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Dean Q4 w/Bartolinis, $132.99 84% Off

#22
Need2KnowBasses said:
It makes absolutely no sense financially for Amazon to continue fulfilling orders at this price. I'm guessing it's just a mistake that no one at Amazon has noticed yet.
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No, Amazon is not doing business by any recognized model, and what they are actually doing is apparently covered by non-disclosure so well that nobody seems to know what's actually going on.

The only thing I am sure of is that they are dealing in distressed merchandise (apparently drop-shipped in some cases), everything from debt-forfeited store inventories to factory seconds to discontinued models dumped by companies desperate to generate cash flow.

The pricing algorithm is bizarre. I regularly see prices on something change as much as 500% within a few days, with 300% being fairly typical. For the life of me, I can't make sense of it.

I got a huge amount of Meinl and Tycoon percussion stuff at around 86%-88% off, then it went up to about everyday street price. After free shipping on stuff like congas, it wasn't much more than having given them away.

(What am I going to do with two sets of timbales? :p )
 
#25
Need2KnowBasses said:
I actually almost went for a whole set of the Tycoon congas but settled for a single solid ash conga for $110 normally $560. Once again a sucker for a bargain.
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Both Meinl and Tycoon (particularly) have pretty inflated MSRPs compared to what they actually sell for, but there were still some deals.

My congas were beautiful real A-stock (as far as I can tell). The bongos were atrocious, re-sealed four or five times, bad heads, defective shells, bad mounts, etc.

These with a nominal MSRP of almost $600 (!) a set.

I went through a bunch of replacements to strip parts enough to make two good pairs, but it was a lot of work and hassle.

The two sets of timbales (both Meinl and Tycoon) were virgin stock, but both had to have their rim bolts rethreaded before the heads could be tightened. Other than that, beautiful.

All this is supposed to be A-stock stuff. :hmm:

I'd say at least 80% of everything I've ever bought from Amazon was a bit fishy.
 
#26
I have bought over twenty basses through Amazon in the last six months. I think all except for one were in factory sealed boxes. I honestly think most of the damage and beat up packaging comes from Amazon's own poor handling of items. Three of the basses I bought were blemished but they all happened to be ones that were shipped in triangle guitar boxes only. All the damages were to the bottom of the basses. The drum I bought was totally new. It had an MSRP of $800+ but sells for $570.
 
#27
Need2KnowBasses said:
I have bought over twenty basses through Amazon in the last six months. I think all except for one were in factory sealed boxes.
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That doesn't mean they're not seconds or factory rejects, though.

Spector (as one example) only sells rejects through Amazon, though they are never indicated as such.

I don't buy many basses from them. The last one I got was a Schecter C-5 that seemed OK, no problems, but I keep waiting for it to spontaneously combust or something. :p

I honestly think most of the damage and beat up packaging comes from Amazon's own poor handling of items.
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Could be, but in some cases, obviously not.

On the bongos, there are eight exposed bolt ends, which can make eight holes in the carton. Mine came in a box with twenty-four holes on three sides of the box, indicating that it had shipped and re-shipped at least three times, probably more.

One came resealed three or four times, totally trashed box with a fresh shipping label (over several layers of old varying tape) from Tycoon to Amazon, and had a fresh Da-Glo warning sticker on it saying something like

"DO NOT OPEN -- FOR SALE ONLY THROUGH AMAZON.COM"

...which was a little weird. :confused:

Definitely factory B- (or C-) stock.

Three of the basses I bought were blemished but they all happened to be ones that were shipped in triangle guitar boxes only. All the damages were to the bottom of the basses.
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The individual histories of Amazon merchandise would probably be fascinating.

A strange feature I often encounter is opening a box to find a bagged item which when unwrapped is covered with a thick layer of dust. I recently got a "new" roto-mold rack case like this that was so dusty and gritty I had to take it out in the yard and hose it down with soap and water. It was totally new (with a couple of minor scuffs) and never had had a single screw installed, but it looked like it had been sitting in a dusty warehouse for about five years. The instructions, etc. were old and dog-eared. It also had an old trashed box with a fresh shipping label from the manufacturer to Amazon.
 
#28
I have an Edge Q4 with EMG's and love the thing despite the rep the brand has with some. Surprisingly nice bass, and everyone who picks it up says the same thing. If this deal is still available I would most definitely not sleep on it.
 
#30
splitcoilsenior said:
Even if it is a Factory B stock or a slightly damaged bass...It's not like you should be that upset. It's a $520 dollar bass for $140.
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It bothers me that Amazon consistently sells distressed merchandise as new A-stock. Other sellers are up-front about used/refurb/blem items.

Price doesn't change that.

I can live with what I get or make them take it back if it's too badly trashed, but it's pretty sketchy, especially when the same stuff gets sold for regular street price most of the time.

These long deals are the exceptions -- hinky stock isn't.
 
#33
Like I said before be prepared for a long wait. My first one was ordered 9/3/10 and shipped on 10/13/10. I ordered a second one on 10/12 after receiving a shipping soon notice for the first. I will post as soon as I receive another shipping soon notice.
 
#35
Had a minor Amazon victory yesterday when I received one of these:
Link Removed

...industrially factory packed and untrashed for about $7, and it perfectly fits two RED ILLUMINATED 4.5" fans I got free after rebate a couple of years back.

Pretty stylin' way to fill up 3U worth of excess space in a rack case, huh? :smug:

I'm trying to do something with a freaking immense 19" 12U case I got for 80% off a couple of months back (see previous post). I figured I could trade it off for, say, a more practical 8U +$ on CL, but no bites...so I may have to use it for my rig after all.

Go ahead, LAUGH!

Either that or put it out in the back yard and use it for a storage shed. :hmm:
 
#38
kenstee said:
Wonder if it's one of these Chinese shall we say...."copies?"
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Those aren't copies (copy a...Dean?), they're probably just re-sourced Deans since Cor-Tek shut down Korean operations a couple of years ago. The model is still on the Dean site (though this doesn't mean it hasn't been discontinued).

I've fully expected that these sale units were "downsourced" Chinese or Indonesian product and was surprised to see that the ones previously shipped in this deal were Korean, as that would make them pretty old stock.
 

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