ebay cymbal purchase horror stories ...?

[teejcombos]

i've just paid for a 18.5" signature explosion crash i found off of ebay. this is the priciest purchase i've made over ebay, coming in at about $325AUD (yeah i know, still not that much). i'm a bit concerned, because the seller marked it as new, but after i asked him about it he said his son played it for about 10 minutes and decided it wasn't for him, which is kinda sketchy in itself. i'm wondering if he's underexaggerating, and i'm also wondering whether there is any damage to the edge of the cymbal. he sent me a bunch of photos though, and there doesn't seem to be any substantial damage, but i'm gonna have to take a closer look and feel once i get it. the whole waiting thing sucks and only heightens my paranoia.
anyways just wanted to know if anyone has any stories to tell about ebay purchases gone wrong, as in the cymbal being damaged when you were told otherwise, cymbals not showing up, etc etc.

[boomboomda]

Sorry, I do not have any "horror stories" for you. I bought several Meinl Byzance cymbals on ebay they all turned out to be a great buy.
I always received the cymbals as described and was never disappointed.
I hope it turns out alright for you too.

[teejcombos]

did you buy them new or used?

[mikei]

I have bought at least 10 different cymbals on eBay.

I have never been let down. Always great results.

Saved a boat load of cash and got great stuff.

I made sure the people had great eBay ratings.

Hope it all turns out for you.

Mike

[boomboomda]

They were all used cymbals.


did you buy them new or used?

[Flamacue]

Ebay...the people's pawn shop....

The reason I won't use ebay is because a lot of the stuff on there is stolen or worthless. Also I've heard horror stories about fraud, and ebay/paypal cleaning out peoples accounts without proper investigation.

Not saying there isn't a good use of ebay out there, obviously it works for some people...I'm just not in the business of getting screwed, so I won't leave myself out there to get burned, even if it’s low steaks probability…

[mind_drummer]

Both a used one and it priced accordingly to description and I'm very satisfied with my shopping. I wont mind getting others from eBay (which will probably happen eventually).

[Tetley]

Ebay...the people's pawn shop....

The reason I won't use ebay is because a lot of the stuff on there is stolen or worthless. Also I've heard horror stories about fraud, and ebay/paypal cleaning out peoples accounts without proper investigation.

Not saying there isn't a good use of ebay out there, obviously it works for some people...I'm just not in the business of getting screwed, so I won't leave myself out there to get burned, even if it’s low steaks probability…


i've yet to see a cymbal horror story on this forum, not even now there is a thread on it, use paypal and costs can be recovered if it all goes wrong, you are missing out on getting great stuff cheap, everyone else on the forum sems to have good luck with it so why not dip your toes and get a bargain.

[gr82bagn]

If done properly eBay is the way to go, you need to check feedback and use paypal it's a great way to save money. I've purchased every cymbal on my kit including the kit itself through eBay and not a single problem. You just need to do your homework on who you are buying from and use paypal for protection in terms of getting ripped off.

[somedrummer]

I once got an empty box from Ebay. I think it was supposed to have a cymbal in it, but at some point it must have fallen out, and it appeared to have been poorly packaged. Fortunately it was a cheapo entry-level cymbal that didn't cost much.

Otherwise I've had nothing but good experiences with Ebay. I'm buying some parts for my slingerland on there right now, and have had 4 good transactions within the last month, with 1 more auction ending today.

[jonescrusher]

I have to say Teejcombos, you and buying drum equipment does not seem to mix.

[The Ploughman]

Ok .......ebay horror. The only horror is that I dont still have all of these, they were all tremendously great cymbals.


