The reason I want to buy from this shop, even if it's a little more expensive than Amazon.
Yesterday, I placed an order for some guitar wiring material that seemed a bit rare.
What I ordered was some vintage wiring material from Siemens.
Then today, I received a shipping notification email from Mr. Hatano at VWD21 SHOP.
Of course, it was a shipping notification, but it wasn't a robotic, automated-style message; it was a very polite email. Well, it might have been automated, though 💦
Well, it was just that simple thing.
But it made me think, 'I'm glad I bought from this shop.'
Amazon is convenient.
I use it almost every day, too.
Shipping is fast, and the prices are low.
It's not rare for things I want to arrive the very next day.
So, I have no intention of criticizing Amazon at all.
In fact, it's an essential part of my life now.
But when it comes to guitar parts and gear, it's a little different.
Of course, price is important.
But 'who I buy from' matters just as much to me.
It was the same when I bought my G5230T.
It was precisely because of my interactions with Mura-chan from Sumiya Goody that that guitar became more than just a used instrument.
The Concert II is the same.
I bought that on Mura-chan's recommendation, and having it repaired by Mr. Nishida at THE AMP SHOP made it an amp I'm even more attached to.
I'm sure this Siemens wiring material will end up being the same way.
Wiring material isn't visible once it's inside a guitar.
You probably won't think, 'This is all thanks to this wiring!' while you're playing.
Even so, the memory of 'I bought this from this person' remains.
If we're talking only about price, there might be cheaper shops out there.
I'm sure there are wiring materials with better cost performance, too.
But if I can have a pleasant shopping experience for just a few hundred yen more, that's what I'd choose.
Even now, when online shopping has become the norm, human-to-human interaction still remains.
In fact, perhaps that's exactly why a single email can leave such an impression.
Recently, I've been writing more articles recommending products on Amazon.
But at the same time, I think about this.
The things I want to buy on Amazon are different from the things I want to buy from a person.
It's not a question of which one is right.
Both have their own merits.
I will continue to use Amazon.
But for things I'll be using for a long time, like guitars and gear, I want to cherish the shopping experiences where I can feel, 'I'm glad I bought this from this person.'
The wiring material hasn't arrived yet.
But I'm looking forward to it just a little bit more now.
That's not because it's Siemens wiring, but because it's wiring I bought from Mr. Hatano at TMD VWD21 SHOP.