TubaForum.net

There are occasionally a few gems still found there, but - mostly, in my estimation - "bad tubas".

The few good/pretty-good ones seem to me to be double-priced, but (well...) everything we're buying seems to be now costing double, so...
I'm just thinking that the prices of NEW tubas (unlike food, fuel, shelter, which certainly have doubled, though I expect shelter prices to crash) have barely risen at all (with one major tuba manufacturer's prices DROPPING, as they've apparently now decided to be "the retailer")...so - if new tubas' prices haven't really risen, I'm thinking that used ones' prices (regarding prices that actually prompt SALES) haven't either.

In 2016, I bought a Besson Eb for $1,200 and a Cerveny Piggy for $2,000 on eBay.

Not really deals -- I would say the Besson was a little underpriced and the Piggy was about right -- but those prices included shipping, and I don't think I had to pay tax on them.

Nowadays, the only things I am really looking at are Buy-it-Now local items, which are few and far between (the Northeast is sort of a dead zone for stuff like that, especially compared to KY which allows access to most of the eastern Midwest and upper South). Shipping options are fewer, shipping prices higher, and tubas are rare; when they are offered, the price is almost outlandishly high, and those items linger.

There are a few exceptions, like that person in Michigan who sells old junky stuff which has no minimum bid but occasionally has some gems pop up. But people pay what they are willing to pay -- you can't really swoop in on a good deal when there are umpteen Frankentubers waiting to snatch up that King 4v set, all trying to snipe at the last minute.

I have had good luck, here, with Facebook Marketplace, occasionally Craigslist, and just word-of-mouth.

Not trying to make a living, but I do flip horns with my limited skill set and get things lubricated, playable, and decent.

My all-time best find was on Facebook Marketplace: a complete fiberglass Conn 36K with an awesome paint job for $25. I've posted it elsewhere. It's not for sale.

Mostly agree with bloke. There are some exceptions. Let’s not forget Dillon puts their used stuff on there, and their prices are usually right where they should be- occasionally a bit low, sometimes a might high, but in the right neighborhood. Also Quinn the Eskimo puts his tubas there. I got my King 2341 from Quinn at what I considered a pretty darn good price. However, he also advertises his horns on Reverb and on his own Web site. The same is true for Dillon. The difference between the two companies is that the price and deal for Dillon appears to be the same regardless of the site, while Quinn subtly changes the deal from platform to platform. Maybe one site has a little higher price but lower shipping, stuff like that. I ended up buying the King directly from him even thoughI first noticed it on eBay. I still look there regularly but pickings are slim. I keep looking in case I see something from my wish list, even though it’s extremely unlikely. I don’t flip, at least not yet.

My state charges sales tax on eBay purchases.

That, coupled with inflated prices for people to deal with the eBay fees... it's rarely worth it.

DonO. wrote: ↑Thu May 25, 2023 9:22 am Mostly agree with bloke. There are some exceptions. Let’s not forget Dillon puts their used stuff on there, and their prices are usually right where they should be- occasionally a bit low, sometimes a might high, but in the right neighborhood. Also Quinn the Eskimo puts his tubas there. I got my King 2341 from Quinn at what I considered a pretty darn good price. However, he also advertises his horns on Reverb and on his own Web site. The same is true for Dillon. The difference between the two companies is that the price and deal for Dillon appears to be the same regardless of the site, while Quinn subtly changes the deal from platform to platform. Maybe one site has a little higher price but lower shipping, stuff like that. I ended up buying the King directly from him even thoughI first noticed it on eBay. I still look there regularly but pickings are slim. I keep looking in case I see something from my wish list, even though it’s extremely unlikely. I don’t flip, at least not yet.

Quinn goes by "The Mighty Quinn" these days for reasons explained on his website.

I was ready to pull the trigger on a JP tuba offered at a very good price from Quinn. Shipping would be negligible because I live about an hour from his warehouse. I would have to pay Washington sales tax. As a courtesy to a fellow member of the TNFJ who also sold JP, I asked Bloke to give it a shot. He beat Quinn's price before shipping and tax savings. If you want JP, ask Bloke to give it a shot.