Ukulele Market in 2020?

ghostrdr

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Well, these are weird times.

If it's not Covid-19 and its related lock-downs, or social unrest, or the election, or wildfires, or murder hornets, or who knows what else.

How would you measure the Ukulele market now? Is the high-end market good or is it struggling with the uncertainties in the economy? how about the mid-range or entry-level?

Let's define high-end as $1,000+ and mid-range as $500-$1,000, with entry level below $500.

if you want to use different definitions, that's fine.

I don't know if the custom builders are catching up on backorders. I worry about the small businesses making ukes in the US and whether they are doing ok too.

Seems like the stay at home folks have brought a lot of people into the entry level-market so maybe a lot of new ukes there.

What about the used market?

Your thoughts? At least during these odd times, hearing your ukulele journeys (buying selling playing) gives me a little joy and happiness. thank you.

What do you all think?
 
I'll be interested in responses to this thread. I've been wondering the same thing.

It seems to me like some of the ukuleles that would have sold quickly in the UU Marketplace have lingered a while. Higher end items seemed to move slower. But, others might have a better perspective on that.

I've seen some higher end ukuleles on other websites take longer, (sometimes much, much longer), to sell.

I don't have a feel for lower end ukuleles because if I'm just browsing, I shoot for the stars. :) I haven't bought anything in 2020, so just browsing this year.

My own UAS has been nagging me, but during these odd times, I'm behaving for now. I worked 2 jobs. One is gone for good, and the other is still OK (for now, at least.)

I seem to spend a lot of money on PPE instead of ukuleles, though. Not nearly as much fun, to put it mildly.
 
Well, these are weird times.

If it's not Covid-19 and its related lock-downs, or social unrest, or the election, or wildfires, or murder hornets, or who knows what else.

How would you measure the Ukulele market now? Is the high-end market good or is it struggling with the uncertainties in the economy? how about the mid-range or entry-level?

Well, these are weird times.
Let's define high-end as $1,000+ and mid-range as $500-$1,000, with entry level below $500.

if you want to use different definitions, that's fine.

I think the ukulele market across the board is red hot right now. Just go check out the thread on Mim's ukes where she reached her weekly limit within 12 hours; that's crazy.

Another supporting evidence is that I used to get 10%-20% off coupons from Musician's Friend/Guitar Center on a weekly basis; that's dried up since the pandemic. I've never paid fully price for music gear this often... in like more than 10 years.

During the pandemic, I bought 8 of your low-end priced ukuleles and 3 of your high-end ones. Although I had no trouble finding supply, the pricing was stiff, especially for the ukuleles in your high-end price range. I did some price research before buying the more expensive ukuleles, and I believe I'm paying 15-25% more than the prices 1-2 years ago.

If you look at UU marketplace, all the Kamakas sell really fast (those are the ones I have been following). This should tell you that the high-end is selling. Overall, UU marketplace is a small market and has a lot of hassle for the buyer (just now, there's a thread about somebody with issues buying there); so if things are selling there, you know the market is active.


I don't know if the custom builders are catching up on backorders. I worry about the small businesses making ukes in the US and whether they are doing ok too.


I don't buy from small custom builders, but I follow the UU posts on Timms ukulele pricing. I think the reason Timms prices are lower now than, say, a year ago is because of market saturation. If the marketing was Baz's review and UU members word of mouth; then that's a small market. It doesn't truly reflect the general ukulele market.


Seems like the stay at home folks have brought a lot of people into the entry level-market so maybe a lot of new ukes there.

What about the used market?

Your thoughts? At least during these odd times, hearing your ukulele journeys (buying selling playing) gives me a little joy and happiness. thank you.

What do you all think?

Of my 11 ukuleles, I sold 7. The used market is very active right now; the quickest sells were 1 day; the slowest sell was 1 week. I only use craigslist.

I think right now is not the best time to buy a ukulele, esp. ones in your high-end price range if you want the best deal. I think you can save 10% by waiting 6-12 months when prices go back to pre-pandemic levels. Sure, MSRP stays the same, but there'll be discounts.
 
I create ukulele resources and reviews. We saw a HUGE upswing in video hits in March, dying down through the summer.

There's a swarm of new buyers out there.

Shipping from China caused a huge spike in pricing of low and mid range instruments, as supply drained and shipping became unstable (it's taking up to four months for what used to take under two).

However, stock is being replenished, and pricing is settling back down to pre-COVID numbers...decent starter ukuleles with kits are in the $60-$70 range again.

I think the demand on mid and high range didn't change very much, other than the people that decided they wanted to move up; but there are always going to be new players (thus the flood of choices on the market) versus those that continue to mid range and high end instruments.

