How did I miss this?

[tbn.al]

Custon has an eBay store.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mirafone-185-CC-Tub ... dZViewItem" target="_blank

[The Jackson]

Check out the 5th valve mechanism on the Mirafone! It looks pretty nice.

[tbn.al]

http://stores.ebay.com/Custom-Music-Company

I just missed the fact that they had a store up on eBay. How long has this been going on?

[tbn.al]

Well duh! Don't I feel even sillier now. Thanks for calling the obvious, which I had also totally missed, to my attention.

[tbn.al]

It says that the member who started up the store joined in May of 2008.

It also says they have made all of 3 sales in that time. Not exactly burning it up. No, I wasn't interested at all in this particular auction, just found it odd that I had totally missed thier participation in FleaBay.

[MaryAnn]

It just goes to show that some instrumentalists have missed their true calling as used car salesmen.

Reminds me of my visit to a dealership in which the very first question out of the saleman's mouth was "Are you shopping or buying?" You can imagine my reply, and the extent of the business I gave him. (Entering into "discussion" with these types only encourages them; but I would like to line up a series of people who would go in and request this person, tie him up for four hours, and not buy, using up all his time for an entire month.) Sales "closes" don't work on me, except to get me mad. And a close that is the first thing that is said to you, has a predictable result. I know people who went and bought a used version of the car they really wanted, because the dealership (a different one, but still here in town) was so over-the-top obnoxious that they decided they just didn't need a new car, if they had to buy it from that dealer.

And, BTW, I used a broker, who got me a screamin' deal on exactly the car I wanted; far better than anything else I could find, by thousands of $$, and at zero (ZERO) hassle. I think he got it out of Nevada, where apparently they are not such jerks as they are in Tucson.

MA

[MaryAnn]

Weeellll....the jerkazoids don't always win. I had been talking to a nice, young, new, female salesperson at one of the lots described above, who had been very helpful and had actually listened when I told her what my needs were. She accepted it when I told her I was still in the checking out phase, and that the car she had shown me had made the short list. It was when I was leaving to go to the next dealer on my list, that a jerkazoid came out to show her "how to make a sales close." That was the point where I found out that this particular dealership taught their salespeople that keeping the potential buyer engaged in conversation, even bordering-on-threats-of-violence conversation, was the MO to making a sale. It took me about five minutes to figure this out and head for the door. He followed me, calling out "I'm sorry!" and, well, you know by now that I kept walking and did not go back. And will not, ever. And the nice young lady who may very well have sold me a car during round #2, was probably told that because I left, I wasn't really a potential buyer anyway. That's how the brokers stay in business.

This was the first new car I ever bought, and it wouldn't have occurred except that I found a broker. All previous visits to car lots had resulted in my buying a used car from an individual. If dealers knew how often this happened, they might change their tactics.

MA

[tbn.al]

Well this post has gone down a path the OP did not anticipate, but is a topic that is near and dear to him. I left the teaching profession for life as an insurance salesman in the late 70's. I made a lot of money early but really didn't like myself much. In 1983, as a young manager, I was asked to teach a course using the Ken Blanchard One Minute Manager books. It changed my life. Here is my favorite quote from Ken, "The Wonderful Paradox - I have more fun and enjoy more financial success when I stop trying to get what I want and start helping other people get what they want". I just copied that directly from the plaque on the wall in front of my face. You don't really have to operate from the dark side to sell effectively. I value my client's good will far more than any sale. When managers try to force the dark side down my throat, and they do, I just roll over and let them kiss my grits. I have to be careful or I'll start quoting scripture, but God put us here to help folks, not hurt them.