The joys and dangers of Ebay pipes

[OC Richard]

Some good African Blackwood pipes in the $800-900 range.

1983 Kintails for $800 including shipping; seller doesn't have much feedback https://www.ebay.com/itm/26523307538...MAAOSwyc5g8iCq

Near-new MacRaes for $830 including shipping. https://www.ebay.com/itm/29427301748...AAAOSwbNFg7hTu

Now for something completely different: Dave Atherton has been putting new pipes on Ebay from time to time.

He has two sets up for $1,800 each, which I don't have to tell you is much less than his pipes sometimes go for.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/27486647148...AAAOSwyoxg7fl4

I know of a few makers of Irish traditional instruments, uilleann pipes and wooden flutes, who have lost their patience with the traditional business model for such instruments:

1) buyer contacts maker to discover wait time and options, then puts in his order, placing a 50% deposit to get on the wait list.

2) buyer buys a "make-do" instrument to play during the wait period.

3) when maker completes the instrument, which could be several months to several years, he contacts the buyer, who then pays the remainder.

This led to most respected makers getting very long wait lists, up to 10 years, at which point the makers "closed their books".

With most (perhaps all) makers, famous players could covertly bypass the queue. There are stories of famous players getting their instrument stolen while on tour and having a new instrument within days, from makers having closed books.

The fact that every instrument they made was bespoke gave the makers virtually no artistic freedom, and they were regularly hounded by buyers wondering why they still hadn't received their instrument which had been promised for several years ago. (For some reason the makers always grossly underestimated how long it would take.)

This has led to several makers closing their books forever, and as soon as they had caught up with their orders, clearing their books, they began a new business model, far less stressful:

1) they make whatever instrument they want to make, and take as long to make it as they please.

2) when an instrument is completed it is put up for sale.

3) if a buyer likes what he sees, he gets a top instrument from a top maker with no wait at all.