Try in local store but buy online, do you usually do that?

I bought all my ukes at stores, and I take them in for repairs, etc. I like to shop, and it’s fun to try them and pick one out to buy. They all sound, more or less, the same to me, so I mostly go for looks and size that I want.

On the other hand, all my banjos and my mandolin come from the internet. Banjos vary so much that it’s difficult to find one that’s exactly what one wants at the right price.

I buy all the other stuff like stands and straps and music books (when they have what I want) at stores. :eek:ld:
 
I would feel bad about auditioning a uke at a local store with the intent of finding a better deal, but YMMV.

There are two acoustic instrument retailers nearby and I’ve found them useful for repairs and accessories (but not strings; lousy string selection). Both also carry mostly generic ukes.

There’s a great uke dealer about two hours from here. If I’m not going there for a class or performance, I’m always prepared to come home with a new instrument.

Everything else I’ve bought from the marketplace, at auction, or from Mim.
 
I don't buy a lot of ukulele stuff anymore, so I will apply this question to my purchase of bicycle parts and accessories.

Trying to shop locally to support brick-and-mortar retail gets harder and harder, especially when it comes to bicycle dealers. Recently, I visited my local bike shop to price a chain and it was $31 plus tax. I had already seen that exact chain online for $10.99. Chains are something I like to stock up on, so I had to decide whether to plunk down $90+ tax for three of them, or $33 with no tax and free shipping for the same three. As much as I wanted to support the local guy, the numbers just didn't make sense, especially for a working class guy like me shopping in a store that caters mostly to the very wealthy people who live around me.

These days, I am very torn about purchasing things online. Just as bicycle accessories are often much, much cheaper online, so are the audio tools I purchase for my sound system and studio. I want the shops to be there so I have someone to bounce ideas off and someone to repair my bikes or my mics when I need them, but I simply can't afford to. That said, with nothing personal against your wife (I suspect MY wife does the same), I find it a little bit offensive to waste a storekeeper's time asking questions and getting my greasy hands all over his or her stock and then buying the same item from a stranger online.
 
No, I don't do that, for reasons already stated. Plus (putting all conscience-related things aside!) I am such a bad player that I don't want anyone to hear me. :)

I don't like to play in front of others, so that would keep me from giving a ukulele a good test run at a store. But there aren't any stores even somewhat near by that carry anything more than a couple lowest end Kalas, & the workers at the store know nothing about ukuleles, so I buy over the internet & hope for the best.

I do try to support local stores in general, but can't do that with ukuleles.
 
There would have to be a very significant price difference before that practice would even be tempting.

The price difference should both cover the shipping and make up for the fact that I can't play the Ukulele right away, and make up for that I don't get the exact specimen I tested. The places I would buy from online are probably not that cheap, and If they were, probably not that reputable.

Anyway, I don't do that. And the shops nearby dont have my dream ukes. But I tried walking in and trying a bunch of ukuleles, knowing that it was unlikely that I would buy any, and they buying some picks and a slide I have never used, just to feel better about playing their ukuleles.

I didnt intend to find the same model cheaper online, just wanted to try different sizes and woods.
 
I guess I'm the bad boy...

I sample stuff all the time at stores, then shop online for a bargain. I'm picky and It's hard to find items locally when you're looking for something specific. Plus, I'm cheap...always looking for the best price. If I can find what I want at a store, I'll definitely buy it, if it's just a little more than online.
 
I appreciate having local music stores and I give them all our music business big and small (in the last two years 2 ukes, 2 banjo ukes, banjo, guitars, amps, keyboard, etc). Pre sale and after sales service is excellent.

I like the 30 days free return which was useful for guitars that did not work out.

The folks at Tapestry, Long McQuade, Tom Lee, 12th Fret are happy to bring in items from suppliers and their prices are good. So far have not needed to go online.

I also appreciate and support music teachers, song circle leaders and contra dance musicians.


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The only time I tried a uke in a store and bought online was one on consignment and the luthier told me where to go to try it out. It technically wasn't store stock and was also available on eBay and Craigslist, which is how I stumbled across it. I still felt awkward playing the ukulele at the store knowing I was going to call the luthier back after I walked out and buy it directly from him. There was a $1000 difference from the consignment price and what the builder would sell it for. I'm guessing there was an amount the store could reduce the price and they were getting 25%, or more, so the net to the builder was probably going to be about the same.

John
 
If I could find what I wanted all the time, I'd buy local. Quite honestly, a lot of times there's not that much difference in price on mass-produced ukes, at least in my area.

I'm also figuring that even if it costs a bit more, it works out about the same if I buy an online uke that I find I don't like and have to pay for shipment back.
 
Thank you all for your replying! I'm glad to see most of you have the same feeling as mine.

The store I visited yesterday is like, tiny. But to my surprise there are about 4 or 5 people working in the store in the weekend, and two of them are seniors. It's hard to image what'll happen to them if the store ran out of business.

When I said "I was sure I wouldn't buy it because some online dealers have higher reputation in my mind". I didn't mean price-wise. I actually rejected a big discount offered by Mim to support her one-lady business when I bought my uke from her. What I meant was, some online dealers have better understanding and experiences on ukes, and provide more reputable services like set-up.
 
The biggest problem with trying something out at a brick-and-mortar store and then buy the item online for less is that the brick-and-mortar stores will eventually go out of business.

