Terms and Condtions

1. The terms described in this document (including the frequently asked questions below) form part of a legally binding contract if you are the winning bidder. Please do not bid unless you are absolutely, 100%, totally and completely happy with the following terms and conditions.
   
   
2. Non-paying bidders will be reported to eBay and negative feedback left.
   
   
3. Sorry, but we do not have facilities for, and therefore can not offer, demonstrations, viewing, or pickup of items. Please do not ask us as, for legal, insurance, zoning and liability issues this is just not possible. Thanks.
   
   
4. SHIPPING. All our shipping is via a contract with Australia Post and no other forms of shipment are available other than described in the listing. Please note that, in common with most other professional eBay sellers, our shipping fees include handling, packaging materials and our labour content as well as the actual postage cost. Please remember that, in the case of larger instruments (going by Registered Post), Australia Post charges by the volumetric measurement or weight – whichever is the greater. Please review the shipping charge and if you are not happy then please do not bid. We only ship to the address specified in the eBay sale notification – if you require shipping to a different address then please email us within one hour of payment. Thank you.
   
   
5. We will email you at the end of the auction with full details of shipping and payment options.
   
   
6. Please ensure that payment is received by us within three days of the sale. We reserve the right to relist the item and cancel the sale if payment is not received within three days. Please note that if payment is not received then we have the right to report you to eBay and leave negative feedback.
   
   
7. As part of our normal service we usually ship stock items the same day that funds are received – but please allow up to seven days for shipment as occasionally shipments are held up for reasons outside of our control. In some cases the delay could be longer than seven days in which case we will email you to advise and give you the option of waiting for your instrument or an immediate refund. We close for all public and local holidays and do not ship on those days or weekends.
   
   
8. WARRANTY. We offer two levels of warranty for our instruments:
   
   A. ITEMS PURCHASED AT AUCTION. We guarantee that the item will live up to its description, and if, in the opinion of the purchaser, it does not then we will offer a 100% refund of the purchase price (excluding shipping and insurance). The purchaser must notify us by email within seven days of receipt of the goods. The item must be returned in accordance with the returns section below. No long-term warranty is provided – however, we offer a one-year warranty on instruments for an additional $50.00 – if this is taken up then the instrument is covered as in 8.B. We recommend the optional warranty – for more details on the warranty please click here. Please note that 2nd chance offers based on auction bids are classed as auction sales.
   
   B. ITEMS PURCHASED WITH A BUY IT NOW. We guarantee that the item will live up to its description, and if, in the opinion of the purchaser, it does not then we will offer a 100% refund of the purchase price (excluding shipping and insurance). The purchaser must notify us by email within seven days of receipt of the goods. The item must be returned in accordance with the returns section below. A 12-month warranty is provided - for more details on the warranty please click here.
   
   
9. RETURNS. Returns will only be accepted if the buyer has contacted us first and the return has been authorised. Items being returned should be sent by registered post and insured (as they are at the risk of the sender), in the same condition as they left our premises, complete with ALL ORIGINAL packing materials (including cellophane instrument wraps and cardboard boxes, if any) and accessories, with no marks or fingerprints. We will deduct a 30% restocking fee (minimum of $30.00) if the instrument is not returned as specified. Returns after seven days will not be possible unless the purchaser is covered under the warranty scheme. We are unable to refund shipping costs or any additional warranty payments.
   
   
   
10. AUSTRALIAN SHIPPING INSURANCE. Please note that this item ships with full-replacement insurance. We do not use Australia Post insurance as they do not provide coverage for damage, and trying to obtain compensation has proven to be extremely difficult. In the past it usually left us in the middle of a plodding bureaucracy and an irate customer. However, we now provide our own full replacement insurance as shown in the listing. With this insurance, if your instrument is lost or damaged during shipment, we will replace it for you at no charge. Please be aware that if Australia Post has confirmed your item as being delivered we cannot be held responsible for your missing item - you are responsible for insuring that the shipping address is a secure location. We cannot be reponsible for items shipped to high-rise offices or apartments. Please ensure that the address supplied is secure. Please note that this insurance is required - as stated in the listing. Please advise of any damage or deficiency within 24 hours of receipt and keep ALL packaging - items cannot be returned without original packaging. Shipping and handling fees are not refundable.
    
