Discount coupons for Thomann or Musicstore.de

raindog.promo

Hey all,

Has anyone ever used discount codes for either of these 2 stores?
I've never seen or came across any and spent a fair bit in these stores so wrote an email to them seeing if I could get one. Instead I was asked what I was looking to buy and they'd see if they could do me a deal.

The item I was looking at was €456 and they offered it to me for €443 which is somewhere around a 3% reduction.

Has anyone using coupon codes had better offers through using the coupon codes or would that type of reduction be normal?

Thanks.

dfkorg

So you were offered a discount, on an already discounted price?

Demeyes

I've never seen them using the coupon codes as a kind of sale like some US online retailers do. I'd imagine they use it a a system for offering people money off or vouchers for returns/problems they've had.
I'm kind of surprised they offered you a discount after you emailed them, I'm definitely trying that next time I'm doing a big order!

raindog.promo

dfkorg wrote: »

So you were offered a discount, on an already discounted price?

No.

raindog.promo

Demeyes wrote: »

I've never seen them using the coupon codes as a kind of sale like some US online retailers do. I'd imagine they use it a a system for offering people money off or vouchers for returns/problems they've had.
I'm kind of surprised they offered you a discount after you emailed them, I'm definitely trying that next time I'm doing a big order!

Like I said, I've never seen coupons for Thomann, but on the checkout screen there's a box for entering coupon codes, I just wondered what type of deals the coupon code usually offers.

Definitely email them. Why not? The worst they can say is no. Shopping around on other sites, I saw that DV247 do a price-match/price-beat offer where you can email them a price from another website (including the price when a coupon code is used) and they will try to match or beat it.

ham_n_mustard

about 2 years ago, they sent me a 5 quid discount code to be used within a few weeks, never got around to using it though so im not much help to you....

Malice

I am definitely going to email them about a discount the next time I'm ordering something .

topcatcbr

I just Emailed them about a guitar i wish to purchase along with other items. I have seen the guitar for sale cheeper in Ireland. I Emailed them to see if they will beat the Irish price. I will post here the result.

Savman

Music Store can and do offer better prices by email but it's very erratic and not as good as they used to be, obviously the more you're spending with them the better the odds. Thomann less so.

Have yet to come across any codes or coupons for either site, I'm convinced such a thing is as common as the unicorn or the three breasted lady, but if anyone knows otherwise feel free to share

topcatcbr

Savman wrote: »

Music Store can and do offer better prices by email but it's very erratic and not as good as they used to be, obviously the more you're spending with them the better the odds. Thomann less so.

Have yet to come across any codes or coupons for either site, I'm convinced such a thing is as common as the unicorn or the three breasted lady, but if anyone knows otherwise feel free to share

I got an email today to say they would match the price however I have purchased from waltons so I couldn't take further action.

Ravelleman

If they're only price matching Irish prices then there really is no contest. How times have changed! Such things were unheard of even 5 years ago.

68 lost souls

topcatcbr wrote: »

I got an email today to say they would match the price however I have purchased from waltons so I couldn't take further action.

That part worries me, for me it is more a case of so I didn't want to, why in the hell would someone ask thomann or any other foreign shop to price match an Irish shop, this is why our economy is in the awful place it is right now. Not just that but you got to try your purchase here before buying and if you are not happy in the future or you have an issue you can talk face to face with some one. It baffles me to think that some one would even consider trying to get thomann music store or any other online retailer to match Irish prices!

Ravelleman

I think the idea was to get them to beat it but they only matched it. Beating it would be a different story.

Savman

68 lost souls wrote: »

this is why our economy is in the awful place it is right now

No, it's in an awful place due to a decade of rip off Ireland mentality coupled with horrendous customer service which is still present even in the current environment.

Zero sympathy for Irish Music Shops, masters of their own downfall.

Gregor Samsa

Savman wrote: »

Zero sympathy for Irish Music Shops, masters of their own downfall.

I was buying a MIM Fender Standard Telecaster on-line before Christmas. Music Maker in Dublin were a fiver cheaper than Thomann. Both had free shipping, but MM had 24 hour delivery. So next day, I had the shiny guitar in my hands.

I remember about 15 years ago, my brother was looking to buy a Yamaha digital recording station. MM were looking for 3 grand for it. He had a catalog from some crowd in the UK that did it for about £1500 delivered to Ireland. He wasn't that keen on buying abroad (he liked dealing face to face with people, and had to send a bank draft to the UK, as he didn't have a credit card then), but the saving was just too big to ignore. He went in to MM, and showed them the catalog, and asked if there was anything they could do - not to even match the price, but to bring it down a bit to narrow the gap.

The guy in MM laughed and said "So, when it breaks down, what are you going to do?". My bro pointed out that with the £1500 savings, he could fly first class to the UK with it, stay in a decent hotel, and still save money. They wouldn't budge a penny on the price, and the yolk was bought in the UK. It's still working fine now.

So I'm very glad to see that things have changed somewhat. I wouldn't expect Irish stores to be able to compete on price (or range) on everything with the likes of Thomann, but at least it seems that a good effort is being made nowadays.

Ravelleman

We all know what Dublin shops were like just a couple of years ago but times have changed and they are really competitive these days. They should be praised for that.

I think we should avoid descending into critical posts that often accompany the topic. There are lots of them from years past that you can search for.

**Vai**

Ravelleman wrote: »

We all know what Dublin shops were like just a couple of years ago but times have changed and they are really competitive these days. They should be praised for that.

Why would you praise them for cutting prices to what they should have been all along? Thats nonsense. They cut prices to save their businesses, not because they feel all patriotic all of a sudden. And thats not being critical, its being factual.

