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THE
14
MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
overcome by agreements between the dealers of the
cities.
Interesting Views Expressed by Many of the Leading Piano Merchants on The Review Editorial
J. A. Stewart, of the Farrand Co., called atten-
Covering This Subject—All Would Like the Adoption of Some Such Policy in the Piano tion to the varying condition ol second-hand
Business—Leonard Davis' Clearing House Idea—Other Opinions on the Subject
pianos, according to the usage they had been sub-
jected to. It might cost so much more to rejuve-
an
agreement,"
said
T.
M.
Fletcher,
general
sales
(Special to The Review.)
nate one piano than another of the same age and
manager
of
the
Melville
Clark
Piano
Co.,
who
Detroit, Mich., Jan. 28, 1913.
manufacture that the trade-in value must neces-
Detroit piano. dealers were much interested in stopped in Detroit on his way home from New
sarily differ.
York
and
discussed
the
trade-in
editorial.
"Th<
The Review's analysis in the last issue of the
But they all would be heartily in favor of some
scheme might be feasible with the absolutely high-
"trade-in" problems they are confronted with every
such plan as The Review advocates, if a workable
grade
pianos,
and
perhaps
with
player-pianos
day. Various plans for fixing a standard value for
in general, for there is not such a flood of cheap one can be devised, for it would give a stability
used pianos have been talked over at intervals for
to piano merchandising which is lacking now.
players
as there is of pianos. The cost of
years, but nothing practical ever has been evolved.
"I think I see a way out of it that would be feasi-
"The basis of it all," said E. P. Andrew, "would a high-grade piano depends upon the workman-
ble
if general relations of amicability could be es-
ship rather than upon the material. In a cheap
have to be an ironclad agreement. And in Detroit
tablished," said Leonard Davis. ''One of our big-
piano
the
cost
is
in
the
material.
The
material
at least they wouldn't live up to the agreement,
gest troubles here is having our store cluttered up
even if there was a penalty attached and a deposit for a high-grade piano, while more expensive and
with second-hand instruments, as always is the
better,
does
not
cost
several
hundred
dollars
more
made with the secretary of the association to be
case
when business is brisk. Sometimes we sell as
than that for a cheap one, as many people seem to
forfeited in case of a violation."
many Apollos that when we get the trade-ins on
think.
It
is
the
labor
that
is
necessary
to
complete
"The flexibility of the piano business precludes
the floor there are more old pianos in the house
such an agreement," said A. H. Hawes, city sales the fineness of the best pianos that brings the price
than there are new ones. Then we have to adver-
manager of Grinnell Bros. "The real solution of
up-
tise- them to get rid of them. All other mrchants
this problem lies with the manufacturers Tather
"Thought wages are different in different cities,
than the dealers. If one dealer has a line upon they do not vary enough to make an appreciable have the same difficulty.
"Now, why couldn't we establish a sort of clear-
which he makes a profit of a hundred dollars per difference in the cost of pianos. Therefore the
ing
house, rent a store somewhere which should
instrument, for instance, and a neighbor has a line manufacturers could, if they would, fix standard
upon which he makes $200 per instrument profit, a prices, wholesale and retail, on certain grades of Le known as the central second hand piano store
second-hand piano is worth more to him than it is pianos. The margin of profit being the same, one of the city? We could pu: a -ouple of men in
charge who were not affiliated with any of the
to the first man."
dealer would not have an advantage over another
The piano merchants envy the typewriter folks in the same class of goods, and thus the actual /••pfular stores. When it came to taking a piano
ir> trade, let one of the men in charge of tlut
and wish they could follow their method. If a value of a second-hand piano could be fixed."
ttorc view it and fix a value upon it, without tak-
man has a second-hand typewriter which he wants
It seemed to be the general opinion, however,
to trade in toward the price of a new one, the that any attempt to fix prices for the high-grade ing iiito consideration the valu* of the instrument
it was to be traded for. Such a valuation wouid
dealer produces a book containing the pedigree of
lines would be frustrated by the conditions sur-
be
an intrinsic one, based upon the price for which
all the typewriters in the world. Typewriters have rounding the manufacture and sale of cheap in-
factory numbers marking their individual identity struments. The value of a cheap piano is almost the piano could be sold. Then, instead of having
the instrument sent to the dealer's store, have it
forever. This universa>l catalog has these numbers intangible.
sent to the second-hand store, to be sold there and
arranged so that the number of each machine dis-
"The thousands of stencil pianos also complicate
closes the year in which it was made. A price is the situation," he continued. "It's getting so that the amount credited to the dealer's account. The
set opposite that number, and it goes, whether the even the manufacturers cannot tell by the inscrip- dealers could combine, or form a sort of corpora-
machine is practically new or is mere junk. If it is tion on the fall board who made the piano. How tion for the conduct of the second-hand store. It
junk, it can be rebuilt. If the owner of the second- could we fix a value on that class of goods? It wouldn't have to be advertised. Being the only
hand machine does not like the sum offered him seems to me that this problem is up to the manu- one in town, it would soon become known as an
for it, he can take it back home, for every other facturers. If it gets to a stage wher dealers institution, just as a public ma-ket is. It could be
e
agency in the United States will offer him exactly swamp themselves with unprofitable trades and go in a side street, and thus the expense would be
small.
the same amount.
to the wall, the manufacturers will be the biggest
'Under this plan, no matter to what store a
The Detroit piano merchants would like very sufferers. If they can evolve some way of fixing
much to see some such policy adopted in the piano standard prices and discounts among themselves, maii applied for a chance to trade-in his piano, he
business. It would fix values absolutely. But be- the dealers in the cities can do the rest, simply be- would be met with the same valuation. This would
fore it could be attempted the piano manufacturers cause there would be none of the sort of competi- i-ave a lot of time now lost in dickering, and would
result in the prospect buying the piano he really
would have to get together and adopt standard tion that would knock out our agreements."
liked best, instead of being influenced by the price
values for their instruments, both retail and whole-
A. H. Hawes said that freight rates to far parts
sale, and adopt an arbitrary business policy which of the country and the variation of general ex- offered for his old one."
would insure their dealers living up to the prices.
penses in different cities would have to be taken
HANDLING A GOOD PIANO LINE.
"Otherwise, the dealers would not live up to into consideration, but thought that this could be
Farwell, Dick & Walker, of Binghamton, N. Y.,
whose inauguration of a piano department was re-
G
ported in The Review some months ago, have ar-
ranged their new department in a very effective
o
manner. They are handling the Chickering, Francis
Bacon, Tremaine, Price & Teeple and other pianos,
as well as the Peerless line of automatic instru-
ments. Mr. Smyth is manager of and buyer for
the piano department of this establishment.
DETROIT PIANO MEN DISCUSS TRADE-IN PROBLEMS.
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W. F. PETERS PLEASED.
Inventory Shows That Business for 1912
Greatly Exceeds Expectations—Now Work-
ing on New Styles.
W. F. Peters, head of the W. F. Peters Co.,
281-283 East 137th street, New York, maker of
Peters and Valois & Williams pianos and player-
pianos, wore a smile when the representative of
The Review called this week. The cause of all
this was the fact that after the inventory was
taken and checked up last week it was found that
the business had increased during the last year con-
siderably beyond expectations.
"We feel that we have done very well and I
am very much pleased," said Mr. Peters. "We
expected to do more than last year, but find that
the increase was way beyond our highest hopes.
The Peters pianos and player-pianos have been in-
creasing in favor during the last twelve months,
as we have made many improvements in the in-
terior as well as exterior, and have created several
new agencies. We are now working on some new
styles, which will be on the market soon.'