Is Ebay safe?

kimmerz549 · Posted: Mon May 24, 2004 7:26 am Post subject:

Have any of you sold stuff on Ebay before? I'm thinking about putting my trumpet on Ebay, but I'm not sure if it's safe. Would it be a smart thing to do? Does it cost a lot to post an ad on Ebay? Please help! I need to get rid of this trumpet!

heavyharmonies · Posted: Mon May 24, 2004 7:30 am Post subject:

I'm thinking it would probably be a good idea to have your parents help you with this, as there are potential financial/security pitfalls for the unwary.

To answer your original question though, there are plenty of us that buy and sell horns on Ebay on a regular basis.

-Dan

Ebayscrounger · Posted: Mon May 24, 2004 7:45 am Post subject:

I buy and sell horns on Ebay all the time, for the most part it is pretty safe, I have never been ripped off and have always had good feedback on the horns I have sold. It is not expensive. There is a small listing fee, then they take a small percentage of the sale price. It is best to have a thorough, acurate description of the horn, and good pictures. If it is a quality horn you want to make sure that the person reading the title of the add will want to see the detailed description..."Uncle Fred's Old Horn" is not nearly as good as an item title as "1954 Los Angeles Olds Studio Trumpet".

_________________
I once had it, but I lost it. Where did it go???

Still looking for my horn...

[ This Message was edited by: Ebayscrounger on 2004-05-24 10:47 ]

mark125 · Posted: Mon May 24, 2004 10:06 am Post subject:

You might want to consider listing it here at trumpetherald in the marketplace section.
It won't cost you anything.
You can send out emails with pictures to anyone who is interested. If you don't have any luck selling it here after a week or so, then you could try listing it on ebay.
You need to find someone who knows about the horn you are selling to make sure you have a good starting price so you don't price it too low or way too high.
Mark

conn53victor · Posted: Mon May 24, 2004 10:23 am Post subject:

For sellers, eBay is safe because you do not have to ship away your horn until the money arrives. EBay even has a service that allows you to accept credit cardds through an intermediary (PayPal). It is important for sellers to be honorable and prompt or eBay will collapse.

On the other hand, as a buyer there is some risk involved. Although eBay provides some safeguards, essesntially you are throwing money into the wind, hoping something worthwhile gets blown back. With that in mind, I have never been cheated. Sometimes I have been disappointed that the product wasn't more than I had any right to expect. I never bid more than I can afford to lose.

If you are getting involved in eBay for the first time, start slowly with small items until you understand the process.

Tom LeCompte · Posted: Mon May 24, 2004 10:32 am Post subject:

Mark,

Kim has already listed the horn on the marketplace. She's priced it at $120 more than a new horn would be at WWBW, and people pointed this out to her. This might explain the lack of success she has had with the marketplace.

Cheers,

Tom

mark125 · Posted: Mon May 24, 2004 11:06 am Post subject:

Tom,

I found the ad just now. All I can say is good luck on ebay too with that asking price.
wwbw.com 529.99 with free shipping. Available in 3 to 5 days.
She needs to do a little research on the price of her horn before listing it on ebay or just lower the price and relist it on the marketplace.

Mark

Tom LeCompte · Posted: Mon May 24, 2004 12:43 pm Post subject:

I just bought a Burbank Benge 2X for essentially what Kim is selling her Olds for, so I would tend to agree with you on price. Still, Kim should be able to set the price to whatever she wants. If she gets her asking price on Ebay, more power to her. It's probably true that her chances of that are better on Ebay. (Irrespective of what those chances are - they probably are better on Ebay)

Cheers,

Tom

mheffernen5 · Posted: Mon May 24, 2004 1:57 pm Post subject:

kimmerz549 · Posted: Mon May 24, 2004 8:37 pm Post subject:

Yes, you are right. I do want to put pictures with my horn that I am selling. I understand that the price is a little high, but if I can get this price, that would be great! I am saving up for a new horn and I need this money to put towards my new horn. If I have no success in selling it, I will bring the price down. But for now, I am keeping it as is. Thanks for all of your help! I appreciate it!

