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Where do you buy strings now Bassstrings online is gone?

#81
BazzaBass said:
I found I can buy directly from LaBella at the same price and also forego the 3 month wait
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Purchasing directly from La Bella's "Website" is a great option yes! However you are not purchasing directly from La Bella. The order gets submitted to all La Bella dealers. Who ever has it in stock and is closest to you will be awarded the sale. The best part is, they are more profitable sales for the dealers as they are sold many times above standard selling prices. Per the 3rd party sellers agreement no promotional materials of any kind can be sent so you usually do not know who you are buying from.

Unfortunately La Bella takes for ever to fulfill orders to dealers.

micguy said:
I heard on a podcast this morning that Amazon has an issue with a lot of folks selling fake/knockoff strings (they actually are strings, but not from who you think made them). Supposedly (same source), Reverb is policing that issue pretty well. Just a heads up.
Click to expand...

Yes. Here is the issue with "Amazon" and what you should look for. With Amazon you can look for a reputable seller on there. Say you find "YOUR FAVORITE" seller on Amazon. We know he is a good guy and sells only items he gets directly from manufacturers. However, if the item says "Fulfilled by Amazon" there is a chance Amazon will pull the inventory from another sellers whos items are in a fulfillment center closer to you. What does this mean for you the buyer? Even though "YOUR FAVORITE" has genuine fresh inventory at Amazon you may be getting "Who Knows Who Grey Market" items. This raises a lot of warranty concerns especially with companies that put serial numbers on string pouches (D'Addario / Ernie Ball). Stores like "YOUR FAVORITE" have figured this out so no longer have Amazon fulfill the order but fulfill it only themselves. This is the only way to ensure that the items is from the actual reseller. Even if the item is "Shipped and sold by Amazon" it can still be pulled from another seller who may not be an actual reseller and supply grey market or knockoff items in general.

I had some "fast moving" items in the Amazon system just to be there. I pulled all my inventory from Amazon and got some inventory items back I know were not mine as I always put each item in its own sealed baggie or applied a round clear sticker to seal the original package in the case of a DR set for example.

Anyway, best to find items that are shipped and sold by your favorite seller... Not sold by your favorite seller and shipped by amazon.
 
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#83
my last string order was from talkbass, which i consider a mom and pop shop, sort of, that i don't have to drive to to get my order. since BSO has been out of action, i've also ordered from sweetwater, but the strings i ordered were a special order there so i had to wait a bit.

BazzaBass said:
I found I can buy directly from LaBella at the same price and also forego the 3 month wait
Click to expand...

i never found that la bella shipped any faster.
 
#92
SLaPiNFuNK said:
Purchasing directly from La Bella's "Website" is a great option yes! However you are not purchasing directly from La Bella. The order gets submitted to all La Bella dealers. Who ever has it in stock and is closest to you will be awarded the sale. The best part is, they are more profitable sales for the dealers as they are sold many times above standard selling prices. Per the 3rd party sellers agreement no promotional materials of any kind can be sent so you usually do not know who you are buying from.

Unfortunately La Bella takes for ever to fulfill orders to dealers.



Yes. Here is the issue with "Amazon" and what you should look for. With Amazon you can look for a reputable seller on there. Say you find "YOUR FAVORITE" seller on Amazon. We know he is a good guy and sells only items he gets directly from manufacturers. However, if the item says "Fulfilled by Amazon" there is a chance Amazon will pull the inventory from another sellers whos items are in a fulfillment center closer to you. What does this mean for you the buyer? Even though "YOUR FAVORITE" has genuine fresh inventory at Amazon you may be getting "Who Knows Who Black Market" items. This raises a lot of warranty concerns especially with companies that put serial numbers on string pouches (D'Addario / Ernie Ball). Stores like "YOUR FAVORITE" have figured this out so no longer have Amazon fulfill the order but fulfill it only themselves. This is the only way to ensure that the items is from the actual reseller. Even if the item is "Shipped and sold by Amazon" it can still be pulled from another seller who may not be an actual reseller and supply grey market or knockoff items in general.

I had some "fast moving" items in the Amazon system just to be there. I pulled all my inventory from Amazon and got some inventory items back I know were not mine as I always put each item in its own sealed baggie or applied a round clear sticker to seal the original package in the case of a DR set for example.

Anyway, best to find items that are shipped and sold by your favorite seller... Not sold by your favorite seller and shipped by amazon.
Click to expand...

wow, i had no idea there was a "black market" for strings. that's crazy.
 
#94
beaglesandbass said:
wow, i had no idea there was a "black market" for strings. that's crazy.
Click to expand...

It should have said "Grey Market"... I will go back and edit.. I did state "Grey Market" in the last line... Earlier in the post should have been Grey Market as well.

Grey Market = The grey market refers to goods which have been manufactured by or with the consent of the brand owner, but are sold outside of the brand owner's approved distribution channels – which can be perfectly legal.

For example... Joe Music Store sells products to No Name Guy. No Name Guy sells them to you directly or through a 3rd party site like Amazon or Reverb. The issue is if a warranty concern comes up for the end user. String has a kink in it, No Name Guy says contact the manufacturer for a replacement... Manufacturer may not replace due to being purchased from a not-authorized reseller. It is always best to purchase from an Authorized Dealer DIRECTLY.
 
#100
catcauphonic said:
I don't spend my small income anywhere that leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
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That was my issue- I tried several times to get an on-line order to place, and there was some issue keeping from happening. Over the course of a couple days I retried and ended up sending an email to place the order, only to be told that the Talkbass discount didn't apply to what I was trying to purchase. That was time wasted, now I just hit the "buy it now" button and it's a done deal.
 
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