reputation of ebay seller?

ChrisCracknell · Post by **ChrisCracknell** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 4:33 pm

Has anyone dealt with the ebay seller of this item?

ebay number: 120185286482

What are his pipes like? When he says "Scottish hand made" is he lying? He seems to be selling either the same set repeatedly, or has a supplier of lots of pipes which can only be either made in the third world, or made in a more "manufacturing" manner. I am curious which it is.

Thanks,

Chris.

mukade · Post by **mukade** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 8:28 pm

If you check his sales, the majority are bagpipes - most probably of Pakistan origin.

I have seen rosewood border pipes for sale on ebay.
I would guess these are the same quality.

Mukade

MichaelLoos · Post by **MichaelLoos** » Sun Nov 18, 2007 2:37 am

....he also sold a number of "lovely harps"...
The cheapest set of these Lowland pipes went for 67 GBP.
If bought in Germany, the materials for such an instrument would cost approximately:
African blackwood 150 - 200 €
Rosewood (for stock) 10 €
Leather (for double bag & bellows) 50 -70 €
Imitation ivory 5 - 10 €
Brass 5 - 10 €
Reed cane 5 €
Small parts, abrasives etc 10 €
No work has been done yet, and electricity for the machines is not yet included, either. I doubt very much that in Scotland the material is much cheaper, nor do I believe a scottish pipemaker would enjoy working for no money. So in my opinion it is virtually impossible this instrument has been made in western Europe, also I find it hard to believe it's real African blackwood.

ChrisCracknell · Post by **ChrisCracknell** » Sun Nov 18, 2007 5:38 am

Yes, I did the sums on the pricing of the pipes too. But if so, wouldn't that mean that the ebay seller is lying rather than just being vaguely misleading? And doesn't ebay have rules against that sort of thing (I'm being naive here...). Also, his feedback seems to be pretty good - does that mean his customers don't know enough to judge what they have? Or that they give feedback based on delivery, appearance, etc. before they have a chance to try out the pipes properly?

The 67 pounds sale was an exception and I notice that the seller no longer offers free auctions like the one that led to this price.

Maybe I should ask some of his customers what they think of the pipes, and whether they are players, or aspiring players. I would be interested to know who is making the pipes, since they appear to be a cut above the bottom end Pakistani GHBs. But on the other hand, his pictures may not be representative.

mukade · Post by **mukade** » Sun Nov 18, 2007 6:08 am

ChrisCracknell wrote:Yes, I did the sums on the pricing of the pipes too. But if so, wouldn't that mean that the ebay seller is lying rather than just being vaguely misleading? And doesn't ebay have rules against that sort of thing (I'm being naive here...). Also, his feedback seems to be pretty good - does that mean his customers don't know enough to judge what they have? Or that they give feedback based on delivery, appearance, etc. before they have a chance to try out the pipes properly?

The 67 pounds sale was an exception and I notice that the seller no longer offers free auctions like the one that led to this price.

Maybe I should ask some of his customers what they think of the pipes, and whether they are players, or aspiring players. I would be interested to know who is making the pipes, since they appear to be a cut above the bottom end Pakistani GHBs. But on the other hand, his pictures may not be representative.

My impression is that many people rate Ebay sellers on promptness of delivery and the condition of the item. Most people who buy these kinds of pipes are either novices who don't ask enough questions or resellers looking for a quick profit.

Mukade

pancelticpiper · Post by **pancelticpiper** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 7:40 am

could you post a link? I can usually immediately tell if an instrument is of Pakistani origin. I did see a Pakistani uilleann pipe listed from a UK seller who claimed that the pipes were UK made- a bald-faced lie. The Pakistani uilleann pipes have a distinctive look, as their GHB's do.
The positive feedback of a seller of Pakistani junk means nothing: remember that only people who are clueless about bagpipes would buy Pakistani pipes in the first place. They are not in a position to understand that what they bought doesn't work. They only find that out when they seek instruction or guidance from an experienced player, who must break the news to them that what they bought is worthless as a musical instrument. By this time, feedback has long since been posted. I know, because I've taught pipes for 25+ years, and I get people coming to me ALL THE TIME with these Ebay-purchased Pakistani pipes.