OK, so I ask a lot of questions. . .

[cheburashka]

I hope I'm not irritating the contributors here--just looking for information as a flat-out beginner. I don't mean to be a pest.

I did irritate someone on Ebay. I asked questions about shipping, dents, red rot, tears, tubing length etc. on an old Besson and they answered cheerfully. I then asked them to check the valve compression by pulling the slides. They wrote back and said:

We appreciate your inquiry on the Tuba, we are offering for sale on eBay, as our ad states we do not play tuba, and are really not that knowledgeable on brasswinds, to be qualified to answer your numerous questions. Rather than disappoint you, on any miss information, we may render, we believe it to be behooving to both parties, if you don't bid on this instrument.

They went on to say that since they didn't know how to pull a slide tube and listen to see if it makes a popping sound, they didn't feel comfortable having me bid on the horn.

I give them credit--most sellers just blow me off if I ask questions that they can't answer, or don't want to answer. Still, I've never had anyone tell me not to bid because I wanted to know the playing condition of the instrument!

[Paul S]

I am guessing that the seller in question feared that your required needs might be at a level greater than their profit and reputation risk could warrant on the particular sale. A sale is a transaction between two parties and sometimes it is equally as good for a seller to walk away as it is for the buyer to do so. Some things like reputation and keeping both parties happy are more important than profit.

It is always good to do as much research as possible but the value of the item should come into play in the questioning of a seller as well. I would certainly expect more thorough answers from someone selling a $4000 horn over a $400 one for example. I also expect more from a bricks and mortar store (and expect to pay more there too) than a huge catalog or internet place with their minimal support.

It is your hard earned money and you need to be careful with it but time answering questions and seller reputation is also a very valueable commodity as well. If you expect a certain level of service be prepared to pay a bit more for it and everyone will be happy.

One last thought to consider in your shopping quest and when asking about compression is that the valves may sometimes be vented. A non-playing seller might not know of this feature and report a less than strong pop.

Good Luck to you!

[cheburashka]

I agree that reputation is important, and that one shouldn't expect much from an ancient tuba under $500. However, I think lack of information can be a seller's worst enemy. Currently, we have a dissatisfied customer maligning an Ebay seller on this very board, simply because the customer didn't look carefully enough at the pictures and never thought to ask the seller whether the horn was silver or lacquer. I sell quite a bit on Ebay (100% positive, knock wood) and I've found that good, detailed information is my best insurance policy.