New to the violin, should i get one off ebay?

Question

i might get a violin of ebay, the cost is about 30$ and the shipping is about 30$, total= about 60$

worth it?

Answer 1

could try it but you may not like it.  Pawn shops almost always have violins.  At least you can see them and try them out there.

Answer 2

No!  It's totally a piece of junk, I can assure you.  See:

Tips on Purchasing Instruments

http://beststudentviolins.com/survival.h...

Answer 3

1.  Does the offer include a free return if the instrument is damaged or of poor quality?

2.  Who are you going to get to set up and service your instrument once you get it?  If the setup is more than thirty dollars, are you still getting a good deal?  What if the soundpost falls over during shipping and you have to get it reset?  What if the bow is of inferior quality and you have to buy another one for thirty to sixty dollars?

3.  If the instrument has been sitting in a warehouse for more than a year and the strings are brittle, are you willing to spend the additional 13 - 60 dollars for a new set?

If you can get satisfactory answers to all of those questions, or if they don't matter to you, then it might be a good deal.  If you are really trying to spend less money by buying online however, consider the additional costs that hardly anyone tells you about, above.