When to Upgrade Instrument, ~preparing for grade 6~ Options

[Sunrise]

I didn't upgrade until I was an adult, and I spent about ?1k on my current instrument, plus another ?250 on a bow. I'm loving it at the moment, but I can see a time when I might want to upgrade further...but it's got plenty of playing left in it yet (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I was gutted in the consultation lesson when he told me my bow (?250 30 years ago) was complete rubbish and needed replacing now and that my violin (English hand made, ?750 in 1987) wasn't much better! I still love them....

[jojo]

Jojo, do you know it's "illegal" to pull down an ebay ad so you can complete the transaction externally? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)
Don't blame you, I know of folks who've done it for musical instruments. I guess you just have to "try it out" before you will commit to making purchase of an instrument you've not known hithertofore.

Actually, no, I didn't know (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif)

I am 'guilty' of not reading ALL the little tiny print of everything, so unless it was written somewhere obvious I would not have known.

I have been a member of Ebay for many years and when I first signed up it did not say anywhere 'obvious'.

I DO REMEMBER reading it is wrong/illegal to withdraw a listing if there is already any bids on the item, but in my case there was NO BIDS YET.....my item was listed as a bid or buy it now and these people contacted me wanting the item as a buy it now but wanted to try the violin first and it was their suggestion to bring cash with them and to just 'get on with it' and pay and leave with it if they liked it. So that's how it all ended....


When I cancelled the listings there was NO message from Ebay saying: 'you are about to cancel a listing which has not ended yet, are you aware that this is against regulation number so and so' or something along those lines.

I am sure if it was 'illegal' as you say then a message would appear to remind/warn users so surely it is not. Or even Ebay would then 'follow up' somehow (especially when I have done it not once but twice right??? so much for illegal (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)).

So yes, in a nutshell I think you refer to listings when bids have already been made and in that case 'too rightly so', you would not want to fool around as it is not right for those who have already placed a bet on the item.

[lottie]

I sold a violin through ebay. I had a very cheeky offer via email from one guy which I turned down. There were quite a few other 'questions' too. After the listing ended with the violin unsold I had another email from one of the people making an offer. I took it because I wanted rid of the violin but I think I had only had it 6months and I got less than half what I paid for it by the time postage was added.

I didn't realise ebay now took 10%!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) I guess that's why a lot of people don't use it now. My hubby was hoping to sell an expensive camera on ebay but maybe we'll look elsewhere (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

[jojo]

I didn't realise ebay now took 10%!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) I guess that's why a lot of people don't use it now. My hubby was hoping to sell an expensive camera on ebay but maybe we'll look elsewhere (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

I've just looked it up on their 'rules etc'
and it says it's 10% up to ?40 maximum so if you sell something for ?800 (like I did for 2 of my violins) you get charged ?40 MAX, I do remember this was the case with my violins (each)

[Violin Hero]

I didn't realise ebay now took 10%!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) I guess that's why a lot of people don't use it now. My hubby was hoping to sell an expensive camera on ebay but maybe we'll look elsewhere (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

I've just looked it up on their 'rules etc'
and it says it's 10% up to ?40 maximum so if you sell something for ?800 (like I did for 2 of my violins) you get charged ?40 MAX, I do remember this was the case with my violins (each)

That is correct. Up to 40 GBP as a final selling fee.

[delicato]

I didn't realise ebay now took 10%!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) I guess that's why a lot of people don't use it now. My hubby was hoping to sell an expensive camera on ebay but maybe we'll look elsewhere (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

I've just looked it up on their 'rules etc'
and it says it's 10% up to ?40 maximum so if you sell something for ?800 (like I did for 2 of my violins) you get charged ?40 MAX, I do remember this was the case with my violins (each)

That is correct. Up to 40 GBP as a final selling fee.

thats terrible, they must make a bit then! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)

[BadStrad]

thats terrible, they must make a bit then! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)

If an instrument is sold through a shop - I'd imagine they'd take a lot more than ?40 for the trouble. I have several artist friends and the galleries take 40 - 50% of the sale price. So 10% on EBay seems pretty reasonable to me, by comparison.

