Why I shop online and ship abroad..

[dlenaghan]

Went into the local music mall here in Seoul (Nagwon Sangga by Jongno 3-ga) for a Hercules stand and remembered I needed an expression pedal for an incoming Dr Scientist Tremolessence and moogerfooger FreqBox. Which do they sell? Only the Boss FV-500 and the basic Roland. How much? 150 bucks for the Boss and 80 for the Roland. While the Roland is more in the ballpark, perhaps because it's made nearby in China (although, so is the Boss... so what gives?), it sure gives used gear on eBay or TB a serious edge, even after general shipping costs, which even for a heavy pedal rarely exceed 40 bucks~! (USPS shipping on the FreqBox was 35.00..)

Count your blessings, o ye in the American music market. And never ask what a Fender or Gibson goes for here in Seoul... you'll crap your pants.

[willsellout]

Originally Posted by dlenaghan

Went into the local music mall here in Seoul (Nagwon Sangga by Jongno 3-ga) for a Hercules stand and remembered I needed an expression pedal for an incoming Dr Scientist Tremolessence and moogerfooger FreqBox. Which do they sell? Only the Boss FV-500 and the basic Roland. How much? 150 bucks for the Boss and 80 for the Roland. While the Roland is more in the ballpark, perhaps because it's made nearby in China (although, so is the Boss... so what gives?), it sure gives used gear on eBay or TB a serious edge, even after general shipping costs, which even for a heavy pedal rarely exceed 40 bucks~! (USPS shipping on the FreqBox was 35.00..)

Count your blessings, o ye in the American music market. And never ask what a Fender or Gibson goes for here in Seoul... you'll crap your pants.

I do! This is also reason why I will always be willing to ship abroad to folks overseas as long as they have some sort of feedback on here of references. It's expensive overseas and to be honest, to all you Americans out there, its just as easy for an American to rip you off!

Help our brethren out!


Dan

[dlenaghan]

Word!

[cybersnyder]

I'll ship overseas on occasion but I usually run into someone that knows someone that has a friend that was shipped an item by a company for only $8 and they want me to match it. I can't do that. If I shop overseas I quote the flat rate USPS price which is usually around $40 and if that's not acceptable then I keep moving. Basses completely different. I shipped two internationally but I won't do that again. One additional inch in your package dimensions can cost you an extra $300 in shipping. The only way to ship a bass internationally is in two separate packages. But then I double my odds that something will be lost or broken.

[dlenaghan]

Oh, I understand the reservations... What I cannot fathom are customs duties. Tax should never be collected on used goods! (Nor should a new Gibson SG bass cost 1800 dollars because of an infatuation with all things American...)

[Dazonbass]

Originally Posted by dlenaghan

Oh, I understand the reservations... What I cannot fathom are customs duties. Tax should never be collected on used goods! (Nor should a new Gibson SG bass cost 1800 dollars because of an infatuation with all things American...)

I found out that in Japan there is no duty on new or used items, so I am lucky. Also I understand the reservations some people have shipping outside the US.

Now for those people willing to ship in this direction... such a big thanks. Willsellout is presently shipping me a pedal and I am so grateful. It is saving me a lot. Big cheers to him and also special thanks to other TBs Nad and Essthreetee

Lets face it though, one of the reasons that buying from the US is worth while at moment is because the dollar is not doing well. Politics and greedy bankers aside, I hope wish the best to my fellow bass players in the US and hope for a speedier recovery.

Now for a brief example of things in Asia. I wanted to buy a USED limited edition 2007 stingray from Ishibashi music store. First the price of it used (in dollars): $2540! Yes that is used and to make it worse it had 5 large chips and scratchs. I was ready to trade in 5 pedals to the store to reduce the price. They gave me 30% of the new value of the pedals even on a trade. To make a long story short I left the store a little more than annoyed without making a deal. The good side is I looked on the net and Basscentral sent me a new (no chips or scratches) 2007 limited edition for $2200 including shipping. Thanks to them.

This makes me think, one of the reasons that so many good musical products are being produced in the US is because the heart is still in the MUSIC and not just the profit. Over here it is all about the money: you have to 'pay to play' on stage, rent a studio to practise (what happened to the garage jam), and the only music you here is over produced pop. This is the formula that kills creativity.

Okay Rant over

[A Strohman]

I have no problem shipping internationally. I've shipped pedals to Russia, Singapore, Italy, France, England and just today, to Austrailia. I recently shipped a bass to Russia with no problem whatsoever. I measure and weigh my packages and then just quote the potential international buyer the exact shipping fees. As long as someone is willing to buy my stuff, I'll ship it just about anywhere.

[Feral Feline]

Originally Posted by Dazonbass

I found out that in Japan there is no duty on new or used items, so I am lucky. Also I understand the reservations some people have shipping outside the US.

Now for those people willing to ship in this direction... such a big thanks. Willsellout is presently shipping me a pedal and I am so grateful. It is saving me a lot. Big cheers to him and also special thanks to other TBs Nad and Essthreetee

Lets face it though, one of the reasons that buying from the US is worth while at moment is because the dollar is not doing well. Politics and greedy bankers aside, I hope wish the best to my fellow bass players in the US and hope for a speedier recovery.

Now for a brief example of things in Asia. I wanted to buy a USED limited edition 2007 stingray from Ishibashi music store. First the price of it used (in dollars): $2540! Yes that is used and to make it worse it had 5 large chips and scratchs. I was ready to trade in 5 pedals to the store to reduce the price. They gave me 30% of the new value of the pedals even on a trade. To make a long story short I left the store a little more than annoyed without making a deal. The good side is I looked on the net and Basscentral sent me a new (no chips or scratches) 2007 limited edition for $2200 including shipping. Thanks to them.

This makes me think, one of the reasons that so many good musical products are being produced in the US is because the heart is still in the MUSIC and not just the profit. Over here it is all about the money: you have to 'pay to play' on stage, rent a studio to practise (what happened to the garage jam), and the only music you here is over produced pop. This is the formula that kills creativity.

Okay Rant over

Garage jam in Asia? Seriously, how many private garages do average people here have? Have to agree with all your other points though.

[dlenaghan]

Yeah, I took one look at the prices Ishibashi posted and never looked back.

Good news though: a sort-of popular group is actually playing rock now, a la David Byrne, called Jangiha and the Faces. As a result, there is finally an alternative to the sickly sweety pop phenomenon here, as well as Korea's first Rickenbacker.

No news on when they'll actually be available for purchase here though..

[dlenaghan]

As far as studio practice goes though - yeah it can be a pain, but they've got great gear (usually), and most offer decent recording for 20 bucks an hour on up. We recorded out first EP here and got it mixed, mastered, and printed (as well as the initial recording time) for well under 800 bucks. But bad when split between 4 guys. It's just a change the engineer was a bubblegum pop bassist..it really affected the outcome!