Any Reputable Ebay Violin Sellers???

[martin swan]

Carl isn't American? Who else says "my bad" ...?

I do find this expression a bit distasteful gramatically, particularly when used as a complete and self-contained sentence. I suppose it's not quite as reprehensible as "I was like ...whatever ...", though that does at least contain a verb.

[Blank face]

There's a modern dialect called "denglish" (deutsch/english), but it goes into "damglish" (deutsch/american/english).

Although we're here speaking some "damauglish" (combined with australian, or austrian, sometimes both).

To be continued...

[martin swan]

I thought my Croatian was coming along very well until I met a friend I hadn't seen for a couple of years.

"Hey Martin, your Croatian accent is really improving - you sound almost .... Belgian".

[Carl Stross]

I thought my Croatian was coming along very well until I met a friend I hadn't seen for a couple of years.

"Hey Martin, your Croatian accent is really improving - you sound almost .... Belgian".

 

Martin, given that youre Scottish and given my rather extensive experience in listening to Scottish speeches, you will forgive me if I ask : How's you're English coming along ?    

 

( that's for calling ME an American  )

[Carl Stross]

Carl isn't American? Who else says "my bad" ...?

I do find this expression a bit distasteful gramatically, particularly when used as a complete and self-contained sentence. I suppose it's not quite as reprehensible as "I was like ...whatever ...", though that does at least contain a verb.

 

Totally....

[martin swan]

Carl, my father was from Peterhead, a town in the north east of Scotland whose inhabitants are renowned for speaking the purest English in Great Britain.

However, my mother came from Hampstead (where "sex" is what the coal comes in), and I was brought up near Sheffield, where English can often resemble Japanese - "Ooo washi wee? Shi wa wiyasen" = "Who was she with? She was on her own".

 

My grandparents were Irish, Scottish, German, and Welsh (though his father was a "Hungarian Turk" who appeared mysteriously in Cardiff and opened a law firm).

 

I am almost as opaque as you are - though usually a lot less disputatious.

[uncle duke]

Carl, my father was from Peterhead, a town in the north east of Scotland whose inhabitants are renowned for speaking the purest English in Great Britain.

However, my mother came from Hampstead (where "sex" is what the coal comes in), and I was brought up near Sheffield.

 

My grandparents were Irish, Scottish, German, and Welsh (though his father was a "Hungarian Turk" who appeared mysteriously in Cardiff and opened a law firm).

 

I am almost as opaque as you are - though usually a lot less disputatious.

Well, if we can get some proof of you being of Charlemagnes blood line we'll put you in line for the throne/crown.

 

Other than possibly Martin, I have not read where anyone has actually gotten burned by a violin ebay transaction here at MN.  I do remember Ryntae finding a possible small treasure with her Lamy? bow but she never replied back to tell us about it after rehair.

 

So, who's been burnt by an Ebay violin deal?

 

I've learned that by just saying "my bad" when I'm wrong saves a lot of time.

[jacobsaunders]

Carl, my father was from Peterhead, a town in the north east of Scotland whose inhabitants are renowned for speaking the purest English in Great Britain.

A bit early in the morning for fairy tales, isn't it?

[Carl Stross]

 

My grandparents were Irish, Scottish, German, and Welsh (though his father was a "Hungarian Turk" who appeared mysteriously in Cardiff and opened a law firm).

 

 

 

... then I'll never pick on you from now on.   Totally

 

How about the " And I was like : ...  "

[Blank face]

...damaucroaturscotenglish...????

[victordriver]

Uncle Duke is trying to bring the subject back on the OPs post. I'm happy to declare I got burnt on EBay (or is that burned...got to be careful)once. Got an great violin off there as well and I still have it.  

[Greg F.]

Carl,

 

Based on my newbie reading of your posts I thought you might be Russian, but I guess you're not telling (had to think for a second about which "you're" there).  I won't bore you or anyone with my own background other than to say I live in God's country (Colorado).

 

I find your (one of those words again) posts to be informed, well written, opinionated, thought provoking and a bit (a little of an understatement) priggish at times.

 

From all that has been written in this post it seems the consensus is that the OP should try violins at a shop and purchase one there, although I chose the ebay route when upgrading my son's instrument.

