zZounds Review – Is zZounds Legit? – My Personal Experience

Author: Dedrich Schafer | Updated: | This post may contain affiliate links.

Online retail has become a massive industry. The days you can buy almost anything online.

This even includes instruments and other musical equipment. There are many online music retailers like Sweetwater and Guitar Center.

One that you might not have heard of is zZounds. Who are they, and what is the buying experience like?

Well, I decided to buy something from them, and this was my experience.

What is zZounds?

zZounds is an online retailer of musical instruments, equipment, accessories, etc. They are very similar to other online retailers like Sweetwater and Guitar Center.

While zZounds isn’t quite as well-known as companies like Sweetwater and Guitar Center, they have actually been around for quite some time. The company started in 1996 and was one of the first online music instrument retailers.

zZounds is currently owned by American Musical Supply (AMS). If you are familiar with AMS, you should already have an idea of what zZounds is like since they share a lot of company policies.

Buying from zZounds

Now that we have a bit of background on zZounds, we can get to the important question: what is the shopping experience like?

Since I was already in the market for a flanger pedal, I decided to buy one from zZounds as a way of testing their shopping experience. I will compare it to Sweetwater since I am most familiar with them, and I suspect most people reading this will also be.

The pedal I eventually settled on was the Keeley Dyno My Roto. It isn’t too expensive and is pretty much just what I was looking for.

The Website

Right off the bat, my impressions of the site are a bit mixed. The website has a fairly basic design but is quite cluttered.

There are a few dropdown menus at the top, and all the categories and some sub-categories are plastered across the site’s home page.

This can be a bit overwhelming. At least the two drop-down menus we are given allow you to search by category or brand.

Going into a category like the guitar pedals, zZounds does something I really like. Apart from the price of the product, each listing also shows all of the financing options available for that product, i.e., 12, 8, 4 months, etc.

These options are also directly clickable, although they only take you to the credit check page or to the main listing. Under that, the listing also shows the used price if it is available, as well as whether free shipping is available.

I did notice that the site has some loading issues from time to time. I find this a bit odd since the site isn’t that complex.

Choice of Products

If you want to be a competitive online retailer, the number of options available to the customer is very important. For an instrument retailer, that means not just having many different products but also many brands.

As far as number of brands goes, I am quite impressed by zZounds. They seem to have about the same number and variety of brands as Sweetwater, as well as a few brands not available on Sweetwater.

zZounds also has about the same amount of guitars available as well. Sweetwater has around 1300 electric guitars, while zZounds has just under 1200 at the time of writing.

If you play keyboard, there’s a similar selection of synthesizers, digital pianos, keyboards, MIDI controllers, and accessories. You can also get all keyboard-related gear like amps, stands, cases, and more.

They sell both electric and acoustic drum kits, as well as individual drum parts and accessories.

zZounds even sells studio equipment like mics, stand, monitors, stands, audio interfaces, and even Digital Audio Workstation software like Pro Tools.

Anything from guitars to cables, drums to Pro Tools, if you’re looking for something music-related, chances are zZounds has it.

Buying a Product

Now we get to buying a product. Before putting my Keeley Dyno in my cart, I went over to compare the price with Sweetwater.

Both the zZounds listing and the Sweetwater listing are priced the same at $169. Of course, this could just have been this one product.

I did a scan of the other pedals, then went over to the guitars. It seems like prices are the same across the board.

Financing options differ quite a bit. Sweetwater offers 3 and 6-month financing, then suddenly jumps to 36.

zZounds, on the other hand, offers more incremental financing of 6, 8, 12, and 18 months. Their 6-month financing also doesn’t require a credit check, while Sweetwater’s requires one.

Once you click Add to Cart, you are presented with a page where you fill in your address, choose a payment option, and shipping if available.

On the checkout page, you can either log in to your zZounds account, making the process a bit quicker, or you can use a guest account. I used a guest account.

Then I simply had to provide my email, shipping, and payment info, and done. The whole process is about as straightforward as you would expect from a modern online retailer.

