Chiliwailer Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 So whilst Strings Direct have up'ed TI's by a fiver, Dv247 have the, at £30.30 or £35.29 delivered. My Jazz Bass is looking forward to a new fresh set tomorrow http://www.dv247.com/guitars/thomastik-jf344-4-string-bass-guitar-strings--211125?gclid=CO-6zI-588QCFQn3wgod72sA1Q Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 [quote name='Chiliwailer' timestamp='1428933923' post='2746072'] So whilst Strings Direct have up'ed TI's by a fiver, Dv247 have the, at £30.30 or £35.29 delivered. My Jazz Bass is looking forward to a new fresh set tomorrow [url="http://www.dv247.com/guitars/thomastik-jf344-4-string-bass-guitar-strings--211125?gclid=CO-6zI-588QCFQn3wgod72sA1Q"]http://www.dv247.com...CFQn3wgod72sA1Q[/url] [/quote] I bought a 6 string set last week from DV247, I think they were £54 ? Delivered within 48 hours too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 [quote name='Chiliwailer' timestamp='1428933923' post='2746072'] So whilst Strings Direct have up'ed TI's by a fiver, Dv247 have the, at £30.30 or £35.29 delivered. My Jazz Bass is looking forward to a new fresh set tomorrow [url="http://www.dv247.com/guitars/thomastik-jf344-4-string-bass-guitar-strings--211125?gclid=CO-6zI-588QCFQn3wgod72sA1Q"]http://www.dv247.com...CFQn3wgod72sA1Q[/url] [/quote] Love strings direct but agreed not as cheap/competitive as they used to be Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3below Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Chiliwailer - so is your 'old' set TIs? Mine have run me 8 years so far, used TIs yes please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soul-Fi Steve Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 thanks for the heads up.... need a set of JF345s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiliwailer Posted April 14, 2015 Author Share Posted April 14, 2015 (edited) [quote name='3below' timestamp='1428957755' post='2746485'] Chiliwailer - so is your 'old' set TIs? Mine have run me 8 years so far, used TIs yes please [/quote] Yes mate, 2 year old set. Problem is, they were my tester set for a while, they went on quite a few basses whilst I was deciding which basses to keep and which to sell. It's kind of silly, but the red wraps are looking quite worn and that bothers me, plus I'd really like a set on the bass that have only been on that bass. I'm not sure if they are in a condition to sell so I may just leave them in the spares box? Edited April 14, 2015 by Chiliwailer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vsmith1 Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 Brill - thanks for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiltyG565 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 This is actually a little bit concerning. TI are expensive strings. Even to the dealer, they are expensive. Seeing them at £30 a set really has me scratching my head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmayhem Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 Check this: http://www.thomann.de/gb/thomastik_jf344.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiltyG565 Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 [quote name='bassmayhem' timestamp='1432982605' post='2786734'] Check this: [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/thomastik_jf344.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...astik_jf344.htm[/url] [/quote] Guys - Please use caution when buying. I cannot see how these strings can be sold at that price. They're high quality, and have a price tag that reflects that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 [quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1433009412' post='2787049'] Guys - Please use caution when buying. I cannot see how these strings can be sold at that price. They're high quality, and have a price tag that reflects that. [/quote] The benefits of bulk-buying I presume? But what do you mean by "use caution" Milty? Are you implying that these strings are not what they claim to be, or that buying at this price is in some way hazardous? I don't understand... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 [quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1433009412' post='2787049'] Guys - Please use caution when buying. I cannot see how these strings can be sold at that price. They're high quality, and have a price tag that reflects that. [/quote] It's Thomann.de There is no way they are selling dodgy ones. They will be getting them from down the road in bulk. (and I get mine from Thomann. Always been fine) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiltyG565 Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 [quote name='Conan' timestamp='1433239855' post='2789156'] The benefits of bulk-buying I presume? But what do you mean by "use caution" Milty? Are you implying that these strings are not what they claim to be, or that buying at this price is in some way hazardous? I don't understand... [/quote] Even bought in massive quantities, these strings can't be sold at this price. I've heard that Thomastik aren't happy with Thomann selling them at this price, and Thomastik aren't supplying Thomann directly. This isn't some kind of friendly little deal between neighbours. To give you a feel for the price of these strings - I can't buy these strings through official distribution chains for as little as Thomann (and others) are selling them at. That leaves me with a big question - Exactly how are they selling them at this price? I have no idea, but I won't be touching them. I don't sell Thomastik, and have no plans to stock them anytime soon, so I have no dog in this fight, but I don't think it would be very good of me to have such doubts about these things and not tell you guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 (edited) [quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1433242813' post='2789218'] Even bought in massive quantities, these strings can't be sold at this price. I don't sell Thomastik, and have no plans to stock them anytime soon, so I have no dog in this fight, but I don't think it would be very good of me to have such doubts about these things and not tell you guys. [/quote] That's fair enough - and thanks for sharing your concerns! Unless they are using the strings as some kind of loss-leader, this pricing makes little sense. Edited June 2, 2015 by Conan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiltyG565 Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 [quote