What frustrates you the most about online shopping?

therose789

Hello all,

I am considering a new business venture and wanted to get the opinions of the guitar pedal loving community!

There a loads of pedals that i would love but are just a nightmare to get a hold of so I would like to set up an online store that helps the independent and boutique builders of pedals easier to get a hold of here in the UK at reasonable prices! 

So I ask you these questions, 

What companies would you like to see available here? 

What attracts you to the shops that you currently buy from? 

What services do you think are missing from online stores that could be implemented for a better service? 

Do you ever buy from a second had section of a online store or do you prefer to buy from forums/ebay etc.. 

What is your favourite pedal that will never leave your board? 

RaymondLin

What companies would you like to see available here? Prymaxe, RGS mostly

What attracts you to the shops that you currently buy from? Price, variety of stock

What services do you think are missing from online stores that could be implemented for a better service? All I ask for is pedal in stock or live stock level and send out promptly

Do you ever buy from a second had section of a online store or do you prefer to buy from forums/ebay etc..  Only bought new from a shop.

What is your favourite pedal that will never leave your board? Polytune, Disaster Area DPC-5 looper. 

Lew

Well, good luck! I'm sure there's room for it if you have enough cash to stock up. 

Your two biggest problems are going to be Joes Pedals and Guitar Box. Joe replies fairly quickly and is a cornucopia of info and gets good stuff in and Dem just kills at customer service and 10% off. GuitarFX are good too.

@nickb_boy

Heartfeltdawn

Grievances and requirements in no order:

-Shitty email service. If you're trading online, you should answer all emails within 48 hours maximum, more preferably 24. I don't care if you're a huge chain or a small shop, it's a basic requirement. 

-Live stock level. I hate parting with money and then getting the email next day saying 'Sorry, it's sold but we will process a refund'. 

 

chrispy108

Sort your pedals by brand and by type (Delay, chorus, overdrive etc). I hate when I have to look at 18 different manufacturers pages to see the three phasers you have.

Don't use shitty couriers.

Heartfeltdawn

chrispy108 said:

Don't use shitty couriers.

Use DPD. 

allicio

The american shops will post over here and under declare on the customs form avoiding fees.
Your gonna struggle to compete with that

Fretwired

The main thing is service - get a good reputation for excellent service and you stand a chance of succeeding. For example, answer queries quickly, be honest about what's in stock and ship quickly. Get a good reputation and forums like this will send to business to your door via recommendations. Good luck.

Dave_Mc

Not having the same postage cost to Northern Ireland for items which can (and probably will) be sent by Royal Mail- i.e. where the postage cost is the same throughout the entire UK. Especially applies to most pedals, at least the smaller ones. It's very annoying, and I know when something is sent by Royal Mail.

Having to parcel the thing up to send back is always a pain. Some kind of quick closing, self-sealing packaging (like online retailers like M&S, Amazon etc. sometimes use) and ideally a self-sticking return label (so you don't have to faff about with sellotape) make it an awful lot easier. It's always still going to be a pain, but at least less of one.

Offer to pay return postage if something is faulty (or ideally have a prepaid return label with the original receipt- as above it just makes it handier). Don't make me ask for it (legally the customer is entitled to it, if it's faulty), because it's not worth the bother for £4. But it's a nice gesture, and just because I don't complain doesn't mean I'm not annoyed.

Teetonetal

What companies would you like to see available here? Empress - JHS - Mojohand FX, but all are available already. Would be nice to see some British Builders like Green Carrott Pedal Company get some backing.

What attracts you to the shops that you currently buy from? Good Websites that are updated well, price and of course reputation. My fave UK store is Andertons because they have always been super helpful. Fave Swiss store is Leadmusic.ch because of the items they stock and how accommodating the owner Oliver is. For me customer service is eventually what makes or breaks a store, I would always pay a little more to get good after sales service...  

What services do you think are missing from online stores that could be implemented for a better service? TBH I don't have any complaints about service from the stores I use. If you export abroad though, make sure you offer VAT reduction to places like Switzerland  

Do you ever buy from a second had section of a online store or do you prefer to buy from forums/ebay etc.. Yes, especially if the store offers a warranty on 2nd hand items.

What is your favourite pedal that will never leave your board? Curretnly I have 2: EHX Soul food, Empress Tremolo 1

Drew_TNBD

Lack of information about the product. I don't just want a recycled version of the manufacturers blurb. I want something from the shop themselves. Doesn't have to be a review, but just some guidelines.

