gear - production - equipment shops online

[alec.tron]

hey.
seeing the dollar course & comparing prices it's really tempting buying stuff from the US right now. So I was wondering if anyone could recommend any store or manufacturers for gear for their support & general helpfullness-ness or had any negative experience with any ?
Was just wondering as the usual issues with warranty, support etc might be a bit more difficult and may outweigh the price difference again... but I guess that s depending on the Company & Store one s dealing with... hence the question...
Then again, the very nature of gear (midi controllers & Serato is what I m looking at ) is meant to be played live & travelling around the world should always be covered in gear warranties in case the thing goes apeshit....
So in case you had any experiences in that regard, good or bad, go on son...also if you've come across any similar threads on other forums, please link...
Churs.
c.

[daft cunt]

Buying oversea is tempting but there are a couple of things to consider while doing this:
* shipping is obvisouly more expensive.
* you may have to pay customs clearance taxes. It doesn't happen anytime but it has to be expected... Heads or tails.
* you'll need a 110/220v converter, which costs money and may add noise to the signal.

I only bought a Serato from the US because it's an USB powered device. Fortunately it went through customs without any additional taxes and shipping included it was like 40% cheaper than at Thomann for instance so that was a hell of a bargain but I recommend to think twice before buying there, depending on the device.

[alec.tron]

I only bought a Serato from the US....

Hi. Where did you order it and was the communication with the guys any good after they got your money ? Cos the problem with online stores generally seems to be that no one cares anymore as soon as they got your account details and you sent off the order.....and what did you pay for shipping ?
thought it might be best *if to have it all send to a friend in the US since shipping inside the US seems to be free a lot of times, and then further in my direction.... but seeing a 25kg box would cost 250 fckn euros...that s just silly....
Churs.
c.

[cixxxj]

yes ppl. Give advice on good stores!

[edwin katzer]

* you'll need a 110/220v converter, which costs money and may add noise to the signal.

I think actually a lot of the equipment nowadays does not need converters anymore, you could simply use a different external power supply (12V or 9V)
depending on the gear in question.
It is definitely a good idea to look at the manual and find out about supported power supplies tho.

[John Locke]

www.sweetwater.com

EVERYONE seems to get their gear from sweetwater. ive bought a few pieces. fast service. zero complaints.

had to pay import duty a couple of times, but still worked out cheaper than getting the same gear in europe. would prefer 2 give my money to some small shop here than a big monster business like sweetwater (well, its not coca cola or something, but still...) but cant afford NOT to buy where its cheaper

some places might put a lower value than what u paid on the customs documents so u pay less import duty if the package does get stopped. but probably only smaller places