[delicato]

thats terrible, they must make a bit then! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)

If an instrument is sold through a shop - I'd imagine they'd take a lot more than ?40 for the trouble. I have several artist friends and the galleries take 40 - 50% of the sale price. So 10% on EBay seems pretty reasonable to me, by comparison.

10% i can handle, but 50 sounds a bit high, then with all the other charges etc on top. Go and sell privately may be best, if you do not mind holding out for a bit longer, perhaps. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[lottie]

thats terrible, they must make a bit then! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)

If an instrument is sold through a shop - I'd imagine they'd take a lot more than ?40 for the trouble. I have several artist friends and the galleries take 40 - 50% of the sale price. So 10% on EBay seems pretty reasonable to me, by comparison.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) An agent sold a couple of mine (paintings) in London last year - 60%.... PLUS VAT!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif)


Won't be using them again (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif)

[jojo]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) An agent sold a couple of mine (paintings) in London last year - 60%.... PLUS VAT!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif)

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)

[Violin Hero]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) An agent sold a couple of mine (paintings) in London last year - 60%.... PLUS VAT!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif)

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)

Surely you would have been told before you agreed to any sale? I would have taken the paintings straight to another, cheaper agent ASAP!

[lottie]

Yes I did know in advance. The attraction was the exposure to other agents and galleries in London. Another gallery is taking my work to London this year and the commission is a bit lower.

Here in rural Scotland the average gallery commission is around 33%. In the cities it goes up to 40-50%. In London the average is 50% and upwards - I even heard of a gallery in London charging 80% commission!!!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)

But, if you're selling paintings for ?30,000 maybe that 80% isn't too bad. It just hits hard for people like me whose prices are still firmly based in reality! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

It's very tough to make a living from painting sales alone (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

[jojo]

It still sounds very bad that they are allowed to charged that much, I mean I know that you can say no and go somewhere else, but 'still', come on, after all 'who painted the painting'??? when they charge more than half the value of the painting to me it's a bit like they are saying 'This painting IS MINE'!
ie: if I owe 40% of an item and another person owes 60% of it, then the person owing 60% of it has more 'privileges' over it, a bit like owing a business, if you owe a business the person owing the biggest slice has more 'rights' when it comes to decisions blah blah blah

so anyway, sounds very bad they can charge over 49% of the value of the painting/item, it's a bit like they say 'this item' is MINE, if you follow my line of thought here..... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) I don't think it's right, yet I acknowledge it does happen and at the end of the day it is only down to us to accept or walk out.

[delicato]

yes, but it is a bit like shops which sell items with a large profit margin, like make -up where the profit mark up is 100%, but many still buy it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)

But then they say, well it makes up for the lower profit margin on other items.

Yes I did know in advance. The attraction was the exposure to other agents and galleries in London. Another gallery is taking my work to London this year and the commission is a bit lower.

Here in rural Scotland the average gallery commission is around 33%. In the cities it goes up to 40-50%. In London the average is 50% and upwards - I even heard of a gallery in London charging 80% commission!!!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)

But, if you're selling paintings for ?30,000 maybe that 80% isn't too bad. It just hits hard for people like me whose prices are still firmly based in reality! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

It's very tough to make a living from painting sales alone (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

----- thats why many famous artists died poor! But now their paintings make millions! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
Perhaps their families get the benefits.

[celloml]

All I meant, jojo, was that it does say somewhere in fine print that you should not complete an ebay transaction externally for "safety reasons" and, also (may I add) so that ebay doesn't lose earning something off your transaction (guess they don't wanna be a free advertising portal)! Doubt they can track whether an ad's been removed due to external transaction or a myriad other reasons though.

Anyway, it's great you managed to make an ad of your violins via ebay as I was just afraid that doing so would seem to shriek of scam and fake esp for musical instruments. I've had too many friends done in buying "great instrument deals" off ebay... At least now I know there are some good stuff out there... I just might try...

Thanks everyone for the great discussion

Keep the ideas coming!

I'll keep y'all updated if I make any move