Buying Drum stuff oversea

[zelig]

Hi.. i dunno if there is a thread on this.... but this topic has been in my mind for awhile... i know that some drummer here do their purchases from oversea... be it drum set.. skins... cymbals etc... the reason is mainly because it is cheaper even with the shipping .. i know some even dun charge shipping.... i would like to know afew question stated below...

1. Could i have the website to order from? be it drum set, cymbals, methro , skins etc...
2. The pro and cons of orderg from oversea.
3. Is it realli cheaper? What if there is a defact in the product.
4. i know some of the brands are made by factories in taiwan, china etc.. and then they print their logos on them... is it possible to be ordring direct from the factory? i guess tt would u very cheap?

Thanks all for ya help... if there are extra info tt may help me.. or ppl looking at this thread, do note it down.. tks....

 

[Composer of Requiems]

There's a lot of sites to order from overseas. I haven't ordered from big companies yet, but I've ordered some custom stuff.

There's Saluda cymbals, which makes pretty decent cymbals. You can look at that. But ordering can take quite a while.

I'm also doing a snare drum build. Ordered a Vaughncraft shell, and various parts... waiting for my lugs to arrive, though. I've been waiting for months, thanks to a postal error.

That's the main problem I see with ordering online- the delivery. Also, you'll have to know if your company is trustworthy. However, so far, all the places I've worked with are quite well known and trusted on various international forums, and I've had good experience with them.

About cost... well, it does cost more to order drum parts from big companies. But it can also be expensive to order custom stuff from small companies. From what I understand, it works this way-

For big companies, cost goes up due to the marketing and other related costs. However, they can produce in bulk.

Small companies are generally cheaper for their regular products, but when you order something significantly custom from them, they have to produce new moulds just for you. That's why I haven't gotten anything really completely unique- but still significantly different from big companies, with various advantages (e.g. mass production sometimes means some compromise in quality), and cheaper.

I wanted to order wood hoops from this factory in Taiwan. However, they haven't been contactable. It's very annoying.

 

[zelig]

hmmm.. so ur sayg tt ordering frm oversea will take months to arrive.. and ur sayg its more expensive actually? .. i heard ppl sayg.. they order a drumset.. and seem to be cheaper than buyg frm singapore.... wat webbsite or company have u ordered frm directly?

 

[bigblackbear]

would it be possible to ask shop owners to help us order the stuff that we want, since they have the contacts?

 

[drumsolo86]

would it be possible to ask shop owners to help us order the stuff that we want, since they have the contacts?

Its possible, but I've asked before from Ranking Music on their higher-end Gretsch drum line. They do not bring it in because they say ONE kit itself we won't bring. They think drums like chicken rice, order in 10 packets. And thats the reason most shops for bringing in what will sell.

In addition, I've bought stuff from Ebay, Musiciansfriend and ordered pair of wood hoops from Stellar. You basically need a credit-card to set up your Paypal account and practically you can just buy. Shipping definitely is not free, and you have to pay for them to bring to Singapore. You may have misunderstood free LOCAL delivery, (like Musiciansfriend for US addresses). For those sellers who ship internationally, it'll be best to get rates from them first to find out how much it'll cost you. For those who do not ship internationally, you can try VpostUSA or VpostJapan to get around that problem. For more details, you can read at www.vpost.com.sg

 

[zelig]

Its possible, but I've asked before from Ranking Music on their higher-end Gretsch drum line. They do not bring it in because they say ONE kit itself we won't bring. They think drums like chicken rice, order in 10 packets. And thats the reason most shops for bringing in what will sell.

In addition, I've bought stuff from Ebay, Musiciansfriend and ordered pair of wood hoops from Stellar. You basically need a credit-card to set up your Paypal account and practically you can just buy. Shipping definitely is not free, and you have to pay for them to bring to Singapore. You may have misunderstood free LOCAL delivery, (like Musiciansfriend for US addresses). For those sellers who ship internationally, it'll be best to get rates from them first to find out how much it'll cost you. For those who do not ship internationally, you can try VpostUSA or VpostJapan to get around that problem. For more details, you can read at www.vpost.com.sg

so ur sayg tt.. the stuff u ordered... they are cheaper than getting it in sg?