With delay pedals, I want to know whether it has tap tempo. If it does, I want to know whether the switch is clickless or not. I want to know if the pedal smoothly transitions from tempo to tempo, or if it had pitch shifting squirrel artifacts when using the feature. With reverbs I want to know whether it has dry through or not.

Essentially I want information to enable me to make a purchasing decision; whether I buy it or whether I walk on by. I don't want to have to rely on forums for that information.

ThePrettyDamned

I want a shop to start really trying to support UK pedal builders.

No idea if there is a cost effective way of doing this, but maybe with better support, it will be a more viable career option for the few UK builders who'd like to do it. It'd be a much more attractive proposition that importing from the US for me.

Also, as @drew_fx said, something from the shop itself about the pedals about real world use - this is why PGS demos are good, they actually use the pedals to their strengths.

joeyowen

What companies would you like to see available here? All of them! haha We have a great selection here in the UK, but it's nothing compared to the likes of Prymaxe/PGS etc... There pedal stores are 100s pages long.  I don't think we need another shop selling Boss, TC etc, although the used market in them is always a fun game to play.  However you would have to declare the tax malarky, which would straight away mean you are more expensive than ebay/gumtree/classfieds etc...

What attracts you to the shops that you currently buy from? 

Price is obviously the main

good stock variety, I don't want to see the same stuff everywhere, stock some JHS, Empress, etc type pedals that a lot of places in the UK don't have

good customer service

local to me (although that is rare)

What services do you think are missing from online stores that could be implemented for a better service? 

It seems in the US, they have sales everyday, coupons for each day of the week to get free shipping or 15% off.  That is something rare from here.  Although I don't use it, 0% finance always gets my attention

Do you ever buy from a second had section of a online store or do you prefer to buy from forums/ebay etc.. 

Depends on what I see, and price, and what condition (boxed etc.)

What is your favourite pedal that will never leave your board? 

Digitech TimeBender is my main pedal love

joeyowen

Also, because my last post wasn't long enough

Stock the bits and bobs too, the boards, Dual Lock, Velcro, Lava cable, Altoids tins ffs.  All the trinket stuff that gives pedal nerds a hardy

allicio

Another point for consideration
Vat and corporation tax will take up nearly 50% of your profit so on a pedal with a profit margin of £40 you'll only take £20
And people want money off coupons!!

joeyowen

allicio;439713" said:

And people want money off coupons!!

I know it isn't likely because of our tax etc... But because it is so common across the pond, people expect it, and will order from other there if the exchange is good?

allicio

That's the point I was making earlier mate, with the exchange rate, the under declaration value and the coupons its bloody hard to compete.
Even the american retailers were complaining as people were wanting 25% off vouchers for black Friday. That's just ridiculous!

allicio

Its got to the state over there that a few pedal builders are starting to introduce pricing structures as the retailers are discounting so much there trying to hammer the builders profit margin. Prymaxe and pro guitar shop really are making a rod for there own backs!

RaymondLin

It's hard to beat something that is £300 here, $350 in the states, take off 25% black friday deal (or generally a 15% off coupon around anyway), take off 30% for exchange rate, add £15 for postage.

 

At most you are paying £200 for a £300 pedal here.  I paid £170 for a Panther Cub.  UK price is £269.  That is £100 off.  Can you even get that for £170 trade?

GavRichList

If you build this, I will come.

What companies would you like to see available here? 

- Mr Black, Empress, Earthquaker Devices, Fairfield Circuitry, Zvex. Basically my favourites that are a ballache to get.

 

What attracts you to the shops that you currently buy from? 

- stocking the above helps! Finance available, free postage, good service, that kind of thing.

 

What services do you think are missing from online stores that could be implemented for a better service? 

- pass.

 

Do you ever buy from a second had section of a online store or do you prefer to buy from forums/ebay etc.. 

- certainly would do if prices were comparible, but they tend not to be. 

 

What is your favourite pedal that will never leave your board?

- Mr Black Eterna or Empress SuperDelay

AxeWieldingBastard

allicio;439737" said:

That's the point I was making earlier mate, with the exchange rate, the under declaration value and the coupons its bloody hard to compete.
Even the american retailers were complaining as people were wanting 25% off vouchers for black Friday. That's just ridiculous!

Which US stores are willingly under-declaring exported goods?

From my experience i know of 1, and they're a guitar shop. Most will refuse, and many will take offence at the suggestion that they conduct their business affairs in anything less than 100% leagal fashion.