Information for Buyers
Keeping up to date with the latest advertisements
Responding to an advertisement
Browsing the advertisements
Viewing the instruments available for sale on Musicale is easy... start at the home page and select the general area that interests you - Violins, Violas, Cellos, and so on. You can either click on the title or the picture to see the sub-categories that are available. The number in square brackets shows how many ads there are within that category.
Now make another selection to narrow your choice - either a certain price range, or perhaps Baroque if you prefer. You will then be shown all of the advertisements available in that category, displayed as a listing.
Notice that the list of items has three columns of associated information: price, city and state. Each of these can be sorted by clicking on the black triangles next to the title heading, so you can view in order of price (ascending or descending), or arrange locations alphabetically so that all of the cities or states appear together. By sorting the items you will be able to quickly find those that match your budget, or are available closer to home. To the right of the list there may be a small photograph - this indicates that there are larger images attached to the advertisement (there may be up to six photographs available).
The title of the item is your link to the full details display - just click on it to see all of the information that is available for that particular advertisement. The amount of information can be quite extensive and may include details of documentation (such as valuations, certificates or condition reports) and any interesting facts about the item's provenance (past players or usage). The seller may also have included a link to digital content (such as a YouTube video) or a media file, so you might even be able to hear the instrument being played. You should also check the 'Available on trial' field - this will tell you if it is possible to take the instrument out on trial, should you be seriously considering a purchase.
Using the search facility
You can also locate instruments by using the search button on the menu. The search window gives you the option of a simple keyword search across all fields, or you can select a category or specific words in a number of fields. For example, you could search for all violins in the $2,000 to $10,000 range that are advertised from the Sydney area, NSW, by entering the search criteria as shown:
Keeping up to date with the latest advertisements
There are a number of ways to keep yourself regularly updated about the new ads that are listed on Musicale. You might like to consider using any (or all) of the following options:
• Email notifications
At the top of every list category you will see an option: 'Notify me when new ads are submitted in this category'. This link allows you to subscribe to an email update service that will keep you informed of every new ad that is placed within that particular category.
You need to be a registered user (and be logged in) to select this option. Your emails will be sent to the address that you provided in the registration process, and you can manage your subscriptions from the user menu by clicking on the 'My subscriptions' link.
• RSS feed
RSS is a format for delivering regularly changing web content by providing a summary that can be accessed quickly and easily via an RSS reader. It allows you to stay informed about changes to a web site and retrieve the latest content. By subscribing to this service you will be continually updated about any changes that occur on the Musicale web site. There are a number of different RSS feeds available - just look at the links on the bottom of the page for the possible options...
Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables users to send and read short messages, known as tweets. These are text-based posts that use a maximum of 140 characters. Musicale will regularly post tweets through their own twitter address (musicale_ads) and you are invited to follow these messages and keep in touch with the latest news and events. Click on the twitter link displayed at the bottom of each page for more information.
Responding to an advertisement
At the bottom of the details window there are two links that allow you to respond to the seller, or to refer the item to a friend who may be interested.
When you click the 'Reply to this ad' option you will be taken to a simple form where you can enter your name, email address and a message or query. This will be forwarded to the seller for their response.
Similarly, if you want to tell a friend about the advertised item just click on the 'Email to a friend' option and complete a similar form.
