Is Ebay Any Good?

[RiverHamble]

Hi All

 

I have been watching the 'tinas on ebay over the past few months and I often wonder are they any good? There are the high end instruments which are prolly worth a fair price, the odd scam such as we saw recently and then there are the lower end 48 button Wheatstone/Lachenal bone buttone models with the letters on the keys and the c's in red.

 

Would these be any better than my Concertina Connection instrument that I am learning on at the moment? Would they play straight from the box, so to speak, and play well or would one be looking at a complete overhaul. Which would cost what?

 

Obviously every case is different and it is my suspicion that many of these are bought up by restorers to come back in to the market at a later date all spruced up (and rightly so).

 

So has anyone had a bargin on ebay or is it better left to people who know more than I?

[Paul Read]

It's always a gamble but you're usually safe if it's one that's been restored. For the unrestored ones you never know what you'll get. I've had some ones with the ends glued on, end bolts rusted in place etc. If you don't want to spend big money or learn to do the work I'd steer clear of the attic finds!

[Daniel Hersh]

Your best bet, if you want to play it fairly safe, is to restrict yourself to instruments in your vicinity that you can try out yourself before bidding. If you can disassemble them too (or have the seller do it while you watch) that's even better. If you can bring a more experienced concertina person along, better yet. And if you can't do these things in person, try asking the seller to post or e-mail interior photos and sound files. If that's not possible, asking the seller to test every button on both push and pull and to report any non-sounds or weird sounds can help. Trying (with your guidance if necessary) to get the seller to determine whether the instrument is in concert pitch is important if that matters to you. A determination of whether it's close to in tune with itself is also helpful.

 

In my experience, many eBay sellers will cooperate with at least some of these things. If they won't, factor the additional risk into the price that you're willing to bid.

 

It's always a gamble but you're usually safe if it's one that's been restored. For the unrestored ones you never know what you'll get. I've had some ones with the ends glued on, end bolts rusted in place etc. If you don't want to spend big money or learn to do the work I'd steer clear of the attic finds!

[Chris Drinkwater]

Unless you are in a position to try out an instrument before you place a bid on it, then buying a used instrument on Ebay can be a bit of a gamble. Some sellers state their concertinas have been restored and play in modern concert pitch, others are attic finds which will need restoring and the cost of that can run to several hundred pounds. Chris Algar is a well-known British-based concertina dealer, who also sells his instruments on Ebay from time to time. They are usually all restored, unless otherwise stated and his prices are quite fair. I purchased a concertina directly from him earlier this year, following a visit to his home near Stoke-on-Trent. I was able to try out several models of the type I was interested in (a 48 key English treble) until I found one that I liked and thought played well and was in good all-round condition. I am very pleased with my purchase. I bought my first concertina on Ebay, a basic Lachenal treble, restored by the seller, before I could even play a note. The seller seemed to have made a good job of restoring it, and because he had done the work himself, was willing to set a lower reserve on it than if it had been professionally restored. Again, I was very pleased with it as a starter instrument and the cost was only a little more than the modern budget accordion-reeded starter models. My advice, is to progress with your current instrument until you feel you have outgrown it. Then, if you see an instrument on Ebay that you would like to buy and place a bid on, you can always seek the advice of other more knowledgeable forum members, before placing a bid. (Wouldn't touch it wiv a barge pole, guv, it's full of woodworm!) When I bought my first one, I didn't even know Concertina.net exisited! In the meantime, if you can meet up with other concertina players that play your type of concertina, e.g. at a session, ask if you can have a play on their instrument to find out what it is like, so you get an idea of what's available. Good luck, but caveat emptor!

 

Chris

[Theo]

... and then there are the lower end 48 button Wheatstone/Lachenal bone buttone models with the letters on the keys and the c's in red.

 

And not all bone button concertinas with letters on the keys were of equal quality when built, so even fully restored there is a great variety in playability and sound. Late Lachenal English with brass reeds are usually poor, but with older ones it is a complete gamble. A customer of mine brought me one to restore earlier this year, from the 1809s. It looked grubby and worn, I think he paid about £150 for it, but it had a set of really good steel reeds and once rebuilt it made a very good player.

 

Buying at auction always includes an element of risk. A dealer buying to rebuild and sell is able to spread the risk over several instruments. If you just want to buy one for yourself you still have the strategies described earlier in this thread to minimise the risk.

