Am I making a reasonable request?

I'm new here, so I'm not sure how these things go, but if I could get some feedback about my situation, that would be great.

I've been emailing back and forth with a well-known and respected ukulele shop in hopes of ordering a particular ukulele. They sold the last of that model recently but were able to find some more tucked away in their inventory.

The ukulele I'd like is made of a wood that varies quite a bit in appearance, and I wanted to see what they looked like before ordering. Upon my request, they emailed me a photo of one and then another of their ukuleles. Both were okay, but not quite what I'd hoped for.

I asked if they could send more photos of any others they had, but I haven't heard back from them. This shop seems great, with great people working there. But they are a bit slow and unresponsive in their communications.

My question: is it reasonable to be asking for pictures of these instruments? It sounds like they aren't easily accessible (they're still in boxes or crates or something), and maybe they weren't planning on setting them up for display for a while, and perhaps only one or two at a time. So there's the hassle of taking a bunch of them out just to snap pictures and then putting them back.

I've offered to put in an order right away, so they don't feel like they might be wasting their time, and then I could just select from one of their pictures, but I get the feeling it's too much trouble for them.

It's not a particularly expensive ukulele, but it's not an entry level one either--it's a mid-range instrument. They're popular, and they'll probably sell eventually. So am I wasting their time? Is it unreasonable to be asking for pictures of ukuleles that are possibly in storage?

Anybody with similar experiences ordering online?

I think I found your email thread with Corey. Those two MGCDP he showed you might be the nicest cause he went through most of them. But I went through the rest of their stock today and will be putting up a few others on the site tonight. A lot of the latest batch of those is rather plain. But lately we’ve been listing all the mango models picture specific for that reason. (Trying to pick the nicest ones :) Sorry for any delays, and mahalo to all the kind people here.
 
I think I found your email thread with Corey. Those two MGCDP he showed you might be the nicest cause he went through most of them. But I went through the rest of their stock today and will be putting up a few others on the site tonight. A lot of the latest batch of those is rather plain. But lately we’ve been listing all the mango models picture specific for that reason. (Trying to pick the nicest ones :) Sorry for any delays, and mahalo to all the kind people here.

Pure class and that is why I deal with Andrew and HMS exclusively. This thread got a little out of hand and I am glad I kept my mouth shut. A follow up to HMS instead of starting this thread would have got results too.
 
Pure class and that is why I deal with Andrew and HMS exclusively. This thread got a little out of hand and I am glad I kept my mouth shut. A follow up to HMS instead of starting this thread would have got results too.

I'll second that, Dave. And for what it's worth, I also deal with Mim and with Uke Republic, and I have had nothing but good experiences with them as well.
 
Seems reasonable.
Description of this video: "David Beckingham || Published on Sep 22, 2013
This is my lovely little Ohana SK-21 sopranino ukulele. 30cm scale, tuned up to E6 (B E G# C#). Martin fluorocarbon strings, and I've had the end of the headstock shortened to make the most of it's tiny form. (Fits in a backpack now) The tune is Roy Smeck's Magic Ukulele Waltz, one of the most uploaded finger style uke solos on YouTube"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gV029o8MiQ
 
Pure class and that is why I deal with Andrew and HMS exclusively. This thread got a little out of hand and I am glad I kept my mouth shut. A follow up to HMS instead of starting this thread would have got results too.

Sorry, but this thread was done with pure class. The vendor was never mentioned and a question was asked. If the OP felt that he wasn't getting an answer, it is understandable he would ask this question BEFORE following up since he didn't want to be unreasonable. Also, since it is a popular model, it makes sense that he wouldn't want to just wait some more with a follow up while the exact uke he wants is perhaps being sold. Apparently, time is of the essence. A customer has every right to ensure they are getting what they want. Are you insinuating that a benign question posted in this forum is wrong? This forum is to share opinions and questions, and the OP posted his/hers in the most respectful way possible.
 
Sorry, but this thread was done with pure class. The vendor was never mentioned and a question was asked. If the OP felt that he wasn't getting an answer, it is understandable he would ask this question BEFORE following up since he didn't want to be unreasonable. Also, since it is a popular model, it makes sense that he wouldn't want to just wait some more with a follow up while the exact uke he wants is perhaps being sold. Apparently, time is of the essence. A customer has every right to ensure they are getting what they want. Are you insinuating that a benign question posted in this forum is wrong? This forum is to share opinions and questions, and the OP posted his/hers in the most respectful way possible.

yes you can post an opinion as this is what the chat room is about...hopefully the OP will post his decision on which uke he ordered or not as he seems to have gotten all his answers from Andrew

just saw 5 new Mango Pono ukes on the Ukulele Site
 
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Wow, this got more responses than I expected. I appreciate all the encouragement and advice; it's been helpful in figuring out how to manage my expectations.

I didn't want to name any names because it's their livelihood, and I don't feel like I was particularly wronged or anything. In the past couple months I've contacted over a half dozen vendors. Some have responded within hours with answers, pictures, etc. Some I never heard back from. In this instance, I couldn't tell if I was asking/expecting too much.

