I’ve been playing flutes and whistles for a long time, but I’m new to computers, Internets and E-Bay and all like that.
I will soon have two wooden flutes for sale, because a better one is coming my way. THIS IS NOT THE OFFER.
Could someone tell me if I should use E-Bay or avoid it? Is this site a good place to sell? Are there better sites for selling wood flutes? How do I do the money exchange? Where can I go to see what the going rates are these days?
Thanks, folks!
I think there’s nothing to loose if you put it on ebay with a fair reserve, you never know on ebay.
You can try e-bay, but why don’t you tell this crew here what you’re selling? Might save you a lot of trouble and most of those here are trustworthy, as far as I know.
Except maybe Stuart, who keeps emailing my privates.
G
Lots of private parties sell whistles and
flutes on the message board here.
You describe the instrument
and state the price, give
your e mail address, and request
that interested people
contact you off board. Seems
to work well.
There’s also Brad Hurley’s site, The Irish Flute Guide, which has postings of flutes for sale, as well as Woodenflute’s postings of flutes for sale. Posting here may get you a sale right off, though, but as discussed on an earlier post, it also elicits opinions on the flutes, which may help or hurt your sale, depending on what you’re selling or for how much.
Giving us all a crack at them first, though, is really the only honorable thing to do… 
Well, damned if you do, damned if you don’t. My only drawback with ebay is you have to tell them your credit card and bank account information as well as the location of any body tattoos before they will let you list. I have had very good luck listing whistles and flutes on websites, including this one, but then occasionally you will get some pompous gas bag who spouts off about what he has heard about a particular instrument pontificating about how inferior the instrument is. Then, weak minded people will run away. Sometimes that works out for the better, but if you do list on this website, be ready for some arrogant snot who will ditz your instrument and the maker just because they like to hear themselves talk. If you live in Great Britain, you or the maker can sue his behind off as the slander laws are very good in the UK. Good Luck.
You’re one bitter fellow Piper 7…
If you say say Loren. Afterall, I would imagine your opinion on that subject is very important to others. At least I don’t go into a rage over smelly underpants. How twisted is that.
I meant to type “If you say so, Loren.” Now, with a more mature response I would like to say that not more than a month ago I saw a thread on this board in which people warned others about the problems of ditzing the quality of musical instruments without just cause. This is hurtful to the commerce of the maker and the seller as well as the buyer. However, when the totally unwarranted attack of Gordon was made on Sloan Flutes here not one soul on this board had the backbone to stand up and question him. I just wanted Elliot to understand the politics of this board and that there are some cliquish bullies who run amuck here. He should be cautious in listing anything here. In fact, I did not list my Sloan Flute here, but Aodhan did.
I decided to keep the flute as it has very good qualities and it is hard for me to give it up. Soooo, Gordon’s vindictiveness actually did me a favor.
Whew! I got more and less than I asked for!
To tell the truth E-Bay is confusing and seems scary as a place to spend time on.
I promise C&F first crack, as soon as I work up an accurate prose description. I don’t own a digital camera and I’m not sure I would know how to upload the picture anyway. I shall research it.
Just for grins, and because I haven’t any idea, what would a “Nach H.F. Meyer” flute in good shape with a low B foot be worth today? A range? $200-400? $400-600? $75-150? (I got it in a pawn shop back in the days when you could find wooden flutes in pawn shops, which was even before Michael Copeland was calling himself “Mekal”, i.e. early 1972.)
“nach” Meyer flutes appear a lot on eBay. I’d say the $200 to $400 range if it’s decent. I don’t think you’ll get any takers on this board, but give it a try.
There’s a nach Meyer flute on eBay now. You can watch how the bidding goes. Get some experience with eBay by doing searches on wood, wooden, and Irish flute.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2507108838&category=10183
Also, it’s not easy to sell a flute without pictures, unless you write a “super” description, and offer it at a low price.
Bill
[ This Message was edited by: SuiZen on 2003-02-09 05:52 ]
“I may be wrong but I don’t think you’ll get any takers on this board” elliott.
grin.
Greetings,
I sell quite a bit on eBay (books not flutes). It is intimidating at first, but it doesn’t take long to learn your way around.
It’s also the best way to get the most buyers looking at your item (in my opinion). Especially if you go about it the right way.
Another option for you is to list your instruments on eBay and then post a link to your auction to this message board (or to the Woodenflute list, etc.).
Just my .02 cents.
John
On 2003-02-08 10:13, piper7 wrote:
I meant to type “If you say so, Loren.” Now, with a more mature response I would like to say that not more than a month ago I saw a thread on this board in which people warned others about the problems of ditzing the quality of musical instruments without just cause. This is hurtful to the commerce of the maker and the seller as well as the buyer. However, when the totally unwarranted attack of Gordon was made on Sloan Flutes here not one soul on this board had the backbone to stand up and question him. I just wanted Elliot to understand the politics of this board and that there are some cliquish bullies who run amuck here. He should be cautious in listing anything here. In fact, I did not list my Sloan Flute here, but Aodhan did.
I decided to keep the flute as it has very good qualities and it is hard for me to give it up. Soooo, Gordon’s vindictiveness actually did me a favor.
