PSSL Has Closed Their Doors

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steve149

steve149

Shine on you crazy diamond
Staff member
Sep 26, 2011
28,175
45,948
Connecticut
One down ....

Gear reseller Pro Sound and Stage Lighting (PSSL) has closed their doors .. apparently permanently. I've bought a number of things over the years from them.

www.pssl.com

Pro Lighting, Stage Equipment, & DJ Sound Systems | Solotech

Your destination for professional AV technology. From premium sound, video and lighting systems to top-tier DJ equipment, explore high-end solutions trusted worldwide.
www.pssl.com www.pssl.com

www.pssl.com

Pro Lighting, Stage Equipment, & DJ Sound Systems | Solotech

Your destination for professional AV technology. From premium sound, video and lighting systems to top-tier DJ equipment, explore high-end solutions trusted worldwide.
www.pssl.com www.pssl.com
 
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steve149 said:
One down ....

Gear reseller Pro Sound and Stage Lighting (PSSL) has closed their doors .. apparently permanently. I've bought a number of things over the years from them.

www.pssl.com

Pro Lighting, Stage Equipment, & DJ Sound Systems | Solotech

Your destination for professional AV technology. From premium sound, video and lighting systems to top-tier DJ equipment, explore high-end solutions trusted worldwide.
www.pssl.com www.pssl.com

www.pssl.com

Pro Lighting, Stage Equipment, & DJ Sound Systems | Solotech

Your destination for professional AV technology. From premium sound, video and lighting systems to top-tier DJ equipment, explore high-end solutions trusted worldwide.
www.pssl.com www.pssl.com
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Me, too. Lots of gear over the years. Sad to hear the news.
 
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They have moved around a bunch over the years. I have been to three different locations of theirs. Just about 2 years ago, they started moving into the Westminster location. It is a terrible spot that is right next to a freeway ramp that is undergoing a multi-year construction project. Even before the construction, you could only get to the location from one side of the street. I always thought the moves were odd and a sign of declining business and that this last location must have offered really cheap rent because its accessibility and now traffic was so bad.
 
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Yikes! and to think I was almost gonna place an order with them last week. Not a huge order but still...Things like this make me nervous about how well the industry will thrive or survive. I know some folks are still having events but at least in the Des Moines area people are skittish about planning and laying down retainers/first payments. Can't blame 'em. Kinda saw this coming for gear retailers and the trickle-down effect.
 
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djrox said:
Guitar Center/Musician's Friend could be next.
Click to expand...

They've been trying to convert to a lessons model to get people in the stores more. I'm not sure how it's working... but I'd bet they are in trouble. Big retail footprints aren't fun to maintain right now.
 
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Everyone wants stuff cheaper there is only so many times it can go down before the retailer goes down....
 
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Jeff Romard said:
Everyone wants stuff cheaper there is only so many times it can go down before the retailer goes down....
Click to expand...

I think that's part of it. And there is also a ton of competition in this space. In some respects it's hard to believe how many online places there are to buy DJ gear. And the gear is the same everywhere... so developing customer loyalty for an online business is tough.

While I don't want to see anyone lose their business... there is absolutely nothing that PSSL sells that I can't also get from B&H, Sweetwater, Northern Sound & Light, IDJ Now, KPO DJ, The DJ Hookup, Guitar Center... When everyone is basically doing the same thing, it becomes a pure commodity and scale business. Which eventually will consolidate down into the best run operators.
 
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Jeff Romard said:
Everyone wants stuff cheaper there is only so many times it can go down before the retailer goes down....
Click to expand...
I don't mind paying more for something IF I'M ACTUALLY GETTING SOMETHING MORE. It could be better service, whatever. The reality is I buy most things on Amazon these days because the service is so good. Many times things arrive the next day. They communicate extremely well to let me know when things are coming. I liked Pssl, but the last thing I ordered from them, I had to call/email them a few times to find out when it was going to be delivered. The delay very well might not have been their fault. Me having to contact them about the status was their fault.

I will check prices on occasion, as Amazon is not always the cheapest. But often I won't because the service at Amazon is so good. My experience with returns and/ or replacement has been extremely positive. I don't need to box up, or even print out a shipping label to return things. Just drop it at the UPS store or Kohl's.