 

[bigblackbear]

i dont think it's cheaper. even if it is, it might be just a bit cheaper.

it's just that many things can't be found locally. that's why you gotta buy them online

 

[mel80]

Its possible, but I've asked before from Ranking Music on their higher-end Gretsch drum line. They do not bring it in because they say ONE kit itself we won't bring. They think drums like chicken rice, order in 10 packets. And thats the reason most shops for bringing in what will sell.

There are very practical reasons why shops do not bring in big items for you if it is only one piece. The shipping cost. It does not make any sense for them to pay the shipping charge for just one item for one customer, unless you are prepared to pay for the full shipping cost (which most won't want to. might as well ship in yourself right?).

Retail shops ship in items by CONTAINERS. That is how they can bring the total shipping charges down so that they can make some profit (read: they run a BUSINESS). If the container is not full yet, the items will not be shipped. It makes more economical sense for them to not waste any space in a container. Once the container is full, items will be shipped. That explains why your drum orders take an eternity to reach here.

Once we understand how retail shops function, we will complain less about such nitty gritty things, unless you are talking about quality of service. That is another topic altogether. Afterall, retail shops are running a business. Would you run a business that does not earn you substantial profits?

 

[kanzer]

hmm. i have been purchasing smaller items online. and yea they take some time to reach. 2 - 3weeks? buying drumsets overseas is abit tough as the shipping will kill you. but sticks cymbals snares those items are good. yea try ebay.. they sell used stuff too..

 

[jeepers]

Hi.. i dunno if there is a thread on this.... but this topic has been in my mind for awhile... i know that some drummer here do their purchases from oversea... be it drum set.. skins... cymbals etc... the reason is mainly because it is cheaper even with the shipping .. i know some even dun charge shipping.... i would like to know afew question stated below...

1. Could i have the website to order from? be it drum set, cymbals, methro , skins etc...
2. The pro and cons of orderg from oversea.
3. Is it realli cheaper? What if there is a defact in the product.
4. i know some of the brands are made by factories in taiwan, china etc.. and then they print their logos on them... is it possible to be ordring direct from the factory? i guess tt would u very cheap?

Thanks all for ya help... if there are extra info tt may help me.. or ppl looking at this thread, do note it down.. tks....

2. The pro and cons of orderg from oversea.

Pros:

1. You can get stuff you can't find locally.
2. Slightly lower prices, if you're lucky. Or patient enough.
3. Don't have to deal with irritating local sales associates.

Cons:

1. Shipping is effin' expensive.
2. Items might get lost on transit to here.
3. Can't return it if item is defective, or if the wrong item is sent over. (Doubt you would wanna pay for return shipping to the seller)

3. (a) Is it realli cheaper? (b) What if there is a defact in the product.

(a) It might be cheaper, but not all the time. You have to do the work yourself.
(b) Too bad. You can return it if you don't mind paying for return shipping to the seller.

4. i know some of the brands are made by factories in taiwan, china etc.. and then they print their logos on them... is it possible to be ordring direct from the factory? i guess tt would u very cheap?

I'd like to see you try this out. It's virtually impossible unless you order in bulk. If not, it'd cost you quite a fair bit as well.

I've bought a fair amount of stuff from overseas. Forums, eBay and whatnot. Cymbals, skins, snares, hardware, and a drum kit.

I managed to get the bulk of them cheaper than I would have to pay here. Had to pay exorbitant amounts too, to get stuff you can no longer find. Like my Paiste Sound Creation Dark Heavy hi-hats for example, they cost me a good USD300+. My Tempus fibreglass kit, shipping cost like USD300. Worth it.

Ultimately, it's up to you. Is it the worth the amount of money you're gonna pay? If not, then just come visit the SOFT Buy/Sell everyday. There are bargains here too.

 

[retardedrummer]

+1 to jeeps man. Extremely well said . Ha ha. Informative too