Cheap Horns On Ebay

drtrumpet1 · Posted: Fri May 21, 2004 10:02 am Post subject:

Just a thought - I watch ebay all the time, and track the horns on there. I always see cheap Bb trumpets, flugels, cornets, and picc trumpets, but I've never seen a cheap C trumpet. By cheap, of course, I mean the $5 for the horn, $75 for shipping, made in China, etc. Any thoughts on this, or an explanation why?

AverageJoe · Posted: Fri May 21, 2004 10:05 am Post subject:

I suspect you don't see $5 C-trumpets on ebay because the majority of people in the market for a C-trumpet know that you can't buy a decent new horn for $5.

oneeyedhobbit · Posted: Fri May 21, 2004 10:10 am Post subject:

But wouldn't that apply to things like Flugels, cornets, piccolo's?

drtrumpet1 · Posted: Fri May 21, 2004 10:18 am Post subject:

True - but I am curious as to why there are so many other types of horns available. I would think that the same people in the market for a piccolo trumpet, generally speaking, are going to be in the market for a c trumpet.

oldblow · Posted: Fri May 21, 2004 10:58 am Post subject:

Joe, you are on the right track, but the starting price is in the eye of the seller, not the buyer. The average cheap instrument offered on ebay is from a seller who generally deals in estate and used stuff, or came by an instrument from a house sale. This kind of seller seldom knows for sure what kind of horn he has, much less the key or the quality. Example, I've see more than one seller recently describe a trumpet for a saxaphone, not to mention all those people selling "coronets." Another factor is simply supply; how many trumpets or cornets were ever made and sold in keys other than B flat? Most instruments offered on ebay fall into the category of student or vintage instruments, and the makers of those horns made what sold the most--affordable and popular instruments. Most of the time, people selling Committees, Callichios, and Callets have a certain level of investment in their offering, and consequently know more about it and how to describe it.

I, too, mark a lot of auctions and track things, and it seems to me that those ads that start out by discaiming any knowledge of what they are selling, tend to offer real junk, most of the time. Other sellers claim no knowledge, but offer to answer questions. A few sellers actually try to post enough pictures to describe condition to a knowledgeable looker. But the ads I'm getting more comfortable with are from those sellers who pull the slides and valves, describe the blow, make a disctintion between ding and dent, and who say in the ad that he owns four other major horns and wants to sell this one because he doesn't need it. And having a seller state in the ad that the horn is returnable builds even more interest in getting serious about bidding.

drtrumpet1 · Posted: Fri May 21, 2004 11:01 am Post subject:

All very interesting points. I was referring mainly to the new horns sold from overseas - they usually have a very low starting bid ($1 - no reserve!, etc...) and charge quite a bit for shipping. There are always Bb horns, cornets, flugels, and piccs, but I have never seen a c trumpet.

Tom LeCompte · Posted: Fri May 21, 2004 11:16 am Post subject:

The US market for Bb trumpets has to be around 100,000 a year. (5 million students entering 4th grade x 20% playing in the band x 10% picking trumpet). I'd be surprised if more than 1000 or so C trumpets were sold every year.

If you're a Yamaha or a Conn-Selmer, you want to make C trumpets because a) you have a commitment to supporting music, and b) the brand name recognition you get by having a symphony player play one of your C trumpets may help you sell more Bb student horns. If you're an Ebay fly-by-night outfit from the third world, this isn't as much a concern.

Cheers,

Tom

drtrumpet1 · Posted: Fri May 21, 2004 11:21 am Post subject:

ChopperChik · New Member Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 2

Thanks for listening, A warning to all players. PLEASE READ. I need to vent & let you guys know my experience. As a dedicated parent, I try to keep ahead of my son's talent by making sure he has good equipment. Gear & horns are expensive as you all know. We all try to get a good deal when we can. Well DON'T go to music123.com . I still have NOT received my trumpet. I too did my homework and found that Music 123 had decent reviews, decent prices and have ordered from them in the past, but this time has been different, and I am not the only one. I placed an order (2/04) based on the trumpet being in stock (according to the sales rep that I called and their web site). A few days later I receive an email stating that the item is on backorder (Music 123's favorite excuse) and that the item will ship in a few weeks. A month later, nothing, so I call & find out that it is again back ordered for another month. A month later, I call again and again it is on back order. Now I am told that they will not get it till 6/04. Going on 4 months I still have not received this trumpet. Meanwhile my son had an important concert that he was not at his best, because I depended on this store to get his instrument. I WILL NOT recommend this store to anyone. Getting the best price from online stores isn't always worth it. Maybe we should all start shopping locally and letting these stupid online stores take the heat for their crappy customer service. So far Music 123 has been unapologetic, unforgiving, and unwilling to give some valid reason as to why their inventory control is so messed up. They should at least be HONEST with their customers to prevent frustration. Would you be allowed to provide service to customers in this fashion? They clearly advertised that the item was IN STOCK when it obviously WAS NOT. Very, very frustrating. Disappointing. Eopinions.com has some other good info on this store. Thanks for listening.

heavyharmonies · Posted: Fri May 21, 2004 12:37 pm Post subject:

I hope you're not planning to add this post to every single thread on the forum. You already started a new thread about this...

-Dan

Tom LeCompte · Posted: Fri May 21, 2004 4:45 pm Post subject:

A real picc costs $2500 or so. Few people will pay that kind of money for "just messin' around". But $100, some people might jump on that. But nobody who buys a C is interested in "just messin' around".

Cheers,

Tom