Shipping

Now that I had purchased my new pedal, it was just a matter of waiting for it to arrive. I chose free shipping not only because it was free, but also because I wanted to see just how fast it was. To my surprise, my pedal arrived the very next day.

Now, that doesn’t mean you are going to have the same experience. I live just outside a major city and presumably fairly close to one of zZounds’ distribution centers.

I also placed my order just before noon. I have found that ordering early in the day usually speeds up the delivery process.

As for my pedal, the packaging was pretty much what I had hoped for. The box it came in seemed undamaged, which is always a good sign.

Inside was the actual box the pedal comes in, wrapped in some bubble wrap to provide some protection. The box of the pedal was also in good shape.

Inside the pedal box was the correct pedal with everything that needed to be included. I plugged the pedal in to test it, and it worked (and still works) without a hitch.

When you buy something from zZounds, they mostly ship it out either on the same day as your purchase or on the next day.

They also have four warehouses around the US that are in locations to ensure they meet this two-day shipping deadline. The warehouses are located in Mississippi, New Jersey, Nevada, and Ohio.

If you live close to the warehouse your purchase will be shipped from, you can expect delivery (via ground shipping) within 1-2 days. Otherwise, it takes 3-4 days on an average.

Not only is their shipping fast, but it’s also free. Not having to pay for shipping is a very big bonus. But note that this is only applicable for their ground shipping which takes around 1-2 days on average to deliver the product to your doorstep. If you want even faster delivery, such as next-day delivery, you’ll have to pay extra.

If you’re buying something small and light, like some guitar strings or a tambourine, paying a few dollars extra for shipping isn’t a big deal. But shipping larger packages like guitars, amps, or keyboards can usually cost anywhere between $50 to $150.

Imagine paying $1,500 for that new Ibanez Prestige, only to have to pay $100 more just to ship it.
You can also rest easy knowing that zZounds is properly handling the packaging of what you bought, so it will be packaged with enough protection (such as air pillows and sturdy boxes) and won’t be damaged during shipping.

zZounds Return Policy

Since my pedal works and I am loving it, I doubt I am going to return it. But of course, you might want to return an item. So, let’s go over zZounds’ returns policy.

zZounds has a 45-day return policy. That means that you can return your item within 45 days after receiving it.

They offer returns and exchanges on almost any product for almost any reason. If an item is damaged, faulty, or something went wrong during shipping, they will also pay for return shipping.

Refunds are issued once a returned item has been received. It usually takes around 2 – 4 days to receive a refund.

They also offer exchanges on items. If you return an item, they will either refund the amount to the source or credit your account, which you can then spend on a replacement or something completely different.

A few things to keep in mind is that they don’t accept returns on PayPal purchases. So, don’t use PayPal unless you’re absolutely certain you won’t be returning it.

Returns are also not accepted on items with signs of wear and tear. If items arrive damaged, take photos and immediately send them back for a replacement. Additional scratches will void the warranty. Also, include everything along with the original packaging.

Having the security of a returns and exchanges policy is a very good safety net to have when you’re spending a lot of money. This helps you to make purchases with confidence.

Overall, their refund policy is quite standard. If you want more details, you can go over to their returns page.

Best-in-Class Payment Plans

Spending a few hundred dollars on a guitar isn’t too bad, but what if you want to go for something a bit more premium?

Dropping $2,000 on a guitar at once, unless you’ve saved up, can be quite stressful.

Luckily, zZounds offers best-in-class payment plans called ‘Pay as You Play’. This allows you to pay for what you buy in separate installments over time. There are four options for the ‘Pay as You Play’ payment plans. The qualification needed for the payment plan is also not too restrictive.

All you need is to provide a billing address, Social Security number, and an email address. They don’t do any extensive credit checks unlike some of the more popular retailers like Sweetwater. This is a huge bonus for some.
You also don’t need to spend thousands, as the minimum order amount is just $79.

The payment options are split between 4, 6, 8, or 12 payments.

  • 4 Payments: Split into 4 payments on orders up to $1,000
  • 6 Payments: Split into 6 payments on orders up to $1,250
  • 8 Payments: Split into 8 payments on orders up to $2,000
  • 12 Payments: Split into 12 payments on orders up to $3,000

Another benefit of the payment plans is that there is no interest on payments. So, you’re paying the amount of your order and not actually paying more over time.

