How (where) do I find parts and materials? An answer!

[KiwiSqueezer]

Finding sources of spares and materials for accordion repair and rebuilding is discussed here from time to time and, from comments made, seems to be an increasing problem, at least for monoglot English-speakers: CGM, Deffner and FRM seem no longer active, and 'the Bay' is risky. Most will be aware of Carini, but I'm not alone in finding their account registration process too intrusive, and their web site chaotic, verging on impossible to use.

In a previous post, I mentioned that I was going to explore 'Accordéons Paris Sud', whose French-language-only web site shows products that I could not find elsewhere except Carini.

I'm happy to report that I'm now a well-satisfied customer. E-mail communication with the owner, Yoann Brechoteau, was in French, thanks to Google Translate and the half-century-old remnants of my schoolboy French. Yoann was friendly, patient, helpful and quick to reply to my excessive number of emails. Products received seem to be of good quality, sourced from quality providers - Italian straps, for example - and prices are competitive. He plans to produce an English-language version of his web site. At present, payment has to be made by international bank transfer, with its attendant fees, but he assures me that credit card payment is coming.

www.accordeonsparissud.com gets you to the main part of his business, www.accordeons.fr gets you to the parts, etc. section.

I previously also mentioned La Malle aux Accordéons, from whom I've also received good service. Their web site has a mostly well-translated English-language version, and email communication in English works, and seems to be welcome.

www.lamalleauxaccordeons.fr

Hope this helps someone...

 

[debra]

This is good to know!
For now I'm happy with Carini. I find the website quite usable, but it really helps if you know most of the accordion terminology in Italian.
When I registered many years ago the site did not even have https, but at least that part has been fixed by now.
Shipping costs are quite high and certainly too high for a small order, so you need to make sure you keep track of what you need and then make a large order.
And yes, I do know of others who find Carini difficult and maybe a French site will be easier to deal with (but it should be better when they get an English version).

 

[Rosie C]

Thanks for the recommendation for La Malle aux Accordéons. Lately I've been using Strings and Boxes - https://www.stringsandboxes.de (click on the little UK or US flags for English!) I find them pretty good, but then my accordions are both German.

 

[KiwiSqueezer]

I have recently placed an order with La Malle aux Accordéons. Before 'going live' and sending the order, I had built up a spreadsheet, to compensate for my unreliable memory, and to see how much I was going to have to fork out. When I'm on line, I try to keep my browser as secure as possible, so disable all cookies and all possible scripts. With cookies disabled, La Malle's site appeared to function adequately and displayed prices (which I duly entered into my spreadsheet). With cookies enabled, however, the prices shown on the site magically increased considerably!

I'm not very experienced in on-line shopping, and this behaviour surprised me. I discussed it with a friend, who has done a moderate amount of web site development, and is experienced in on-line transactions. He wasn't surprised to hear of my experience, having seen it himself, frequently. His opinion is that it is quite common, and that it's designed to attract custom by dangling falsely-low prices in front of the customer.

I have asked La Malle whether this behaviour of their site is intentional. I have not received a reply, although other questions were answered.

I'm not a conspiracy theorist, nor feel any need to wear a tin-foil hat, but am aware that the net is a jungle, and there are nefarious individuals out there. I'm not accusing La Malle of intentional dirty dealing, merely reporting my experience, but I thought someone might have a similar experience and might wonder...

 

[JerryPH]

Cookies basically can tell them where you are. They can artificially increase the prices to cover additional shipping costs or increase profits. It would be interesting to see if they honored orders made on systems without cookies or not.

KiwiSqueezer, which prices did you pay... the lower or higher one?

 

[KiwiSqueezer]

JerryPH Re. what you say about location and prices... I discovered that the prices charged by the late lamented 'The Book Depository' were geo-manipulated. In spite of their 'free delivery' pledge, using the Tor browser, with an exit portal near to BD's HQ (rather than on the opposite side of the world) magically reduced the prices - and the order worked!

My latest experience might indeed be be a geo-effect - that didn't occur to me, and I haven't investigated the possibility. Perhaps I'll have a look, using Tor, but I haven't installed it (yet) on the PC I'm currently using. Cookies have to be allowed for the ordering process to work, so there's no option to pay the lower, 'cookie-free' price. Then the freight charge (ouch!) is calculated on the basis of stated delivery address. Of course, one doesn't know whether this is the carrier's price, faithfully passed on, or has been inflated by the trader.

Another facet of this arcane international trade business is that VAT ( at 20% of entire order, including freight) is not levied on goods exported from the EU (there may be limits on value, and other exceptions, about which I don't know). There is then no GST (NZ's equivalent of VAT, at 15%) levied, provided the total value is less than NZ$1,000, and import duties don't seem to be an issue. Therefore, provided the freight charges can be covered, buying - and having delivered - stuff from the opposite side of the world can be cheaper than the price paid by the exporting nation's public. And, of course - if it's available at all here - it will be half the price, or less, than on NZ shelves. With bureaucrats running the world, there's no hope...

[Update - FWIW, Using Tor, intermediate security settings, thus cookies enabled, I see the higher prices. Can't remember how to discover exit portal, but it's got to be closer to Montpellier than NZ is... ]