And the award for World's Ugliest Flute goes to....

[s1m0n]

There's an asian wood that gets called cocus by Pakistani pipemakers; this might have been the case from Victorian times, but it's definitely not the cuban wood we think of.

It could be this:

Sheesham (also known as Thakkat, Jali and Indian Rosewood) is a deciduous, semi temperate hardwood of the teak family and native to India, Pakistan and Nepal. The wood is highly prized for its naturally dark heartwood and the grain, which is similar in appearance to teak. It has a remarkably tight, colourful, attractive grain throughout and turns and carves well, making it an excellent choice for beautiful furniture.

The wood can be stained, polished, waxed or sealed and is also used for flooring, in boat building, in carvings (including chess sets etc.) and musical instruments (quite naturally, given its beauty) and even in skis. It is often used to make incense holders, due to its slightly aromatic and non-burn qualities.

[Dominic Allan]

"It is often used to make incense holders, due to its slightly aromatic and non-burn qualities."- So often people just dismiss pakistani flutes as firewood.

[Denny]

ah, tacky by design... nevermind!

cheap though! get two!

[MTGuru]

I reckon they've missed out a 't'. I think they might have meant "cactus wood". Lightweight, sturdy ... it could be ...

But you need leave the spines on. Real men play cactuswood. "Ah stop yer screaming and suck it up, man!"

[Kypfer]

This instrument has resurfaced at http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Irish-Flute-A ... 1c1ff75a76 ... this time with a reserve price of 1c!!

"Interestingly", the metal fittings look VERY similar to this one (without the lathework) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140614281116? ... 1439.l2649 ... you can see what that one sold for !!

[MTGuru]

this time with a reserve price of 1c!!

Not reserve, starting bid. But what's up with the 3 bids of $0.01?

[Peter Duggan]

It means there have been three bids but none for the reserve price. On which note, I hate reserve prices on eBay because they're just annoying for buyers (keep bidding till you get there) and pretty well pointless for sellers when a hidden reserve or genuine starting price are effectively the same thing!

[Doug_Tipple]

It means there have been three bids but none for the reserve price. On which note, I hate reserve prices on eBay because they're just annoying for buyers (keep bidding till you get there) and pretty well pointless for sellers when a hidden reserve or genuine starting price are effectively the same thing!

It used to be that the starting price determined the listing fee, and the higher the starting price the greater the listing fee. In that economy it made sense to start the auction at a low bid price and have a reserve price. I haven't been following the ebay listing details that closely, but I believe that for an auction listing for many items there is no listing fee, so it no longer makes good sense to start an auction at one cent if your minimum acceptable bid is $200. As Peter says, I would start the bidding at my lowest acceptable price.

[Kypfer]

Not reserve, starting bid.

... ooops ... missed a bit out again ... much like some of my whistle playing - all the notes are in my head, but some of them don't make it all the way to my fingers

[kkrell]

It means there have been three bids but none for the reserve price. On which note, I hate reserve prices on eBay because they're just annoying for buyers (keep bidding till you get there) and pretty well pointless for sellers when a hidden reserve or genuine starting price are effectively the same thing!

Actually, the first bidder placed their 1st bid, then upped it twice. You can't bid against yourself, unless you do so using another eBay account (and you might see that when there is shill bidding to falsely drive up an item's price to another bidder's maximum). When another bidder enters the race, eBay's proxy bidding system will automatically place bids up to #1's maximum.

I don't like Reserve prices either. However, if a seller thinks that having a low starting bid will attract more viewers than otherwise, I can see where they would place a Reserve price to protect from selling the item at too low a price. If the Reserve price is not reached, than the seller has no obligation to sell the item. I prefer that they just set the starting bid at the minimum price they would accept to complete the auction, and they can hope for the market to set a higher value.

@Doug, listings are not always free if the seller has an eBay "store". In any case, even if the listing is free, there is a fee associated with having a Reserve price, depending on how high. Generally not worth it. Might make some sense in an auction that is for research only, as the seller may receive bids helping them establish a market price, with all bids deliberately doomed to fail. An example might be to list a R&R flute with a low start price, and an unreasonable Reserve ($10,000, maybe?). You can see what activity it gets (watchers, etc. to judge interest), and how high those people will bid against each other. Then, later, re-list the auction (or sell in a different venue) with pricing based on the information gathered.

[Peter Duggan]

Actually, the first bidder placed their 1st bid, then upped it twice. You can't bid against yourself, unless you do so using another eBay account (and you might see that when there is shill bidding to falsely drive up an item's price to another bidder's maximum). When another bidder enters the race, eBay's proxy bidding system will automatically place bids up to #1's maximum.

FWIW, I know all that and merely said 'there have been three bids', which holds just as true with one bidder attempting to discover the reserve price as three... and perfectly demonstrates the lunacy of the eBay reserve price option!

[Holmes]

Subjectivity is ....

looking at some of the commentators' avatars....and realising there's not much point in talking about ugly flutes

I've been away a while but I get your meaning....

H

Save your hot air for blowing down your flute
Wood - Mooney - Holmes; Laird of McNabb http://www.box.net/shared/5tx0jxtd7cbbgjfsjkp0