 

I am very familiar with ebay, though not as a violin dealer, and have to question how much someone who writes "eBay is a place were crooks hide. eBay's reson d'etre is to unload stuff which can't be sold in any other way" actually knows about the venue.  If ones believes this is universally true then I doubt that they "religiously" follow the offerings there and, thus, have no idea of the full range of goods available:  fake to awful to good to quite extraordinary.  Maybe things are different with violins, but in my own collecting/buying/selling area of antique watches there are many good and even exceptional buys to be made.  Lots-o-stuff sold on ebay is "fresh" to the market having never passed through the hands of a dealer or collector and so the potential for the occasional treasure exists.  But you do have to enjoy the hunt.

 

Sincerely,

 

Greg

[Carl Stross]

Carl,

 

Based on my newbie reading of your posts I thought you might be Russian, but I guess you're not telling (had to think for a second about which "you're" there).  I won't bore you or anyone with my own background other than to say I live in God's country (Colorado).

 

I find your (one of those words again) posts to be informed, well written, opinionated, thought provoking and a bit (a little of an understatement) priggish at times.

 

From all that has been written in this post it seems the consensus is that the OP should try violins at a shop and purchase one there, although I chose the ebay route when upgrading my son's instrument.

 

I am very familiar with ebay, though not as a violin dealer, and have to question how much someone who writes "eBay is a place were crooks hide. eBay's reson d'etre is to unload stuff which can't be sold in any other way" actually knows about the venue.  If ones believes this is universally true then I doubt that they "religiously" follow the offerings there and, thus, have no idea of the full range of goods available:  fake to awful to good to quite extraordinary.  Maybe things are different with violins, but in my own collecting/buying/selling area of antique watches there are many good and even exceptional buys to be made.  Lots-o-stuff sold on ebay is "fresh" to the market having never passed through the hands of a dealer or collector and so the potential for the occasional treasure exists.  But you do have to enjoy the hunt.

 

Sincerely,

 

Greg

 

Thank you for the kind words. No, not Russian. "God's Country" is good enough for me though I always thought that'd be Germania.

For a simple reason : Vienna had more Beethovens than Colorado. .

 

Anyway, eBay IS a place where crooks hide. I'm sure there are others. I'm also sure, first hand, that there are superbly honest and decent sellers on eBay. As to "eBay's reson d'etre is to unload stuff which can't be sold in any other way"  there we'll have to agree to disagree. There is lots of stuff on eBay and many deals to be made. Myself used it mostly for business to the tune of some 1.2 and an American friend of mine to the tune of some 20. Very few surprises. Only 2 in my case. But I was talking ONLY about the violin section of eBay where I believe that your entire experience ( mine too ) does not apply. ( I collect cockpit clocks and never had the slightest problem, for example.)  I then agree with you : there is good in eBay. But not in the violin section. Violins just don't work like that and finding an antique bargain is very improbable. Because many people looked at it in the past i.e. if it's good it's already being bought and sold by violin dealers and professional players and it's got a price. It's retarded to test it's value on eBay. If it's on eBay, it means ( most of the time ) that no professional buyer wanted it for the reserve, if any. 

 

The point I am trying to make is that a certain specific category of violins ends up on eBay - the ones which over 100 years (?) or more, nobody really payed attention to because they weren't worth the trouble. This exact scenario parallels other areas of collectibles on eBay. Again, not all.

 

In the case of our distinguished OP, it would be misguided to purchase a violin on eBay in the hope of stepping over a bargain. She's not a "violin expert / dealer" , knows little about violins and the stated intention is to secure a decent instrument for her 12 y/o daughter. My suggestion was to purchase from a reputable shop. A reputable shop won't be the place for bargains but will supply a

professional service. Almost all Tara needs for her daughter is a correct violin, properly set up. Can't figure that out from pictures or grandiose prose.

[Greg F.]

 I collect cockpit clocks ....

 

 I won't hold that against you; some of my friends collect clocks.

 

BTW, there is a "von" among my German ancestors but no "van".

[Blank face]

As a proof that there are goods in Ebay, I can assure everybody, that I know some very professional (german) violin makers and dealers regulary buying there, and sometimes for much more than the OP wants to invest. The problem is, you gotta know your stuff very well.