kimmerz549 · Posted: Mon May 24, 2004 9:02 pm Post subject:

If my price is too high, what is this all about? I have searched for the prices on NL10M Olds Trumpets and a lot are over $1,000...mine has the first valve slide trigger also...look:

OLDS NL10M
Intermediate, lacquer, nickel silver outer slides, 1st valve slide trigger $1,395

Tom LeCompte · Posted: Tue May 25, 2004 3:15 am Post subject:

Kim, I think that site is in New Zealand. The price is in New Zealand dollars, which are worth about half of what US dollars are worth.

Cheers,

Tom

WaxHaX0rS · Heavyweight Member Joined: 19 Jul 2003 Posts: 524

Smaaaaaaaaaart, haha. Yes, nobody is going to want to by a used horn for $100 more than they could get it brand new. Even if you got some unsuspecting person to buy it, wouldn't you feel a little guilty? I would, but maybe that's just me.

kimmerz549 · Posted: Tue May 25, 2004 6:21 am Post subject:

No, that price is in US dollars..that isn't a New Zealand site...believe me.

[ This Message was edited by: kimmerz549 on 2004-05-25 09:22 ]

vlbcw1 · Posted: Tue May 25, 2004 7:29 am Post subject:

Also did some checking. Same horn (with 1st trigger) listed at Music123.com for 529.00 -new.

Good luck selling your horn, although you'd be better off listing it on EBay at a more realistic price. If it doesn't sell, you still have to pay the listing fees. Better to have $400-$450 in hand than a bill from EBay because the horn didn't move.

Regards,

Lori
_________________
Horns:
Bb: WT, lacquer
C: Flip Oakes, Silver
Flugel: Wild Thing, Silver
Cornet: British model Wild Thing, Silver
Picc: Kanstul Custom Bb/A/G
Pocket: Colin PocketMax

Tom LeCompte · Posted: Tue May 25, 2004 7:38 am Post subject:

I ran the following through Google: Intermediate, lacquer, nickel silver outer slides, 1st valve slide trigger $1,395 (cut and paste from your message) and got one NL10M in that list. What I got was http://www.windandreed.co.nz/brass.htm which is in New Zealand. If there is some other site you are thinking about, please tell us what it is, so we don't have to guess at what you mean.

That said, it is a fact that someone can buy a new horn for $120 less than you have listed this horn. The only people who will be willing to pay your price will be a) people who would rather have an old horn than a new one, and are willing to pay for it or b) people who are unaware that a new horn can be had for less. Maybe you will find someone in either category, but there is a reason why people are skeptical.

In my opinion, you don't have an $1800 horn, a $1400 horn or even a $650 horn. You might have a $300 or $400 horn.

Cheers,

Tom

conn53victor · Posted: Tue May 25, 2004 8:17 am Post subject:

While I agree that we should all be fair, reasonable, and realistic, kim may decide that it is in her best interest to squeeze every penny possible from the sale of her horn. Some people do that all the time and do quite well in our society.

BUT, I would caution Kim that some of us believe in the Kharma Circle... or in CW words, "What goes around, comes around." Even if you get a high price out of your horn, your next one may never slot correctly and the vlaves may always hang.

Describing an item accurately and starting a bid at one dollar often earns exactly what an item is worth on eBay.

_Happy Canuck · Posted: Tue May 25, 2004 8:47 am Post subject:

On this site: http://www.wwbw.com/Olds-NL10MS-i72924.music (Woodwind and Brasswind)

Showing a list of $1,095.00 but selling for $529.99, in silver

I think you should reset your selling expectations??!!
_________________
Bill

Olds Mendez, Recording, Super, Special & Ambassador trumpets/GR Butcher 65.6M
Olds Opera, Ambassador Shepherds Crook cornets/Sparx 4B
Olds L-12 Flug/GR Butcher 65.6FL
Schilke MII trumpet/GR Butcher 65.6M