Hm. Maybe more drummers are realizing the value of vintage Ludwigs and just holding onto them as investment. I have no intention of ever selling mine kits, no matter what value they hold. Just love the vintage Ludwig sound. And to get that these days you gotta pony up $2k or more for Legacy Classics.

The fact that there are fewer listings doesn't mean there are less drums available for sale. I take the lack of new listings to mean that, ever since all the new policy changes; taxes, fees etc. ebay has lost a bunch of the 'little guy' auctions. Guys that only have one, or two things to sell. What I notice is; there are more auctions for new stuff from dealers, than from private, individual sellers for used stuff. You can't make any money on ebay these days unless you're a Power Seller moving volume.

I opted out of the ebay/Paypal blood-sucking, death-trap a long while ago. I think a lot more people have joined me and dropped out in the last year or so. Between taxes, fees, Paypal holding onto your money and the preferential treatment of buyers, a lot of sellers have dropped out, or stopped using ebay. The drum ads on Craigs List for example haven't gotten any fewer... but then, CL is free.

John

i see ludwig stuff all the time. i mainly search cl for stuff and always see some ludwigs. since i love ludwig, my eye always goes to those ads.

i'm with purdie, i also don't sell on ebay anymore, just thru my site and actually sell better. but there's never been a shortage of ludwig parts or kits when i look online.

Man...what a trip!!!! This is exactly what I'm experiencing right now......I primarily am a buyer on Ebay....I recently sold a vintage ATLAS Hi -Hat stand......I quickly discover that PAYPAL is holding my funds for at least 21 days, or until & when or if the buyer receives his item....of course in the exact condition in which he has been dreaming about. I am so livid! Anyway.....F... Ebay & PayPal....peace my brothers...flowers2

That's strange. I was able to use the funds in my Paypal account for purchasing right after the customer paid, and he won't get the drum for another couple of days or so.

If you sale often with the correct amount of transactions they don't hold your money but if not then yes they hold it for 21 days or until the buyer leaves feedback.

When I first started using eBay/Paypal, they held my funds for 21 days or until the buyer left positive feedback. They did that for about 3 months, then haven't done it since. I guess I got "established."

I have usually defended eBay on here, 'cause my thinking has always been that they tell you up-front what there charges are and I just price my stuff accordingly. But, you know, it does seem that their commission and fees do seem to be climbing a little high... I think I figured between listing fees and final value fees, they actually were in to me for almost 10% of my total (eBay/Paypal) sales in the month of February.

My biggest gripe is they get a slice of the pie "twice." If you're using both eBay and Paypal, eBay and Paypal BOTH take a seperate share of your money...

I'm to the point now that almost 1/2 of my business is not through eBay. If it continues in the right direction, maybe I can get off of it altogether, too...

Bill

Drums are, with exceptions, a higher ticket item than guitars, but not as high as keyboards. Drummers are usually broke the day after payday. LOL There's not a lot of work for musicians in general and the economy is slow, so that's why the market is dried up.

As for Ebay delays in payment, it's part of that "pay later" thing they have going on for buyers. Payment can take up to a month depending on shipping time and when the buyer posts feedback. Once feedback is posted the money is usually released.

Here are some Ludwigs ...

http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/showthread.php?t=31284

I'm not going to bother with eBay and I've been too lazy to put it on craigslist and sift through the spam.

Clear snare is included: I've acquired another one for personal use. Offer still includes Protection Racket bags and a refurbished Speed King.

I'm up for some haggling, but not too much as I'm selling at a loss even without the inclusions. Now that I've shipped a few things, I'm more willing to do so, but it'll be an added cost.