name='Conan' timestamp='1433243049' post='2789221'] That's fair enough - and thanks for sharing your concerns! Unless they are using the strings as some kind of loss-leader, this pricing makes little sense. [/quote] I've expressed my concerns about loss-leaders before, too. I don't think they work in the online retail world, and I think Thomann know that. I have no idea how or if they're making money from these strings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 I see where you are coming from Milty but the trouble is people only have limited cash so price is a big factor I do try to support my local music shop and small online traders like your company but the thing is I normally buy a minimum of 3 sets of strings at a time and they are at least 4 quid a pack cheaper than most small outfits from the larger retailers etc and that is a fair old wedge of cash just on strings alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiltyG565 Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 [quote name='Thunderbird' timestamp='1433245441' post='2789269'] I see where you are coming from Milty but the trouble is people only have limited cash so price is a big factor [/quote] Sorry, but high-quality strings have a high-quality price. One can't expect to get a set of strings that normally cost £54 for £30. As I said previously, I can't even get myself a set for £30, and I work in the industry. As I said earlier - I don't stock these strings, and don't plan to anytime soon. My issue isn't about losing trade and loyal customers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 If they weren't real Thomastik could have obtained an injunction against them already. So, assuming they are real, Thomann are buying them from a third party who is buying them from Thomastik. The third party won't be making a loss, and Thomastik won't be making a loss. I can see that they might be annoyed if Thomann are making a conscious effort to drive down the perceived worth of the product and thus drive down the price - but considering how long these strings actually last that seems a really dumb idea. So, if Thomann have decided to suffer a loss on these purely to get more customers who might not have bought from them, then I am happy with that. FWIW - I never thought Thomastiks were worth the RRP anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiltyG565 Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 [quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1433246223' post='2789279'] FWIW - I never thought Thomastiks were worth the RRP anyway. [/quote] Most don't charge RRP, however most also can't even begin to imagine selling these strings for £30 a pop. It's a race to the bottom. If these strings were considered to be worth less than what they're usually sold at, there wouldn't be so much excitement around them being sold for £30. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 I think the loss leader thing does work online, as long as the seller is charging postage in the way that Thomann do. £30 for the strings, then add the flat rate postage, suddenly not massively cheaper than elsewhere, unless you pop a couple other things in your order to make it worthwhile, oh hang on I've just spent a load more than I planned to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiltyG565 Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 [quote name='Maude' timestamp='1433286974' post='2789851'] I think the loss leader thing does work online, as long as the seller is charging postage in the way that Thomann do. £30 for the strings, then add the flat rate postage, suddenly not massively cheaper than elsewhere, unless you pop a couple other things in your order to make it worthwhile, oh hang on I've just spent a load more than I planned to. [/quote] Perhaps. It's a pretty underhand way to treat your customers though. Let's hope that's not Thomann's approach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 It's not underhand if the terms are easily visible before ordering. Thomann have had a flat delivery fee for all purchases under 199 euro for years. Nobody buys a £30 item and then "tops up" the order by another £140 ish to get free delivery. It's more likely that a punter is about £30 short of free delivery so decides to spend the extra to get that free delivery, thus only spending a net increase of £20. With the volume that Thomann sell a flat delivery fee is a very sensible approach. Of course £10 is too much if you are just ordering a dozen plectrums. But £10 on a heavy pedal board is cheap. The shipping fees are clearly visible on the site so the punters are not mislead, the approach is not underhand. Thomann offer their service and the customer decides whether to use it or not. If there is a dispute between Thomastik and Thomann (and I've seen no evidence of that) then that is a commercial dispute between them and it's up to them and them alone how they want to deal with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miles'tone Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 No way it will cost Thomann £10 to post some strings, therefore they most probably receive £35-36 for each set. I wonder if they are just selling them at cost that way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 [quote name='miles'tone' timestamp='1433322994' post='2790018'] No way it will cost Thomann £10 to post some strings, therefore they most probably receive £35-36 for each set. I wonder if they are just selling them at cost that way? [/quote] No! - because it costs them more than £10 to post a large and heavy pedal or a sub 199 Euro speaker cab! The shipping fee is standard across all orders under 199 Euro. So a 25kg item that costs under 199 Euro is still only £10. Any "savings" or "extra income" on a £10 shipping fee on a packet of strings is offset against the loss incurred on shipping a much heavier item for the same price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miles'tone Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 [quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1433323592' post='2790029'] No! - because it costs them more than £10 to post a large and heavy pedal or a sub 199 Euro speaker cab! The shipping fee is standard across all orders under 199 Euro. So a 25kg item that costs under 199 Euro is still only £10. Any "savings" or "extra income" on a £10 shipping fee on a packet of strings is offset against the loss incurred on shipping a much heavier item for the same price. [/quote] I see. 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.