And I just love them all. Except the Rise by Sawtooth and Kala Waterman. I don't really have a love for those--both are flawed models, aimed at beginners, that the companies should fix (and won't). Other than those, it is amazing how many good choices there are these days.
 
I'll be interested in responses to this thread. I've been wondering the same thing.

It seems to me like some of the ukuleles that would have sold quickly in the UU Marketplace have lingered a while. Higher end items seemed to move slower. But, others might have a better perspective on that.

I've seen some higher end ukuleles on other websites take longer, (sometimes much, much longer), to sell.

I don't have a feel for lower end ukuleles because if I'm just browsing, I shoot for the stars. :) I haven't bought anything in 2020, so just browsing this year.

My own UAS has been nagging me, but during these odd times, I'm behaving for now. I worked 2 jobs. One is gone for good, and the other is still OK (for now, at least.)

I seem to spend a lot of money on PPE instead of ukuleles, though. Not nearly as much fun, to put it mildly.

I think this pandemic is creating a wider split in the economic classes between the rich and poor in the US; and it is not a good thing. For people who are still getting paid normally like software engineers working from homes, they have a lot more spending money for online (because they are trapped and cannot spend it on vacations and restaurants). For people who can't work dur this crisis, they have very little money.

Hopefully, things can get back to normal fast once the vaccine comes out. Then everybody will be happier.
 
I think lower end (<$500) uke sales are booming. People are stuck at home and are looking for ways to stay sane. Ukulele playing may not do much about that, but it will allow people to learn something while having fun.

"Learn an instrument" is right up there with "learn a language" as a common thing we say to ourselves. Followed by: "Someday."

Ukulele looks fun. It's not too difficult to get started. You can start playing simple songs very quickly. And it's relatively inexpensive.

High end ukulele market seems to me to be a little slower. I've seen more promotions recently than when the market is booming.

The used market is still moving pretty well. But it depends upon the instrument. Brands that are well known and that make highly-regarded instruments seem to be selling pretty well. Lesser known brands, or ones that are just starting out don't seem to be moving.

For instance, aNueNue Moonbirds go pretty quickly. Kamakas a little slower. Ko'Alohas, Kanile'as used are a bit slower, I think, because of their new model improvements. I think people are hesitant to buy an older model when the new releases are supposed to be better.

I suspect that custom luthier-made instrument sales are down compared to last year. In these uncertain times, many of us don't want to commit to a build.

The litmus test will be the upcoming holiday season. Xmas is in only 109 days!
 
I think of categories as being under $200 (or even $100) as beginner and first time buyers. $200 to $700 or so would be "mid-range" for those "intermediate" players who are looking to step up from their first, often looking for a solid wood upgrade. Above $700 would be serious players and buyers and those appreciating the joy of playing the "best".

The entry level has exploded as people tried to figure out how to spend their time indoors. They often know someone in an ukulele group that has been encouraging them to try it for some time. I suspect the mid-range has increased some as well as some first time buyers look for better quality and many with cheaper ukes decide to upgrade since they are playing much more with virus restrictions. The upper market is tougher to gauge. In the UU Marketplace, there are some that go quickly and others that have not sold. The sad cases are from those that must sell their treasured ukuleles due to changed financial situations. A number of members here seem to be "culling their herds", perhaps because being home more leads to the realization that they have ukes that do not get played much.

I was good at fighting UAS until recently, when I jumped on the Antica Sacco that BazMaz reviewed. I have feelers out with two retailers for the Silver Anniversary Red Label KoAlohas that are forthcoming, but while waiting the past weeks, found another Ko'olau that I purchased instead. If I like it, I will be out of the KoAloha market.
 
Thought that this applied to this thread. I'm on the Gryphon email list, and just got this email. I have no connection to Gryphon, (never even bought from them - just like to browse their selection), and would guess that this is true for the other stores selling instruments as well.

"Used Guitars, Banjos, Mandolins and Ukuleles Wanted

More people have been staying home because of the COVID-19 situation and many of them have been taking up a musical instrument for the first time or, if they already play, working on improving their skills. Consequently, there has been an increased demand for guitars, banjos, mandolins and ukuleles. Unfortunately, pretty much all of the builders we work with, including Martin, Collings, Taylor, Pisgah, Eastman, Kamaka and other brands as well, are not able to keep up. Many of the instruments we had scheduled for Fall 2020 delivery won't arrive until next year.

