Valuations - posting guidance

[Theo]

There have been a couple of postings recently asking for valuations of instruments, which has promted me to think.

As result I would like to offer some guidelines for people wanting instrument valuations.

• this is a discussion forum, not a commercial site, we are here to share experience, provide support and encouragement
• the forum and it's members do not claim any particular knowledge about the value of instruments
• valuation is a specialised business and inaccurate valuations, either too high or too low, can cause financial loss, distress and unhappiness
• there have been instances of new members joining for the specific purpose of seeking valuations.  This is not in the spirit of melodeon.net

My feeling is that melodeon.net is not an appropriate place to seek valuations.  On the other hand it would be ok for people here to discuss sources of information on instrument values.

Comments welcome.

[Ellison]

Theo
That advice is priceless
Martin

[Matthew B]

Theo,
It's also probably worth noting that those who gleefully proclaim themselves victims of MAD are probably not the best people to turn to for sober advice on this matter.  However we act in the rest of our lives, none of us here seem to be particularly hard-nosed when it comes to the "business" of buying and selling squeeze-boxes.  I direct the reader to Reese's past comments on supporting his box habit, and to your own recent acquisition . . .

[lesleyheather]

sorry if I caused any offence.I just wanted advice on the best thing to do with it as i would like someone to buy it who genuinely was interested in it .I thought someone could steer me in the right direction.

[Theo]

sorry if I caused any offence.I just wanted advice on the best thing to do with it as i would like someone to buy it who genuinely was interested in it .I thought someone could steer me in the right direction.

Hi Lesley,  I don't think you have caused any offence.  You have just made me stop and think about this aspect of the forum.

Had you initially asked for help with information about your flutina,  rather than just "How much is it worth?"  you may have got a more positive response.

[upmine3]

Doesn't matter what we think an instruments value is it's only worth what some one is willing to pay for it. So if we here over valued some ones instrument granted that might get the sellers hopes up (unfortunately) but it doesn't mean some one's going to be out of pocket by hastily purchasing it does it? I'm sure we all know on this forum roughly the value of the more familiar instruments to the nearest £100 so if we can't help what forum can?

[Theo]

I'm sure we all know on this forum roughly the value of the more familiar instruments to the nearest £100 so

That may be so, but shops and makers catalogues are available for those.  Its the oddball instruments that are very hard to put a value on, and tend to be the ones that people have asked about recently on this forum.  A Flutina for instance, I've seen these change hands for anything between £40 and a few hundred.  Condition can vary widely, and there are many different designs.  I think it is safe to respond to value questions by reference to recently sold examples, or examples that are available to buy, but then you still have to factor in whether the seller is a dealer who offers a guarantee, or a private seller, and the condition of the instrument, and likely need for repairs.  It's quite a minefield really.

As you say the value is what someone is prepared to pay, so a better approach would be for someone selling an instrument to to describe it and ask for offers(off-line please this isn't an auction site either)

[upmine3]

As you say the value is what someone is prepared to pay, so a better approach would be for someone selling an instrument to to describe it and ask for offers(off-line please this isn't an auction site either)

Now there's an idea an auction site just for us lot. Instruments only of course. Say 2% of every sale could go to the site maintenance which would allow Theo more bandwidth for uploading our mp3 soundfiles. What are ya waiting for?

[george garside]

[
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As you say the value is what someone is prepared to pay, so a better approach would be for someone selling an instrument to to describe it and ask for offers(off-line please this isn't an auction site either)

totally agree, there are enough well established auction sites for those willing to take a leap into the unknown. I also agree strongly that all and any negotiation between buyer & seller in respect of boxes 'advertised' here should be done privately by  personal message, , telephone, personal appearance or in a plain brown envelope

george

[TomB-R]

"Completed items" searches on "well known auction sites" are sometimes a useful resource to point people at.

I don't think people here mind a "what is it" type query, (so long as it is not totally obvious,) and that then makes it much easier for someone to do their own homework.

We've all seen the threads on discussion forums which basically say "would you do all my work for me!"
(And anyone who looks at the auction sites with a bit of knowledge will be amused by misdescriptions that show the seller didn't even do two minutes research.)

Do "please read this before you post a new discussion" type notes have any effect at all? (I think I can guess...)
Tom

[Ellie]

Do "please read this before you post a new discussion" type notes have any effect at all? (I think I can guess...)

Not on any sites I've been on...but at least you've got it there to point at when people have ignored it :)

[No Strings Attached]

I,m pleased Theo has removed any restrictions from the Buy & Sell area.  I do believe that as grown ups ( I realise we can't be both, grown ups and musicians !!) we can see through transparent sales pitches but they don't all appear in the buy & sell.  Take a look the plea for information on a Monica Zwota Klingenthal then look at the traders web site and price tag of £880, from there move to the shop and see the large list of etc., etc.

Come on Voalen alias Val, alias Villchan, "I'm a complete newbie", you are an Ebay power seller with an inventry of free reed instruments.