For me it's the price. I just don't have alot of excess cash these days. I'm not afraid to roll up my sleeves and do some work on them. I enjoy a good challenge and learn alot in the process. My final costs are close to what they'd sell for in good players condition. So if I ever sold I'd hopefully be close to breaking even. For me it's a hobby and not a money maker. Maybe years from now when I retire I would do some buying and selling for a little extra scratch. I have a hard time letting go of things though. LOL.

Missing, rare hardware is usually a deal breaker for me!

I voted condition. I have zero DIY skills, and even if I did, I would rather spend time playing the drum. I only buy drums that are complete, intact, and have all original parts. I admire those that have restoration skills, but that's just not me.

Stephen

Option 5: "Other"

The biggest deal killer for me is who I am actually dealing with! I will pay top dollar, I will break even on a sale, I will not always think of good deals as "flipping" opportunites, but rather a good opportunity to pass along a good deal to a forum brother, no problem, if I find the other party to be reputable and in general, a decent human being. If I feel the other party is trying to squeeze me for a few extra bucks, or is in it purely for the profit of it, I will cease and decist the transaction, and never reconsider it, no matter the item or the price. In other words, if the other party in the transaction comes across as more of a business person and less of a drumming hobbyist, I am out! It just kills the whole drumming thing for me when capitalism is brought to the forefront!

Toodles

Drumhack guitar2guitar3Eye Ball;)

I could fix almost anything, find most parts, & have a high tolerance for condition issues. Only extreme problems like types of water damage & mold will be the limit for me. (e.g., Here's my latest project. This Radio King has only been shotgunned twice & burned once).

I have not always broken even selling a set after restoration.... Funny how that happens.

Price plays a big part. If it takes way more to restore than the money makes sense, usually back away. That having been said, I do like to find hidden gems that someone else has not figured out. Being a hobby, if restoration can be done within reason, cost is not the deciding factor for me. As already stated, if I know the parts will be impossible to find, then I turn it down with regret.

My vote was for price because I am in the business of restoration and repair and there has to be some meat left on the bone to make a profit when I am done with my work and still be able to keep the price reasonable. The other factor for me is who I am dealing with. If someone is being a complete A$$hat then I have no problems with walking away from the deal even if it something that I want or need, there is just no need for attitudes. I have no problems with missing parts or hardware because for me the hunt is part of the fun in doing this. A lot of the drums that I work on are older rope tension drums that are pre-1900 and in most cases the parts are much harder to find than parts for what we would all consider rare 20th century drums (Black Beauty, Speedfire bass drums etc.) so in many cases I have to either fabricate or have fabricated for me the parts that I can't find.

Well said drumhack!

For me it’s a combination of price, condition, distance. A drum kit could be for sale two miles away and be really cheep but horrible condition. But I agree with drumhack and FFR428, I’m not looking to flip drums right now, it’s a hobby and I cant seem to let go of them after they are done.

In two years of looking at drums I have turned down two kits. One was 150 miles away that turned out to be crap, so, one for condition.

The other was a Ludwig Rocker that was a good deal but I told the lady I already had a Rocker kit and was not interested at this time. But in the process I told her what she had and what she should expect to get out of it. She was selling it for a friend and knew nothing about it.

Jeff C

Well said drumhack!

For me it’s a combination of price, condition, distance. A drum kit could be for sale two miles away and be really cheep but horrible condition. But I agree with drumhack and FFR428, I’m not looking to flip drums right now, it’s a hobby and I cant seem to let go of them after they are done.

In two years of looking at drums I have turned down two kits. One was 150 miles away that turned out to be crap, so, one for condition.

The other was a Ludwig Rocker that was a good deal but I told the lady I already had a Rocker kit and was not interested at this time. But in the process I told her what she had and what she should expect to get out of it. She was selling it for a friend and knew nothing about it.

Jeff C