This could take a while. Theres at least a half dozen I have forgotten or just failed to mention.
Theres not a single turkey in this lot. These were all nice pies.Mostly Ebay here.
Bought 17" Paiste 2002 Crash,
Bought 20" Paiste 2002 China, black label, perfect. Used it for a year, traded it off another forum for a 22" 2002 Power Ride, sold that on ebay for more than I paid for the China.
Bought Paiste Signature 20" Dry Heavy, traded it for 22" Paiste Power Ride.
Bought off a different forum 15" Paiste 2002 Crash, 40 bucks, when it came it was a bottom SE hat. so.......... Bought 15" Paiste 2002 Top Hat, 60.00. Used them for a while, sold.
Paiste 2002 Flat Ride 20"
Bought 16 thin, 18 thin 18 medium B8Pro crashes for 70. Sold them later for just a tad more.
Pawn shop K/A hats, ......new and dirt cheap.
Ebay, 16" Dark Crash, 18" Dark Crash, K Customs
Ebay, 10 K Custom splash, A Zildjian 16, 2 Alpha Paiste 14 bottom hats, 125.00......... kept the 10splash, sold the 16, the hats, and a 20 ZBT to some kid for 100.00 He got a good deal, I got my splash for 25.00
Paiste Traditionals, 13 Hats, 16 Crash 18 Crash, 20 Ride........ebay, bought from a seller with -3 feedback and sold for much more later, because i have positive feedback. Nice cymbals too..
Paiste Signature, 16 crash 18 crash, 20 brite ride.......bought and loved.... with the 22 Powerride....... great cymbals, sold them when we refied the house because I needed money.
Guitar Center 20" ride, 125.00, sold later for about 300.00, which was still less than it cost brand new.
Recently all my K Customs........sold for good money and one trade cymbal, which i will probably keep,
Ebay purchase, brand new Paiste 2002s, 14" SE hats, 16 Crash, 18 Crash, 18" Thin China, 24" Ride. These Ill keep for a while. I am back where I started from in 1999. Albeit different sizes, but I am back on Paiste 2002s, which I played from 1979 through 2003-4, and currently searching for good deals on Paiste Signature cymbals.

[drumbandit]

I havent had any horror stories ( sorry if that's dissapointing lol ) a few used cymbals which all ended up being as they were described on ebay. I think ebay gets a thumbs up, most drummers seem to be good guys, ( generalisation) so i think just check feedback. not just the % but what they've sold ect, then decide whether to buy or not.

Tom

[tamadrummer132]

well once i accidently bought bootleg ps2 controllers on ebay.. but they kinda arent cymbals.

[lovemysonors]

I bought an 18" Zildjian K med-thin dark crash, new for $100 less than the local shop.

It arrived with a crack, not from hitting it, but from the rolling or lathing process.

The seller sent out another one to replace it, but swore that it was damaged in shipping and gave me negative feedback (in response to the negative I gave him). There was no way shipping could have caused this type of opening in the metal that was clearly from the manufacturing. This was most likely a 'second,' sold as 'new.'

Either way, I finally got a good replacement, but after a little back and forth.

I'd buy again, but be sure to very carefully inspect every aspect of the cymbal upon arrival.

[Erwin]

Hello Teejcombos.
I know that paranoia feeling!! LOL
But I think you should just calm down and fill your heart with pleasure while you*re waiting for the goodies. I have only good experiences with ebay. It's a great thing, and I have saved hundreds of dollars and the stuff I bought have been in great condition. Most people are honest, after all, and if you cheat on ebay, you don't last for long.

[Big_Philly]

The only horror I had with e-bay and similar stuff is someone else bidding higher than I am willing to go... So far I haven't had any trouble, I bought some fantastic cymbals from a dutch website similar to e-bay.

[Deathtripp]

I don't really have any horror stories but I bought a new 9 1/2 " splash cymbal from ebay and it said not flimsy that they tried to bend it backwards and it wouldnt bend or anything and it was supposedly unmarked but when i got it , it had a peace logo on it and after playing it for 5 minutes it had a dent in it. But I only payed 25.50 for the splash and cymbal holder that attaches to your lugs so it was a pretty good deal

[teejcombos]

well, the guy shipped the cymbal out on monday, it's thursday, i haven't gotten it yet, and it hurts. thanks people for all the kind wishes in regards to this, erm, transaction.

