Buying Guitar's over the Net

toil

Hi,
anyone bought guitars from over the net - like ebay.com and so forth.
Good experiences or bad?

Did the guitar survive shipping etc?

I really cant make up my mind about this as, its quite important to play the guitar before buying it and see what it feels like,
but on the other hand buying over the net is cheaper...
I am talking around 200-300euro....

toil

markisevil

You'll probably be caught for customs duties if you're buying from outside the EU, so count that in to the price (sorry, I have absolutely no idea what that would cost). It's probably worth insurance for the shipping too (even more money ).

Yeah, it's a risk to buy without trying, but, then again, if you were buying a brand new guitar you'd probably do the same thing (I ordered my bass based on a photo in a magazine -- it turned out to be phenomenal to play on! ).

Doctor J

Do your research on the seller and the instrument before you commit to anything. Try and speak to the person on the phone before you buy. Also, it's worth getting shipping via UPS or the like, rather than with regular postal companies (US mail, etc).

Have a look at Harmony Central for reviews and guide prices.

Eoin Madsen

Tax from the USA for a guitar is 21% VAT and 4% Customs Duty. VAT is charged on the shipping costs as well. A friend of mine has bought 2 guitars from http://www.thomann.de in Germany, the second being a Gibson Les Paul Studio. He played the same model in Musician before deciding to buy it. The one they shipped is identical, unsurprisingly - and it was shipped without incident. Ebay is a bit more of a random element, but you should get a good idea by the reviews the seller has from their previous sales.

RichyX

I've bought a Yamaha Pacifica 112X from Thomann.de, and also a Marshall MG15DFX from Nevada Music UK.
Both arrived in perfect shape and without any fuss.
Saved a load too, like 45€ on the amp and 75€+ on the guitar. And that saving is taking shipping into account too.

Al Pinionpants

if you have relatives in the US that are coming to Ireland, mail order from www.musiciansfriend.com to their home address and get them to bring the guitar as hand luggage to Ireland. the shipping within the US is free, and the guitars will be DIRT cheap.

I got my ESP Viper (worth 1300 euro here) for 450 euro.
if the people coming over are resident in the states then they wont get collared by customs for it. even if they are, they just say it's theirs and there's nothing against bringing their own guitar (even if it's brand new) to Ireland for their holiday.

don't buy on ebay. if there is anything wrong with the guitar it'll take anything up to a year for them to sort it out legally.

thomann is good , but there have been delays of quite a while for a few people I know, up to 6 months, so beware.

Eoin Madsen

Originally posted by Al Pinionpants

thomann is good , but there have been delays of quite a while for a few people I know, up to 6 months, so beware.

Ask if it's in stock before you order, and use plain and simple English.

How much is Sales Tax when you're in the USA?

Al Pinionpants

sales tax varies stae to state think it was 7 or 8 % in Florida when I was there in Oct.

but musiciansfriend.com sells tax free as far as I know.

Eoin Madsen

Do they sell drugs and firearms too?

Doctor J

There's a thread here about Music 123 which I'd recommend you read before you order anything. Just a few of our experiences with that particular company.

mloc

I just bought a gibson les paul standard from music 123, it arrived on friday, in perfect condition. It was a bit of risk buying it mail order, considering the cost and quality of the instrument, but it was well worth it. It's a gorgeous model, the maple top is one of the nicest i've seen.

Doctor J

Fair play man. I had a horrible time dealing with Music 123, I wouldn't go near them again, but I've ordered another bass from the states, from a smaller company. The price of ordering off the web just can't be beaten.

toil

if i buy from Thomann.de will i get charged for vat from customs?
Also, what are delivery charges like from there?

Thanks!

toil

disgruntled

If you buy from Thomann you dont have to pay vat or duty because they are within the EU. Shipping varies about €30 for a guitar as far as I remember.

wiped

when you enter Thomann's site , click on the irish flag - that way the price you see includes the 21% VAT ... what you see is what you pay .... plus about €30 for shipping costs regardless of what you're ordering ... so if you buying a guitar , it's the same shipping cost as buying a drum kit ... believe me , I've done both ... and both times without any hassle .. totally recommend them

fitz

I would have recommended them too, until I actually talked to them when I had an issue with sending my creditcard number and signature to them via fax.

Muppets.

Go with www.musicstorekoeln.de instead.

dabhoys

I've bought most of my equipment off the net. The most recent addition being a PRS McCarty for €900 in perfect condition. If you take your time do your research and surf out the best idea is Ebay, its a gem. I even aquired my Dual Rectifier off it for about the same €900 What a deal. Been using ebay for a good while so I know the ways to not get suckered. I've only been ripped off once and that was for a $10 card. Never been ripped off since I've bought mobiles and everything and had great success. I'd recommed eBay in a second.

Peace

lethal dose

I've bought bass/power amps,bass/elec guitars and some pa from thomann. I can honestly say I've never had any issues! Beware they are not always the cheapest so shop around.