Posted by Rick Denney on June 28, 2000 at 10:25:25:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Miraphone 186 C tuba for sale posted by Dave on June 27, 2000 at 16:59:21:
The point is not that the buyer must be careful. That goes without saying.
The point is that an honorable seller might be tempted not to mention certain faults unless asked. When asked to identify those faults (as in, "why are you selling it"), the seller must either be honest or dishonest. An honest seller will say the real reason, but spin it positively, "The horn is wrong for me--I could never find the right way to explore its potential" or "You need to move a lot of air to make this horn play in tune, and I'm not a good enough player to do that." A discerning buyer learns much from statements like this. A good player who can move lots of air will not be put off the horn, and someone like me will know to expect problems (but that still may not deter us from buying such an instrument in full knowledge).
The unscrupulous seller will lie anyway. So, the challenge to identify why the instrument is being sold is an opportunity for an honest seller to be forthcoming, not a useful trap for a dishonest seller. It is for the dishonest seller that you need the return policy, assuming that the buyer has asked all the right questions.
It's the difference between a good-faith effort to describe the horn fairly but still sell it at a good price and a fraudulent effort to hide the horn's faults. If you get a clear statement from the seller that "the horn is perfect but I need the money", and the bell falls off when you play BBb, then you know you are in the latter category and can proceed accordingly.
Rick "Buys a lot of things sight unseen--and only rarely burned" Denney