My Experience with The Ukulele Site

mnb128

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Hi fellow uke nuts. I'll try to make this short, but I doubt I'll be successful.

I first got bitten by the uke bug this past Christmas when I took my family to Hawaii and 'Santa' brought my son an uke. It wasn't super cheap, but it's nothing special, a little, laminate soprano.

He loved it for about 10 minutes, then moved on to his toys. I, however, picked it up and had the hardest time putting it down for the rest of our trip. It caught me off guard because I've never been a musician, but for some reason the darn thing kept finding its way into my hands.

Fast forward a few weeks, and I start doing research on ukes. I wanted one of my own, and on these forums specifically, I kept seeing references to some place called HMS. After a bit of research, I realized that HMS was actually TheUkuleleSite, a site that I'd been on several times before just browsing.

So, I read some posts, a lot of posts, did some research, and called them up. A guy named Andrew answered the phone. He was super kind and took a good bit of time with me. He answered a bunch of noob questions, gave some opinions, made a few recommendations, and I ended up ordering a Pono ATD. In hindsight, I probably would've liked the non-deluxe version better, but that was my fault. He didn't recommend the deluxe. I opted for the gloss finish on my own. Turns out this Andrew guy was the owner. Who knew?

The Pono was perfect for what I was looking for. Sure, it wasn't cheap, but it was nowhere near as expensive as he could've tried to talk me into, and it really does sound wonderful for the price.

Fast forward a few more months. I travel a ton for work, and I wanted something that I could travel with without having to worry about humidity, cracking, and all that stuff. By this time UAS has hit me hard, and in addition to the travel need, I was also ready for an upgrade. I'd seen videos, heard sound samples, and read reviews and NUDs of just about every brand under the sun. I decided that the Blackbird Farallon was what I needed for both the upgrade and travel.

I could've ordered it directly from Blackbird, but I didn't for two reasons. 1) I wanted the setup that I knew TUS would provide. 2) I like to support local businesses when I can. (No, TUS isn't local to me, but I hope you get my drift.)

It was a custom order. Details aren't important as I'll post a NUD sometime in the near future. Blackbird gave an 8 week time frame, but Andrew warned me that they'd taken as long as 4 months in the past.
Sure enough, it turned out to be just over 4 months. Would I have had it sooner if I ordered direct from Blackbird? Maybe, but I'd accept the extra wait time again if I had the option. Here's why.

I was a custom order, but when I asked Andrew if he needed a deposit, he told me not to worry about it. Midway through the wait, I asked him to put aside an aNueNue Air Air pickup for me for when the uke came in. Again, I asked if he wanted a deposit of some sort, and again, he told me not to worry about it. Every time I asked him for an update he answered. Every time I asked a silly question, he helped me out.

But here's the best part. Once the uke was finally in, he asked me if I wanted a sound sample before officially placing my order. I didn't need the sound sample. I ordered it straight away, but he got the sound sample for me anyway. Now I have a video of Corey and Kalei playing my uke before it was shipped out. How cool is that?

I don't know if that's something they always do, or if he just did it because of the long wait. Either way, it was more than I'd expected, which is always nice.

Bottom line is, Andrew gave me every opportunity not to commit to buying the uke. For four months he went back and forth with Blackbird to try and figure out what was going on with my order, and I got it for the same price as I would've paid ordering direct.

I'm sure he made some money off of it. That's the point of owning the shop, but I'm sure his margin wasn't huge.

I'm sure they aren't the only great shop around. I've read great things about Uke Republic, Mim's, and a lot of others, but my experience with TUS has been nothing but first class.

I'm sure someone out there has a different story about things not working out perfectly, but please don't use this thread for that. Every customer has a bad experience, and every business has a bad moment.

I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the great experience I had and say a public mahalo.

Aloha, Uke Family.

Keep strummin'.
 
Hi fellow uke nuts. I'll try to make this short, but I doubt I'll be successful.

I first got bitten by the uke bug this past Christmas when I took my family to Hawaii and 'Santa' brought my son an uke. It wasn't super cheap, but it's nothing special, a little, laminate soprano.

He loved it for about 10 minutes, then moved on to his toys. I, however, picked it up and had the hardest time putting it down for the rest of our trip. It caught me off guard because I've never been a musician, but for some reason the darn thing kept finding its way into my hands.

Fast forward a few weeks, and I start doing research on ukes. I wanted one of my own, and on these forums specifically, I kept seeing references to some place called HMS. After a bit of research, I realized that HMS was actually TheUkuleleSite, a site that I'd been on several times before just browsing.

So, I read some posts, a lot of posts, did some research, and called them up. A guy named Andrew answered the phone. He was super kind and took a good bit of time with me. He answered a bunch of noob questions, gave some opinions, made a few recommendations, and I ended up ordering a Pono ATD. In hindsight, I probably would've liked the non-deluxe version better, but that was my fault. He didn't recommend the deluxe. I opted for the gloss finish on my own. Turns out this Andrew guy was the owner. Who knew?

