and no sales tax (if that applies).

dr_love2112 · #14 08-01-2005, 11:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheezewiz

GC and MF are the same place.

OMG for real???? wow but still after shipping GC come out cheaper.

bovinehost · #15 08-02-2005, 12:05 AM

Quote:

OMG for real????

Yes! OMG for real!

Ian Perge · #16 08-02-2005, 12:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dr_love2112

OMG for real???? wow but still after shipping GC come out cheaper.

Not after you factor in MF.com's "Free Shipping On Orders over $99/$199/$299" promotions and the lack of sales tax.

Like, for real. 'Fer sure, like totally*.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dude

LOL...gag me!!! GC/MF sucks ask anyone.

Ask me. MF has never given me any type of shipping problem, pricematches everything to the point of honestly saying "we're losing money on this deal" once, special ordered an non-listed item for me (also throwing in pricematching and free shipping, which was above and beyond) and always treated me with respect over the phone or with web orders.

Compare that to my "local" stores where one is massively overstocked, one massively under, will not haggle an inch from their tag price (which are usually highly overpriced at 15% under MSRP,) are generally unhelpful and/or stoned most of the time, and charge far too much for "the little things" such as straps and strings.

I as much as anyone want to help community-based stores of all types, but when they can't provide anything close to the service I've gotten from MF.com, they don't have many people to blame but themselves. This is why 'net-based stores like Bass Central, Northwest, and Dude's own are the best of both worlds - "smaller" shops but with access to large inventories and brands, and the "love" of the field that you don't find often in the megastores.

*Thunes' line on this is like a sledgehammer to the frontal lobe... in a good way.

Andy3825 · #17 08-02-2005, 12:40 AM

I haven't had any trouble with MF either, and I bought my Schecter C-4 at GC and they were really helpful and nice.

Dude, Why do you hate MF and GC?

Dude · #18 08-02-2005, 12:50 AM

They're ok for Warwick Rockstands and stuff..don't get me wrong but will they have Dan Lakin personally cherry pick a light one for you or plop in a Darkstar or J-Retro and at 5% less??

..and what do they do with all those 30 day returns anyway???

Dude · #19 08-02-2005, 12:52 AM

..or lick it for you?? (for a slight upcharge..the cost of a Beck's 12ver does it)

Peter Squire · #20 08-02-2005, 01:15 AM

Overpriced??? Come live in Australia!

(yeah, i know, rant rant rant...

)