The place to chat with your fellow MIMForum members about whatever you want that doesn't relate to instruments, or isn't specific to one instrument family. Pull up a chair, grab a cold one out of the virtual 'fridge, and tell your friends what's on your mind.
David King wrote:Perry I have to admire your power of positive thinking but in my case the guitar sat for nearly a year and never sold at the over inflated price. I'd hoped to sell it quickly and turn that capital into something useful for my budding company. I ended up giving the instrument away because it was trashed after a year of shop handling. Had I gotten my money I would still be annoyed that the 25% store commission would have become a 40% commission. Call me shortsighted but I have come to respect written contracts. If you choose to deal with crooked dealers who have a bad reputation in the local area but who can draw in out of town tourists who don't know any better then be aware that these dealers probably won't back you up later if there's a problem and your reputation will also suffer. All I'm suggesting is that you know who you are dealing with.
One reason for a dealer to overprice instruments that cost them nothing is to make their own instruments appear to be a bargain. The high-end consignment stuff is simply the eyecandy that brings in the more sophisticated clientele.
Then in that case, I have to agree with you, unfortunately.
I'm coming back to this thread with a few questions about how to handle certain situations. What are my ethical and moral obligations?
When I first mentioned putting my guitars in a store for consignment, my wife asked, "What if someone wants to buy your guitar from you while they are in the store?" my rely was that I would send them down to the store and buy from them. I thought it would seem like a pretty crappy thing to do to let them show my guitars and then pull the commission rug out from under them. And I stood by that thinking. But now I'm wondering, if I'm the one making the sale, don't I deserve that commission? I have my guitars for sale online as well. If someone buys a guitar from my website, or other online store where I have them listed I would go down and pull that guitar from the store and ship it. But for some reason I can't help but feel that if it's a local buyer I shouldn't do that. I value relationships I have built and more often than not remain loyal even when it serves to my disadvantage.
And, if the store sends you someone to look at instruments that aren't in the shop, they should also get a commission (although, maybe not the full amount had they sold it). You want a long-term, positive relationship with everyone in your local that has anything to do with music. You can't buy a reputation, but you can sure squander it for a few pennies.
Ryan Mazzocco wrote:I'm coming back to this thread with a few questions about how to handle certain situations. What are my ethical and moral obligations?
When I first mentioned putting my guitars in a store for consignment, my wife asked, "What if someone wants to buy your guitar from you while they are in the store?" my rely was that I would send them down to the store and buy from them. I thought it would seem like a pretty crappy thing to do to let them show my guitars and then pull the commission rug out from under them. And I stood by that thinking. But now I'm wondering, if I'm the one making the sale, don't I deserve that commission? I have my guitars for sale online as well. If someone buys a guitar from my website, or other online store where I have them listed I would go down and pull that guitar from the store and ship it. But for some reason I can't help but feel that if it's a local buyer I shouldn't do that. I value relationships I have built and more often than not remain loyal even when it serves to my disadvantage.
I think these are contingencies you need to work out with the store at the outset - probably best through a written contract or agreement.
Maybe I can't fix it, but I can fix it so no one can fix it
Hi Ryan,
You might be better off not listing "in store" instruments other places. If you do, then perhaps you should direct prospective buyers to the store so the sale can be made through them.
Having instruments for sale on your website which are not in the store would not have the same moral obligation to give up part of the sale price, unless the store helped you make the sale (i.e.- the buyer saw your guitars in the store and was directed by them to you).
As "makers" we sometimes undervalue the "selling" part of the business equation... until we see our wares piling up and we work at selling them.
And don't get caught up in the "hypotheticals" too much - first you have to sell a few.