[Lester Bailey]

Chris Algar has a number of concertinas on ebay currently such as:

 

This one

Edited December 10, 2007 by Lester Bailey

[Chris Timson]

Chris Algar has a number of concertinas on ebay currently such as:

This one

Which will give you the all-important clue that his ebay name is cocoa111. You can bid on his stuff with confidence.

 

Chris

[m3838]

Chris Algar has a number of concertinas on ebay currently such as:

This one

Which will give you the all-important clue that his ebay name is cocoa111. You can bid on his stuff with confidence.

 

Chris

 

Ebay is wonderful!

Just lost a bid on ELA bandoneon. Couldn't get to computer on a weekend and my semi-max was beaten. Looked like a bargain at $665.

[David Levine]

I don't know if Ebay is any good- which is the thread topic. But it can be fun.

I asked a guy auctioning a flute on Ebay if he'd send it to me in Ireland. He said he would. But when I checked his Ebay feedback I found some nasty stuff. I told him that, regrettably, his feedback made me feel uncomfortable continuing as a bidder. I got this back from him. Here it is, unedited and exactly as I received it. (BTW, his email is THERETROSHOP@aol.com)

 

Hi,

i cant understand why you wanted to bid, you are not in the UK and i only sell to the UK, mind you it,s what i would expect from an IRISH MICK !!

there is only one or two things you lot are good for, and thats laying tarmack and digging up roads, and one other thing planting bombs !!

DICK HEAD !!!

 

I asked him why he signed the email like that. Let's go dig up his tarmac!

[JimLucas]

Ebay is wonderful!

Just lost a bid on ELA bandoneon. Couldn't get to computer on a weekend and my semi-max was beaten. Looked like a bargain at $665.

Why not put on a snipe at your real max? Other folks do.

[Dirge]

Yup, sorry, I'm with Jim there, if it sold for less than you would have paid it's entirely your own fault.

[m3838]

Yup, sorry, I'm with Jim there, if it sold for less than you would have paid it's entirely your own fault.

 

Hey, stop it! Of course it's not my fault, it's the fault of those who sell nice Bandoneons not to me only at half the price. And it's also a fault of those so called "bidders", who bid besides me. Bastards!

Anyways, I put my max way too early and drove the price up a bit. And I did it because I knew I woulnd't be able to monitor the auction at it's last minutes on weekend. I was the first to bid, then was outbid, then increased my max, knowing by the number of bidders that I'll be beaten. It seems that the seller has good reputation, good seletion and the qualtiy of his instruments is reliable. Since he was discovered, my chances of getting an instrument at median price of $500 is low.

And the reason I bid was the thought that small bandoneon is not sought after. With only 88 tones it has to be played on push and pull, and the winner will soon regret the purchase, unless he is Anglo player, which is possible, but unlikely. What is likely is that this Bandoneon was bought to play Tango, because it was small and light, whcih wrongfully translates as "easy to learn and play" - common mistake. I didn't expect such agitation from lesser instrument. I don't intend to play Tango and reasonably accustomed to Anglo layout and don't want 142 tones monster for folk music.

[Marien]

So what time is it in New zealand when I am sleeping? Should I leave my hot coffee or my cold beer for placing a loosing bid?

[m3838]

So what time is it in New zealand when I am sleeping? Should I leave my hot coffee or my cold beer for placing a loosing bid?

I don't get it.

[Dirge]

Nor me but I'm on tea at the moment, if that's any help.

Edited December 11, 2007 by Dirge

[JimLucas]

So what time is it in New zealand when I am sleeping? Should I leave my hot coffee or my cold beer for placing a loosing bid?

I don't get it.

How many people here don't understand the combination "eBay" and "snipe"?

[Chris Timson]

How many people here don't understand the combination "eBay" and "snipe"?

Snipe:

• Old or New World straight-billed game bird of the sandpiper family; of marshy areas; similar to the woodcocks
  
• Slang term for a member of the Engineering Department working below decks.
  
• When planing or jointing stock, a snipe will occur if you allow the workpiece to “droop” because of improper setup when it is fed into or out of the planer or jointer.
  
• The Snipe is a 15-1/2 foot, 2 person, one design racing dinghy with a rich history.
  

eBay:

• Online auction at www.ebay.com. Ebay Auction is used by many Fashion Doll collectors and dealers.
  

eBay + snipe:

• A fashion doll collector working below decks?
  
• A dealer in drooping workpieces?
  
• A 15-1/2 foot doll?
  

It's an interesting world ...

 

Chris

[m3838]

Thank you Chris.

I was wondering.

I think Jim is fully satisfied now.