I bought my first tenor ukulele, a Fender Nohea, from Amazon. I had a gift card and knew next to nothing about ukuleles. Big mistake.
My second was a Ohana TK-50GS. I bought it on sale at the local music store, 48 miles away. He answered a lot of questions and setup the Ohana. I took the Fender in later and he set that up as well. Turned out the Ohana was B-stock. The sale price was no bargain.
All of the rest have been bought online. Some new, some used. All but two of these I have been very happy with. Though I did have to return two, one was damaged & replaced, and one I received a refund minus a restocking fee.

If they have an item I am interested in, and the cost isn't too much more, then I will buy local to support the store.

Unfortunately, most of the higher end ukuleles are not carried by the small stores nearby. They can special order from most of the better mass-producers, but you never know what they will receive. And in my experience, the mfgs. do not send their better pieces to the small shops that order one or two a year. The better stuff goes to the larger online retailers that move a lot of units.

I buy accessories local. Music stand. Case. Humidifiers, stc. Yet even there, they don't carry the strings I am partial to.

I don't know the solution to the problem.
 
No.. not prudent.. I do buy online but only if the local uke store does not carry it..
I got a martin from my local store (gryphon strings) and it cracked within a year (sounds bette now..) but I was glad I could walk in and they repaired it under warranty (As they are a Martin repair shop).
Unfortunately a lot of the ukes I want are not available at their store..
Also, if it was not for them I would have never discovered my Waldman Cello Banjo!
 
No.. not prudent.. I do buy online but only if the local uke store does not carry it..
I got a martin from my local store (gryphon strings) and it cracked within a year (sounds bette now..) but I was glad I could walk in and they repaired it under warranty (As they are a Martin repair shop).
Unfortunately a lot of the ukes I want are not available at their store..
Also, if it was not for them I would have never discovered my Waldman Cello Banjo!

Also.. if you try a solid wood instrument in a store, it will not sound the same if you buy another piece online.. if you like the tone of an instrument.. then buy THAT piece (internet is full of regret stories of people not buying an instrument that called out to them).
 
I do not have much choice. I live in Thailand and most shops do not speak English. Same with music teachers. And as to be expected, they do not carry all of the items one might want. A good example, I have been looking in music shops in Bangkok since September 2017 for a Tenor Guitar. You would not believe the responces I have gotten. They are sure that I am talking about a Tenor Ukulele. I have not yet been able to change their minds. Not even when providing specs. I plan to show them mine if I ever order one which I am presently thinking about. Then when I order on line, Amazon has very high shipping rates and the Thai Customs will wake you up fast. All in all when I really want something I must order from them and end up paying almost double the original costs. Might be the same if I deal with a factory in another country. Customs is still customs and shipping is exensive. They recently, last year I think, started a company called Lazada. An incountry mail order business. However, so far I have not found what I am looking for and searching is hard.. Their understanding of English is as poor as my understanding of Thai. This is probably the only real problem I have had since I retired abroad years ago, however, it is a pain. I still plan soon to suffer and buy a Tenor Guitar with nylon strings.
 
I appreciate having local music stores and I give them all our music business big and small (in the last two years 2 ukes, 2 banjo ukes, banjo, guitars, amps, keyboard, etc). Pre sale and after sales service is excellent.

I like the 30 days free return which was useful for guitars that did not work out.

The folks at Tapestry, Long McQuade, Tom Lee, 12th Fret are happy to bring in items from suppliers and their prices are good. So far have not needed to go online.

I also appreciate and support music teachers, song circle leaders and contra dance musicians.


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Thanks for the support! Us local small business' need the support from our community to let us know what they are after so you don't need to go online. I will always listen to my customer base to make sure I always have on hand what our customers are looking for.

If people continue to go into brick n' mortar stores to try out instruments, leave and purchase elsewhere online, you won't have the option to do that for much longer. The retail music industry is changing. Retail is slowing down due to that reason and without an online presence, the mom and pop shops that don't have web sales won't be around for much longer. Especially in Canada.

Michael
Tapestry Music
 
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I’ve bought so much personal gear in my life, from local and online. There’s a whole hierarchy to these mostly unconscious choices and it’s fluid to the situation. We all have reasons and most of them are reasonable.

From the other side, I consider anyone that comes in strums a uke and buys some strings a supporting customer. Anything else is just cynical. That’s no way to live. Business evolves. Figure it out and hope for the best like the rest of us. Like Ospreys local store. There’s reasons why he’s loyal. They set things up. They compete. They offer something more to the community there. Some effort and luck and thank people for their accessory purchases along the way. $6>$0. OP didn’t even need. That’s good people either way to me.
 
most online stores don't pay the taxes our communities need to maintain the roads we drive on to visit the local stores... so, no - I would not try something in a brick and mortar store only to buy it online. And yes, I have willingly paid more on items to support local businesses.
 
I spend a lot of time on a photo forum (uglyhedgehog), and that question often comes up. I'll either shop locally, or I'll shop online. I won't waste the store's time looking at a product and then buy it online.

I don't have any stores within driving distance that would have ukuleles I would want to buy, anyway. Now, Hawaii is a different situation entirely!
 
A local shop, not music, but similar problem, scuba also being a niche market. He would rant and rave about online buyers, and then finally, stopped fighting the trend and got on the bandwagon creating an online presence, offering prices that matched or beat other shops. Now his business has taken off to the point that he is building a new larger shop with a training pool.

All that being said, my approach was if I saw an item online that I wanted, I went to him with the deal asking if he could come close. More than once he said to get the deal and on at least one occasion he was able to beat the price. If he was even close, the buy went to him.
For higher end items like drysuits, I went to him, partly because they required proper fitting.
 
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I stumbled on my uke in a shop, liked and had it, as an individual. If it ever breaks think I will go to a shop again and have another around $100 good sounding and nice-looking uke, and have it right there.
 
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