Buy on Line or from a shop?

ROOG

I have a dilemma, I am going to buy a new amplifier, I know what I want so do I buy from a shop in the UK, which I will be visiting but is many hours drive away once I get it home, or order from the Big 'T' in '.de' land where it costs less.    

I like to support UK retailers but it seems to me that if something went wrong it would be just as much trouble to get it back to a shop in Brighton as it would mainland Europe.

Or am I missing something? 

guitarfishbay

If you want to support the UK retailer but don't want to drive, call them up and see if they'll price match and ship it to you.  The big retailers will sometimes do this.

crunchman

The advantage to buying in a shop is that you can check it works properly in the first place.  I bought a Fender HRD several years ago.  I tried one in a shop and liked it but the pilot light didn't work.  I tried the other one that the shop had and it made a nasty buzzing noise.

I went to Guitar Village and bought the one they were using as the demo amp for their guitars so I knew it had been thoroughly tested.  Got a slight discount as well.  It worked absolutely fine all the time I had it.

If you get one of the dodgy ones online (from UK or abroad) it's a major hassle to send it back.  If you can give it a thorough test before buying then it's worth it IMO if you are in reasonable range of a shop.  You also don't have to worry about a courier dropping it and breaking it.  If you are a long way from a decent shop then it's different and online is simpler.

not_the_dj

How much is the saving going to Thomann?

Certainly give the UK store a chance of making the sale by seeing if they'll price match.

Also if you've bought it online from a UK store and there is a fault they'll pay for the return shipping. I've done that with Andertons twice. 

gearaddict

From a purely selfish buyer's perspective I don't think there's a lot of advantage in buying from a shop in the UK. In fact if you go into the shop and buy something and take it home, then decide you have made a mistake the chances they will refund you are slim. Whereas distance selling regulations mean you can usually return anything bought online for a refund (within 14 days? Can't remember).

If something breaks or is broken when you receive it, it's pretty much as convenient to send it back to Thomann as it is to send it anywhere else. Plus they are big enough that there is really no quibbling. Just takes one email and you get a free shipping label. I sent an amp back on Monday in fact and just got an email that they have received it. Conversely, I bought an amp from a UK dealer about a week ago and just heard that it has been lost.

That said, if we don't support UK high street music shops then they will go away.

ROOG

Let me see, saving from Thomann about £100

I agree that by picking it up in the UK, I will be supporting a UK retailer, (I do like this) I will be able to check for faults, (I like this also), but I suspect that they will have limited stock anyway, (probably just the one).

I note crunchmans comment re shippers.

 

On the other hand, I note gear addict's comments about distance selling and Thomann's customer support. (I may be wrong but I have faith in that)

I suspect also that Thomann will have the one I want in stock.

I will hold off until I visit GAK and see what happens, as others have said, they might match price match.

gearaddict

I think giving them the opportunity to price match is fair. A few years ago I tried an amp in a shop and really liked it but they wanted a lot more then Thomann for it...several hundred pounds. And they wouldn't shift at all. So I went with Thomann. I felt conflicted about it though.