I don't get the whole get a bargain on ebay thing

[brokenbow]

Mike Henshaw has captured one of the true and safe ways to use ebay--buying busted up student violins to practice repairs on. You don't expect much, it doesn't cost much and you generally get what you expect.

[david_fowler]

I bought a violin on eBay with "ansaldo Poggi" label. From all I've been able to read -- I don't live in a big city with lots of violin shops -- this might be a real Poggi. I love the sound. It has a couple of rude repaired cracks and a scar from the bow rubbing against the fiddle in a cheap case. Her face may be scarred, but her voice is still radiant. It cost me about $1,200 USD. I think it's a bargin.

I've also been taken by a classic eBay Fraud for $2,100. You can be burned and learn.

[Brad Dorsey]

"I've also been taken by a classic eBay Fraud for $2,100. You can be burned and learn."

Perhaps others can learn from your experience, too. Exactly how did this fraud work? In retrospect, were there any warning signs you ignored?

[david_fowler]

This was a "second-offer" swindle. The second offer came immediately after the auction close. eBay could never confirm the listed seller (or buyer, I think, but they don't give you details of the case). The violin, "French Ruggieri copy, 1950s" was later listed with same set of photos, and still later, with different photos, but obviously the same violin (including same "certificate.") The last seller sent me an indignant letter saying he had purchased the violin through Tarisio.

[david_fowler]

Good question, and I think the answer is in this statement: "Or if you're an expert and you spot a truly good old violin (that's probably in pieces) -- this being something that your average ebay bidder can't do, you can do well."

The bargin is the "provenance saving." You might, if you're lucky, get a Fiorini violin for $1,200.<item# 7321881782> A dealer who could guarantee the maker would charge around $24,000, or more. So you could have a great bargin in a violin. But you couldn't prove its origin and resell for any great profit.

You could also have a fake -- maybe a good fake, for which a dealer, certifying it as a fake, might only charge $2,400, because it could still be an excellent violin. This is still a bargin, but less so, especially if there are some additional setup details to attend to.