[weatherman]

I have a dream of opening a web site that sells and rents and trades cymbals, cymbal appliances, etc... Like you, I believe strongly in trying a cymbal before purchasing it. But the on-line stores don't give you this op. I think it would be good for a drummer to try cymbals at home/gig for 3 weeks to test and compare the sound in a familiar setting, with their other cymbals and their own kit. The site I'm dreamin about would offer to ship several cymbals at a time. Maybe 2 or 3similarly sized or similar types of cymbals to compare. Maybe an expensive one, modestly priced one and an ecomony one. Or, maybe all expensive from different companies. I think there would be a rental fee until the cymbal(s) were either purchased or returned. I would like your comments and any gut feeling if this would be worth it to you instead of buying strictly from Musician's Friend or visiting your Guitar Center or warehouse music store. Shipping costs would not be charged for the returned cymbal. I wonder if there are people that already have done this or, is it just not worth the wait to actually have the cymbal at home before you buy it.
Thanks! G

[skinslapper]

I would personally love to have this service available to me, however I can't help but think the logistics of such a business would be a nightmare and given the very focused demographic and eventual cost to the customer, I'm not sure the company could sustain itself.

Don't be downheartened. That's just my opinion. Keep on dreaming, the world needs more forward thinkers.

[guss]

I would start buying cymbals online! Personaly I buy from my local music store.I know others do buy online, I am lucky to have a good supply and at close store. But others do need a good online store.

Good luck,
I will send my words to others,
~ Gus

[weatherman]

Guss and Skinslapper - awesome thoughts. I'm not much into starting my own risky business. You see... this would be a side job for me and I would not expect it to sustain my family. My father sold organs and pianos all my life. He just retired last year. He's not altogether sure about the business aspect - that is, he doesn't see it succeeding. But, I've been thinking that although it has many negative points, there are equally as many positive points. I have been thinking about this for awhile and I think it might be worth alittle risk. I am taking your words of caution to heart Skinslapper and Guss and also thanks for the encouragement.
weatherman

[guss]

Some people donate blood... others sell organs! For what ever happens in the future, at this momment im wishing you good luck.

[SirBlastsAlot]

It seems good on paper, but one must take into account, what does one do with returned damaged cymbals? You surely cannot re-sell used cymbals as new, and how would you keep track of them all? You would need serial numbers and such... Its a good idea, but alot of time would have to be devoted to the managerial tasks like those above... Maybe doing what some companies do and have a sound WAV portion of your site to playing that cymbals with sticks, mallets, etc... and have like a kit building flash thing like zildjian has to put all your cymbals around a kit and hear what they sound like together....

Just a thought, but good luck to you!

	Zildjian Cymbals Shop for Zildjian Cymbals at Musician's Friend

[weatherman]

[quote=SirBlastsAlot;14811]It seems good on paper, but one must take into account, what does one do with returned damaged cymbals? You surely cannot re-sell used cymbals as new,

I thought about damaged cymbals. Selling damaged goods as new cannot be done. I will respect the fact that the definition of 'new' is not a matter of interpretation. New means 'not used' and 'in perfect, original condition'. I don't want to differ at all with the expectations of the general public and I don't want to sell something that has been 'used' as 'new'. This is a great concern as it will affect pricing greatly. The intent of the web site is for the drummer, musician and store to receive cymbals to test out with their own kit, wherever they choose. So, if a customer uses a cymbal for anything more than playing it in order to hear the sounds it makes, the cymbal must be considered 'used'. If returned, a careful inspection must be done to determine it's condition. It must be cleaned thoroughly. If the cymbal was played lightly (as a customer may do at GuitarCenter, Drum Pad or a music store), I don't have a problem re-stocking it as new. But, if it was heavily used for a gig, I would have to reduce the price by some amount and advertise that cymbal as 'demo'. Since the merchandise is really out of my control once it ships, I have to make certain agreements with the customer. First, the customer and I must make a reasonable agreement about the condition of returned cymbals. We must agree about several things, money not the least of these. It is up to me to determine if the customer is able to respect and carry-through these agreements. So, yes, I hear what you say. Just a short thought on tracking the cymbal... technology is the answer. I will mark each cymbal using transparent ink under the bell. The mark will be a bar-code. It will not be removable and will not affect sound seeing that most cymbal mfrs put their name on the top and bottom anyway. I appreciate your ideas. I am not sure about the viability yet and I know there's competion on-line already. These are great concerns. Greg

[StickBreaker16]

I love the thought of trying out cymbals before I buy them. The closest good music store to me is Sam Ash which is about 20 miles away...And even they dont have that many cymbals on display, it looks like most of them were bought or not put up on display. I think that being able to rent a cymbal would be the best thing because hearing a sample online isnt enough to make a decision. Being able to feel and hear it is a whole different story.

At the moment I really buy cymbals based on price and reviews ive heard.

[parkerdj]

Originally Posted by weatherman

So, if a customer uses a cymbal for anything more than playing it in order to hear the sounds it makes, the cymbal must be considered 'used'. If returned, a careful inspection must be done to determine it's condition. It must be cleaned thoroughly. If the cymbal was played lightly (as a customer may do at GuitarCenter, Drum Pad or a music store), I don't have a problem re-stocking it as new. But, if it was heavily used for a gig, I would have to reduce the price by some amount and advertise that cymbal as 'demo'. Since the merchandise is really out of my control once it ships, I have to make certain agreements with the customer. First, the customer and I must make a reasonable agreement about the condition of returned cymbals. We must agree about several things, money not the least of these. It is up to me to determine if the customer is able to respect and carry-through these agreements. So, yes, I hear what you say.

This smacks of Ned Flanders validating parking without a purchase!

Yes, your terms of use should DEFINITELY include a "you break it, you buy it" kind of stipulation, or else what's to stop someone from getting a cymbal from you, using it for a short studio session, and then sending it back free of charge? You have to have their credit card numbers on file, kind of like a hotel would for room/damage charges. This, in turn, is going to raise some privacy issues.

In addition, you'd be submarining your business model by allowing them to do something like that without a "paying in full" stipulation. YOU still have to get them new from the manufacturer, and if you can't sell them at "new" prices, your business will go under before you've hardly even started.

"Try before you buy" is a great thing, as I myself would never buy a cymbal without hitting it first! But, you have to limit your generosity, as there are people out there that would take advantage of it.

[juan (the ping-pong ref.)]

This would be cool. You could also tape your self testing the cymbal so the have an idea of what it sounds like and how big it really is before they but it, if they are first timers.