    
11. INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING INSURANCE. Please note that this item ships with full-replacement insurance for damage. We do not use Australia Post insurance as they do not provide coverage for damage, and trying to obtain compensation has proved to be extremely difficult in the past. It usually left us in the middle of a plodding bureaucracy and an irate customer. However, we provide full replacement insurance as shown in the listing. With this insurance, if your instrument is damaged during shipment, we will replace it for you at no charge. Please note that this insurance is required - as stated in the listing. Please advise of any damage or deficiency within 24 hours of receipt and keep ALL packaging - items cannot be returned without original packaging. Shipping and handling fees are not refundable.
    
    We can also provide shipping insurance for loss of your item. Our charge for this coverage is the amount equal to the damage insurance. With this insurance, if your instrument is lost during shipment, we will replace it for you at no charge. Please be aware that if Australia Post has confirmed your item as being delivered we cannot be held responsible for your missing item. Please ensure that the address supplied is secure.
    
    
12. PLEASE NOTE THAT INTERNATIONAL SALES CAN ONLY BE PAID VIA PAYPAL, WIRE TRANSFER (TELEGRAPHIC TRANSFER), MONEYGRAM OR WESTERN UNION. We can only accept Visa and Mastercard payments via Paypal. We are a PayPal certified and verified account holder.
    
    
13. ADDITIONAL CHARGES. Please note that any additional charges, VAT, duties, quarantine charges, clearance charges, etc are to the account of the purchaser. Please check with the customs department in your country to ascertain whether or not any charges are likely to be incurred. We are sorry but we cannot help with estimating any potential charges as we do not have that information. Please note that none of the above apply to Australian customers.

Payment methods.

INTERNET BANK TRANSFER. This is our preferred method of payment. Our bank details will be provided at checkout and in our confirmation email. Please allow at least 24 hours for funds to transfer (more from some smaller banks and credit unions). Please also note that funds transferred by internet after 4.00pm on a Thursday don't hit our account until early Tuesday morning (seriously!).

BANK BRANCH DEPOSIT. Our bank details will be provided at checkout and in our confirmation email. You can then deposit cash or a cheque at a branch of the National Australia Bank - funds show up in our account immediately.

PAYPAL. We accept Visa and Mastercard via PayPal. We are a PayPal certified account holder. Our PayPal account is payment@studentinstruments.com.au – PayPal is safe, secure, costs you nothing and we are advised immediately of the funds (unlike our wonderful banks!).

MONEY ORDERS. We will provide our address at checkout and in our confirmation email. International buyers please ensure that you only send us an INTERNATIONAL MONEY ORDER and allow at least a week for the funds to clear.

CHEQUES. We will provide our address at checkout and in our confirmation email. Please note that cheques will require at least one week to clear. International buyers please note that we are unable to accept personal cheques and cheques must be bankable in Australia.

TELGRAPHIC TRANSFER. For international purchasers only. Our bank details will be provided at checkout and in our confirmation email. Please allow at least 48 hours for funds to transfer (more from some smaller banks).

CASH. We will provide our address at checkout and in our confirmation email. For your protection you should only send cash via registered post. Cash is sent at the sender's risk.

CREDIT CARDS. Please note that we do not have merchant facilities for credit cards. However you can pay via MasterCard or Visa via PayPal – see above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please note - the following statements form part of the agreement with the successful bidder.

What are your sales and payment terms?
Please note that these terms form a legally binding contract if you are the winning bidder. Non-paying bidders will be reported to eBay and we always leave negative feedback for NPBs. We will email you at close of auction with shipping details and payment options. Please don't bid unless you are able to make payment within three working days of purchase.

What is the quality of these instruments?
These instruments are aimed squarely at the student to intermediate level. They are not $10,000 instruments but they are the best quality and value of the lower-priced instruments – that is why we are happy to offer a 12 month warranty on them.

Is there any risk in buying online from us?
None at all. We have sold thousands of instruments - our eBay feedback is better than 99.7% satisfaction from more than 7,500 customers. Our shipping insurance provides for immediate replacement in case of shipping loss or damage (as per items 10 and 11 above) and, finally, there is our 12 month replacement guarantee on every instrument we sell from our eBay store. So you’re safe!

Do these instruments have any warranty?
They certainly do. Every instrument we sell from our eBay store or our website includes a full 12 month guarantee. To download a pdf file of our guarantee please click here. If you purchase at auction we can still offer you a full 12 month guarantee.

How are you able to offer such low prices?
Our business is importing and wholesaling instruments to music rental companies and schools. We import hundreds of instruments each month directly from the factories and sell online directly – thus eliminating all the middle-men. Since we run a totally online operation, and sell large volumes, we don’t mark up our prices like music stores.

