I bid on auctions well below their reserve because it is easy to track the auction that way. You might be confused in that a reserve is private or hidden as a default on eBAY. Many, many auction houses publish the reserve. It is also common in real estate. It is also common on eBAY for people to share their reserve; there is nothing sacred about it.
As I said, there is a cost to each auction. Trying to set the expectations by publishing the reserve and having the starting bid where it is, hopefully, will end up with a successful auction for both buyer and seller. It’s only an auction, terms can be tweaked along the way and/or in a subsequent auction.
Pipes at this amount is the high end of the market. The reserve protects my interest; I am hoping that publishing the reserve will motivate someone to step up to the plate.
My opinion, shared by others, is that this is the right price and that an instrument like this will appreciate over time. I cannot even really convey the rarity of this set. How many sets can you look at in your hands and in ONeill’s book(s)?
Oh, no, I’m not arguing that it’s not a valuable set.
I guess I just don’t understand the workings of auctions. Thanks for explaining them to me . . . obviously I have ZERO experience with REAL auctions or I might have known something about how they actually work. eBay shmeeBay.
Stuart
Oh, if I open a copy of O’Neill’s, and put my pipes onto the copy, then I can kind of pretend that I see my pipes in O’Neills. Closest I’ll get.
Why go through all the restoration process..and then just sell the set..why not enjoy it for alittle while..thats my two cents…good luck none the less..dont mind me..i’m just bitter..
I wouldn’t send them to the Chantry just at the moment, the council is trying to get the place turned into a tourist attraction (AKA restaurant). The collection might well be going into storage.
I should have them…I want them…Give them to me
Please…
I am the Arch Bishop of Mars, and should have a set of Bb Uilleann Pipes befitting my status.
In return you will be very blessed and may very well inherit the world(or the smaller satellite of Mars - Deimos)
The body of the set (stock, ferrules, ivory, drones, regulators) is totally Willie Rowsome, save one regulator key that Brad had to fashion. I’ve seen a lot of sets in my time and this is one of the coolest!
But sometimes I wonder is ebay the way to go when your selling such a specialised, unique instrument.
Are the pipes advertised outside of Chiff and Fipple and the David Daye list. What i mean to say is that there are dozens of pipers in Ireland that I know well that aren’t aware of these forums. And some of those lads have a few spare bucks too!
Does Paddy Moloney or Liam O’Flynn know that these pipes are for sale.
Now the thing is, I’m only asking the questin and I don’t really have any answers.
Like, if I won the lottery tomorrow and I want a Strad or a gold plated Bentley where do I go to get one?
Are there (I’m sure there are) specialised auction houses that deal with this kinda stuff.
Or is this what ebay is?
just curious.
This list and eBAY does get the word out pretty effectively. One always wonders about the best way to sell any item. The specialized auction houses charge a relative fortune for examination, appraisal, and sale. I am not sure if PM knows about them but LOF had heard about them. One never knows in an auction; sometimes a high-end auction (this is a high-end item for the pipes market space) takes a while to gel. Sometimes unsuccesful auction efforts do generate greater interest, so here’s hoping that is happening!
I saw that the Leo Rowsome keyless chanter did not hit its Reserve above $1400+. Everyone tries to strive and get the best price; it’s perfectly OK to have more than one go at the auction or sales process and adjust price as appropriate.
While a Cites certificate might be the way to go, this set with its old ivory would most likely not cause any concern. For a European buyer, I might arrange to hand carry them as I anticipating a trip soon to Ireland.
If you take them across a US border, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE get a CITES certificate. Horror stories may be fewer in the Uilleann world as there are fewer sets to start with, but there is more than one vintage set of GHBs which has been confiscated by the US govt. You don’t get to appeal, or argue, or go home - once they’ve got it, it’s gone. You need the certificate to prve to Customs that it is older - photos in whatever work of reference will cut no ice.
I did hear of one case where they managed to agree to get the ivory removed and the pipes returned. Customs took a wood saw and chopped off all the mountings, complete with little bits of wood. The owner was left with several useless tubes of very expensive wood.
You aren’t safe hand carrying, hold baggaging, or indeed trying to swim it. Don’t risk it. I don’t think any of us would like to see a set of pipes come to an end like this.
