[fyrfytrhoges]

I am not ripping ebay here so don't get me wrong, just be careful of buying cds from people on ebay. It is apparent to me that one persons definition of excellent condition can be very different than anothers. I just learned that the hard way. I just received two radiohead cds which I paid 25.00 and 16.00 for respectively, and I cannot believe the condition of these cds, they are absolute ****, they are worse than any cd I've ever owned in my life and that includes the ones I had when I was about 13 and didn't give a rip about anything, all I know is that I would be embarrased to sell anything to anyone in that condition, I would feel like I was ripping someone off, guess that conscience thing can be a bitch!!!

 

[fiddler]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...item=907794802

That's a really good price for a real Strad, but the photos obviously reveal a $40 factory made fiddle with phony papers.

 

[DanG]

There is now a company called "Stradivarius" which makes inexpensive machine-made violins. My little brother had one about five years back for a short time.

 

[zowie]

Their have been super-cheap violins that say Strad for a long, long time. I guess it's not a fraud, because no one would every confuse them with real Strads.

I've had a several bad ebay purchasing experiences (and many good ones), and except for one person who was an outright crook, it was people who weren't knowledgeable about what they were selling. There are a lot of them out there.

There are ways to tell. Life if the wrong terms are in the description. If an LP is described as "near fine," you know you've got a used book dealer who doesn't know crap about records. And if it's clear the seller is a garage sale person and not a book dealer, then there's a good chance the "first edition" will either be a book club or a reprint.

I'm in to vintage phonographs. So many times I see something like "it is in good working condition. We tried to play a record, but there is a loud hum and the music is very low, and it doesn't eject [sic] at the end of the record." I especially like the one's where no matter what's wrong or how little they know, they write "probably just needs a tube."

Sometimes, emailing a specific question helps. When I was bidding on 8-tracks that were"untested but appear to be in excellent condition" I asked if they had the original pressure pads. The reply, "I don't really know anything about these, if you tell me where to look. . . ." Don't bid. The seller may be well intentioned, but obviously has no ability to tell if the tapes appeared excellent or not (whatever "excellent" means).

 

[aeberbach]

Hey zowie, I think it's usually a way to cover up dishonesty rather than genuine ignorance. If they pretend to know nothing about what it is you're buying they can pretend not to know something they should have disclosed. I always avoid "I know nothing about X but it looks good" people. They are usually liars.

Almost every violin labelled "Antonio Stradivari fecit anno 17xx" where the final figures are written in ink is a fake. At around the turn of the century there were many small makers in Germany producing violins and they liked to use these labels. Too good to be true almost always is, and the aggregation of eyeballs on eBay ensures that bargains aren't going to slip without notice.

Exceptions occur when people make typos in the description. If you want a rolleiflex, it's worth searching for "rolliflex", "rollieflex" or even "rolly flex". Always search in title and description and get to know how to use the advanced search functions to filter out that cretin selling that stupid "banned" CD. Other favorites - "lieca" and "cannon camera".

 

[gloco]

Quote:

Originally posted by fyrfytrhoges I am not ripping ebay here so don't get me wrong, just be careful of buying cds from people on ebay. It is apparent to me that one persons definition of excellent condition can be very different than anothers. I just learned that the hard way. I just received two radiohead cds which I paid 25.00 and 16.00 for respectively, and I cannot believe the condition of these cds, they are absolute ****, they are worse than any cd I've ever owned in my life and that includes the ones I had when I was about 13 and didn't give a rip about anything, all I know is that I would be embarrased to sell anything to anyone in that condition, I would feel like I was ripping someone off, guess that conscience thing can be a bitch!!!

Question: what kind of radiohead cds warranted such a price?

 

[zowie]

AE, I'm not sure I'd agree with your point about covering up dishonesty. But one thing I've found almost always indicates dishonesty is when something that is very easy to test is sold as "untested." It's usually pretty safe to assume it was tested and didn't work.

 

[andrzejpw]

lol, the day I buy a 500K violin off of ebay without seeing it in person, is, well, the day that I, um. . .

 

[fiddler]

And then of course there the REALLY good copies that actually are on the market as real Strads, selling for the same kind of money as a real Strad. I believe there was a Vuillaume (french maker) fiddle that was mistaken for a Strad for several decades before it was re-identified. I wouldn't be surprised if many "Strads" out there being played by famous violinists aren't real. It's sometimes nearly impossible to verify whether an instrument is authentic or not...

 

[andrzejpw]

Hmm, I'll have to ask my sister what a strad is. . . or you guys.

Are these basically the best instruments ever? Anyone have a background/history?

 

[fiddler]

"Strads" or "Stradivarius" violins are violins made by the Italian violin maker Antonio Stradivari in the 18th century. He studied violin making from Nicolo Amati, who was the best out of the Amati family of makers.

Instruments made by Stradivari are considered, along with those of Guarneri "del Jesu", to be the best in the world. Why? Well they just sound so damn sweet, that's why.

A good Strad would cost several million bucks, easily.

 

[CaptBubba]

Quote:

Originally posted by andrzejpw Hmm, I'll have to ask my sister what a strad is. . . or you guys. Are these basically the best instruments ever? Anyone have a background/history?

Basically they are the work of a particular maker for by a combination of luck in aquireing materials and skill in craftsmanship made insturments that sound really good. Part of the reason that they are so expensive is because to cut down on compition he deliberatly lied about how he made them.

Much research has been made into why they sound the way they do. One professor thinks he has it figured out using wood that had been soaked in water and a varnish that includes fruit juice and urine. Many musicians think his violins sound just as good, but won't buy and use them because they are not the "real deal" so to speak.

There has been maker after maker that proclaim to have found out his secret, or try to use his name, but most of them fall short.

 

[fyrfytrhoges]

gloco, they are singles that are now out of print, radiohead in the early years only pressed limited amounts of alot of their cds so they are I would say fairly rare and some are just down right hard to get, thats what you get when you start collecting I guess...

 

[gloco]

Quote:

Originally posted by fyrfytrhoges gloco, they are singles that are now out of print, radiohead in the early years only pressed limited amounts of alot of their cds so they are I would say fairly rare and some are just down right hard to get, thats what you get when you start collecting I guess...

hmmm, just sounds like you got screwed, did the buyer have any negative feedback? I tend to avoid them. I just bought a Bruce Springsteen Live boxset (5 LP's) for $5. That's a steal and it came in great condition.

 

[zowie]

I think all the Strads, or believed Strads, are registered, so you don't really have fake's popping up in the pro market.

Very few violin soloists actually play Strads in concerts. Despite the lovely tone, they don't project well in large halls.

Many people have spent far more time listening to recorded, usually close-miked, violins in their living room on which the solo violin is engineered to be at almost the same level as the entire orchestra. They are often disappointed when they hear a naturally balanced live concert in a big hall, and think the loudest violins and violinists are better. Which acccounts for a lot of the success of some major label heavily promoted but mediocre violinists.

I hope that provides everyone with more insight into buying CDs on ebay.