Ordering online - The landscape is changing

[Jeff Scott]

Where is Westchester County?

 

[Spupilup]

It’s the county north of the Bronx. I lived in Bronxville, a town in Westchester 26 minutes out of Grand Central Station, when I was much younger.

 

[Marc61]

I just don't know what "greater NY area" means for the OP. I only asked because, just like I said earlier, if he's in the tri-state area, and that means Saddle River, Greenwich, Pound Ridge, the Upper East Side, Great Neck, (all pretty "upscale" neighborhoods) wherever, you're within at least an hour or two of 50 or more guitar shops. It's hard to imagine one couldn't find the instrument they're looking for, unless it's some special edition done for one of the major online retailers, among all those stores.

You could take a ride, check the guitar out, determine pretty quickly if the guitar is for you and either attempt to exercise your negotiating skills or simply thank the retailer, say the guitar wasn't what you had expected and leave. Even if you liked the instrument and failed to negotiate a purchase at least you wouldn't have been putting the onus on an online retailer to let you try the instrument out with the expectation it would be absolutely free.

Come on. Due diligence isn't looking at a handful of online reviews that were most likely bogus to begin with.

Actually I checked every retailer I could and none carried the instrument. So, I had to rely on reviews and specs. I'm going to try my best not to in the future and just keep my GAS limited to what stores stock when it comes to basses and amps.

 

[Marc61]

It’s the county north of the Bronx. I lived in Bronxville, a town in Westchester 26 minutes out of Grand Central Station, when I was much younger.

I'm in Pleasantville

 

[buldog5151bass]

Where is Westchester County?

Just north on NYC - east side of the Hudson River.

 

[Marc61]

On top of that, I'd love to know how the OP is going to buy used and expect better treatment. He'll either have to physically meet the seller, if he's fortunate enough to find the exact instrument he wants or he'll have to buy the instrument over the internet. I wouldn't want to be the poor guy selling him anything that way. I'd have to wait, depending on the credit card he used to pay for the instrument, up to a year anticipating a charge back for one reason or another.

I must have poorly written my OP. I wasn't complaining about how I was being treated. It's more about how these stores can compete and be there when I need something retailers don't stock. Seems like the way this is all going is the the online companies will all have to becomes subsidiaries of Amazon to survive

 

[Coolhandjjl]

The rules around collection of sales tax are set by the federal and state governments and all of the online retailers are bound to the same rules. The differences lie in whether or not the company has a physical presence in your state. If it does, they will collect tax from you. If it does not, they will not and you are supposed to be responsible for paying that tax (though it's rare anyone actually does it.) So there is absolutely no company out there using taxes as a sales incentive. They're collecting it where they are required to, period, and they're all required to.

The rule changed last year. All have to collect sales tax at the buyer’s states’ rate regardless if they have a physical presence in the buyer’s state or not.

If you move to Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, or Oregon there is no state sales tax.

 

[Marc61]

Anyone who does a lot of shipping has an account with either UPS or FedEx. The rates they are charged are predicated on the volume they of shipping they generate. The greater the amount of shipping you do with FedEx or UPS, the better the discount. When you're as big as Amazon you pretty much get to dictate the rates.

I have a friend who was a manager at Fedex. He claimed rates were negotiated on box size when they have huge volume. All based on what they can fit in the truck. Of course us civilians are charged on size and weight.

 

[Joe Nerve]

I ran a test yesterday and they're adding tax to MD.

Ran the same test.... I bought my Mustang just in time . That tax would have cost me $90 more! I guess the price of all gear just went up a bit.

 

[pcake]

if the OP lives in the greater NY area, why not buy at sam ash and return for free by walking the return item back into the store?

 

[Marc61]

if the OP lives in the greater NY area, why not buy at sam ash and return for free by walking the return item back into the store?

I asked Sam Ash if they would get it for me as they don't carry it in stock. They said I would not be able to return it as it would be considered a special order *edit* hindsight 20/20 I guess I could have ordered it online then returned it to the store if I was unhappy. Not sure how that would have worked

 

[Spupilup]

But, even if you purchased it from Sam Ash and drove into the city from Westchester (or bought a round trip ticket on Metro North), paid for gas, paid for parking and your time, it would have still cost you way more than the $26 it cost to rent the instrument from Sweetwater for 30 days.

 

[Marc61]

But, even if you purchased it from Sam Ash and drove into the city from Westchester (or bought a round trip ticket on Metro North), paid for gas, paid for parking and your time, it would have still cost you way more than the $26 it cost to rent the instrument from Sweetwater for 30 days.

Sam Ash is 10 miles from me. They don't stock the bass

 

[Jeff Scott]

I'm in Pleasantville

So, how is it there?

I see you are just across the river from Richard Roosa, assuming he's still in Congers.

 

[Spupilup]

I have a friend who was a manager at Fedex. He claimed rates were negotiated on box size when they have huge volume. All based on what they can fit in the truck. Of course us civilians are charged on size and weight.

I have had accounts with FedEx and UPS over the years. By simply opening up an account you get rates that are better than someone walking up to the counter at their Fedex or UPS facility. Nevermind, how badly you get raped when you walk into a UPS Store with an item in hand asking for them to not only generate a label for you but to package the item was well.

Now, as far as prices go for my business, the rates I get from my FedEx account rep are determined by the type and volume of shipping I do. I am sure that a company like Sweetwater has an account rep who works hard to get the best rates they can for the company. They are probably given especially attractive rates due to the oversized nature of most of their shipments.

 

[Spupilup]

Sam Ash is 10 miles from me. They don't stock the bass

So they're still on Mamaroneck Ave, in White Plains.

The point I was trying to make, and it's still valid even if you were dealing with the Mamaroneck Ave. store, is that your time, just like everyone else's is worth something. The time and effort saved through renting the bass from Sweetwater for $26 outweighs the alternatives.

Sadly, I'm not happy saying that because all it will do is encourage more people to treat these stores like lending libraries but, the beast has been created and it needs to be fed. The beast being the consumer.

 

[Jeff Scott]

i also see you are south of Lake George. I knew a guy who used to work at GS years ago, he had a relative who lived there, and in NYC, many decades ago - Alfred Stieglitz.

 

[sissy kathy]

Yes, it's an open box and has to be discounted.

No, it doesn't have to be discounted, though it usually is, because it's used and THAT has to be DISCLOSED.

 

[Marc61]

So, how is it there?

I see you are just across the river from Richard Roosa, assuming he's still in Congers.

That would be a correct assumption. Assuming he’s still there

 

[Marc61]

Interesting. I just sold a guitar on eBay. Sales tax was collected when the buyer checked out. It turns out the new internet sales tax law forces eBay to collect sales tax on items sold to the states of Washington, Minnesota and Iowa.