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Ordering online - The landscape is changing
- Thread starter Marc61
- Start date
If musicians friend can sell every instrument at 20 something percent off what they list, why don't they just advertise it at that price? I'm sure they would do lots of business.
The conundrum of the modern MI market is that people's buying habits, myself included aren't healthy for the market. Of course I want to try the gear, but I will try to find a lower price, or used, somewhere else. The physical locations can't really survive in a market like that.
I have never bought a bass or amp new from the web. Mostly because of the "what do I do if I don't like it?" question.
I have never bought a bass or amp new from the web. Mostly because of the "what do I do if I don't like it?" question.
Why should a retailer have to foot the bill for return shipping if you don't like the instrument? Most retailers will cover return shipping if there is a manufacturing issue with the bass because that's not your fault. I just dont understand the logic as to why they should eat the shipping cost to send it back to them simply because you decided to change your mind on a purchase. "Free shipping" means that there's no added cost in the advertised price to get the bass to you. What happens next if you change your mind should be on your dime. If you're not cool with that get out there and drive, take public transit, skateboard, ride a horse, ride a bike, etc., so you can actually see the instrument in person before you make your decision. But I really believe that return shipping shouldn't be on the retailer when there isn't a defect or problem with the bass when you simply changed your mind and don't want it.
If you bought from a out-of-state seller and didn't pay sales tax, you were supposed to pay that tax with your income tax return. If you were professional and deducted the depreciation from your tax return, your failure to pay sales tax could be picked up and you'd be subject to penalty if caught.
All of my instruments have come from local stores where I tried them first. I'm responsible for the sales tax anyway and I like supporting my local economy.
All of my instruments have come from local stores where I tried them first. I'm responsible for the sales tax anyway and I like supporting my local economy.
So you expected THEM to cover the price of YOU checking it out? Now it's an open -box item that they can't sell as new.
When you order something online , or when you purchase something at a store , it means you want the item.
So again, here's the challenge. I desire an item Has great reviews etc. However it's something local retailers don't carry. I receive it, and it's nothing like the reviews. I should just eat the purchase? Again I'm not objecting to paying to return, I'm objecting to me paying for something they are calling "free" (the cost to ship to me)
This was not the case on two returns I sent back to Sweetwater in the last couple weeks. The returns were simply because I didn't dig the product, so it was a complete loss for Sweetwater and I never paid their original free shipping as you're suggesting.
It must be something they changed very recently. It states it clearly in their return policy
If you want to return a non-defective instrument on your dime, your best bet is to ask that retailer to email and charge you for a shipping slip. It will cost you less money than you chasing down rates anywhere else.
Manufacturers set MAP, which stands for minimum advertised price. Retailers are not able to market the product for less. That's why most of the time the internet price on an item is the same from website to website. Retailers can sell for a lower price if they want but they can't show it in their listings.
my RMA from sweetwater is from thursday - i am only paying for return shipping, not shipping from sweetwater to me.
they don't sell every instrument for 23% off, and it has nothing to do with list, which practically no stores charge.
MF offers the same 15% holiday discount as some other stores do, so you can get 15% off around christmas, presidents day, easter, and a few non-holidays like summer. if you sign up for the musiciansfriend rewards program, they also give you 8% of your purchases in points you can use later. if you buy during the sales AND are signed up for the rewards club, that does end up being 23% off of their regular selling price, but you'll have to purchase from MF again to use your points. still, that 8% in points can add up if you buy gear regularly.
they don't sell every instrument for 23% off, and it has nothing to do with list, which practically no stores charge.
MF offers the same 15% holiday discount as some other stores do, so you can get 15% off around christmas, presidents day, easter, and a few non-holidays like summer. if you sign up for the musiciansfriend rewards program, they also give you 8% of your purchases in points you can use later. if you buy during the sales AND are signed up for the rewards club, that does end up being 23% off of their regular selling price, but you'll have to purchase from MF again to use your points. still, that 8% in points can add up if you buy gear regularly.
