GETTING RIPPED OFF!!

Pierre-Cronje

Are the mark ups on musical equipment to high? Are the Music dealers on a "get-rich-quick program?
Here's a small example; I was quoted ZAR 200-00 for a tube of rosin for my upright basses. My daughter bought me the same brand Denmark Str (London) for £4-00. What is the catch?

vic

There has been a lot of debate on this topic in the recent past....and many different views were expressed
I guess it's a matter of what you buy and where you buy.

AlanRatcliffe

While the reasons behind high prices have been discussed often recently, that does seem excessive. Shop around a few stores and if all else fails, buy it online if you can get it for a decent price and reasonable shipping.

guyfeld

With the internet at our disposal we can now see overseas prices and compare with local...I think that most stores here have to do a bigger mark-up because they don't move the same quantities as overseas where they have a bigger local buying population. Some years back regular buyers here began to expect "studio discount" and I think this also caused stores to increase their mark-up to compensate.
I recently fell in lust with a Squire Classic Vibe 50's strat at a store's birthday bash and paid about R3700 (too much actually). The list retail was R5400. In the UK I could have paid 275 pounds full retail and still got 20% Vat back!
Ah well...I am loving that li'l Chinese Gal... ?

vic

I recently had to import Fender grill cloth (wheat) from abroad. The quickest (2 weeks) I could get it here was from a UK store. Priced at GBP 22.50/sq yard (about 1 sq m) I paid 47.55 GBP after a bit of discound for 2 sq yards (incl shipping cost which was a mere 5 GBP). But then I had to pay VAT here on arrival and I had to go to Epping to collect...so all in all about R607 or R304/sqm. The cheapest I could source it here for was about R700/sqm (for Fender silver/blue cloth which I did not want).

strataxe

Pierre Cronje wrote Are the mark ups on musical equipment to high? Are the Music dealers on a "get-rich-quick program?
Here's a small example; I was quoted ZAR 200-00 for a tube of rosin for my upright basses. My daughter bought me the same brand Denmark Str (London) for £4-00. What is the catch?

No catch, £4-00 = R60, add fuel to get it here, taxes, vat for the agent receivng it at Durbs/Cape town harbour. Taxes on that, customs taxes. Vat and taxes, fuel, salries for the courier company getting it to Gauteng or where ever. It adds up, unfortunately.

AlanRatcliffe

Vic wrote The cheapest I could source it here for was about R700/sqm (for Fender silver/blue cloth which I did not want).

Where was that from? The local Fender price list has it at R259 p/m

vic

Alan Ratcliffe wrote
Vic wrote The cheapest I could source it here for was about R700/sqm (for Fender silver/blue cloth which I did not want).
Where was that from? The local Fender price list has it at R259 p/m

From (an estimate by) a salesperson at Bothners telephonically.....as it was n't the right colour for me I did not persue the matter further.