68 lost souls

**Vai** wrote: »

Why would you praise them for cutting prices to what they should have been all along? Thats nonsense. They cut prices to save their businesses, not because they feel all patriotic all of a sudden. And thats not being critical, its being factual.

What people don't consider is that it is not just that shops are cutting prices its that they are managing to negotiate better with the dealers and distributors. There are many steps of the ladder in terms of price.

Also shops like Thomann that have physical shop space the size of small villages have huge buying power and therefore can attract discounts for quantity buying which Irish shops never had the opportunity to.

Ravelleman

**Vai** wrote: »

Why would you praise them for cutting prices to what they should have been all along? Thats nonsense. They cut prices to save their businesses, not because they feel all patriotic all of a sudden. And thats not being critical, its being factual.

What I'm saying is that these threads always descend into the same endless criticism of Irish shops. We've seen it all before so many times. Can we not move on?

Thomann don't give you good prices cause they're your pals either. They do it to make sales and grow their business. It's the same principle - financial necessity.

**Vai**

Im not being critical of Irish shops, as I said before. I dont care if I get the best price here or abroad, doesnt bother me. Im sure you're right and that there have been threads bashing Irish stores on here. Far as I know Ive never been a part of it but Im sure there are enough bashing thomann and the like too.

I never thought of thomann as my pals but Im certainly not going to praise them for cutting prices to be more in line with reality. If Im being critical of anyone its you for telling people to praise Irish stores for finally copping on.

topcatcbr

68 lost souls wrote: »

That part worries me, for me it is more a case of so I didn't want to, why in the hell would someone ask thomann or any other foreign shop to price match an Irish shop, this is why our economy is in the awful place it is right now. Not just that but you got to try your purchase here before buying and if you are not happy in the future or you have an issue you can talk face to face with some one. It baffles me to think that some one would even consider trying to get thomann music store or any other online retailer to match Irish prices!

I was going to buy as part of one of their creative bundles along with other items. I was getting a discount already for buing in a bundle but i wanted to see if they would lower the price of one item in the bundle to a price i could buy the item in ireland for (not in a bundle). I also wanted the item delivered as i dont live near any good reputible music shop. so going to try items on sale in different parts of ireland to save a few quid is not practicle. Also i have bought from Thomann before (few years ago) saving a considerable amount of money and they have a great website so they are naturally the first place i check. A bit like looking in an argos catalogue to compare a price.
In the end i bought my guitar in Waltons based on some good advice i recieved here. I have ordered my amp leads and pedals from Thomann as they had the ones i wanted.

Finally its my hard earned money and i will do what i want with it.

Ravelleman

**Vai** wrote: »

Im not being critical of Irish shops, as I said before. I dont care if I get the best price here or abroad, doesnt bother me. Im sure you're right and that there have been threads bashing Irish stores on here. Far as I know Ive never been a part of it but Im sure there are enough bashing thomann and the like too.

I never thought of thomann as my pals but Im certainly not going to praise them for cutting prices to be more in line with reality. If Im being critical of anyone its you for telling people to praise Irish stores for finally copping on.

Point taken. I didn't mean that you were entirely responsible for it, just that this is a general trend on the forum.

I still disagree that it was simply a case of copping on. As 68 lost souls mentioned, some shops might have been able to negotiate better deals and perhaps scale up their stock or get better access to credit.

A lot of the shops out there, in Dublin at least, are also relatively new. Think of Jimi's, SomeNeck and Dublin Guitar Centre, for example. I've only been playing for 12 years but I see a massive difference between how these places are being run and how the places of my teenage years were.

As for prices in general, in some cases it's simply not possible for them to go any lower. I remember asking one shop to spec out a G&L for me and when they emailed me back they admitted that they just couldn't compete with the likes of PGS in the States once VAT and all that was factored in.

America will always be a land apart in terms of prices but the gap between Thoman and Irish shops has been closed significantly in recent years, as a lot of people here, myself included can attest. When I got my SG in Waltons it worked out about €500 cheaper than on Thomann and I definitely think that that is worthy of praise.

**Vai**

Ravelleman wrote: »

Point taken. I didn't mean that you were entirely responsible for it, just that this is a general trend on the forum.

I still disagree that it was simply a case of copping on. As 68 lost souls mentioned, some shops might have been able to negotiate better deals and perhaps scale up their stock or get better access to credit.

A lot of the shops out there, in Dublin at least, are also relatively new. Think of Jimi's, SomeNeck and Dublin Guitar Centre, for example. I've only been playing for 12 years but I see a massive difference between how these places are being run and how the places of my teenage years were.

As for prices in general, in some cases it's simply not possible for them to go any lower. I remember asking one shop to spec out a G&L for me and when they emailed me back they admitted that they just couldn't compete with the likes of PGS in the States once VAT and all that was factored in.

America will always be a land apart in terms of prices but the gap between Thoman and Irish shops has been closed significantly in recent years, as a lot of people here, myself included can attest. When I got my SG in Waltons it worked out about €500 cheaper than on Thomann and I definitely think that that is worthy of praise.

No doubt yeah, that is a good deal and Im sure Irish shops have given good deals like that over the years but for the most part, they didnt. Or they couldnt, as yourself and 68 lost souls mentioned. Thats not the customers problem though. My personal experience has been that shopping online has saved me a fortune over the years and continues to even now. Saying that, its been a while since Ive lived and worked in Dublin so Im not as qualified as you folks to judge the newer stores. Between online stores and places in the states best thing to do is shop around.