Why We're Stepping Away from eBay and Amazon

For many years, platforms like eBay and Amazon have been powerful tools for retailers. They offer huge audiences, instant visibility, and a relatively easy way to put products in front of potential customers.

Like many independent music shops, we've used them ourselves.

However, over time we've found ourselves asking an increasingly important question:

Are these platforms actually helping independent music retailers build sustainable businesses, or are they simply creating more work for less reward?

The Race to the Bottom

One of the biggest challenges with marketplaces is that they encourage price competition above almost everything else.

Customers are presented with dozens, sometimes hundreds, of listings for the same product, all displayed side by side.

The result is predictable.

Retailers are pushed into undercutting each other, often reducing already thin margins in an attempt to win a sale.

For large corporations operating at enormous scale this may be manageable.

For independent music shops, it can become a race to the bottom.

The Fees Add Up

Selling through marketplaces isn't free.

Between selling fees, payment processing fees, advertising costs, promoted listings, shipping expenses and returns, a significant portion of the sale can disappear before the retailer sees any profit.

Many customers are surprised to learn how little remains after all of these costs are deducted.

The headline sale price often bears little resemblance to what actually lands in the business bank account.

The Growing Problem of Counterfeit Products

One issue that has become increasingly frustrating is the sheer volume of counterfeit products appearing on online marketplaces.

For many years, counterfeit goods were relatively easy to spot. Poor packaging, obvious spelling mistakes and suspiciously low prices often gave them away.

Today, that's no longer the case.

Many counterfeit products are extremely convincing. Packaging is copied, logos are reproduced, and product descriptions are often lifted directly from genuine manufacturers. To the average customer, they can appear completely legitimate.

In the music industry, we regularly see counterfeit guitar strings, accessories, pickups, pedals, sax reeds and even entire instruments.

The problem is particularly noticeable with strings.

In our experience, it is not unusual to encounter counterfeit strings being sold through online marketplaces. We regularly report suspicious listings, but removing them often feels like a game of whack-a-mole. One listing disappears and another quickly appears in its place.

The difficulty is that most customers don't know what they're looking for.

The thought process is understandable:

"They're only strings. If they're a few pounds cheaper, what's the harm?"

Unfortunately, that thinking is often flawed.

Strings may look identical in photographs, but the quality of the materials, manufacturing standards, packaging and storage conditions can vary dramatically. Counterfeit strings often have shorter lifespans, inconsistent tuning stability, poor intonation and a noticeably different playing feel.

When they fail prematurely, many customers don't realise they've bought a counterfeit product. Instead, they assume the genuine manufacturer has produced an inferior product.

The damage is therefore felt by everyone.

The customer receives a poorer experience.

The manufacturer suffers reputational harm.

Authorised retailers lose sales to products that should never have been on the market in the first place.

What concerns us most is that counterfeit goods erode trust.

If a customer buys a product that appears genuine but performs poorly, they naturally begin questioning whether the next purchase will be any better.

As retailers, we spend significant amounts of time and money building relationships with manufacturers, training staff, maintaining stock and supporting warranty claims. Competing against counterfeit goods sold through anonymous online accounts creates a challenge that many independent businesses simply shouldn't have to face.

This isn't about protecting profit margins.

It's about protecting customers and ensuring that musicians receive the genuine products they believe they are purchasing.

When you buy from an authorised dealer, you're not simply paying for a product. You're paying for authenticity, manufacturer support, warranty protection and the reassurance that what you're buying is exactly what it claims to be.

Music Is Personal

Perhaps the biggest reason we're pulling back is that music retail is about much more than simply shipping boxes.

When somebody walks into a guitar shop, they're often looking for advice, inspiration and reassurance.

They want to compare instruments.

They want to ask questions.

They want to speak to someone who understands what they're trying to achieve.

That human interaction simply doesn't exist in a marketplace listing.

A guitar isn't just another commodity. Neither is a saxophone, a piano, an amplifier or a set of strings.

Musical instruments become part of people's lives.

Supporting Independent Businesses Matters

Independent music shops play an important role in their communities.

We sponsor events.

We support local musicians.

We provide repairs and servicing.

We offer expertise built through years, often decades, of experience.

When customers choose to buy directly from independent retailers, more of that money stays within the local economy and helps sustain those services.

So Are We Leaving eBay and Amazon Completely?

Not necessarily.

These platforms still have their place and may remain useful for certain products and situations.

But our focus is increasingly shifting towards our own website, our physical store, and direct relationships with our customers.

We believe the future of independent music retail lies in offering something that marketplaces cannot:

Knowledge.

Service.

Trust.

Community.

The internet has made it easier than ever to buy products.

Our job is to offer reasons to buy from people.

And that's where we believe independent music shops still have a huge advantage.

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At Foulds Guitars, we remain committed to helping musicians find the right instruments, maintain them properly, and enjoy making music for years to come.

Whether you shop online, visit us in-store, or simply stop by for advice, we appreciate your support.