TBird
Wholenote
Posts: 298
Formerly Known As: greg1948
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Post by TBird on Feb 20, 2021 18:06:02 GMT -5
When a Google search for the D'Angelico Excel DC showed a number of choices, including Amazon. They did in fact have the lowest price on this guitar. I wondered how they could undercut even Sweetwater by hundreds of dollars. Were they returns, blemished or 2nds? Because I knew that I could return the guitar without incurring shipping costs, I ordered mine.
When I got it, I looked at the various stickers on the box and saw that Cascio Interstate Music had shipped the guitar to an Amazon center. Then I looked up Cascio and found that they were going out of business. Amazon must have bought out their inventory at fire-sale rates, which is how they sell them at super prices.
Just for fun, I looked up Electric Guitars on Amazon, and sorted them high-to-low prices. It's amazing, Gibson, Fenders, PRSs, Gretsches, Ric's, all the big guns. I think that Amazon buyers swoop down on retailers who are going out of business or declaring bankruptcy and snatch up their inventory at bargain prices.
Of course, you can't walk into an Amazon Music Center to try out a guitar, but if you know what you want, you can save a lot. And their amazing return policy give you that option if the guitar turns out to be not what you really thought it would be. Most online retailers ship for free, but if you return the item for a refund, you pay the return freight, and they deduct the cost of the original shipping from your refund.
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Post by LesTele on Feb 20, 2021 18:45:46 GMT -5
I like the concept of cheaper guitars.
I mourn the loss of bricks and mortar music stores and don’t like knowing that Bezos will become even richer.
Still. Cheaper guitars. What’s not to like?
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Feb 20, 2021 22:29:31 GMT -5
I mourn the loss of bricks and mortar music stores and don’t like knowing that Bezos will become even richer. Indeed. A beyond-rich man getting even richer and seemingly impervious to the stigma of the fat capitalist. But who am I to opine, I just put an order through to Amazon for the "this and that's". 😑 |
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Post by funkykikuchiyo on Feb 21, 2021 12:31:33 GMT -5
I remember hearing a story a while ago about someone who tried setting up a website to sell diapers via mail at a discount. Amazon tried to buy his company, and he said no. So, Amazon started selling all of their own diapers below cost. Amazon could afford to take a loss on every single diaper sale, but the guy trying to make a profit from just selling diapers couldn't. His business eventually failed, and Amazon bought them up like they wanted to in the beginning, but for a much cheaper price.
If Amazon pays their invoices, then the big manufacturers will be fine with them. When GC actually paid invoices, the manufacturers put up with their shenanigans because their purchasing power was so big, and it meant only having to ship things to a handful of addresses instead of tracking dozens (or hundreds) of independent dealers. Warranty/service stuff is less and less of a reality, first with brick & mortar going away, and now that manufacturers fight warranty claims (at least from "authorized service centers") tooth and nail, they're less likely to really care who is selling their stuff. If the manufacturers are smart they'll put in extra work in the back end for inspection and setup, because the amount of nonsense that gets filtered out by dealers would shock many. It could end up being very embarrassing in an economy where unsealed boxes from the manufacturer get delivered straight to the customer.
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Post by walshb 🦒 on Feb 21, 2021 13:22:02 GMT -5
Interesting thread! Thanks for posting it.
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Post by HenryJ on Feb 23, 2021 10:10:40 GMT -5
I like the concept of cheaper guitars. I mourn the loss of bricks and mortar music stores and don’t like knowing that Bezos will become even richer. Still. Cheaper guitars. What’s not to like? There used to be a mom and pop music store in town, located on a busy corner. I would drive by and look in their picture window to see what was new. Then they went out of business and an insurance company occupied the building, and now it's a lawyer's office. What can places like that put in a picture window! |
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Post by mikeyd on Feb 24, 2021 12:48:02 GMT -5
Did you happen to note who the actual seller was? Many of the items you see on Amazon are offered by 3rd party sellers who fork over about 15% of the purchase price to AMZ for a service fee. I'd also say caveat emptor as there may be fakes, non-dealers and the like trying to sell through the platform.
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TBird
Wholenote
Posts: 298
Formerly Known As: greg1948
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Post by TBird on Feb 24, 2021 15:52:53 GMT -5
In my case, the guitar was sold by Amazon, but they got it from a bankrupt music store.
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Post by Ricketi on Feb 24, 2021 19:25:29 GMT -5
When a Google search for the D'Angelico Excel DC showed a number of choices, including Amazon. They did in fact have the lowest price on this guitar. I wondered how they could undercut even Sweetwater by hundreds of dollars. Were they returns, blemished or 2nds? Because I knew that I could return the guitar without incurring shipping costs, I ordered mine. When I got it, I looked at the various stickers on the box and saw that Cascio Interstate Music had shipped the guitar to an Amazon center. Then I looked up Cascio and found that they were going out of business. Amazon must have bought out their inventory at fire-sale rates, which is how they sell them at super prices. Just for fun, I looked up Electric Guitars on Amazon, and sorted them high-to-low prices. It's amazing, Gibson, Fenders, PRSs, Gretsches, Ric's, all the big guns. I think that Amazon buyers swoop down on retailers who are going out of business or declaring bankruptcy and snatch up their inventory at bargain prices. Of course, you can't walk into an Amazon Music Center to try out a guitar, but if you know what you want, you can save a lot. And their amazing return policy give you that option if the guitar turns out to be not what you really thought it would be. Most online retailers ship for free, but if you return the item for a refund, you pay the return freight, and they deduct the cost of the original shipping from your refund. Cascio Interstate Music was one of my go to stores. It was about 10 miles from my home. They use to hold clinics there with musicians such as Eric Johnson, Doyle Dykes, Greg Koch, Steven King. I bought a few guitars from them along with various pedals, etc. It was nice to be able to have the guitar in hand to try out or try out pedals and amps. Now it is called Interstate Music and it is E-commerce only. There isn't to many places I can go try out gear anymore. |
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Post by LTB on Feb 26, 2021 1:54:17 GMT -5
Some of Amazon’s 3rd party sellers seem from reviews to have unscrupulous practices. Just have to be careful and read reviews
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