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Club Moollon

#2,581
Dub56 said:
I’m not sure the fact you’ve never ordered a bass direct from Moollon makes anything better.

You haven’t even been a patron of their actual business at any point but have sought to profit to this degree off of flipping their instruments on the used market? Seems strange on some levels, but yeah I get capitalism and arbitrage.
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I was stating that i'm not clogging up the Moollon wait list by bulk ordering directly from Moollon and raising prices as some have complained that I was doing. Everything i've done has been on the used market, aside from buying from School Music in the one instance.

Dub56 said:
I can honestly understand the ones that are imported from overseas more, that’s fair enough, but you don’t also buy, mark up, and flip any Moollon you can get your hands on in the states?
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I've purchased only a few on the used market in the U.S. I use the basses for my purposes too and enjoy playing them. The P and J I have for sale now have been my go to basses, have been well kept, and are close to new condition, thus the slightly higher prices. If I get ones in other conditions I adjust prices accordingly.
There have been only a few cases when i've purchased within the U.S. and then decided to sell them after realizing I could be okay without them. I have just as much of a chance to buy one on the used market in the U.S. as anyone else. There's a JV in the classifieds as we speak.

patzilla83 said:
This makes it much worse. You’re profiting off of someone else’s hard work and artistry and they aren’t seeing a dime. That’s not a question, it’s a statement.

It seems like YJ has tried to keep prices as low as possible and it doesn’t sound like they make much profit, if any. Capitalism is one thing, but selling an instrument for almost twice the original sales price is just greed on your part.

Just my opinion, you do what you want.
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I appreciate your argument, but here's my statement. It's the used market. The builder sets his price and gets paid when he sells it to the initial buyer or sells it through a dealer, then it's complete. There's no recurring revenue for the builder once it hits the used market.

How do you think all music stores who sell gear make money? They raise prices, especially on used gear. They get it for one price and sell it for a higher price to make money. This doesn't take anything away from the original builders artistry or hard work and the public has every right to buy it or not.
By your logic nobody should sell vintage Fenders today at increased prices because it's profiting off of Leo Fender's hard work and artistry and the money isn't going to him (or his estate)? I don't agree with that.
Is a music store who specializes in selling vintage Fenders or other used gear greedy for selling more in line with today's market value and based on demand, or should they be selling it for what it cost in 1963?

My prices are a reflection of what the current market is. From selling several of the instruments, I have a good idea of what people are paying and set prices accordingly. If they don't sell or I need to move it, I lower the price.
Things appreciate and depreciate in value depending on demand. In my view, it's not greedy to set the price you want based on appreciation and demand. Prices have increased buying direct from Moollon since June and there's a wait time of 3-4 years. Some will pay to bypass that, some won't.
 
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#2,584
This thing has been such a joy to play, I haven't really put it down since it arrived a few weeks ago. I was worried that I was setting my expectations too high, but it's even better than I was hoping for. So worth the wait!

tZNmaLa.jpeg
 
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#2,587
I gotta say, while I personally don’t agree with your pricing as of late, I do give you props for addressing peoples concerns on the forum.

Points for that.



The Gear Guru said:
I was stating that i'm not clogging up the Moollon wait list by bulk ordering directly from Moollon and raising prices as some have complained that I was doing. Everything i've done has been on the used market, aside from buying from School Music in the one instance.


I've purchased only a few on the used market in the U.S. I use the basses for my purposes too and enjoy playing them. The P and J I have for sale now have been my go to basses, have been well kept, and are close to new condition, thus the slightly higher prices. If I get ones in other conditions I adjust prices accordingly.
There have been only a few cases when i've purchased within the U.S. and then decided to sell them after realizing I could be okay without them. I have just as much of a chance to buy one on the used market in the U.S. as anyone else. There's a JV in the classifieds as we speak.


I appreciate your argument, but here's my statement. It's the used market. The builder sets his price and gets paid when he sells it to the initial buyer or sells it through a dealer, then it's complete. There's no recurring revenue for the builder once it hits the used market.

How do you think all music stores who sell gear make money? They raise prices, especially on used gear. They get it for one price and sell it for a higher price to make money. This doesn't take anything away from the original builders artistry or hard work and the public has every right to buy it or not.
By your logic nobody should sell vintage Fenders today at increased prices because it's profiting off of Leo Fender's hard work and artistry and the money isn't going to him (or his estate)? I don't agree with that.
Is a music store who specializes in selling vintage Fenders or other used gear greedy for selling more in line with today's market value and based on demand, or should they be selling it for what it cost in 1963?

My prices are a reflection of what the current market is. From selling several of the instruments, I have a good idea of what people are paying and set prices accordingly. If they don't sell or I need to move it, I lower the price.
Things appreciate and depreciate in value depending on demand. In my view, it's not greedy to set the price you want based on appreciation and demand. Prices have increased buying direct from Moollon since June and there's a wait time of 3-4 years. Some will pay to bypass that, some won't.
Click to expand...
 
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#2,588
projectapollo said:
Quick refresher. I’m one year into my new order wait. Is the lead time three years? Or two? Looking over my order confirmation there is no mention of expected build time. Thanks.
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If Andi didn't give an estimation, that's because they stopped doing that at a certain point to prevent people getting angry if the estimation wasn't met. Also when the wait got longer then 2 years, it got too difficult for them to accurately estimate production schedules that far ahead. This was made public in one of Andy's updates. If you look back through his posts here you should be able to find something.

Long story short: most likely over two years. I'm nearing the estimated 18 months on my order, but I don't expect it before the 2 year mark.
 
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#2,592
The Gear Guru said:
I appreciate everyone's comments and input. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I respect that. I'm taking some of the complaints into consideration.
(major snippage)
Thanks for everyone's input and my best to you all and your bass playing endeavors.
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You haven't done anything wrong. Your customers are satisfied. I believe in markets, and they were willing to bear the prices you demanded. This is fair. Ultimately, you're right: people can always buy a new one for reasonable cost, and you provide a no-wait service, for more than that cost.

But the alternatives to your sales are so few and far between, because you tend to get there first. You essentially are the Moollon used market, and your near-monopoly gives rise to a particular reputation, at least around here. And that, too, is fair. I could never buy a used Moollon for what I paid only a few years ago, and that is partly to do with the expectation you've set in the market, leaving aside basic supply/demand. Continue to sell in peace, I just felt it was important to understand what it looks like on this side of the transactional fence.
 
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#2,595
600 Ohms said:
You haven't done anything wrong. Your customers are satisfied. I believe in markets, and they were willing to bear the prices you demanded. This is fair. Ultimately, you're right: people can always buy a new one for reasonable cost, and you provide a no-wait service, for more than that cost.

But the alternatives to your sales are so few and far between, because you tend to get there first. You essentially are the Moollon used market, and your near-monopoly gives rise to a particular reputation, at least around here. And that, too, is fair. I could never buy a used Moollon for what I paid only a few years ago, and that is partly to do with the expectation you've set in the market, leaving aside basic supply/demand. Continue to sell in peace, I just felt it was important to understand what it looks like on this side of the transactional fence.
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AMEN.
 
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