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[Duffle]

Ebay general rule I employ - never slap down the cash I can't afford to lose.......

[Blowero]

Like most of us, I ain't bashing eBay. You just have to keep in mind that there is some risk, that's all, and know that there are alternatives available.

 

If you want to take a risk, you can. If you limit yourself to auctions with 99-100% positive feedback with 20 or more ratings, detailed high-res pictures, and a seller who knows what he's selling and answers questions satisfactorily, there's very little risk - no more than any of the "alternatives".

If you want to roll the dice and take a chance on an iffy-looking auction, you can, but then don't complain if you get burned.

[Sanf]

As an inexperienced person you have almost NO chance to score a great horn for cheap on Ebay.

I'm not sure this is entirely fair. Almost my first e-bay purchase was a sight unseen 2b for £200 which plays great, and my sister acquired an EXCELLENT 3b for not very much; the result being she plays a nigh mint pro-horn at a student horn price. If you ignore all the *new* horns shipped from the far East, there's a good chance you'll be fine - there is, I believe, a general (but not universal) standard of decency.

[bob tromboneguy]

Haha, well I just had a similar experience.

I was interested in an early 70's 42B on ebay. I have wanted one for awhile. I could tell the horn was kinda thrashed and got it for around $650. I also have bought on ebay before, and know the condition is almost always worse than it is depicted. So I wans't too surprised when i actually saw the instrument.

Anyway, the bell has been well thrashed but I am going to try and fix it up tomorrow. Both the small bell braces are broken, probably from a fall. The "smooth slide" has some problem with the lower outer tube that makes it hang up really bad after 5th position.

Bottom line is that the horn doesn't play bad. So, I'll probably put some time into it and maybe get it relaquered after all the dents are out.

Te advantage I have is that I do repairs, so I don't pay for that part. I'm on vacation, but my friend is going to let me use his shop to make the repairs.
He has a dent machine also, which will help.

So, why did I buy the horn? I work in Europe and the euro is strong, so it just seems like less money, I guess. Plus, I didn't feel like shlepping my trombone over here from Europe, and need something to practice on. Also, I can probably at least get whatever money I put into it back since it is a pretty good player. Who knows, maybe I'll hang on to it since I don't have a spare horn.

Whoever said it's like gambling was right. "Don't bet more than you can afford to lose..."

[BoneAggie]

After reading what other on here have had to say, I'm looking into having both horns repaired, which should not be prohibitively expensive.  After I do that, I should be able to sell one and at least break even.