i've had only good luck on ebay.  if the cymbal is in good condition, and it is of good pedigree, it's probably ok.

I got 2 cymbals on ebay, a 20" ZBT and a set of B8 hats. The ZBT was in great condition and for 30$, i cant complain about the logo on the top dissapearing from the polish the previous owner used. As for the hats, the were slightly bent... if they were crash cymbals, it would be a problem, but they were hats... so the 'chick' sound was less and you cant get the chiiiisssssssshhhh sound much when cymbals are partially open. Now i'm just using them as splash cymbals... lol

I agree.  I've bought lots of cymbals on ebay the last few years, and almost all are still on my sets.  The ones I didn't like went back on ebay after a month or two.

Yeah, I forgot to mention I've also sold several cymbals on eBay.

EBay's great if you know exactly what you want. If you don't, though, you're better off going to a music store where you can try the cymbals. THEN buy on eBay.

I know, everyone says try cymbals before you buy, but I wouldn't have been able to afford the cymbals I have now buying retail. For example, I got a PERFECT 18" Sabian hand hammered crash/ride for $75. Can't do that at a music store.

Ebay offers a distinct advantage if you do know what you're looking for.  If you do your research and don't overpay you should be able to get your money back by reselling it if the cymbal doesn't work out.

You can then try it with your other cymbals for a long enough time to decide how you like it.  I've found that often new cymbals, because they're so different from the ones they replaced, don't sound exactly "right" to my ears.  Often after a period of acclimation they sound great, or they may never sound good.  If it doesn't work I can sell it and at worst am only out the cost of shipping to me.  It's like renting it for two or three months cheap.  And if I got it at a really good price it's often free.

I've bought used snares - but only new cymbals.

Good experience with all.

Having said that, it brings to mind something I was going to mention here at DC.

Hijack warning

I've seen more than a few eBay auctions end up with the buyer paying as much or so close to a price for the item new, that it really wasn't a deal. I've seen items that I was bidding on go above the "Buy It Now" price of the same item in another auction. Tsk-tsk.

I think anyone can get a bit 'heady' with the whole eBay experience and end up bidding just to have the emotional payoff at the end of having won.

I would recommend doing online/local research for any gear you are desiring, and then setting a total price for what you will pay (gotta watch that Shipping cost as well!). Otherwise you might as well come here to Drummer Cafe, hit the Musician's Friend link, and buy it for about the same price and help support Bart with what the Cafe gets from the transaction.


FWIW, IMHO, etc.

Jim

I sold an 18" K Custom dark crash on evay once and had a buy it now price of $130, and it ended up being bid on up to $160! I was pleasantly surprised.

And to chime in on the main subject here, I have bought 5 cymbals on ebay that I could not have afforded new, and I have been more than happy. The best was an 18" Avedis medium crash with strong logos for $50.01.

I say go for it.

Dont whatever you do deal with people that call them symbals or symbols or cymbols. People actually write symbols and expect us to treat them as respectable drum and cymbal retailers. You probably already figured that little diamonds bit of advice out.
Jack

Generally good advice unless the seller doesn't realize what they have. Here's an example:
 
Old 22" Ziljian Symbol for sale! Looks really old to me, full of dings and divets. Has a stamp on it that I can barely make out that says K. Zildjian & Cie? Constantinople. Probably no good since not made in USA. Would probably make a good lid for a big skillet.
BUY IT NOW: $20

That's absolutely not true. You can easily determine an eBay seller's "trustworthiness" by looking at their feedback score.

What's wrong with a non-drummer selling drum equipment? If I wasn't a drummer I doubt I'd spell Zildjian right. Doesn't mean I'm untrustworthy!

FEEDBACK clearly shows you whether a seller is worthy of your trust. It's that simple, end of story. And when you find a great "symbal" for sale, there are less people bidding on it because of the misspelling. Perfect example - I got a great "Rodgers" snare drum for $40. Got it yesterday via UPS. If the guy had spelled Rogers right, it probably would have gone for over $100. I e-mailed the guy a few questions before I bid to make sure of the drum's condition, then snagged it cheap. He's happy, I'm happy.

I agree with Danno.

OK!  Zipping it!

There's nothing wrong with being cautious, Jack. The feedback score is the only real indication of just who and what you're dealing with.
I've bought drums and cymbals and pedals and highhats,etc,etc...
I had one guy who used a picture of a cymbal that did'nt match what he sent.
He neither admitted nor denied what he sent was not the same article as pictured in his auction but, he had no hesitation to refund my money on reciept of his cymbal I sent back.
Reputation is everything to guys who make a living off Ebay.

I was dismayed to seehim just repost the same pic and cymbal again...another person might not have noticed. But I did.

I've had a great experience with used cymbals from eBay. I've gotten 3 cymbals from there:

1. Sabian 16" AA Thin Crash - Sounded great (similar to a Zildjian A but darker sounding), but I cracked it from hitting too hard and keeping the cymbal flat at the same time (I've since slightly changed both these habits).

2. Sabian 18" Pro Studio Crash - This is one of my current crash cymbals and it sounds good. It sounds like a Zildjian A Custom but heavier and slightly brighter. It's very loud, and I love it.

3. Paiste 16" Dimensions Power Crash - This is my other current crash cymbal, and it's even brighter. It sounds more like a very bright Zildjian A (not A Custom) cymbal. It also looks nice. It had one teeny tiny miniscule chip in the edge of one side of it. Other than that, it's perfect. It has shiny scale-like imprints on it.

I got the first one for Christmas about 2.5 years ago, so I don't know the price my parents got it for. However, I do know that all of these were worth over $100, and I know that I got the 2nd and 3rd for under $100, so that's a great deal. They're in great shape, too, and they sound great. As long as you're careful and get one from a person with a high feedback rate that says it's not cracked or damaged in any way (pictures also help), you can get some GREAT deals off of eBay in terms of cymbals (and other things, I'm sure, but we're talking about cymbals here).

Ive bought about 5 cymbals off ebay, but they were from drum shops that have chosen to go into ebay as well and they were all new. I'm not using ebay to get my new drum kit though. I was going to untill i found an ex demo mapex vx in aqua marine colour (exactly the kit i want even down to colour) for £325 (about $580) so im really glad i spent such a long time looking around for kits and looking through drum shops because it ended in what should be the perfect deal (fingers crossed).
Jack