The Oboe BBoard

Re: buying on ebay

Author: Heliman  Date:   2004-09-23 02:28 I am very new to the world of oboes. In fact this is my first post here and I have not even received my oboe yet! I do feel like I am pretty qualified to respond to eBay questions, however. I have purchased about 450 items in the last 5 years on eBay. Everything from a Dodge handicap van for my father to drill bits, to clothing. I have also purchased over 25 guitars, 5 amplifiers, 3 flutes, 2 violins, 2 mandolins, and a banjo. My most recent purchase was the Oboe. EBay is like any other store in many respects. When you first enter, you should look around for awhile until you see how things work. You have the ability to look under "completed items" in order to find out what certain items normally go for. You can go about finding an item you are interested in by two ways: You can search the forums and find the most recommended items and then look for them on eBay, or you can find items on eBay and then search the net to find out about them. I have used both methods successfully. The key to coming out ahead on eBay is to be informed! Know the product! Know what can go wrong with the product and what to look for. Personally, I try to be patient and look for almost new or little used items. It is very important to ask the seller a question, no matter how trivial. Their response, or lack of response, gives you a bit of insight to their character. Make sure they post large, representative pictures. The overwhelming majority of sellers that have been on eBay for several years and have sold numerous items (above 25) can be trusted. When it comes to oboes, I am pretty clueless. It this case, I spoke to a couple of local musicians and ask for their opinions before bidding. Recently, I purchased a Gemeinhardt 3OSHB flute. It retails for about $1250 and I won it for $206. It has a small ding on the mouthpiece, but it does not affect the playability. Other than that, it is like brand new! I have gotten similar deals on lots of other items. Anyway, I probably have not been much help, but I can say that my experiences on eBay have been nothing less than great! Just remember: - Ask questions - Become as informed as possible about the item - Make sure they have been selling on eBay for several years - Make sure they have a fair amount of feedback - Don't be too scared off if they have negative feedback, as long as it is less than 2% and they have a total of over 100 feedbacks - Don't send cash, money orders, or cashiers checks. Always pay with credit cards, when possible. If they are "Verified" on PayPal, that is another plus. - Demand lots of detailed pictures of the actual item. BEST OF LUCK!!! Respectfully yours, Heliman __________________________________________________________________ If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, relax, it's probably just me!

Topics	Author	Date
buying on ebay  new	lien561	2004-09-21 21:40
Re: buying on ebay  new	oboeblank	2004-09-21 22:07
Re: buying on ebay  new	ohsuzan	2004-09-22 03:04
Re: buying on ebay  new	Debora L. Osborne	2005-01-13 04:53
Re: buying on ebay  new	Heliman	2004-09-23 02:28
Re: buying on ebay  new	ohsuzan	2004-09-23 03:19
Re: buying on ebay  new	Heliman	2004-09-23 05:05
Opps, double post!  new	Heliman	2004-09-23 05:06
.  new	Heliman	2004-09-23 05:10
Re: buying on ebay  new	tweety	2004-11-06 21:15
Re: buying on ebay  new	Joeboetheoboe	2005-01-22 14:20

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