i'm somewhat surprised at the fact that there aren't as many bad dealings with people from ebay. pleasantly surprised. except somedrummer receiving an empty box... i used to worry about items i've sold sliding out of the packaging... but no complaints yet.

jonescrusher, yeah i know what you mean. being as particular and as fussy as i am doesn't help matters though. some people would settle for floor stock hi-hats they ordered online, but no, not me. especially when i called them and told them i didn't want floor stock, and they said they wouldn't be giving me any. oh no, let's not get into this.

the ploughman, sounds like a tremendous run for you, hope it stays that way. if only all of us could be so lucky as to who we deal with..

lovemysonors, saying it got damaged in posting is such a copout... good to hear you got a replacement though. i know if this deal goes pear-shaped i won't... LOL. but it's all part of the learning experience i guess.

anyways the cymbal should be here this week, if not, early next week. if not, i'll be rocking back and forth curled into a ball in a corner somewhere. i keep telling myself i need to put more faith and trust into people other than those immediately close to me, so i guess this is a mark in the beginning of it.

[The Ploughman]

I have been involved in over 300 ebay transactions. I have had all positive feedback. Aprox. 8% of ebayers do not post feedback for whatever reason. Buyers and mostly, sellers. Especially sellers with low feedback and long time accounts. I dunno what it is about people. My feedback rating currently stands at a count of 283, all positive, with over 300 total, all positive. Ive had a few close calls. Ive spent from a few dollars, to almost 3,000.00 on a single transaction. And that one I sweated for the entire three weeks shipping required. UPS sucks sometimes. That was three weeks UPS had my drums. And you know they are the most careful people in the industry with packages. So I kind of bit my lip now.... eventually, I know some auction will turn out totally bad. Its just a matter of time.

[teejcombos]

so!
i got the cymbal. i was a bit disappointed, because there were a few tiny nicks on the edge (the cymbal was being sold as NEW even though i talked to him beforehand and found it it truly is not), but i don't really mind because i just sanded them smooth, which is the first time i've done so successfully, which equates to another experience gained. they weren't that dramatic to begin with, but i am. and as mentioned before, very paranoid. overall a good experience.

[Skitch]

All in all, I have had good luck on Ebay. I did get one badly damged cymbal though and the seller didn't do anything about it!

Mike

http://www.mikemccraw.com
http://www.dominoretroplate.com

http://www.youtube.com/drummermikemccraw
http://www.myspace.com/drummermikemccraw

[Jaden]

For the record, Ive purchased three rather expensive K rides on ebay and a sig flat ride....
2 new and 2 used

All four transactions were flawless

I recommend strongly plus I did indeed save a boatload

[mikesdrums]

I've bought tons of drum gear on eBay over the past seven or eight years with great results overall. The only not-so-great experiences were:

- A K ride from a guy who said the cymbal had a factory flaw. The "flaw" turned out to be a small crack that was obviously caused by being overtightened on the stand. It sounded great, though, and it's been my main ride ever since.

- A K Dark Crash Thin that looked good in the pic, but when it came in, I could see that somebody had used an abrasive cleaner on it. The finish is scratched and splotchy, but it sounds great, so it's a keeper, too.

- A 17" K Constantinople that the seller listed as a crash/ride. I'd never heard of a crash/ride in the K Con line, but the buy-it-now price was only $150, so grabbed it. When it arrived, I saw that it was stamped "Special Selection", meaning it wasn't a drum set cymbal at all. It was an orchestral cymbal, way too thick to be used as a crash and too clangy to be used as a ride. I relisted it on eBay with a starting price of $1 and an accurate description. It sold for $265! Lesson: there's a buyer for every cymbal, so all the seller has to do is be up front about it.

Mike

[thumper]

I look in the used section of the local music stores in my area for used cymbals, and there are a lot of decent deals I have stumbled across. ( 16" AA Medium/thin crash $50 CAD, 8" HH Splash $40, 16" A Rock crash $65, etc). I am leery of online buying; at least I can physically examine and test cymbals for myself in the store.
Just my 2 cents...