Because free shipping applies to items you purchase. If you return the item, it's not a purchase.
There's another cost to them, a pretty steep cost, that no one is mentioning. Once you took that item out of the box and put your fingerprints on it there's no way they can sell it as new. So you have devalued the product by "checking it out" and they have to discount it. They're going to pay shipping to and from so that you and hundreds of others can do this all day long? I don't think that's a very sustainable way to do business.
Tire kicking put the brick and mortar stores out of business, and now you're suggesting we do the same for the online retailers. Not gonna happen.
In the first place, isn't kinda obvious that the shipping isn't actually "free"?
Does anyone really think the shipping is actually free? No, of course not - UPS/FedEX etc. is not delivering stuff 'cause it makes them feel good. When you see "free shipping" on anything, you know the retailer is paying the shipping.
So it would follow that you kinda know that there may be some further details to know about a retailer's "free shipping", especially if the purchase is returned.
And whattayaknow........... if you click on "Free Shipping" at Sweetwater's site, it takes you to a page that clearly explains the details of it, including your specific issue.
In addition to requiring you to pay for return shipoing, many businesses that have an open return policy also assess a restocking charge of anywhere from 10% to 20% of the invoice sales price for non-defective merchandise returns. This is done primarily to discourage tire kickers and chronic merchandise returners. So it could be a lot worse than just being on the hook for return shipping if Sweetwater followed the more common business practice when it comes to returned merchandise.l
I don't have a problem with Sweetwater (or anybody else) not paying for shipping on returns made solely because a customer changed their mind or only ordered something to try out with little or no intention of actually buying.
Could be the case. Regardless, if there's nothing wrong with the product and it was just a "purchased" demo you should be fine with paying for the original shipping cost whether the retailer paid it for you or not. They're taking a loss for your curiosity (shipping and receiving costs, restocking costs, now having to sell the product as a demo model at a lower cost, etc.) and that responsibility absolutely should fall on the consumer, not the retailer. This is obviously different in the case of faulty, defective or broken products.
I much prefer to go to a brick 'n mortar to try stuff out, because you can compare competing products. When things are available only via the interwebs, I'm going to narrow things down based on specs alone, and that may eliminate possibilities that deserve more consideration.
When hands-on tryout isn't possible, I consider cost of shipping a fair fee to pay. Having an item show up on my doorstep saves me the time I'd spend going to the store, trying in a sub-optimal environment, and driving back, and my time has value. $20-$30 to be able to try something out at home for a week or three is money well spent, IMO.
When hands-on tryout isn't possible, I consider cost of shipping a fair fee to pay. Having an item show up on my doorstep saves me the time I'd spend going to the store, trying in a sub-optimal environment, and driving back, and my time has value. $20-$30 to be able to try something out at home for a week or three is money well spent, IMO.
Although I have benefited greatly from the policy, we really should have been paying sales tax all this time. Also, you can't expect the store to pay shipping both ways for a customer to try something out. If there is something wrong with the product then, yes they should pay the shipping both ways.
I understand that a lot of regions of the country don't have great selections. Shipping rates have increased pretty astronomically in the last 5-10 years and, on a side note, it is much harder to sell things used or get what the item is worth because the market is simply flooded with instruments. This is just the way things are now. Fortunately I have a great store in town where I can check some stuff out. I support them when I can and especially if I need support, but they don't always have what I want. It is also pretty outstanding to have the choices we do today. You really can almost anything you want.
I'm all for "supporting the local economy thing", but only to a point. Now, I don't always expect a deal or discount necessarily, but I do expect great customer service if I'm going to pay full retail for something. There's a local shop where the owner is kind of rude, offers insanely ridiculously low trade in offers for your gear, and will not budge a cent off MSRP on anything. And add to that he's a bit condescending and rude. His business also seems to be struggling. If it came down to his shop and ordering online, I'll order online any day of the week. With that said, I've also driven 4 hours each way just to go check out an acoustic guitar, and have no problem routinely hopping in the car.
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