I ordered some water filters from filtersfast.com for my fridge recently. I had ordered from there before so I ordered again and they had my filters in their system. After a week of no contact, I called them, they said the product is out of stock and they don't have a date when it will be in. While on the phone with them, I found it on Amazon, in stock, cheaper, and they delivered the next day. The person on the phone said she'd need to contact a supervisor to cancel the order and then request my money back. They did email me a few days later and cancelled the order. I told them why in the comments they requested that Amazon offered much better service.
 
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Scott Hanna said:
I don't mind paying more for something IF I'M ACTUALLY GETTING SOMETHING MORE. It could be better service, whatever. The reality is I buy most things on Amazon these days because the service is so good. Many times things arrive the next day. They communicate extremely well to let me know when things are coming. I liked Pssl, but the last thing I ordered from them, I had to call/email them a few times to find out when it was going to be delivered. The delay very well might not have been their fault. Me having to contact them about the status was their fault.

I will check prices on occasion, as Amazon is not always the cheapest. But often I won't because the service at Amazon is so good. My experience with returns and/ or replacement has been extremely positive. I don't need to box up, or even print out a shipping label to return things. Just drop it at the UPS store or Kohl's.

I ordered some water filters from filtersfast.com for my fridge recently. I had ordered from there before so I ordered again and they had my filters in their system. After a week of no contact, I called them, they said the product is out of stock and they don't have a date when it will be in. While on the phone with them, I found it on Amazon, in stock, cheaper, and they delivered the next day. The person on the phone said she'd need to contact a supervisor to cancel the order and then request my money back. They did email me a few days later and cancelled the order. I told them why in the comments they requested that Amazon offered much better service.
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I had a similar experience with a local retailer a few years back. It was an outdoors store similar to an REI type concept. I went in, found a pair of shoes I wanted. They didn't have my size in stock. I asked if they could order, they could. The time estimate was 2 weeks.

While I stood in their store I ordered the same shoe on Zappos and had it on my doorstep in 2 days with free shipping.

I wanted to support the local chain. They had a very cool store with this faux creek and stuff in it. The staff was nice. But at the end of the day, their supply chain and systems didn't allow them to compete.

They're now out of business.
 
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It is funny that Sears and JC Penney got their start as catalog sales companies that could reach the furthest parts of the nation. Then they transitioned to brick and mortar and eventually did away with their catalogs. The Craftsman catalog used to be my version of porn. I would stare at it for hours at a time learning about the differences in tools. Now I can do that on Amazon and YouTube but not from any brick and mortar store. People want convenience and time savings. Amazon learned how to innovate on this. They are even doing a lot of research in renovating the brick and mortar experience with their Amazon Go stores.
 
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djrox said:
Not a single equipment purchase is completed where I DO NOT miss my local music store rep.

Everything has become disposable...even relationships with trusted sales consultants.
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Consider yourself lucky. I never experienced a local music store rep knowledgeable enough on gear that could understand, let alone, answer my questions. These places were staffed with aspiring teen guitarists working there just for the employee discounts on a set of new strings. Luckily, I developed connections with nearly every manufacturer so I never had to rely on them.

The owner of the last remaining small music store chain (3 stores) in the area and I were talking just the other day. He said his business is mostly high-end guitars now. The school music (band), rental business and pro-gear biz has pretty much dried up.
 
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sawdust123 said:
Consider yourself lucky. I never experienced a local music store rep knowledgeable enough on gear that could understand, let alone, answer my questions. These places were staffed with aspiring teen guitarists working there just for the employee discounts on a set of new strings. Luckily, I developed connections with nearly every manufacturer so I never had to rely on them.

The owner of the last remaining small music store chain (3 stores) in the area and I were talking just the other day. He said his business is mostly high-end guitars now. The school music (band), rental business and pro-gear biz has pretty much dried up.
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My city once had a strong enough musician/musical artists population that we not only wanted & needed strong, reliable and established retail resources but valued it with our loyalty and support. As those traditionalists aged out or grew tired of competing with bottom feeding posers with PCs pretending to be artists, that once vibrant population weakened/decayed to the point of inability/incapacity to continue supporting those reliable retailers and we get what we get...WAP, Mood...artless noise.

Amazing that some, far too many will characterize and or judge that as progress.
 
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10 or so years ago I bought a pair of JBL PRX612 speakers from the closest Guitar Center .. only because they price matched an online price. I bought my Yorkville Unity system a year or 2 later from a nearby rental house/dealer .. probably the last substantial purchase I made of audio gear anywhere in this state.
 
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