 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: drc
Date: 2002-08-27 19:06
Perhaps there is something afoot in Australia that some of the list members from down under could comment upon. There are at least three, apparently new, R13s listed on e-bay, with prices such as $1027, $850, and $800. Does this reflect the current drop in the US stock market? Is there a simple explanation?
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Author: Brian Peterson
Date: 2002-08-27 19:57
drc,
Does there appear to be a reserve price to the auction items you have indicated?
I have observed that sellers often start the bidding out at a ridiculously low amount, but setting a reserve price of somewhere between $15-1700 USD. I think the intent is to roil the water and gets everyone sufficiently excited so that the price goes well past the reserve. Often times though, it doesn't seem to work.
BP
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Author: drc
Date: 2002-08-27 20:49
Nope. There are no reserves on any of these three.
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Author: diz
Date: 2002-08-27 22:59
Personally (being Australian) I would NOT purchase an instrument off eBay - period, unless it came with a written fully refundable warranty period.
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Author: kes
Date: 2002-08-28 02:01
I agree with Diz. It is always best to test a bunch of instruments of the same type before you buy, and pick the one that best suits you. With ebay, you can't do this, and you can never be quite sure what they're selling you. It's unfortunate that some people out there would be so lowly as to lie about the things that they are selling, but it happens. Good luck, though! My hint is to always look in the classified ads section of a newspaper, especially in larger cities, because you never know what you'll find there. It may not be perfectly new, but often at great prices!
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Author: Bob
Date: 2002-08-28 13:09
The Aussie ads seem to be from reputable sellers and,as I recall,all are adv. as new horns. If I were in the market for a new one I'd probably buy one of them. Half the price as compared to a well known Illinois dealer and probably no more risky.
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Author: Morrigan
Date: 2002-08-28 14:15
For Australians, if you're looking at buying Buffet, visit Melbourne Brass and Woodwind, in Ormond. They go through them all and send back the ones they don't like... Out of a shipment of about 20 R13s, they're lucky to keep 5. To get my instrument, I lay down cash and try them as they come through - and eventually find the one I like. How convenient. However, this is a 'friend's deal', so I dunno if just anyone can do this, but probably.
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Author: kenabbott
Date: 2002-08-28 16:03
Wait a minute, guys. Let's not be too hasty about dismissing Ebay as a source for good instruments. Certainly there is good reason not to buy new horns there, particularly if there are warranty issues (I had a dispute with Buffet about the replacement of an oboe top joint from a NEW oboe I bought on Ebay). There are, however, many good bargains to be had if one is patient and knowledgable.
I recently bought a 1959 R13 full Boehm for $400 on Ebay. The trick is to know the approximate value and to not bid any higher. Of course one needs to check references and feedback also, for which this bulletin board is very effective.
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Author: Mark Pinner
Date: 2002-08-29 02:11
They may be stolen. They may be crap. If you shop around you can get an r13 for as low as AUD$1800 new through a retailer! There is some heavy discounting going on in Australia at the moment on Buffet. they come out of France to here so the American economy has got nothing to do with it. Look at the cross rates with the Euro. I got a Yamaha Oehler form Germany which would have cost me around $2800 through a Yamaha dealer but was only 1100 euro's in Germany less sales taxes etc.. By further negotiation I got it for far less. The current R13 is not a lot better than the E13 or C12 they blow really tight. The RC is a better horn for this climate. Dont touch a Greenline with a 20 foot pole. They just break.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2002-08-29 03:24
Mark Pinner wrote:
>
> Dont touch a
> Greenline with a 20 foot pole. They just break.
Interesting that a number of my professional friends haven't had this problem, and one of them was an "early adopter" and is still playing the first one he bought (Bob Spring)
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2002-08-29 05:01
I have bought perhaps a half-dozen Clarinets through eBay. Every one that was said to be in playing condition was, and with one exception, every one that was not said to be in playing condition was not. (The exception: a year-old Normandy for $50 which had some minor physical damage but played like new.)
ebay is *caveat emptor* paradise. I do believe very few people actually get taken to the cleaners on eBay, but a much larger number will look at an item description, see that the seller reports "I don't know anything about Clarinets," discover that the seller has about 5% lousy feedback, and apparently believe this must mean the instrument is a lot better than the seller thinks. Buy with care.
And I have seen Melbourne Brass and Woodwind sell a new R-13 on eBay for less than it could be bought in the US.
Regards,
John
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