First of all, no one “had the backbone” because a) no one thought I was being vindictive (and I wasn’t, not in the least), and b) no one necessarily disagreed with what I had to say. I would not have minded if anyone had disagreed, as that is what forums are for. It is also for discussing flutes. Not liking them and not recommending them is a part of that. It is not slander, nor is it vindictive, to dislike and not recommend a brand, with a reason given. It is not an “unwarranted attack” to say that I believe a flute is not a high quality one. Further, since Ray Sloan – a very nice, sincere fellow, it seemed when he used to appear on Woodenflute – chose to stop making flutes, I did nothing to his business reputation by voicing my feelings about his former product.
Now, if others had jumped in and defended your Sloan flute, or Sloan flutes in general, there would have been an equal discussion, whereby I would have been one voice of many. Telling, then, that this did not happen.
I agreed with the opinion on that earlier forum that slandering a flute based on personal opinion is not a healthy thing, both from a legal position and from a fair-sportsmanship position. However, my feelings (read again, my feelings) about Sloan flutes were not slander at all. Slander does not mean I am not allowed to give an opinion that is not nice. They were my opinion and came from personal experience playing them (although I owned up to saying that this experience was limited to only two – frankly, far more than I really needed to get a feel for the flutes) and from other people’s opinions voiced on other threads discussing same. Slander is the deliberate misrepresentation of a person or product in order to denigrate them or it. I did no such thing, to Sloan flutes or to you, personally. I have great control on this, I think.
Since that thread, you have been nasty on almost every post, on every topic. If you so dislike the opinions on this forum, please do us all a favor and go away.
[ This Message was edited by: Gordon on 2003-02-08 21:46 ]
Elliot,
List em here first! List
em here first! Pleeeeeze.
Bye the way, I live down
the road in St. Louis.
Howdy, fellow Missourian.
Piper 7, it seems to me you
often have good things to say.
Maybe you could say them
in a less jesting way?
I’ve found that jokes
don’t travel well on
these boards. People
take you dead literal,
and my impression is that
your tongue is often ‘in your
cheek’–as you once said. Best, Jim
Hey Jim. I have a better idea. Why don’t I just run all my opinions and statements past you, Loren and Gordy and then you all can edit everything I say before it is printed. I guess that would make you guys pretty happy. We don’t want any differences of opinion showing up on this board now do we.
Hey Gordon, I just read your post. Yep, that is the way in today’s modern world. If you don’t like someone’s opinion you just tell them to go away. In some other countries people with contrary opinions are just stoned to death or beheaded. I guess I should consider myself lucky that all you and your cronies can do is call me nasty and make personal attacks. What ever happened to the admonition on this board that all using it should be reasonable. I suspect that just applies when one has a differing opinion from those shared by the bully factor.
No, I don’t want to edit your opinions,
and I doubt that Loren, Gordon and
I could agree on much of anything.
If you check past listings, you
will find lots of differences
of opinions listed here–about
all sorts of things.
The problem we’re having with
your calling us ‘arrogant
snots’ and ‘pompous gas bags’
isn’t that we mind different
opinions being expressed.
Your posts seem to be
increasingly over the top
in an abusive sort of way. Best, Jim
[ This Message was edited by: jim stone on 2003-02-08 22:45 ]
Reviewing past threads from when piper7 first appeared on this forum, I think it important to note I don’t think he received a proper introduction to this forum nor has seen very good examples of what this forum is all about.
I think it’s meaningful to understand the difference between being abrasive and being honest, in being helpful and being overly or unnecessarily critical.
I think piper7 if you want to make the most of this forum it would be better to consider everyone here a friend and don’t be too quick to take offence. I know that you may have felt personally attacked on some the earlier threads but this does not reflect correctly the majority of folks that are on this board. Even those who seem a bit antagonistic may have just been looking out for other’s on this forum.
Disagreement is commonplace on this board and expressing your opinion is all good but take the time to read thru some of the forum guidelines and be slow to give or take offence. Don’t feel like if someone disagree’s with you now they won’t ever agree with you in the future.
There are folks on here that at times can seem belligerent but I can honestly say I have not seen any Trolls of the likes that can be regularly found on other discussion boards.
Anyway, I hope that piper7 has a better experience on this forum than what’s taken place up till now. This isn’t a clique or friggin club everyone here is an individual. Loren and Gordon are not on the same side. They have agreed from time to time like everyone else on this board. Gordon hasn’t been on this board much longer than you and has just begun getting to know everyone on this forum including Loren.
\
Hi Piper7:
I agree with the previous comments. If there are cliques, they come and go with each provocative discussion. That’s what’s fun here, and we’re all friends…and why not? We just have fun playing, sharing and talking about flutes. Including the opinions. Over time, you’ll know what flutes each player likes, dislikes, and the reasons.
I was the instigator of this board (boast! boast!) when I asked Dale to set up a place where we could discuss flutes. And over the last, what…2 years?..everyone has made comments that they regret. But we’re a forgiving lot. Hang in there. Develop thicker skin. Life is way too short. Enjoy!
G