The Pono was perfect for what I was looking for. Sure, it wasn't cheap, but it was nowhere near as expensive as he could've tried to talk me into, and it really does sound wonderful for the price.

Fast forward a few more months. I travel a ton for work, and I wanted something that I could travel with without having to worry about humidity, cracking, and all that stuff. By this time UAS has hit me hard, and in addition to the travel need, I was also ready for an upgrade. I'd seen videos, heard sound samples, and read reviews and NUDs of just about every brand under the sun. I decided that the Blackbird Farallon was what I needed for both the upgrade and travel.

I could've ordered it directly from Blackbird, but I didn't for two reasons. 1) I wanted the setup that I knew TUS would provide. 2) I like to support local businesses when I can. (No, TUS isn't local to me, but I hope you get my drift.)

It was a custom order. Details aren't important as I'll post a NUD sometime in the near future. Blackbird gave an 8 week time frame, but Andrew warned me that they'd taken as long as 4 months in the past.
Sure enough, it turned out to be just over 4 months. Would I have had it sooner if I ordered direct from Blackbird? Maybe, but I'd accept the extra wait time again if I had the option. Here's why.

I was a custom order, but when I asked Andrew if he needed a deposit, he told me not to worry about it. Midway through the wait, I asked him to put aside an aNueNue Air Air pickup for me for when the uke came in. Again, I asked if he wanted a deposit of some sort, and again, he told me not to worry about it. Every time I asked him for an update he answered. Every time I asked a silly question, he helped me out.

But here's the best part. Once the uke was finally in, he asked me if I wanted a sound sample before officially placing my order. I didn't need the sound sample. I ordered it straight away, but he got the sound sample for me anyway. Now I have a video of Corey and Kalei playing my uke before it was shipped out. How cool is that?

I don't know if that's something they always do, or if he just did it because of the long wait. Either way, it was more than I'd expected, which is always nice.

Bottom line is, Andrew gave me every opportunity not to commit to buying the uke. For four months he went back and forth with Blackbird to try and figure out what was going on with my order, and I got it for the same price as I would've paid ordering direct.

I'm sure he made some money off of it. That's the point of owning the shop, but I'm sure his margin wasn't huge.

I'm sure they aren't the only great shop around. I've read great things about Uke Republic, Mim's, and a lot of others, but my experience with TUS has been nothing but first class.

I'm sure someone out there has a different story about things not working out perfectly, but please don't use this thread for that. Every customer has a bad experience, and every business has a bad moment.

I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the great experience I had and say a public mahalo.

Aloha, Uke Family.

Keep strummin'.

"I got it for the same price as I would've paid ordering direct" - They would pay wholesale for that uke, and Blackbird would get considerably less. I have no idea of the markup on ukes, as I've never been to NAMM. I do know that on typical boutique store items the markup is often 2.25x wholesale price, and on jewelry 4-7x. If the markup on ukuleles is just 1.5x, than a third of the retail price would be their gross margins on that sale.
 
My experience with Ukulele Site was in person. We were celebrating my retirement and that of a close friend. Staying in Honolulu, we had no need of a car, but we rented one for the day and rove around the island.
We saw the store and pulled in to check it out. I don’t recall the name of the gentleman who assisted us, but...

I told him I was looking for a cutaway Tenor. He reached around, pulled one down, played a short riff and handed it to me.
I played it, loved the sound and sustain and playability. And I played it. And my wife said, “looks like he’ll take it.”
I agreed. He pulled down a soft side case with a front pocket. And told me the cost of both.
I was and am extremely happy with the purchase. He not only knew his stock, he ‘read me’ and my needs.

I’m willing to fly back ‘tomorrow ‘ and shop for my next ukulele.
 
"I got it for the same price as I would've paid ordering direct" - They would pay wholesale for that uke, and Blackbird would get considerably less. I have no idea of the markup on ukes, as I've never been to NAMM. I do know that on typical boutique store items the markup is often 2.25x wholesale price, and on jewelry 4-7x. If the markup on ukuleles is just 1.5x, than a third of the retail price would be their gross margins on that sale.

Fair point, but when you add in staffing, free setup, free 2 day shipping from Hawaii to the east coast, which I forgot to mention earlier, the margin shrinks considerably. I know they're making money. In fact, I want them to, but I don't think the net revenue is significant on a single unit. Scale it out to thousands of ukes per year, and it could be a different story. Either way, I'm a happy customer.

Cheers.
 
Great story. I like to reward great service as well. I have purchased 4 ukuleles from HMS (TheUkuleleSite.com).
 
Fair point, but when you add in staffing, free setup, free 2 day shipping from Hawaii to the east coast, which I forgot to mention earlier, the margin shrinks considerably. I know they're making money. In fact, I want them to, but I don't think the net revenue is significant on a single unit. Scale it out to thousands of ukes per year, and it could be a different story. Either way, I'm a happy customer.

Cheers.

