Rip off Britain

[Dave Hanson]

Why do we pay twice as much for things in the UK as they are in the USA ?

Strings are one example, but at the moment the price of Golden Gate plectrums [ picks ] is really bugging me.

Just checked at Elderly Instruments, $1.25 each, which is approx £0.74 but at Hobgoblin in Leeds £1.60 and The Music Room in Cleckheaton £1.50

They just seem to take the USA price and double it [ or more ]

Very annoyed, Dave H

[Nick Quig]

I've got some lovely ocean blue coloured picks-same size,shape and thickness as Golden Gates, PM me your address and i'll send you three -gratis!

[Ivan Kelsall]

Dave - It's been like that for as long as i can remember. Back in the 1960's,i was importing recordings & banjo 'bits' from the US & i got hit with duty & tax even then. I understand what you're complaining about though - the huge prices we're asked to pay for 'ordinary' low end items ie. strings,picks straps etc. I had a look at the cost of Blue Chip picks from the one store in the UK that sells them - £38 UK ($64 US),compared to $34 US (£20 UK). Now considering that most manufacturers sell to their vendors at well below 'market price',that is a massive rip-off. They're obviously trading on the fact that the BC picks have a 'reputation' & you can buy one at 'their' price or take a hike !. The best policy is not to buy from them.
For small items like the 'Dawg' or 'Golden Gate' picks, it doesn't really bother me,as i know that they're probably not making much profit on them. The UK wholesalers charge the stores more in the UK than the wholesalers in the US do,thus the profit margin is negligible. It's for that reason,that Trevor at TAMCO stopped selling strings,he simply didn't make enough profit to make it worth the hassle - & who could blame him ?. My now retired friend from Liverpool who used to own the store 'Frets Old & New',had to pay to his dealer much more than the US cost of J74 strings.He then had to put his profit margin on top of that.That pushed his price up to £8.50 ($14.30 US) a set . That's when i began importing J74's from the US. But since the US postal charges have increased substantially in the last 2 - 3 years,even that's no longer worth doing,
Ivan

[Ron McMillan]

We are so used to being ripped off that it has become almost accepted, but that doesn't make any sort of analysis of the pricing easier to stomach.

[Dagger Gordon]

But we do have the NHS!

Slippery slope to political discussion, I know, but if you are comparing cost of living in the US and the UK we have some pretty big advantages which we should remember.

[Mandobar]

I think you need to take into account what the banks charge for the exchange rate and the exchange rate itself. It all depends on how these sellers are handling that part of the business.

[Shelagh Moore]

Ivan...I used to run a music and repair shop and I did sell small things like strings as well as instruments. It's called providing a service to your customer.

[Tony Pearce]

Ivan, Next time I go, if you remind me, I'll happily pick up some J74's for you.
Tony

[Ivan Kelsall]

Hi Richard - Some folk choose to do this as an 'add-on' service,but if your business 'proper' is taking up most of your time,then maybe spending time doing things for nothing (almost) isn't worth it.You have to invest money in items that are going to sell for very little profit,so why not invest the same money in high value items (mandolins),that do sell at a profit ?. Most stores,even highly regarded stores such as TAMCO,don't have unlimited cash,& Trevor stocks the most important items,mandolins & guitars,knowing full well that there are 100's of other stores in the UK where we can buy our 'strings 'n things'. Tying up cash in very small profit stock,isn't the best way to go (IMHO). However,in the US,where the stores can obtain their stock at well below our UK costs,& because of far larger sales,then it makes sense,but i'd bet even they're not making a fortune out of strings & picks.
Hello Tony - Re.the offer on J74's - i quit using those particular strings 6 months ago, & now use DR MD11's & MD12's on my instruments. They're more expensive (even in the US) but they seem to be lasting for ages without any loss of power or tone - try some on your new mando.,on which point i'll remind you - i haven't seen yet !!!!!,
Ivan
Ivan

[Jeff Mando]

Based on my retail sales experience in the US, we priced strings and picks basically at cost, to get people to frequent our store. Hoping to make the profit when an instrument was purchased. The large chains like Guitar Center will actually lose money on strings to keep people from buying elsewhere.

[nickster60]

The US also has more competition more competition leads to lower prices. Free enterprise is good for consumers ,the economic other systems well not so much.

