Which retailers have 0% financing?

[Jeremiah]

I was participating in a thread where I mentioned 0% as a reason not to buy local, I was wondering if anyone besides Sweetwater (4 payments) and ZZsounds/American Musical (5 or 8 payments) actually do this? I am not talking about having to get their credit card that only has 0% for 18 months and then it reverts to some crazy percentage rate. I am talking only about retailers who allow you to negotiate the price, and then, independently of that, allow you to make interest free payments.

I maintain that if any local/MLP retailers did this, I would give them the business instead.

PS - Sweetwater may not be an MLP vendor, but they are not what I would call big box, either.

[Jim]

You can't have it both worlds. You can have a mom and pop store where you can haggle and get a lower price, or you can go big box and go low interest. Me? I'd go mom and pop any day of the week.

[SKATTERBRANE]

All the places that only accept cash?

[Rich]

It always pays to haggle the best deal for yourself. That being said, consider what Jim wrote above.

Businesses need to make money in order to survive and grow and they have to make money somewhere, whether that be through net profit or some sort of interest rate deal they have worked out with a finance company.

The way to get the best deal for yourself is to walk into a shop with cash and negotiate a fair price for all involved. Bring fliers or printouts from web sites offering the same (not similar - SAME) product you are interested in and use that as a starting point. Realize that they may or may not be able to match that price (especially when it comes to matching Guitar Center or Sweetwater, etc.) but will be willing to go as low as they can to get your business.

The tradeoff for price you should be willing to make by going to a bricks and mortar shop are that 1) you get to actually try out the instrument before buying and 2) if there is a problem, they're right there to help you out.

[Jim]

Originally Posted by Rich

It always pays to haggle the best deal for yourself. That being said, consider what Jim wrote above.

Businesses need to make money in order to survive and grow and that have to make money somewhere, whether that be through net profit or some sort of interest rate deal they have worked out with a finance company.

The way to get the best deal for yourself is to walk into a shop with cash and negotiate a fair price for all involved. Bring fliers or printouts from web sites offering the same (not similar - SAME) product you are interested in and use that as a starting point. Realize that they may or may not be able to match that price (especially when it comes to matching Guitar Center or Sweetwater, etc.) but will be willing to go as low as they can to get your business.

The tradeoff for price you should be willing to make by going to a bricks and mortar shop are that 1) you get to actually try out the instrument before buying and 2) if there is a problem, they're right there to help you out.

A third tradeoff would be that because of the less-than-corporate demographic of the smaller shops, the floor guitars will be better setup and less worn. Playing a floor model at a Guitar Center is like letting your guitar go for a year without a string change.

[Drew224]

Just because they would give me 0% interest doesn't mean I'm not being screwed.

[Jim]

Also take into account that smaller shops do not GET the deals the big box stores do. When GC orders from Gibson, they order hundreds of guitars and get a bulk deal. The same cannot be said for a smaller store run by a family or the like.

GC can afford to pass the savings on to you, and that is expressed in their customer service.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by jimbxavier

A third tradeoff would be that because of the less-than-corporate demographic of the smaller shops, the floor guitars will be better setup and less worn. Playing a floor model at a Guitar Center is like letting your guitar go for a year without a string change.

Definitely. And having them throw in a free setup on a floor model is worth some money right there. I hear stories about how floor models are beat up at GC, but they can't ALL be beat up. If you find a guitar you like but it isn't set up to your liking, ask them to throw in a free set up. Heck, I did that at my local place on a guitar that wasn't a floor model and I had already negotiated a price on - it was a 52 RI Tele and they even did a "modern" switching and treble bleed mod on it for me for no extra charge along with the setup! Maybe I could have bought the guitar for a LITTLE cheaper somewhere else (but I doubt it) but they took care of me in a big way and I continue to shop with them because they do take such good care of me.

[Engel]

Originally Posted by jimbxavier

A third tradeoff would be that because of the less-than-corporate demographic of the smaller shops, the floor guitars will be better setup and less worn.

Not always the case. I have been to some mom and pop places where I couldn't even play the guitars off the wall without sliding my hand down the neck and getting my palm cut by the fret wires.

The guy that owned that particular shop was a piano tech that knew nothing about guitars. I ended up getting to know him decently and he offered me a job working there and giving lessons. I would have taken the job but I couldn't with constant deployments.

[Jim]

Originally Posted by Engel

Not always the case. I have been to some mom and pop places where I couldn't even play the guitars off the wall without sliding my hand down the neck and getting my palm cut by the fret wires.

The guy that owned that particular shop was a piano tech that knew nothing about guitars. I ended up getting to know him decently and he offered me a job working there and giving lessons. I would have taken the job but I couldn't with constant deployments.

That's a good point. You do want to go to a place that knows what it's doing.