There are some fair deals on ebay; I’ve even seen some decent Trevor James Saxophones there that are similar to the ones I’m getting ready to pay for through the folks at Massullo Music http://massullomusic.com/trevor-james-signature-custom-raw-saxophones/ Seems like most people talk about having “mixed results” when it comes to shopping for a Sax on ebay; sometimes you find great deals and other times it was the worst thing ever. Before I got my Selmer Bundy Tenor Sax, I paid for what was advertised as a Vito/Yamaha Tenor (which are very respectable Saxophones at an entry level price) and I went for it as I also had a Vito Alto Saxophone, so I knew first hand that they were great Saxophones for someone like myself who is just getting up and going. The guy I bought it from had tried to pull a fast one on me and instead sent me a cheap model from China, thinking that he would be able to get away with it.
If you’re going to go through ebay, it’s usually best to buy from someone who has been selling/buying on ebay for awhile. Check out their feedback–very few people have 100% positive feedback because even as ebay says it’s impossible to keep everyone totally happy. So, if you see on their feedback that they had 1-2 negative feedbacks, that shouldn’t concern you too much. You can usually see where they replied to the person’s negative feedback to get their side of the story. But if you notice a “trend” of sorts on their feedback then that would raise a red flag. Stay away from those Saxophones made in China….they’re the worst! Not too long ago, I got to try a Tenor Sax model that was made from “Suzuki” and it was a total joke. Even the LJ Hutchen that was given to me, with the neck needing some work/out-of-tune, was better than the Suzuki.