Good websites for trying mouthpieces

[kaikitano]

I am far from any music store with a good brass selection, and even the ones I’d make a couple hours drive for most likely don’t carry too many mouthpieces, so I’m curious about websites that let you try a few mouthpieces and then keep the one you are most satisfied with. I only know of woodwindbrasswind, so if there are any others let me know!

[GabrielRice]

Dillon Music has a good policy:

MOUTHPIECE POLICY

Mouthpiece trial period is 7 days from day of receipt. You may order up to 3 mouthpieces. ALL Gold Plated and Custom Mouthpieces are NON Returnable. ALL USED MOUTHPIECES ARE NOT RETURNABLE.

MOUTHPIECE RETURN POLICY

If you are not satisfied with your mouthpiece purchase within 7 days of receipt, please call 1-732-634-3399 during store hours for a Return Authorization Number which is required for all returns. For a full refund of the merchandise purchase price (shipping costs are not refundable), the item(s) must be received within 10 days after issuance of the Return Authorization Number. All mouthpieces must be free of blemishes and in original packaging. Scratched or damaged items will be returned and charged for return shipping costs.

If all mouthpieces in an order are returned, a $2.50 restocking & sterilization fee will apply. Late returns will be subject to a $10 fee per mouthpiece.

[JLivi]

Hickeys Music Center looks to have a decent one too

Mouthpieces: When we receive your return, we will credit your credit card, less the original shipping charge and a $5 per-item clean-up fee. All mouthpieces should be rinsed out and wiped down prior to return. Woodwind players—please use a patch during the trial to prevent teeth marks. Returned mouthpieces must be free of patches and have no marks whatsoever as a result of the trial. Brass players—please be careful of causing excessive scratching of the shank—please insert and remove the piece carefully during the trial period. For all mouthpieces, boxes must be clean, straight and in resalable condition with all parts and/or accessories included. Please be careful when unwrapping and testing to avoid additional charges. If damage is evident, the loss of value to the mouthpiece will be deducted from your refund.

You can also look into Sweetwater's policy too. I feel like their band & orchestra section is newer, compared to WWBW, Hickeys etc, but I've never had any issues with them with buying other products.

"No Hassle" Return Policy:
We want you to be completely happy with your purchase. If you are not satisfied with any new product, for any reason, you may return it for a refund of the purchase price or an in-house credit, or you may exchange for another product within a fair amount of time from the shipping date (usually 30 days). If your purchase was eligible for free shipping, the shipping cost will be deducted from your credit or refund.

90-day Used Gear Guarantee:
For items purchased that were marked as "used" that malfunction or fail, they may be returned within 90 days of purchase only if they malfunction or fail and haven't been abused or misused. Used items may be returned for a refund of the purchase price or an in-house credit minus the cost of shipping. Customer will be responsible for paying all shipping charges (to and from Sweetwater) on returned used items.

Non-returnable Items:
While we maintain the most liberal return policy in the industry, there are certain items that cannot be returned for very specific reasons. These items include:

There is a $10 sanitization fee for all returned woodwind and brass instruments. For mouthpieces, there is a $5 sanitization fee for mouthpieces under $299 and a $10 sanitization fee for mouthpieces over $299.

[Doug Elliott]

I give you 30 days trial, and no restocking fee.

[el2002]

Amazon, Hickeys, Dillon, Mouthpiece Express all have trial periods.

[greenbean]

Doug Elliott.

[sungfw]

Doug Elliott.

Absolutely! Before you go [strikethrough]spending[/strikethrough] wasting a lot of time and money trying a bunch of mouthpieces that may or may not be a good fit FOR YOU, get an online lesson (assuming you're not local to Doug) or consultation with Doug. Not only will he get you pointed in the right direction, you'll get a bunch of pointers on improving your embouchure efficiency AND he won't necessarily try to sell you one of his mouthpieces.

There are dozens and dozens of testimonials to Doug's expertise here on the forum, like these:

Doug Elliott Mouthpieces
Props to Doug Elliott
Looking to get a mouthpiece to improve my lower register
Kudos Doug

here's mine: Can a teeth/jaw structure be incompatible with trombone mouthpiece?.

[kaikitano]

How should I go about contacting Doug for advice?

[Doug Elliott]

PM here is a start