Where are your instruments manufactured?
Like 99% of all student level musical instruments they are manufactured in China. There are around 23 large instrument factories in China and we have the connections to only buy from the best (which is very important – there are some absolute junk instruments being sold online). Please note – these are far better quality instruments than those produced in India.

Are your instruments teacher approved?
Yes, each of our instruments have been approved by music teachers and school music directors worldwide.

How do you ship, and what’s the cost?
We ship all of our instruments via a contract with Australia Post. Smaller instruments (flutes, clarinets and piccolos) are shipped via trackable Overnight Express Post in over-sized plastic satchels. Larger instruments are shipped via Registered Post with signature confirmation. Please note that our shipping fees include packing and handling, and Australia Post charge Registered Post by volume NOT weight. Please don't ask us if we can ship via other methods as our contract with Australia Post does not provide for it.

International items are shipped via Australia Post Air Mail. EMS Express Courier International is available for an additional charge (as per the listing) and this allows you to track your item on the internet, and provides full signature confirmation on delivery.

Am I in the overnight delivery area?
Most of the Australian metropiltan areas, and some regional areas, are in the Australia Post Next Day delivery area. If you would like to check if you postcode is included please click here. We ship from postcode 4557 in Queensland which is in the Next Day delivery area.

How long does it take to ship once I send my payment?
We usually ship the same day that funds are received if we receive them before 12:00 (noon) but please allow up to seven days for shipment. We will email you to advise the status of your shipment. For more details, including costs, please check the shipping details in each instruments description. If you are with the National Bank we usually receive your funds immediately – other banks can take up to three days. Please note that the National Bank, that wonderful institution, holds over all transfers and deposits from Thursday evening and over the weekend and deposits them late on Monday evening – it's still the next business day! That way they can play with your money for almost four days ... don't you just love 'em!

Can you combine shipping on multiple purchase?
That all depends on the instruments and the combination. We usually don't combine shipping on items sold at auction. For Buy It Now and store items we can give a 50% off the shipping on subsequent items if they ship together. Obviously insurance cannot be combined. We try and play fair so please email us first and we can give you a firm answer.

Can I arrange to pick up my instrument?
Sorry, but that is just not possible. We run a totally online operation and due to council zoning, insurance restrictions, parking, public liability, legal problems, security matters, and, finally, co-ordination issues we are unable to offer direct pickup for items. This obviously applies to requests to view the instruments prior to purchase – we just can't do it – so thanks for not asking.

What is your return policy?
Please see the WARRANTY and RETURNS section above. Auction items are sold as is, with no guarantee of of performance. If you have purchased an item at auction you will need to take it to a local music shop or instrument technician in the event of a problem. We can help but we do charge for any service, and shipping both ways is the purchaser's responsibility. We guarantee all our store, Buy It Now and web site items to be as described in the terms and conditions above. If you have a problem, please email us first. Shipping and handling costs, and warranty payments, are not refundable. All original packing material MUST be returned else we will need to charge a restocking fee.

Can I buy an instrument on layby?
No problem. Just bid or buy in the usual way and advise us that you wish to buy via layby. We do ask that the first payment be at least 20% of the total cost ... but the rest can be spread over a maximum period of four months. Your instrument will be shipped the same day that the last payment is received. There is no additional charge for this service.

Can I negotiate my final winning bid?
Unfortunately, eBay prohibits sellers from offering different pricing to winning buyers. Once an auction has ended, your winning bid amount represents a contract to purchase the item at the price you placed on your bid. It simply cannot be renegotiated after the auction has ended – regardless of the reason.

Can I cancel my winning bid after the auction?
No, you cannot cancel the bid after the auction ends. Please remember that every bid on eBay is binding. Bidding on multiple identical items should be done only if you intend to buy all of the items. If you feel that you entered an incorrect amount, please contact eBay for instructions on retracting your bid prior to the auction ending. You are responsible for your winning bid regardless of any reasons that prevents you from completing the sale. Please note that we do report Non Paying Bidders to eBay for possible suspension and we always leave negative feedback. Please do not bid if you do not intend to purchase. And yes, we have heard every excuse in the book!

I received my product damaged – what should I do?
We professionally package our products to ensure that they reach you in the best condition. Please notify us of any damaged/defective or missing item within 24 hours of receipt (please save all packaging). If your package has visible damage please inspect before accepting. Damage caused during shipping is covered by our shipping insurance.

I have a question you haven't answered – what should I do?
We'd love to hear it! Please send us an email, just click here.