[Violadamore]

Anyway, eBay IS a place where crooks hide. I'm sure there are others.

 

Of course there are, but let's avoid politics. 

[Violadamore]

As a proof that there are goods in Ebay, I can assure everybody, that I know some very professional (german) violin makers and dealers regulary buying there, and sometimes for much more than the OP wants to invest. The problem is, you gotta know you stuff very well.

I've done well from eBay for getting some very presentable instruments to play, but, besides having to be able to know what they were, I had to be able to fix them.  One category of instrument that pops up a few times a year is the mid level (say, $5-15K retail equivalent when repaired) stuff that (IMHO) the owner (who inherited the violin but doesn't play) has already gone to a luthier trying to sell it and has had their teeth shaken twice, first by the low estimate of current value, and then by the high estimate for repairs.  These things frequently go through a cycle of "reserve not met" relisting followed by either a no reserve auction or "Make Offer".  I've found that riven pegboxes and neck separations are "low hanging fruit" for this kind of thing.  

 

Carl's claim that eBay's raison d'etre  is to is to unload stuff which can't be sold in any other way is empty rhetoric.  eBay's reason for existence is to make money for the owners, and it does this by charging to sell there, and by casting a wide net for sellers.  My in-basket is continually spammed with offers from them to sell things on eBay at some reduced rate, or with a coupon as sweetener, or 10 days of free postings or whatever.  eBay is a place to sell anything, not just remainders.

[Carl Stross]

 I won't hold that against you; some of my friends collect clocks.

 

 

 

I see - you're ( sorry, your  ) moving amongst sophisticated people.

 

Of of the neat things about cockpit clocks is that spares are available. Plenty NOS, particularly Russian and

one of the Junghans models ( fitted on some 109s ) is identical with the Russian alarm clock SLAVA. 

The Russians took the entire factory to USSR at the end of the war. Can't blame them.

 

It's nice to fix them but it's even nicer to fix them with brand new parts.

[Carl Stross]

 

 

Carl's claim that eBay's raison d'etre  is to is to unload stuff which can't be sold in any other way is empty rhetoric.  eBay's reason for existence is to make money for the owners, and it does this by charging to sell there, and by casting a wide net for sellers.  

 

Of course there is some empty rhetoric there but once you look "wider" at eBay, you'll see it. Sometimes, for stuff to move the net needs to be huge - it "can't be sold in any other way". For a profit, I mean.

[Violadamore]

Of course there is some empty rhetoric there but once you look "wider" at eBay, you'll see it. Sometimes, for stuff to move the net needs to be huge - it "can't be sold in any other way". For a profit, I mean.

I said a wide net for sellers, not buyers.  The buyers show up like they do at any flea market, and this one's as close as their laptop.  eBay's problem is to keep the vendors coming.  No sellers, no market, no profits, and their usually pro-buyer policies repel a lot of sellers.

[Carl Stross]

I said a wide net for sellers, not buyers.  The buyers show up like they do at any flea market, and this one's as close as their laptop.  eBay's problem is to keep the vendors coming.  No sellers, no market, no profits, and their usually pro-buyer policies repel a lot of sellers.

 

Indeed you did. The pro-buyer policy is a reaction triggered by the trouble they had with their previous policy. 

Eventually they figured out that the money is with the buyers. Took them around 10 years to compute that one.

[Rue]

Hey! How about an eBay honest seller MN violin co-op?

*please don't hurt me*

[jacobsaunders]

Hey! How about an eBay honest seller MN violin co-op?

Ebay adict-annonymous withdrawl self-help group would be better

[gizmomonster]

I've had several good dealings with Ebay. I've been able to return two violins and had somebody contact me today because the violin had developed a crack and I opted out of buying it.

 

What I do have trouble with is the sniping at the end.

 

I'm sure jacob will say i'm prime for Ebay adict-annonymous withdrawl self-help group. I don't care.

[jacobsaunders]

I'm sure jacob will say i'm prime for Ebay adict-annonymous withdrawl self-help group. I don't care.

Never mind. The two best antidotes are either a full garage, or an empty pocketbook anyway