[SOLVED!] Does Sweetwater Price Match

Once it comes to purchasing instruments and audio equipment, Sweetwater is the go-to brand of many music enthusiasts. That being said, not everyone understands the way Sweetwater conducts its business which leads to questions like “Does Sweetwater price match?”. Some claim that Sweetwater provides price matching while others claim that there is no such thing. If you intend to buy something from Sweetwater and like to determine whether there is a price match policy, read to the end. 

Summary

In layman’s terms, Sweetwater indeed provinces price matching but only for selected items. That means you can request price matching if the item that you seek is included in their price matching list. Of course, if that item is not on the list, the company won’t provide price matching. The policy of Sweetwater is the reason why different people reply differently once asked about price matching. 

To request price matching, contact Sweetwater at (800) 536-8463 prior to making purchases. 

Insights Into Price Matching

You don’t know much about price matching (also known as price guarantee)? Well, simply put, it is a way for customers to ask retailers to lower the prices of products to match the prices of the same products sold by another company. You may think of it as a form of “haggling”:  you ask merchant A to lower the cost of an item because merchant B sells the same item for cheaper. Of course, due to significant differences between retailers and merchants, the process is more complicated in reality. 

You will have to take into account the issues down below:

Determine whether the retailer provides price matching

In the beginning, look around and see if the company you’re planning to buy from provides price matching. Such retailers usually state that if you manage to locate the same item at a lower cost than theirs, they will attempt to match the price.

Make sure that the items you are comparing are identical

Needless to say, price matching only applies to identical items and people will turn you away if you don’t do your research. You can’t compare the price of an apple to an orange. Double-check the items’ name, size, brand, and barcode as a precaution. 

Prepare some form of proof

If you want your request to be accepted, you’ll need to get some proof that another retailer is selling the item in question at a lower price. That is usually simpler than it sounds as showing them the competitor company’s price on a website should be enough in most of the cases.

Avoid sales and discount offers

It goes without saying that you can’t compare an item that’s on sale for 50% of its original price vs. one that isn’t on sale at all. Retail stores can and will exclude these deals from their price match policy. Hence, you should not expect things like clearance sales, buy one get one free deals, special promotions, etc…. to qualify for price matching. 

Stick to local companies

As price fluctuations may also be attributed to geographical differences, it is best to look for lower-priced items in the local area.

Check in-stock status

If you succeed in locating the item you seek at a lower price from another company but it’s out of stock, price matching may not be unavailable. When you want to request price matching, it’s suggested that you do so by contacting the store on their website or through a phone call. You should do all of that before you make your purchase but some stores may refund you the difference in cash if you request price matching within a certain amount of time following the purchase.

Top Retail Stores For Musical Instruments 

Whether you’re looking for stores to buy from or to compare prices with, there isn’t a lack of music stores you can find in America aside from Sweetwater. Here is a list of names that you should keep in mind:

• Guitar Center: As the name suggests, Guitar Center specializes in guitars and has a wide selection from various brands. They also offer good deals as well as repair services.
• Sam Ash Music Store: Sam Ash Music Store provides many products from a variety of major brands. Furthermore, they also have new books and audio services to help learners improve their skills at playing instruments.
• B&H Photos & Videos: B&H Photos & Videos is widely known for cheap prices and swift delivery. It is worth noting that they have maintained a 5-star rating in all seven key categories.
• Musician’s Friend: Despite not having a physical store, Musician’s Friend is still a very popular international online music store. They have a very good reputation and offer high-quality products as well as a 2-year warranty for guitars and percussion instruments.
• Zzounds: Zzounds offers an extensive list of products for a lot of categories while guaranteeing the lowest prices for their products. Additionally, they deliver within 2 days and you can even return the product within as long as 45 days.