FOLK
NOTES TRADE-UP
PROGRAM
Our
trade-up policy applies to any new stringed instrument purchased from
us. If you decide to upgrade to another instrument, no matter how
long ago you made your initial purchase from us, we will give you 75%
of your original purchase price
for your used instrument, provided it shows minimal wear and tear and
can be sold as a 'gently used' instrument.
How our trade-up program works:
The trade-up program is only available to
the original purchaser of a new instrument bought from Folk Notes. The
instrument you are upgrading to must cost at
least $25 more than the current price, or if we no longer carry the instrument
traded in, the original price, of the originally
purchased instrument. This policy doesn't apply to used instruments we
may have in stock, or instruments originally bought from us used. The
instrument traded in should only show modest signs of wear. Some scuffs
and small scratches are to be expected with an instrument that has been
played regularly, and a small ding or two may not affect the trade in
value, depending on where and how obvious it is. Instruments submitted
for trade-in that have scratches through the finish, more than minimal
scuffs and scratches, or obvious, major, or numerous, dings or dents,
will be assessed at lower than 75% trade-in value when we inspect them.
If you expect to ever take advantage of our trade-up deal, try to take
the best care of your instrument that you can.... but don't ever
let it get in the way of your enjoyment of your instrument, or deter
you from playing exuberantly, if that is your style. The enjoyment we
get out of our music is worth it, even if it costs us a few bucks more!
Your trade-up credit applies to our current prices on any standard or
in stock instruments we carry. If your trade-in instrument was shipped
to you and not bought on-site in our shop, and shipping was part of the
purchase price, the cost of shipping at the time of purchase will be
deducted before the trade-up percentage is calculated. If your
instrument was purchased as a package deal, as most hammered dulcimers
are, it can be traded back as a package(with the exception of
electronic tuners, which will be deducted before the percentage is
assessed). We don't take additional accessories that may have been
purchased at the same time as part of the trade-in. If you have added
to or customized an instrument, additional credit will not be given for
the customization, no matter how desirable it was for your playing
experience. In fact, some customizations, such as a bunch of extra
frets added to a mountain dulcimer, may diminish the trade in value of
your instrument, if it is something that will make it appeal to a
smaller group of potential buyers. The same thing may apply to
customized instruments that may have been special ordered through
us(for instance a dulcimer with soundholes shaped like bats). If you
special order an instrument with the thought that you might ever want
to take advantage of our trade-up offer, you might want to ask about
how any custom features might affect the value of the instrument. Some
custom features would be desirable, and others may not be.
You need to call us to authorize the return of your instrument as part
of
our trade-up program, and you need to include the original receipt or a
legible copy of it. When you have let us know of your intention to take
advantage of our trade-up offer, you need to pack your instrument and
case (depending on whether the case is to be part of the deal),
according to UPS guidelines and send it prepaid, fully insured, to us
at Folk Notes. We are not responsible for damage in shipping to us, so
be sure to buy adequate insurance. You need to provide us with a
tracking number for the shipment once you have it on it's way. As soon
as we receive it, we will let you know, so the rest of the arrangements
for the trade can be finalized. Your cost will be the difference
between the value of your trade in, and the value of
the merchandise you are ordering, plus the price of shipping
your merchandise to you.
Some competitors
with "100%" trade-up offers, are selling used instruments, which must look
new when
taken in under their trade-up plans(read their full
trade-up policies), as "NEW, previously owned" for
the
exact same price
as their actually new instruments. They are able to sell them this way
because they stock very few actual new instruments compared to the
number of new instruments they offer for sale(which they order and have
drop shipped from a
supplier after a customer commits to buy). Therefore customers anxious
to receive a new instrument quickly, will pay the new price for a used
('NEW, previously owned') instrument as long as the shop warranties it
as new. At Folk Notes there is no such thing as a 'new, previously
owned' instrument, and while we expect a trade-up instrument to not
show signs of really heavy usage or mishandling, we also don't expect
it to look brand new with just a bit of polishing, because we will be
selling it as a 'gently used' instrument. We always have most of the
new instruments we offer
available for immediate shipment, which means we have invested in them,
so we can't, and won't, sell used instruments as new, when we can
take an actual new instrument off of our showroom wall or out of a box,
inspect it, check
it for
proper set-up, and ship it to our customers the next day, or two at the
most.