This might make you think that there’s a catch, but in truth, there isn’t any. The only thing that could be considered a ‘catch’ is the application fee. But honestly, they seem very reasonable compared to paying interest.

The application fees are:

  • 4 Payments – $6.95
  • 6 Payments – $13.95
  • 8 Payments – $16.95
  • 12 Payments – $24.95

Payments are also not set, which means if you want to complete payments sooner, you have that option.

Is zZounds a Scam?

On the surface, and just from my own experience, I would say no. Nothing ever seemed off to me while browsing their site or during purchasing.

The fact that they have been around since 1996 also says a lot. Scams don’t usually stick around for decades. Especially in this day and age where people are more aware and educated about scams, and people have literally made careers out of exposing scams.

So, is zZounds legit? Yes, zZounds is definitely 100% legit, and there’s no claim, reviews or anything else proving otherwise.

That isn’t to say that zZounds is without its faults. My experience is also not a universal one.

The Bad

It does seem like my positive experience with zZounds is a bit rarer than it (maybe) should be. At the time of writing, they have a 2.1 rating on TrustPilot with 56 reviews and 2 stars on Sitejabber with 99 reviews.

Going over those zZounds reviews, it seems like the general consensus is that their customer service and their returns are their worst aspects. Customer service seems to be especially poor in terms of shipping.

There are many reviewers complaining about shipping delays, items not being shipped, and even one reviewer claiming that their order was canceled because a member of their household had failed to pay for something from a completely unrelated website.

That last one is especially odd since I have never heard of someone being denied because a family member had outstanding payments on something that has nothing to do with the thing they are buying.

Every review that had a bad shipping experience would then also talk about the poor customer service. It seems like zZounds’ customer service can be unsympathetic and even outright rude. They seem to be unwilling to help and in some cases, even blame the customer for their mistakes.

When it came to returns, plenty of reviewers also had issues. zZounds would either force them to pay return shipping, even if it should have been free. I also saw a few examples of zZounds simply refusing a refund, even though they should have accepted it according to what the reviewer had stated.

Would I Recommend zZounds?

Based simply on my experience, I would definitely recommend zZounds. Aside from the minor issues with their website’s design, the overall experience was easy and painless.

Regarding what others have said and the number of negative reviews, something like that (or close to it) is probably common for most other retailers out there.

Keep in mind, though, that these aren’t necessarily an indication of everyone’s experience. People are more likely to leave a negative review than a positive one, since no happy customer usually feels like going on a third party review site to leave a positive review

That being said, check zZounds out if you are interested. So, is zZounds trustworthy enough to spend big on expensive instruments and gear? I would maybe not buy anything expensive from them at first. Maybe order from them a few times to see if you trust them enough with a big purchase like an amp or guitar.

Avatar photo

About Dedrich Schafer

Dedrich is a guitar player, songwriter and sound engineer with extensive music production and studio experience. He mostly listens to classic rock and punk bands, but sometimes also likes listening to rap and acoustic songs.

16 thoughts on “zZounds Review – Is zZounds Legit? – My Personal Experience”

  1. Not true! Zzounds.com is 100% legit! My Martin acoustic guitar,Gibson SG Standard, boss 500 looper, Peavey Pa, Austrian Audio studio monitor headphones, sure mic, 2 sets of beyerdynamic studio headphones are all proof they are amazing and they changed my entire musical experience. I’ll scream how much I absolutly love them from a mountain top jammin on my dream Gibson SG standard! I’ll never buy from anybody else!

    Reply
  2. I am very fortunate that Zzounds.com exists. They have changed my musical inspiration exponentially with the gear I am able to buy that I never thought possible. Before I heard of Zzounds.com I tried Sweetwater and that was a no! I’ll never buy musical equipment from anybody else! Zzounds.com is so amazing! Thank you Zzounds.com! sincerely!

