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Author Topic: Anyone noticed the massive discounts on the Music Room website?  (Read 12979 times)

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mselic

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Re: Anyone noticed the massive discounts on the Music Room website?
« Reply #20 on: June 04, 2016, 11:11:16 PM »

Perhaps someone can clarify something for me: there seems to be a massive difference in pricing for boxes in the U.K (through businesses such as The Music Room, for example) and for boxes here in North America.  I guess it's a different market, but it seems the many of the same models are listed here at half the price that they go for in Europe.  For example, the Beltuna Sara III is listed on the Music Room site at regularly retailing for £2899 (now on sale for £2029), while the local dealer in Montreal is selling it for $2900 Canadian, and at one point it was on sale for around $2400.  That is a HUGE price difference!   The US prices for new models on the Button Box website are also considerably lower than what the same models retail for in Europe.  Is it just because there is possibly less demand here?
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malcolmbebb

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Re: Anyone noticed the massive discounts on the Music Room website?
« Reply #21 on: June 04, 2016, 11:34:05 PM »

It is nothing new - even allowing for European tax of around 20%. I regularly see catalogues where the $ (USD) is simply replaced by a pound sign, and  years ago I used to buy "grey" market software from the US at significantly below UK Prices for the same item.
Recognising that dealers need to make a markup, and (some) provide extra services for the higher cost, there is a widely held view that we get rip-off prices.
Another area is that US models (say) of cars - or even melodeons - seem to have extras, better looks, more options than UK models and I'm not convinced it's just a smaller market.

I think it is slowly improving, but there still seems to be a way to go.
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AirTime

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Re: Anyone noticed the massive discounts on the Music Room website?
« Reply #22 on: June 05, 2016, 12:20:38 AM »

Prices in the UK are higher, partly because they include VAT at 20% (or higher), whereas in the US & Canada the prices are listed before tax, which in Canada is a VAT as in Europe, but in the US is a state sales tax which varies from state to state.
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Pete Dunk

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Re: Anyone noticed the massive discounts on the Music Room website?
« Reply #23 on: June 05, 2016, 11:34:48 PM »

There was a change in ownership/management last year when John Turner left.  The new team may be having a strategic re-think.

Blimey, John has gone, I wonder how that works. Is Martyn Banks still in it?
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Theo

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Re: Anyone noticed the massive discounts on the Music Room website?
« Reply #24 on: June 05, 2016, 11:44:56 PM »

No I was mistaken if you read back a few posts you will see more info.
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Theo Gibb - Gateshead UK

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mr hohner

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Re: Anyone noticed the massive discounts on the Music Room website?
« Reply #25 on: June 07, 2016, 08:58:40 AM »

Prices seem to have gone back up... Sale over?
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Chris Brimley

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Re: Anyone noticed the massive discounts on the Music Room website?
« Reply #26 on: June 07, 2016, 09:46:26 AM »

Looking at the Saltarelle Horizon, I would snap it up myself if I didn't already have two similar in those keys.  The notes are slightly odd, but not that weird.  I don't quite see the point of the end row reversals, but it looks interesting.  On the LH, the positioning of the standard 8 layout at the top of the instrument as buttons 1-8 rather than near the bottom as 5-12 is a shame, because it would then be to much of a stretch to reach the useful bass thirds (F# push and C# pull) when playing in D.  I'll bet Theo would be able to swap them over in a trice!
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Theo

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Re: Anyone noticed the massive discounts on the Music Room website?
« Reply #27 on: June 07, 2016, 09:58:17 AM »

On the LH, the positioning of the standard 8 layout at the top of the instrument as buttons 1-8 rather than near the bottom as 5-12 is a shame, because it would then be to much of a stretch to reach the useful bass thirds (F# push and C# pull) when playing in D.  I'll bet Theo would be able to swap them over in a trice!

Yes relativly straightforward to shift the reeds around. 

