I stumbled across Thomann (a music equipment online sales website and physical store) and discovered a unique company that actually has real people who will help you. I'm in the US, and I'm struggling with the reality of so many things not available. I think it's a post-COVID problem and made worse by China trade restrictions.

I'm a hobby musician, composer, editor, and producer, and after working on the biggest show of my life in the last 6 months (almost a full-time job in addition to my full-time employment), I realized I wanted to invest more in my hobby and get more serious. It's been a challenging journey just to figure out all the technical details of things I need, what is compatible, and even what is possible. Then I've struggled, waiting for weeks on several items that are not in stock with no known date on when or if they will ever be available.

When searching for a new model of mic stands from Hercules that couldn't be found anywhere else, I found them on an internet search at Thomann. They had them advertised and available to order; however, that product was a special order on Thomann's website (estimated 3-5 days). I was delighted to see the price was so reasonable. I ordered several stands and the perfect Gravity mic stand bag to keep all of them safely in separate compartments.

I gave Thomann 4 out of 5 stars because the checkout experience was broken for my order. I thought I was doing something wrong at first, but after trying for a couple days of trying I decided to call (really early in the morning due to a 9 hour time zone difference). I was shocked to actually speak to a real person, who was very good at helping me, checking with some other people, and finally explained that their website has problems estimating shipping when customers order too many things.

To get 5 stars, Thomann should improve the checkout experience so a customer can at least place the order and get a message that it's on hold and waiting for a shipping estimate. The person on the phone call was able to take a phone order and then sent a payment link that allowed me to complete the order.

As promised, the products shipped within a few days, made it through US Customs without a problem (via UPS Express), and arrived in great condition.

Thomann's website is clean and the search functionality is pretty robust. Unlike Amazon that feels so bloated with both useful and useless products, Thomann gives the impression like they have only what you want, plus a lot of other things if you care to look, but it's not obstructing the shopping experience.

As I was waiting for my first order to arrive I was looking for another product, that perfect digital mixer that does everything I need...when I finally landed on the right product, again no one else in the US had the product (Allen & Heath Qu-Pac). Everyone I checked with said it may be months before they could get a shipment.

Yet again, Thomann saved the day. The product was in stock. I called to ask about a particular detail, and perhaps out of luck, spoke with the export sales specialist. Besides getting the answer I needed while on the call, the person also offered important information about importing equipment and the price ranges that have different handling classifications in US Customs.

I was really thankful that I could get the info in advance so I could make an informed choice about buying a product that is impossible to get anywhere else and at a lower price including shipping (except the potential for tariffs that could drive the price quite a bit higher).

After my order arrived, I decided to buy the digital mixer through Thomann, despite the risk of substantial tariffs. Thomann has earned my trust in being able to help with orders and see that they are shipped properly to an international destination. And, they have products that I want.

I would be truly frustrated if Thomann weren't there for me. And besides just offering the products I want, they have really helpful people as well.