[Shelagh Moore]

Ivan... different business model and philosophy. I prefer a "fuller" service personally.

[FLATROCK HILL]

The large chains like Guitar Center will actually lose money on strings to keep people from buying elsewhere.

I broke an 'e' sting on my 'travel' mandolin while tuning it up in the hotel room yesterday. I was able to find a set of J-74s at the local Guitar Center. While I was thankful to have found a set (any set in a pinch), I can assure you they didn't lose any money on the transaction.

[stevedenver]

I am highly skeptical that GC loses money on strings, or anything, other than theft.

From buying at GC for decades, and shopping the net , they charge market, more or less, and other than promos or clearance, the prices, imho, are actually a bit higher than some on line sources, unless you use the price match option.


As for UK prices, what I find interesting, as a guy still buying CDs, I can usually buy the used CDs I want, via amazon, from 2 UK vendors for less than I can from US vendors, the condition and price and shipping always being as good or better. It has to be her majestys customs-I too cringe when I see what US made instruments sell for in the UK. But compared to Down Under, you have it good in this regard....LOL.

[Anglocelt]

I regularly import my mando bits and pieces from the US to the UK, partly to save money and partly to get a wider choice of strings, picks etc. than I can get in the UK. I don't think the import charges are too bad, especially as the biggest element is VAT which you would have to pay anyway in a UK store. I buy about a year's worth of bits at a time from Elderly Instruments who charge reasonable postage and I find are very reliable and, if not always the cheapest, are always well priced.

I like Cool Picks, which seem unavailable in the UK, and I keep giving them away to other players who take a shine to them. I am sure it would be 'uneconomic' for retailers to bypass the accessory distributors/ wholesalers (who I reckon are a large part of the UK problem) to import such cheap items direct from the States (where most of the good stuff originates) but I would certainly visit my local music stores more if they stocked such uneconomic unusual items and, who knows, buy more expensive stuff in the process.

Kevin

[Jeff Mando]

Several times a year during GC's holiday sales they will price D'addario guitar strings 10 sets for $20, regular price is $7 at set most places. When I was working at a small mom and pop retailer our cost was $3.50 each set. I agree that GC probably buys in such bulk that they are still making money at $2 a set

[foldedpath]

If it's any consolation (and it probably isn't), we here in the States still get killed on the price of high-end continental gear like German RME recording gear, German Schoeps microphones, and Danish DPA microphones, due to the exchange rates. I know this is high end gear that's expensive to buy anyway, but I've had to pay $65 USD for a tiny little DPA wireless plug adapter, a little chunk of metal that probably costs less than $5 to manufacture. Try pricing something like a Swiss Nagra field recorder here the States... it will make your head spin.

I don't know if this stuff is as expensive for UK buyers as it is here, but at least you know we're in a similar situation in a few niche areas.

[Eddie Sheehy]

<Moderator edit. Political content removed>

[brunello97]

Quote removed by Moderator

Keep it cool, Eddie. Let's let this conversation go on awhile before all the politicizational talk starts up.

Mick

[nickster60]

What Eddie said

[Eddie Sheehy]

Just a summary so I wouldn't have to spell out the taxes, customs duties, etc. Nothing is ever cut and dried, you can't have your cake AND eat it etc...

But I guess the OP's title already covered all that...

[Beanzy]

Many UK importers of US goods do not have access to the US wholesale prices and end up buying at a price which already includes the US taxes and retail mark-ups. Their baseline price tends to start from the US over the counter price plus shipping plus import duties.

[Bertram Henze]

I wonder if all you UK residents could stop whining and realize that

a - you are living in the most beautiful archipelago on this planet, and might want to start enjoying it
b - an archipelago consists of islands where everything has to be shipped to - paradise comes at a price

No reason to envy us landlocked continentals from Central Europe or the US.
Thomastik and D'Addario are just neccessary souvenirs from hell.

[Jim Garber]

I know this is no consolation for most of you folks over there, but the UK has an amazing plethora of antique Italian bowlbacks which were imported by the crateload in the early part of the last century.

[nickster60]

Any additional costs i.e. duties, shipping, taxes have to be passed along to the consumer eventually.Just think how bad it would be if the dollar was strong.