Refresh me as to why Gibson doesn't allow stores to show stock online

[The dman]

I know this has been talked about and I don't remember the reasoning but what a shame that I can view all these different guitars from different manufacturers online to see whats they have except when it comes to Gibson. In this day and age it just seems backwards to me. What's the big deal? I'm a lefty and it's hard enough finding guitar without this extra game of who hid the cheese. Don't give prices online if that's the problem but at least show the damn stock

[clayville]

I don't know what Gibson would say about this, but eight years ago or so when they forbid all but a small handful of retailers to show specific guitars online the reasoning seemed centered on the nature of their "exclusive territory" agreements with individual retailers.

 

Some of them, and ultimately Gibson, found it problematic for local stores to have to compete with the superior online marketing of stores in another region. Guitars were parachuting into the "exclusive territory" of another dealer and I believe in Gibson's view that threatened their established distribution network.

 

I'll leave it to others to debate the wisdom of that decision (especially when it is coupled with other decisions like offering 'exclusive' configurations and pricing to national retailers, and how THAT might effect their independent retailers). But those were the issues that mere players debated at the time.

 

I can say without a doubt that I never would have bought my beloved CS-356 - from an independent retailer on the other side of the country - if I hadn't first fallen in love with it's photo and received superior service to that of my local dealer. There simply were none to be found in my major market city at the time - and I imagine lefty's have similar difficulty.

[fortyearspickn]

There is perfect diversity here on our forum regarding the advantages of small, service focused,caring local retailers as opposed to the great variety and hands on playing opportunities available In the big box stores, compared to the great prices of the Internet stores. So, try not to upset the balance we've achieved in our agreeing to disagree. (Insert sarcasm emoticon here)

[Stringbreaker]

It shouldn't be an issue, really, unless you're wanting to see a specific used guitar or something like that. Every current and past Gibson model has a zillion pictures all over the internet, and Gibson has the pictures of all their acoustic models at their site. Plus, Gibson Acoustic has a Facebook page filled with shots.

[MiloMinderbinder]

It shouldn't be an issue, really, unless you're wanting to see a specific used guitar or something like that. Every current and past Gibson model has a zillion pictures all over the internet, and Gibson has the pictures of all their acoustic models at their site. Plus, Gibson Acoustic has a Facebook page filled with shots.

I think his point was about dealers not being able to even say what they have in stock. It would annoy me as well if I was looking for a particular model. Even a 5 star dealer can't guarantee to have all models all the time, and especially for lefties.

[Smurfbird]

There is a 5 star dealer about an hour from me, but the only way to know what they have is to stop in. You can call but they're not going to rattle off every model they have. Besides, some of the workers aren't clear on the different models (to be fair, who can keep up?), so you pretty much have to make a half-day of it just to get a basic answer.