Instrument pricingWe aim to provide customers with the best instruments possible, fully optimised to our high standards and at competitive prices. All new woodwind and brass instrument prices on our website our maintained on our Perfect Performance guarantee (for more details on what this includes, please see the Guarantee page). We will try our hardest to price match, in the unlikely event of you finding a comparable instrument, set up to the same high standard with our added guarantees, stocked at a lower price elsewhere. However, please remember that we do go that extra mile for you.
Price rises on music
The prices shown on this website are correct at the time that the relevant item was last in stock. Every time we receive an order from one of our suppliers, some of the prices change. Currently, this makes it impossible to keep all the prices on this website (and in our printed catalogues) up-to-date in "real-time". Items which are currently in stock (which constitutes the bulk of our catalogue) should be listed at the correct price; however, items which are currently out of stock may have changed price (but prices can come down as well as go up!)
Price rises can sometimes be as little as 50p on a piece of music. In the case of overseas publications or re-printed publications it can be several pounds.
Rest assured, the maximum price you'll ever pay is the UK recommended retail price, as set by our suppliers, and we never add any hidden costs or surcharges.
Customers sometimes find a sudden jump in the price of a piece of music totally incomprehensible. This is quite understandable and needs explaining.
Music, to be economical, has to be printed in large quantities to keep the unit cost down. This means that stocks can last for many years - in fact many publishers still have quantities of pre-war stock in their warehouses.
Printing and paper costs rise continually. Paper alone is rising at 20% per annum at present (i.e. in 5 years time the paper will cost twice as much as it does now). If a piece of music has to be reprinted even a few years after its original printing the rise in costs can be alarming. In order to keep that music available, and to stay in business, the publisher has to pass on the higher price.
Some publishers raise their prices a little each year, to make the progression more gradual, but even they are liable to be given nasty surprises by their printers. To prove this, pop into your local printer with a piece of music and ask for an estimate for 500 copies. Take the unit cost and work out the retail price, having allowed for a trade discount of at least 35% on sales to shops, or 55-60% to an overseas agent, a composer’s or editor’s royalty of at least 10% and a profit margin which will allow you to pay your staff, advertise and eat. (Rule-of-Thumb is unit cost x 5 (absolute minimum) to cover these).
Naturally, mistakes in invoicing can occur, so if you feel a price is utterly wrong do query it, but we hope you will now understand some of the publisher’s problems if the price is found to be correct.
(Many thanks to June Emerson for this enlightening extract)
Price rises on instruments
Most of our suppliers update their prices once a year, and these prices are current on our website. However, prices on instruments sourced from overseas suppliers can vary widely, due to variations in exchange rates and precious metal prices. Price rises can happen suddenly, and manufacturers who deal in precious metals often have a "sliding scale" price list, meaning that retail prices change with the metal price. As a recent example of how prices fluctuate, the price of silver rose by over 90% between April 2005 and April 2006, and gold hit a 25-year high in 2006.
As a result, many prices on top-end instruments are listed as "POA", so please do not hesitate to get in touch for a "real-time" quote.
Discounts
We are sorry not to be able to offer 'educational' or 'professional' discounts on printed music to our mail-order customers. The reasons are that we keep a massive stock and spend considerable man power providing as immediate a service as possible. This involves an enormous investment which has to be funded. However, we do offer 'professional' discounts to customers who make the time to visit our shop.
Prices in other currencies
As a guide for our overseas customers, we provide a currency converter on our site to show prices in either US $ (USD) or Euros € (EUR). Please note that the exchange rate is set daily; however currency exchange rates are constantly changing so prices in currencies other than GBP (Pounds Sterling) will never be 100% accurate and should be taken as a guide only. Most credit card companies levy a surcharge of around 3% on foreign currency transactions, so please take this into account. Any charge to your credit card will be in GBP (Pounds Sterling). We can only accept payments in GBP (Pounds Sterling). If you send a payment in a foreign currency, it will be converted into GBP (Pounds Sterling) by our bank.
Shipping
Items will be despatched by fast mail order on receipt of your order. Orders are usually only despatched on weekdays. We aim to deliver in-stock items within two-three working days within the UK.
Also see
Guarantee
Educational Try Before You Buy Scheme |