    Reply
  3. I’ve had issues with Sweetwater but I’ve had awesome experience with ZZOUNDS. 95% of my studio and guitar rigs 10 guitars 3 amps all from ZZOUNDS.

    Reply
  4. That’s odd did you buy before and missed payment or something? I’ve been dealing with ZZOUNDS over 10yrs, my whole home studio including lg desk over 10k in equipment including 1k guitars amps and never had to do anything.

    Reply
  5. Dude I don’t think so. Everytime I tried using the no credit check payment options they cancelled my order over numerous attempts trying to say my info wasn’t verified with my card when I know for an absolute fact my info with my bank was exactly as I stated with the seller. It’s nothing but a scam to lure people in to get their information. Or something. All I know for sure is they’re not true to their word! They had me jumping through hoops sending them images of my ID and videos of my face just to be cancelled out anyway, and all for a guitar I was putting down a quarter of the total. But they still chose to cancel after all the verification 2 days hassle for nothing except them having all my private info to do god knows what with!

    Reply
  6. My first purchase from zZounds was a Korg Kronos 2 61 that I bought in 2017, and since then I have made around a dozen different purchases, with numerous of them using their Pay as You Play plan for the higher cost items – my last “big” purchase being a Roland TD-17KVX2. With any of my purchases, whether paying outright or using one of their installment plans, I have never encountered any issues whatsoever. The shipping is blazing fast, and the interest-free Pay as You Play plans are a huge benefit to those who can’t, or don’t want to plunk down a large amount of cash all at once for the more expensive gear. While I wish their gear selection was a bit bigger, for the most part they have all that I need and are always my first stop when shopping for new musical gear. zZounds is very legit!

    Reply
    • I also read the low ratings on trust pilot and another site and was hesitant to buy. Then I checked comments on reddit and qurua, they were overwhelming positive. Since then I have bought two guitars and numerous other items all with zero problems.

      Reply
  7. I’ve purchased a bunch of stuff from zzounds including a couple guitars. Shipping is always super fast. Products always come well packed. I Never had an issue with anything other than a Epiphone prophecy les Paul. The guitar had some seriously bad binding problems. Not a zzounds problem. It was an obvious issue with the QC at Epiphone. 5 minutes on the phone with customer service and I had a paid return label and a exchange all set up. About 5 days after I sent it back I received an email from them about the exchange. I called customer service again and within 5 minutes I found out they didn’t have anymore of the color I had purchased. They offered to send a different color . I declined and without hesitation or questions they offered to just refund me. Money was back in my bank within a couple days. Super simple and easy. I will use zzounds again and again and would recommend them to anyone.

    Reply
  8. I have bought an Epiphone Les Paul Custom guitar and a 50 watt Marshall amp. I did this in two separate purchases. Both times I have been very pleased with the buying experience. The shipping was awesome too. Would highly rate this company.

    Reply
  9. I have bought a Gibson Les Paul Studio, Orange Dual terror, a PPC112, a Gibson SG, and a Martin over the past 4 years on their pay as you play. The Martin came with a massive crack in the body. The return process was painless. I took it to the UPS store gave them the return shipping info and they sent my new one out within 2 days. Most of the issues I’ve run into are with the parcel service which isn’t on them. The pay as you play plans open up quality gear to folks like me that don’t want to open up a line of credit to purchase it. I LOVE Zzounds. I assume they stay in business from customers like me.

    Reply
  10. I use zzounds all the time and never have an issue. Those negative reviews, as you mentioned, are probably just the “loudest voices in the room”.

    I am sure there are tons of satisfied customers that just never leave good reviews. I can personally recommend.

    Reply
    • I absolutely love this company. zZounds helped me out when I didn’t have good enough credit to get my gear from anyplace else. They were kind ,courteous and knew their gear pretty well too. I had no issues whatsoever with ordering, and my gear showed up the very next day. They really helped me out. the guitar I ordered was perfect right out of the box. it was set up and ready to go. I would swear the model I ordered was hand cherry picked because it was absolutely beautiful. I’m getting ready to order more gear from them soon. Great job zZounds!!!!!!!!

      Reply

Leave a Comment