Klarinet Archive - Posting 000719.txt from 2000/03

From: Topper <leo_g@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] "Price of Used Buffetts Drops by ??%" Re: [kl] A
Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2000 19:41:44 -0500

At 06:13 PM -0500 3/23/00, Bill Hausmann wrote:
>At 11:48 AM 3/23/2000 -0500, Leonard George Carroll wrote:
>>I agree that any Gray market dealers should be known. Rather All authorised
>>delease be listed. But I stil strongly feel that voiding warranty for grey
>>market is not a good idea.
>>
>It's difficult to list Gray Market dealers - they could literally be
>ANYBODY. If they are selling "new" instruments and are NOT authorized
>dealers, they are by definition Gray Market. Companies do not honor
>warranties on merchandise sold by unauthorized parties for several reasons:
>
>1. To protect the rights of their established dealer base.
>
>2. To keep unscrupulous people from selling used goods as new.
>
>3. To prevent counterfeit goods from being sold under their name.
>
>Companies spend money to train the technicians for their own dealers. They
>should not be expected to train everybody at their own expense. And they
>certainly should not be expected to service recycled/counterfeit
>merchandise. Warranties seldom extend to used goods of any type. When you
>buy used, and KNOW you are buying used, one of the reasons you get the deal
>is that warrantee service is NOT included, although an honest dealer will
>generally provide service for a reasonable period to cover typical problems
>(lost pads, etc.).
>Electronics, cameras, even Mercedes automobiles show up in Gray Markets.
>If you want to take your chances and save some bucks, fine. But don't go
>whining to the manufacturer when something goes wrong. It was YOU who
>stuck your neck out!

Your point is well taken but for a few details::

1:

The established dealer base is not always the best route these days in my
polling, and especially now with these very large mail order houses. What
if you want to buy your clarinet from your favorite technician and they are
not a dealer for that brand? What if you do not want a particular dealer or
music megastore to handle your warranty work or are too far and you don't
want to ship back and forth.

The dealer system is a highly political game of power and corruption where
the little man (small store) or even the most skilled tech cannot compete
and these are the people who are in danger. Smaller dealers are forced to
purchase incredible quantities of instruments to be put in the discount
percentage where the megastore can still sell at that cost and still make
10% - 30% in some instances.

We as players are not only paying the Sole Import agent but we are keeping
stores in business which are driving out the mom and pop stores where we
can takes our kids down to have a warranty repair and try out a new
mouthpiece; or send our favorite best instrument to a well known dealer who
has the skills but not the big inventory. We as Americans liked doing
business with a person which we grew to trust or we moved on to find
somebody we could--right in our neighborhood.

This proves that in America we do not support talent, rather we strangle
it. One reason why the French have no respect for Americans but when it
comes to money everybody plays.

Why shouldn't that dealer make the sale. These BIG companies like Selmer,
B&H, and LEBLANC which is one of the worse, at unfair treatment to small
dealers and talented techs with small stores or repair shops.

2:

In a sense I would bet in some cases it is this unfair selling monopoly
which actually creates the unscrupulous unauthorized retailer. People have
to eat. Still that is no excuse.

Make one price for all dealers and see how grey market goes away!
Authorize repair shops not because they buy your instruments but because
they are good, and let them buy at the best price... the REAL best price!
Establish levels of dealer warranty repair or allow the dealer to send it
of to an authorised repair shop of their choice.

I am guessing on the following figures:
Nonetheless the price for French clarinets in America can be up to a 70%
markup, or maybe more. So instead of paying 5,000.00 to a dealer you don't
even see (pick one of six if you like), on an 8,000.00 clarinet you are
paying 5,000.00 on a clarinet which costs about 2000 - 2500 to produce (US)
and wholesales in abroad for a little over 1/3 the US retail price.

I would rather pay the manufacturer direct 45% of the US retail for a more
carfully made instrument and better training for techs who are usually
small dealers of some sort, and use an additional 15% to allow for fine
tuning and extended warrany a company in association with a great tech as
the instrument is played in and/or changes include a repad, whatever.

But we are talking about wood here not a bent G# key which is where this is
actually coming from IMHO. Goes to prove my point about the rich and greedy
power corrupt. Kill the music but make the money.

3.

Clarinets are probably impossible to counterfeit and in the least very
expensive and not worth the tooling. I do not feel the far east nations are
at the level of producing a clarinet of French quality. If there is a worry
about counterfeit Buffet I would hope there would be a verification process
even with Grey Market goods.

PLEASE LET US KNOW IF THERE IS ANY COUNTERFIET INSTRUMENT MAKING IN THE
WOOD AND BRASSWIND WORLD
- I seriously would want to see a proven exaple.

But again this sounds like a scare tactic. I am aready grey where I still
have any hair at all. I shalllike to find such a market for my next
purchase so long as the dealer is reputable and the instrument checks out.

Leo,

Signing off for the night.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org