Don't forget that the cost of setup is the same for a cheap uke or an expensive one. Actually probably less as they need less work. The cost of shipping supplies and labor to pack is the same. Shipping costs are mostly the same, and only marginally more if they insure through a third party as many mass shippers do. The cheap ukes are the steady income that keeps the lights on, but the expensive ukes, such as your Blackbird, is where the real money is made because cost of fulfillment is a much smaller percentage of the gross than for a cheaper uke. In other words, that's where they really make their profit.
 
Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a detailed review. Everybody likes to complain in public now a days so it is nice to read something positive. I commend you for your effort in doing the right thing. Yes companies are in business to make money as you said, anyone who questions why or how much must live under a rock.

I have bought 10 ukuleles from Andrew at HMS and every transaction has been first class just like yours. They really do care and go out of their way to try and make sure you are a satisfied customer. Are they perfect, no, can things happen, sure. But they will make it right, they are good people and Andrew is a credit to the ukulele community
 
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Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a detailed review. Everybody likes to complain in public now a days so it is nice to read something positive. I commend you for your effort in doing the right thing. Yes companies are in business to make money as you said, anyone who questions why or how much must live under a rock.

I have bought 7 ukuleles from Andrew at HMS and every transaction has been first class just like yours. They really do care and go out of their way to try and make sure you are a satisfied customer. Are they perfect, no, can things happen, sure. But they will make it right, they are good people and Andrew is a credit to the ukulele community

They are also one of the few places to purchase luthier ukes without blindly placing an order as you can hear them first.
 
Thank you for posting such a great story. I have been a devoted customer since March 2012, and in fact have a tenor in setup right now. Andrew and colleagues are phenomenal.
 
+1000% on HMS service, support, communications, web site and friendly help. I’ve purchased four tenors from them. All transactions were great. They go above and beyond. Three ukes purchased online. On, my first, a Pono AT purchased is same manner from store. I rented a car, I was touring the island. Stumbled on their shop. I just wish I could get back more often to buy face to face. HMS are the ultimate professionals. They are my Go To place to buy, all things ukulele. And everyone is so friendly and helpful. Great story.
 
...and I got it for the same price as I would've paid ordering direct.

Manufacturers usually sell at list price because they don't want to compete with their dealers. Dealers buy at a discount so they can make enough money to stay in business. That's why I prefer to buy from a dealer so he can make the profit, rather than the manufacturer.

I have the impression that Blackbird makes the ukes as they're ordered, and that eight week waiting time seems to be standard, although it could take longer. Making those eKoa ukes is a slow process, and the number of orders determines how long you have to wait. Thinking back, every waiting time I've been told for various ukes has wound up being longer.
 
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That was a good read. Thanks for sharing and I hope you enjoy your uke greatly! :)
 
I recently ordered a new KoAloha KTM-00(new version) from HWM(The Ukulele Site, still confused by the dual name). I must have emailed Joel back and forth 20 times with every question under the sun. I got a quick reply for every single question. And every reply was way more than just one word answers(like I've gotten from some other retailers). They really seem to care about their customers and I felt really good about my purchase(spending $1,200+, I wanted to make sure I made an educated purchase, hence the million questions from me). I should receive the uke today actually. But I cant see buying a uke from anyone else. Great people over there.
 
Love those boys at HMS! I’ve bought my first Koaloha from them and, since then, heaps of string sets too.
Their podcasts are my top choice when it comes to relaxing evening viewing.
 
Manufacturers usually sell at list price because they don't want to compete with their dealers. Dealers buy at a discount so they can make enough money to stay in business. That's why I prefer to buy from a dealer so he can make the profit, rather than the manufacturer.

I have the impression that Blackbird makes the ukes as they're ordered, and that eight week waiting time seems to be standard, although it could take longer. Making those eKoa ukes is a slow process, and the number of orders determines how long you have to wait. Thinking back, every waiting time I've been told for various ukes has wound up being longer.

OR, as is typical of smaller manufacturers without a lot of retail presence, they must market and sell their own goods, and have arrived at a price, but, in order to increase their reach, they also sell through retailers and must accept a wholesale price. These aren't a stock item, so I suspect retailers aren't making the bulk of their sales.
 
Great story.

I've only ever bought one ukulele from HMS. But they were great. It was a pre-order for an ukulele announce at NAAM in 2017 and didn't get released until 2019. I emailed Andrew basically as soon as I saw it at NAAM, asking him if I could have first dibs then they eventually got it in stock. He said he'd put me on the list. And sure enough, 2.5 later, he came through, and I was able to get one of the first that they got in stock. It shipped quickly and perfectly all the way to NYC.

When I'm back in Hawaii, I look forward to visiting their new Kakaako location.
 
Hi everyone. Just wanted to take the time to say thanks for taking the time to read my story and share your own experiences.

@UkeBock - I believe they were called Hawaii Music Supply several years back when they were a full on music shop, guitars, amps, and the whole bit. I believe they changed to The Ukulele Site when they began to focus solely on ukes and their web presence began to expand.

BTW, it sure would be nice to hear that KoAloha. :D
 
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