What might put off many DG players is that although it is three voice it is MMM so you don't have the crucial advantage of an octave lower reed in the squeaky top octave.  That could be changed too of course, but would require a lot of new reeds, and you would need to hope that the blocks had originally been built to include a low reed bank.
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Theo Gibb - Gateshead UK

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Chris Brimley

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Re: Anyone noticed the massive discounts on the Music Room website?
« Reply #28 on: June 07, 2016, 10:51:15 AM »

My Tramontane 7-button accidental row looks like it's the same basic size as this (but with a stepped keyboard), and that has a L voice on the RHS, so maybe swapping blocks to give LMM might be a possibility on the Horizon?

I tend mainly to play mine with the MM voices, when it has a useful punchy sound with loads of attack.  Having the L reeds is of advantage for playing with more subtlety, but I think a box like this is mainly intended to cut through at the top end.  If this has the same type of reeds as mine with three voices it is going to be seriously loud!

By the way, in my opinion, 14 bass layouts are really handy for playing in home keys, and give effective variations for those used to playing 8 bass boxes, perhaps even more accessibly than 18-bass layouts.  I know that 12-bass designs have become a sort of standard upgrade for 8-bass players, these days, but those extra two bass buttons give you such a lot more freedom.
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Julian S

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Re: Anyone noticed the massive discounts on the Music Room website?
« Reply #29 on: June 07, 2016, 12:01:48 PM »

Prices seem to have gone back up... Sale over?

Yep. Well, reckon I actually succumbed to M.A.D at the right time, and the resulting bargain priced Dino Binci 3v arrived safely this morning. It's getting more and more difficult to decide which box to play for what tune - and to programme fingers accordeonly. It's probably good for the brain cells !
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jonm

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Re: Anyone noticed the massive discounts on the Music Room website?
« Reply #30 on: June 07, 2016, 12:12:04 PM »

Well done, I missed out!

Looking at the discounted stock, it all looked like what they had on stand at Chippenham Festival. Could this have been a short-term discounting opportunity at another festival perhaps?
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John MacKenzie (Cugiok)

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Re: Anyone noticed the massive discounts on the Music Room website?
« Reply #31 on: June 07, 2016, 01:38:06 PM »

The MR site looks silly now, with the reduced figure in red, beneath original price in black, scored through; both reading exactly the same amount.

Sir John
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Helena Handcart

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Re: Anyone noticed the massive discounts on the Music Room website?
« Reply #32 on: June 07, 2016, 02:14:23 PM »

Prices seem to have gone back up... Sale over?

Yep. Well, reckon I actually succumbed to M.A.D at the right time, and the resulting bargain priced Dino Binci 3v arrived safely this morning. It's getting more and more difficult to decide which box to play for what tune - and to programme fingers accordeonly. It's probably good for the brain cells !

I'm glad you got it because I don't bloody well need it but was getting itchy fingers for a while there.
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Grape Ape

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Re: Anyone noticed the massive discounts on the Music Room website?
« Reply #33 on: June 07, 2016, 03:29:41 PM »

The MR site looks silly now, with the reduced figure in red, beneath original price in black, scored through; both reading exactly the same amount.

Sir John

Well at least now their prices are back to normal, which is to say far above that of every competitor in the world.  It amazes me that their crazy sale prices just puts them in line with other dealers' non discounted price.  We have a similar dealer here in the states, and why anyone would give them business when there are other dealers not looking to rip anybody off is beyond me.
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Lester

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Re: Anyone noticed the massive discounts on the Music Room website?
« Reply #34 on: June 07, 2016, 04:23:33 PM »

We have a similar dealer here in the states, and why anyone would give them business when there are other dealers not looking to rip anybody off is beyond me.

Because they have a bricks and mortar place where you can go and try out as many melodeons as you like with probable offer of tea as well. They also turn out to most of the festivals where you can try things out. They are not 'ripping people off' they are just providing their version of the shopping experience and charging the required price to support it.

ps I've not paid the quoted price from them ever.

