Is buying a Violin from ebay a good idea? would you do it if it looks legit?

As a lifelong musician, I would -never- buy any instrument from anyone without playing it first.

If you know what to look for yes. There are thousands of good violins for sale on Ebay. Just choose one with a return policy. Try Yita Music or Melody with Violin. These chinese makers crank out some decent instruments for a few hundred dollars, no Joke! Those who are naysayers usually come from the very scared crowd of violin shop owners who are getting tired of Ebay cutting into their profits. I have purchased several chinese violins from Yita and their quality matches most German factory fiddles in both craftsmanship and sound quality. At a few hundred bucks and with a return policy you just can't go wrong.

voilon maybe safer. some people say not to buy clothes from there but I'm not sure

I had some students buy a violin from Ebay. One bought a 1/10 size violin for $99 and another one bought 1/16 size for $20. They were both beginners. The parents didn't know how long they will stick to it and didn't want to spend $20 for a rental violin every month. The quality is below average. If the financial situation is tight it is better to have one than not have. Johnsonstring.com and sharmusic.com have average quality violins. Pottersviolins.com has great quality violins. Your local violin shop will carry good violins.
musiconline101@yahoo.com for online violin lesson with a live teacher via Skype

I am a seller and also a buyer on ebay.I have bought a Violin from ebay and my Son loves it, alot of sellers have a return policy, myself included. you can also purchase insurance,& paypal has money back programs, I have never lost money with ebay or paypal's sites. I have been doing it just about four years.

You just need to read all of the description, check to see if they have a return policy and what the policy is and very important, check their feedback to see if they have complaints.

It all depends. I got a trombone on eBay, played a while and I ended up selling to a man overseas who plays in a famous orchestra. He was DELIGHTED with it.
I wrote something to help people with ebay once. Here it is.

Here are a few big things we've found on eBay and bought.
A used $600 camera.
A used $747 camera. (Both in great condition)
A used radio scanner. (Very good condition)
Two used IBM 600e laptops. Bought them separately
A used A22m IBM laptop.
A used bracelet. This is what we got scammed on. The quality was crap and we got our money back.
Some jump training equipment that was used by the Mavericks. (I could care less who used it though)
A used Infinity Q45.
A high end microscope for a very low price. (We used sniper bid to beat some lowlifes who we later learned were going to Harvard and needed to microscope).
A $100 dollar harmonica for less than $25, new.
A used Mercedes SLK Kompressor 1999 model. (Great)
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As you can see, it is possible to buy things on eBay without getting ripped and have a good experience. All items listed above were purchased at extremely lower prices than the originals. I could write a whole book about eBay, but I’m not a money mongering whore like the people who’ve already written eBay books. These are the straight facts.

Take notes.

Don't buy anything you consider to be expensive from anyone with less than about 40 feedback reviews.

Don't buy from anyone who has a feedback of less than 99%. Especially if they have sold thousands of items. Most people I buy from fall into the 99% category. IF they have less than that, look at their feedback. You can find it by clicking on the number next to their user name. Read the negatives

If you read the person's negative feedback, they will have usually responded to the negatives. If they respond with insults OR WITH ALL CAPITAL LETTERS OMG, under no circumstances should you purchase anything from them. Those type of replies aren't professional. Also check to see how many "mutually withdrawn" feedbacks they have.

Make sure to read the shipping costs. Some people are tricky in that way. Sometimes the shipping is just $40 and there's nothing they can do about it. The shipping price is usually listed right about the "Place Bid" box.

Make sure you have a paypal acount before bidding. If you buy and can't bid, you could likely recieve negative feedback. Also, don't bid unless you're going to pay.

If an item is used and the seller doesn't SPICIFICALLY SAY it works like new, don't buy it. While they should tell you if it doesn't work, it's better to avoid the possibility of getting ripped.

If you have questions, email the seller.

If it's used and pictures aren't supplied, expect a crappy product.

Don't be a dumbass. Don't bid on weight loss pills out of disparity. Please. Go to a gym or go on a jog and a diet like a civilized person. People who sell weight loss pills are scammers.

eBay IS "The World's Online Marketplace." If you don't believe it, go to their website. It's on the front page and it's on the internet, so it must be true.

You should be careful for the bidding is the easy part.The payment by mail gets lost,the product shipped to the wrong address.I have lost a great deal of money in this site.About the legitimacy of the violin,unless they guarantee it,you buy it once you win,even if it is not what you expected.