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Any opinions on Da Salo website?


Bergonzi_Boy

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I guess I have been living under a rock, but I also couldn't find any mention in previous posts here. Maybe I did not use the search function correctly. If so, I apologise.

So what do people think of the Da Salo auction website?

http://www.dasalo.com/en/

I only came across it yesterday. From what I have seen, I am impressed. Excellent pictures every bit as good as Tarisio and seemingly a nice look and feel to the whole thing. I guess this is some sort of European-inspired answer to the Tarisio concept? There are some very, very nice instruments up for auction there too.

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The auction house usually just give the buyer whatever came with the item. If the bow comes with cert, then you get it at no extra cost. If you want certs but the seller/auction house doesn't have them, then you have to go get it yourself. These guys are making it a service to you. I think it's a good selling point for Da Salo.

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In looking at the bows(always), I came across item 073 (Peccatte) and it has 4 pictures. 2 normal auction shots and then 2 at an angle. Any thoughts on what they are trying to show on this bow and different from others?

I also like their photo's and really like these extra 2 shots.

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I have a problem with the description of them. They don't define what means "very fine, fine, very good, good, interesting", "excellent, very good, good condition" like Tarisio has made precisely. So it is a bit dangerous to take one "very fine in excellent condition" of them and then realize that it's not a "very fine in excellent condition" violin in the meaning of Tarisio.

The beginning prices and reserves prices are often high and some reserves prices are too low. Take a look at the Peccatte (or Tourte) cello bow: the estimated price is about $30K by a renowned french appraiser but reserved price was met only by 3000$.

I did't ever know a noname silver mounted german bow has a beginning price of 1000€ (1270$) too.

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Sorry can`t see the Tourte cello bow your refering to but its probably this one http://www.dasalo.com/auction/item.php?id=9

, It has an estimate of 35 - 40 K euros, The bidder has bid 30k and the reserve has been met.

The condition thing is a matter for speculation. Tarisio don`t always mention faults either,if you want to be sure what your buying then its best to go to a viewing and see for yourself.

To me Da Salo, seems to be a retail auction and i suspect alot of it will go unsold, German auctions seem to like over estimating from what i`ve seen.i don`t think they`ll be many bargain to be had at this one. Take a look at some of the low priced stuff ,one had 13 bids last time i looked and alot had no bidding.Someone will probably end up paying retail for some of the cheaper stuff.

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Fiddlecollector,

yes i'm wrong- the bow has a 30,000€ bid, not 3,000€. I think german auctions are not very similar to american or UK auctions too. They often estimated the prices for german violins/bow much higher, but the estimated price for italian violins are sometime lower than than Sotheby, Christie, Bonham, Skinner did.

I don't think they can sell many instruments from this auction too.

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Well, the da Salo auction has ended, and I noted that quite a few of the violins did not sell. Many did not even receive a bid. Clearly the reserves were too high for this market. But what does that mean? Did the auction fail to attract high-end bidders simply because it was new? Has the market for fine violins tanked (perhaps a precursor to the bursting of the housing bubble)? Or maybe with the current exchange rate imbalance, all the smart money is staying in the U.S. If that was the case, I don't understand why Tarisio seemed to not fare as well as in the past either. (My impression was that Tarisio sold most of their offerings, but only after lowering the reserves on a great many. Maybe they just had too many offerings for the market to bear.) Opinions?

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I will agree with you on the Tarisio to a certain point. The good stuff always sell for at least the lower reserve price during the "1st round". This is case with other auction houses as well. When Tarisio lower their reserve for the "2nd round", i don't think they lower it that much. I think you get a little break, probably around 10 % or so. If the item is good and the price is reasonable, there's no point to risk that 10%. With that said, I spotted a few bargain items.

I am not sure what the market looks like because I am just an amateur player who like to own instruments/bows that plays. With living making continously making and selling instruments at a rising price, the market shouldn't be too bad.

As to Da Salo's attractions of high end bidders, I really don't know what's going on. You are right, currency is not good for Americans. $1 Euro is trading at about USD $1.23. That means if you pay american dollars, you'll tag on additional 30% for currency exchange. However, you tag on this 30% after you also pay the commission and international shipping. International shipping is not cheap! When I got a bow directly from a maker in France, the shipping was $150 Euro. Currency is certainly towards our disadvantage...

Over all, I am not comfortable with their pricing. To me, as a player, their estimates are too high. Before I bid on an item, I always ask my ask myself. If I was to sell this item with a dealer, how much can I get for it? If I can recover my cost and the consignment fee, then it's a green light. If not, I leave the item alone. In Da Salo's case, you are pushing the envelope. I am not sure if you can recover your cost. I am not a dealer and i don't know much about the market so I do my estimate from researching dealers asking price.

The whole concept of "buying something cheap but genuine at an auction" with out any expertise, like what I am doing, is interesting.

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