Investing in expensive musical instruments

basco · #1 09-12-2006, 11:53 AM

Anyone have any experience on this front? I'm thinking about buying a new violin and looking to spend around 10K, and wondering if I can rationalize more on the premise that it is a sound investment. My last violin appreciated by about 8% annually, however that's only based on appraisals (for insurance purposes) and I fear hefty commissions when selling it. Any and all advice is appreciated.

arsoisaen · #2 09-13-2006, 03:24 AM

i know violins are COMPLETELY different from flutes in the realm of musicial instruments...

but heres my 2 cents...8k flute, used it for year and a half, value wise not much really. esp not after the hassle of finding a seller and commissions and stuff.

imo tho violins would be much better because they seem to appreciate so much well then anything else

NoTalent · #3 09-13-2006, 06:53 AM

"I fear hefty commissions when selling it"

I know nothing about violins or musical instruments as an investment. Aside from that--could you sell something like this on ebay? Or would you go through a more traditional seller?

-sk00lb0y- · #4 09-13-2006, 07:02 AM

This sounds a lot like investing in art. Which can be quite a racket. If you know what is up in the world of violins then go for it. Please remember though there are 3 pricing for everything: Wholesale, Retail, and What it's worth.

maxtower · #5 09-13-2006, 04:27 PM

I think if you purchase the violin through ebay, then you will pay only what its worth, and later sell it through ebay, then you will realize most of the price appreciation since ebay fees I would imagine are relatively low for this type of transaction.
Alternatively, you would lose more if you bought from a music store and then tried to resell it to them or through ebay, since you are paying retail, but selling at the "what its worth" price.
Max