Hence this plea. If you have more instruments than you feel you need, now might be a good time to consider lightening the load. Clean used Collings, Northfield, Eastman and Taylor models are in demand, and of course both vintage and recent Martin and Gibson instruments are always a priority here at Gryphon. "
 
I'll add this from another direction; I was at my repair guy/luthier, Eric's Guitar in Van Nuys, CA a few weeks ago and he said his business is booming with people spending so much time at home keeping occupied by playing their instrument and having the time to get to the fixes they need, plus a bunch of people with new instruments that need a setup or upgrade of one part or another.


This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly Grove near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 4 acoustic bass ukes, 12 solid body bass ukes, 14 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 39)

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers
 
Thought that this applied to this thread. I'm on the Gryphon email list, and just got this email. I have no connection to Gryphon, (never even bought from them - just like to browse their selection), and would guess that this is true for the other stores selling instruments as well.

"Used Guitars, Banjos, Mandolins and Ukuleles Wanted

More people have been staying home because of the COVID-19 situation and many of them have been taking up a musical instrument for the first time or, if they already play, working on improving their skills. Consequently, there has been an increased demand for guitars, banjos, mandolins and ukuleles. Unfortunately, pretty much all of the builders we work with, including Martin, Collings, Taylor, Pisgah, Eastman, Kamaka and other brands as well, are not able to keep up. Many of the instruments we had scheduled for Fall 2020 delivery won't arrive until next year.

Hence this plea. If you have more instruments than you feel you need, now might be a good time to consider lightening the load. Clean used Collings, Northfield, Eastman and Taylor models are in demand, and of course both vintage and recent Martin and Gibson instruments are always a priority here at Gryphon. "

Interesting - I enquired after a ukulele at Gryphon recently and was told that they couldn't sell it to me because of Covid. I presumed they meant they were closed or had staff on furlough.
 
I have 3 good-bit-over-$1000 "K" ukes that don't suit my ears as well as my Romero Grand Tenor that cost just $749 bottom line, including set-up & shipping. After I played the Romero GT, I readily loaned the K's to my grandchildren & doubt I shall ever get them back, which is fine with me. I have 2 other grandkids who want my Romero but no one is getting that uke except in my will.

Point is, I just don't find enough sound & playability difference to justify me getting UAS for another high-priced ukulele. And (back on topic) the Romero Replica Tenor (a uke I lust after) has gone up-up-up in price. Also some of the grossly over-priced ukuleles sold by Japanese sellers at Ebay are actually getting sold. My guess: some folks with more $$ than sense figure, "If it costs more than $1500 it must be good!" Gooood grief!
 
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Hmm, interesting. There's no doubt that the uke market is hot right now, particularly for low and mid tier ukes, but lately I've seen plenty of high-end ukes listed on popular uke shops and not being sold. For example, Kamakas, Kanile'as, aNueNues, all of which regularly sell fairly quickly. Maybe the situation is different in the States but seems to me that more expensive ukes aren't selling quite as well in Europe.
 
I've read a few articles lately that say guitar sales in the first half of 2020 are setting records. I would imagine that whatever is driving that is also driving ukulele sales. Ukulele are trendy right now and are considerably cheaper.
 
I'm not sure about ukulele sales, I did buy one early, before COVID45. We haven't had a beginner workshop since January, but I still have 3 current beginner students who seem very excited about it. I asked them all not to buy a uke until they are sure that this is what they wanna do. I've rescued 5 ukuleles out of people's closets, waste is such a sad thing.
 
Hmm, interesting. There's no doubt that the uke market is hot right now, particularly for low and mid tier ukes, but lately I've seen plenty of high-end ukes listed on popular uke shops and not being sold. For example, Kamakas, Kanile'as, aNueNues, all of which regularly sell fairly quickly. Maybe the situation is different in the States but seems to me that more expensive ukes aren't selling quite as well in Europe.

Now that I'm able to briefly browse the new HMS site, and have taken a peek at the UU Marketplace, I think that this is true in the US as well. I see 2 LFDM ukuleles are still on the HMS site, (seems like in the past they would have sold by now - not that it's been a really long time, to be fair), and in the UU Marketplace, something like the Kinnard soprano that is up for sale would have sold while the ink was still drying on the for sale post, so to speak, but it's still there.

I'm guessing it's a shift in the market for now, while people wait to see how the economy will shake out, and how long it will take to resume something resembling a "normal" life. I browse for ukuleles, masks, and face shields these days, and buy masks and shields instead of ukuleles for now.
 
Just a note on the LfDM's on the HMS site. These two ukes have had a $800 price reduction since the HMS site was revamped. If someone is in the market for a cedar or bearclaw top uke by this maker, they are well priced right now.

Bluesy
 
Well, 2 of my 3 students are ready to buy. One wants a Bugs Gear, to knock around with, and the other is ready to spend $100 for a "real" uke.
 
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