To clarify, I prefer email because I'm better with pictures with respect to visual aesthetics. I'd have a hard time describing what kind of wood grain I'd like over the phone.

Just to be safe: there's some incorrect guessing going on in here, but it doesn't seem like anyone's coming out looking bad, so I'll just leave it at that.
 
If you tell us the uke and the seller, we could give a better answer. Both have an effect on how things work. As you suggested, having ukes in boxes piled in a store room can make it a challenge to get the box, unpack the uke, take a picture, and then put it back. There's also the issue of unpacking and repacking - depending one the uke. Will the buyer want a uke that has obviously been unpacked and repacked?

+1, concur
 
Okay, going against the grain here, but it seems pretty obvious to me that if this is the type of service you require, you need to either buy an instrument from Mim or choose a model that already has individual photos on the website in question.

+1, concur
 
Sorry, but this thread was done with pure class. The vendor was never mentioned and a question was asked. If the OP felt that he wasn't getting an answer, it is understandable he would ask this question BEFORE following up since he didn't want to be unreasonable. Also, since it is a popular model, it makes sense that he wouldn't want to just wait some more with a follow up while the exact uke he wants is perhaps being sold. Apparently, time is of the essence. A customer has every right to ensure they are getting what they want. Are you insinuating that a benign question posted in this forum is wrong? This forum is to share opinions and questions, and the OP posted his/hers in the most respectful way possible.

As per your own statement the OP was asking for opinions. I just gave mine, if you don’t agree with me that is fine
 
Wow, this got more responses than I expected. I appreciate all the encouragement and advice; it's been helpful in figuring out how to manage my expectations.

I didn't want to name any names because it's their livelihood, and I don't feel like I was particularly wronged or anything. In the past couple months I've contacted over a half dozen vendors. Some have responded within hours with answers, pictures, etc. Some I never heard back from. In this instance, I couldn't tell if I was asking/expecting too much.

To clarify, I prefer email because I'm better with pictures with respect to visual aesthetics. I'd have a hard time describing what kind of wood grain I'd like over the phone.

Just to be safe: there's some incorrect guessing going on in here, but it doesn't seem like anyone's coming out looking bad, so I'll just leave it at that.

can you share if you picked a uke from Andrew and the Ukulele Site? just nosey now after reading this thread....
 
As per your own statement the OP was asking for opinions. I just gave mine, if you don’t agree with me that is fine

You did gave your opinion, but not on what the OP asked, but instead on the creation of the thread itself.
 
I think I found your email thread with Corey. Those two MGCDP he showed you might be the nicest cause he went through most of them. But I went through the rest of their stock today and will be putting up a few others on the site tonight. A lot of the latest batch of those is rather plain. But lately we’ve been listing all the mango models picture specific for that reason. (Trying to pick the nicest ones :) Sorry for any delays, and mahalo to all the kind people here.

I don’t think that you can say fairer than that. To my mind it speaks very well of the company, it’s no wonder that they are so popular and busy. Even the best retailers sometimes do have a snarl-up with communications so working at keeping the process going is worthwhile.
 
I didn't want to name any names because it's their livelihood, and I don't feel like I was particularly wronged or anything.

We all know the popular sellers, and as you said, you weren't particularly wronged. If a poster doesn't mention the seller, then everyone guesses who it might be. Telling us the name of the seller helps because, as I said, we know all the sellers, and we can offer better advice. There isn't one popular seller that's bad, so you don't have to worry about anyone's livelihood. Your question was fine, but mentioning the seller in the original post would have gotten you a better answer faster.
 
We all know the popular sellers, and as you said, you weren't particularly wronged. If a poster doesn't mention the seller, then everyone guesses who it might be. Telling us the name of the seller helps because, as I said, we know all the sellers, and we can offer better advice. There isn't one popular seller that's bad, so you don't have to worry about anyone's livelihood. Your question was fine, but mentioning the seller in the original post would have gotten you a better answer faster.

When people name sellers, things can often turn into a gripe session, which is really unwarranted unless there is a serious problem. He wanted to know if he was being reasonable and the answers said he was, with the advice to call. Those answers wouldn't have been better with the vendor mentioned, nor would he have received those answers faster. There is really nothing to gain from including the vendor's name, unless vicarious enjoyment of others' complaints is considered a gain. The OP sets a great example in how to post a thread that we all should follow.
 
You're being very reasonable. Makers who produce Ukes made out of exotic woods expect to sell them based on their physical appearance. Buying one without seeing it first would be pointless. I wouldn't spend my money until I knew what I was getting. However, notice that many online shops are posting stock photos of the instruments. You always have to ask if you're concerned with the actual appearance of the one you're buying. A Uke with a spruce top and mahogany body is probably safe to buy sight unseen. Anything "spalted," or featuring prominent wood grain patterns is not. And, that includes Koa, by the way.
 
However, notice that many online shops are posting stock photos of the instruments.

Right. As you said, spruce and mahogany don't vary much, but those exotic woods do. When a seller says the picture is generic, I don't consider it. That's why I like Mim and HMS. You see exactly what you're getting.
 
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