|
|
Post by percythewonderant on Jul 9, 2009 22:51:25 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by Michael Messer on Jul 9, 2009 22:56:18 GMT
It is not old news to me.....and it looks like a pretty good deal.
Shine On
Michael
|
|
|
|
Post by gouranga on Jul 10, 2009 0:29:17 GMT
Great catch for somebody.
Gouranga
|
|
|
|
Post by subtoxin on Jul 10, 2009 2:08:38 GMT
This is why I wish I lived in the UK! I haven't seen one on US Ebay. I really wanted that aged Lightning I saw a couple of weeks ago...
|
|
|
|
Post by steverino on Jul 10, 2009 5:58:16 GMT
Frequently I have read comments on these forums that the reso shopping looks better in the USA then in the UK. Well not this time! If I was closer I would be all over that one at the Buy It Now price.
|
|
|
|
Post by percythewonderant on Jul 10, 2009 8:05:14 GMT
Wow that was snapped up fast! Like a duckling being taken by a pike!
I hope someone here got it.
Percy
|
|
|
|
Post by percythewonderant on Jul 10, 2009 8:12:26 GMT
Having just read subtoxins reply.
I have recently had to get material bought from NRP sent to a friend who lives in Vermont to post on to me as they wouldn't post to outside the States. And the postal charges!!!!!!!!!!!
Perhaps there should be a countryswop lifeswop thread where we all move around one....
I guess I dont really need a life swop I just need to get a life!
Percy
|
|
|
|
Post by andys on Jul 10, 2009 9:51:06 GMT
I know, maybe we could mutually houseswap, so players from the states can get MMs over here, in exchange for us going over there and getting the US guitar deals.
Over there they are blowing out Classic Vibe Teles, for $299 (£185!) and recently they had a sale of real Gibson Melody Makers for $249 (£155!)
|
|
|
|
Post by robn on Jul 10, 2009 11:50:03 GMT
Having now run an international guitar business for the last 18 months or so I have a good understanding of just why costs and prices vary so much from country to country. Tax - Import duty and VAT is a significant cost in Europe compared to the US. You can add 20% to a US cost price plus an additional fee for the shipping agent to collect the tax  This fee can add another 30% or more to the cost of small items. Yet in the UK we are still in a far better position as far as import duty in concerned than many others. In Latin America the import duty on musical instruments can rack up another 150% to the price. Exchange Rate - The fluctuations in exchange rates (and government interventions) make relative costs sometimes seem unbalanced. We have to benchmark our business costs against the UK economy (which is actually relatively stable compared to many other countries) as that is where we live and pay tax. This does mean that our guitars will appear cheaper in some countries and more expensive in others according to the exchange rate and relative average incomes. Actually, at around $1.60 to $1.70 to the pound the UK and US are just about in balance - this is the main reason we crashed from $2 to the pound (unsustainable) but recovered from $1.40 to the pound (also unsustainable). Discounted Stock - There are many reasons why those $199 Fender Strat bargains appear on the 'bay or on-line shops. Stock clearance being the main reason. Often these sales are actually at below cost price - the retailer is making a loss on that particular item. But within a business the cost of servicing warehouse fees and loan interest may mean that cash is less of a loss than holding onto the stock. The result is that some customers pick up a bargain. However, because of the high visibility of these sales due to the internet there can be a squeeze across the market. So 10 x Fender Strats being sold at $199 from a small store in Kansas that is closing down puts out the message that shops in the UK are making a fortune when selling a US Strat for £750 - which they are not! Shipping - This is where the UK loses out. Getting goods to the UK is expensive - far more expensive than shipping from the Far East to the US. Consequently, costs to business are higher in the UK (before you add tax). Shipping is directly linked to demand and oil price so again businesses have to build in a margin of fluctuation and that risk puts up costs. We as musicians simply buy a guitar, the finished product - but the journey from concept through design, prototype, production, shipping, marketing, administration and taxation is certainly far from simple  It is a miracle that there are any production guitars at all as the risks at every stage are considerable. But if companies were not prepared to take those risks then we would all be paying the true cost of building a single guitar - and you just don't want to even contemplate what that is for a reso guitar !!!!!!!!!!! So next time you compare prices on the 'net - just consider that you are not seeing the whole picture. And, most importantly, we are living in a golden age for guitar production. Guitars even at full retail price have never been so relatively cheap compared to wages for the quality you can now buy - ever ! Robin |
|
|
|
Post by lewiscohen on Jul 10, 2009 12:30:04 GMT
I'll take spending a few hundred pounds more on guitars versus a few thousand more on healthcare thanks!  |
|
|
|
Post by tark on Jul 11, 2009 2:22:08 GMT
Having just read subtoxins reply. I have recently had to get material bought from NRP sent to a friend who lives in Vermont to post on to me as they wouldn't post to outside the States. And the postal charges!!!!!!!!!!! Perhaps there should be a countryswop lifeswop thread where we all move around one.... I guess I dont really need a life swop I just need to get a life! Percy Odd - I buy stuff from NRP quite often and I have never had any trouble having them send it to the UK. it's true some private sellers and small shops state on their posts and advertising they wont / dont want to ship outside the continental US. Its really frustrating when you see a nice National up on ebay and they say - US only. Guitar shipping fees are usually very high because US sellers who will ship to the UK want to use specialised couriers who will insure the guitar for a decent amount and will take care of it in shipping. Resos being so heavy doesn't help. |
|
|
|
Post by percythewonderant on Jul 11, 2009 12:05:21 GMT
It was a direct purchase from the NRP (I still keep putting the 'S' on the end), website. Cheap, small, durable, light items which could be sent easily without too much packing, sent postal. There was also a minimum purchase fee of 14 dollars. Even my buddy in the States thought that the P&P charges were high. But if thats the way they want to do business........
Percy
|
|
This fee can add another 30% or more to the cost of small items. Yet in the UK we are still in a far better position as far as import duty in concerned than many others. In Latin America the import duty on musical instruments can rack up another 150% to the price.
It is a miracle that there are any production guitars at all as the risks at every stage are considerable. But if companies were not prepared to take those risks then we would all be paying the true cost of building a single guitar - and you just don't want to even contemplate what that is for a reso guitar !!!!!!!!!!!