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Re: Anyone noticed the massive discounts on the Music Room website?
« Reply #35 on: June 07, 2016, 04:43:01 PM »

Does mean if I ever do get tempted again by a Binci Super III I know what price I should be driving out of them.
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Helena Handcart

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Re: Anyone noticed the massive discounts on the Music Room website?
« Reply #36 on: June 07, 2016, 05:31:41 PM »

Does mean if I ever do get tempted again by a Binci Super III I know what price I should be driving out of them.

Pretty much that yes :)
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Grape Ape

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Re: Anyone noticed the massive discounts on the Music Room website?
« Reply #37 on: June 07, 2016, 06:42:50 PM »

We have a similar dealer here in the states, and why anyone would give them business when there are other dealers not looking to rip anybody off is beyond me.

Because they have a bricks and mortar place where you can go and try out as many melodeons as you like with probable offer of tea as well. They also turn out to most of the festivals where you can try things out. They are not 'ripping people off' they are just providing their version of the shopping experience and charging the required price to support it.

ps I've not paid the quoted price from them ever.

As does the Button Box here in the US but they manage to charge 20-50% less for the same box.  Sorry, I tried to stop myself from commenting on this thread, but every time I see their prices (or those of Liberty Bellows here in the States) and then compare to the brick and mortar/ customer service without rival prices of the Button Box, I am always shocked.  Shouldn't the first rule of "customer service" be to not jack up the msrp and charge an honest price? 
« Last Edit: June 07, 2016, 06:47:28 PM by Grape Ape »
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squeezy

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Re: Anyone noticed the massive discounts on the Music Room website?
« Reply #38 on: June 07, 2016, 11:49:04 PM »

I used to work for them in an era before the Euro was stronger against the pound, and also in an age where internet shopping was the exception rather than the rule.  I had many conversations with the guys running it about how the danger was that if things went the way they were going, instrument shops would no longer be able to afford to hold stocks of instruments and it would not be easy for a melodeon player to go and browse all the boxes we really needed to try in order to make an informed decision about which one was the right one in the future.

All I can say is that they were right!  They haven't changed their markup on the boxes since I was working for them in the early 2000s at all - it's just that the makers have increased their prices, the exchange rate is much less favourable and they have been undercut by direct sales and the cheap, but serviceless webshops with no stock, premises or employees.  To hear them labeled as rip-off merchants just by keeping the same business model alive when it clearly is not as profitable as it once was, but still serves the customer much better makes me really quite cross!

If you know of somewhere cheaper to buy something, by all means buy it there.  But if someone else sells it at a higher price, but adds a lot of value to the customer then surely that is simply a choice.  It reminds me of the people lamenting high street grocers going out of business while they freely shop at the supermarket because it's cheaper.  You can't have it both ways!
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Grape Ape

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Re: Anyone noticed the massive discounts on the Music Room website?
« Reply #39 on: June 08, 2016, 01:18:17 AM »

I truly do not wish to make anyone mad.  I will take back my statements.  I have never been to the music room, and I am no expert on world currencies, so therefore it is not for me to say what is or is not justified in their pricing.  I used to work for one of the smaller more specialty focused grocers in the area in which I live.  While in some cases, regarding organic and locally grown produce or high quality seafood or beef, their prices were higher.  It used to frustrate me when people didn't understand the difference.  On most items, however, they were priced competitively.  They are still in business and actually growing to a number of stores which now has them perceived as one of the big guys.  By the same token, The Music Room and others are still in business too, meaning they must be doing something right.  I have always been the type willing to pay more for better service and quality.  In some cases, I will concede that I am willing to pay more for better service alone.  I meant no disrespect to anyone, but rather would only hope to caution those who are not so price savvy as others from overpaying.  As Lester said, you can talk them down on price just like at the car dealership, but what about those who don't know they will negotiate price?
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