For more than two decades, The Violin Connection of Southern Africa has established an international reputation for the professional buying and selling of fine violins, violas, cellos, and bows. This page provides essential information and practical guidelines for buyers within South Africa and abroad, explaining the purchasing processes, international transactions and instrument selection. It also sets out the standards of expertise by Johan Grobbelaar and personal service on which the business has built its solid reputation.



Purchasing from abroad:
The following procedure has worked successfully in numerous deal with buyers abroad, or within South Africa:

• A complete (but refundable) payment for the instrument has to be made prior to shipping it. From abroad only SWIFT inter-bank transfers are accepted. Within South Africa EFT payment is adequate. This dealership does not accept credit card payments.
  Bank charges for the fund transfer are 'shared', meaning each party carries its own costs with its own bank.

• Shipping is done as soon as the payment is through and approved. Shipping is normally done through courier companies such as DHL and FedEx. Others may be used, should the situation require it.
  Shipping costs outward may either be shared between buyer and seller, or carried by the buyer alone - this decision is subject to negotiation.

• All taxes and duties levied by customs at the buyer's side are for the buyer's account. Since such taxes are based on the declared value of the shipment, the value declared for customs purposes can be negotiated with the buyer and indicated on the Commercial Invoice to facilitate the import.

• For buyers within the USA it may be useful to know that the import of items older than 100 years is exempted from taxes and duties.

• From the date of receipt of the instrument, the buyer has 5 days to decide if the instrument meets his requirements. Unless advised to the contrary, the instrument will be considered sold after 5 days from delivery.

• Should the instrument be returned for a specified and accepted reason, a refund of the purchase price will be made after the instrument has been delivered back to this dealership and has been seen to be in the same condition as when it was originally sent to the buyer. The refund will be via SWIFT interbank transfer, unless requested and agreed to differently.

• NB: Should an instrument be returned to this dealership, the return shipping and insurance costs will be carried by the buyer.
  Furthermore, in the refund to the buyer, this dealership will retain any amount of the original shipping charges paid by the seller (if any), along with all the banking charges for the SWIFT transfers both ways, and also including any taxes and customs duties levied during the return delivery into South Africa.
  This effectively means that in the event of a returned instrument, all the incidental costs incurred for the entire process of payment, shipping and refund are carried by the buyer.

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  Trying out the instruments:
  There are various ways of gaining access to the instruments on offer:

  • If you live in Durban or near Salt Rock in South Africa, you can simply visit me directly and try out the instruments and bows I have available. (Salt Rock is on the coast, about 35 km north of Durban, close to Ballito.) Even if you live further afield, this certainly is advisable in the case of high value instruments.

  • Alternatively, you can fly in. I live 25 minutes by road just north of King Shaka International Airport - gateway to Durban and the Dolphin Coast.

  • I also travel a lot within South Africa and regularly visit the big centres. I normally arrange to meet potential buyers at their homes or wherever is mutually convenient. Contact me directly to find out when I will next be in your area.

  • In some situations the instrument can be sent by PostNet or by courier to where the buyer lives. If I know you personally or know your teacher, I'm happy to send you instruments in special metal trunks, for a few days' trial. If I don't know you at all, then procedures for security are negotiated. If I feel it's necessary, the procedure that applies is described in detail under the first heading of this page, above.

  • Should I agree to send you instruments, I normally carry the cost of the shipment to you (within South Africa only). However, should you decide not to buy, the cost of the return is for your account, plus a refund of my initial costs in sending you the instrument.

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  About posting instruments:
  I receive and send instruments by post on almost a weekly basis, and so far have had no problems with this procedure, provided a secure and reliable operator is used.

  • When sending instruments within the country (South Africa), I use and recommend PostNet, which has a very effective, reliable and cost-effective nationwide network with branches in most centres. (The Post Office no longer offers a reliable speedy service and I don't use it.) PostNet has completely overtaken the Post Office in sending anything.

  • In some cases I use The Courier Guy which is extremely reliable and reasonably priced, and they collect and deliver to the door. The choice of which shipping method is used depends entirely on the circumstances around the individual shipment.

  • Unless negotiated differently, international shipping costs are carried by the buyer.

  • For international shipments I use DHL, almost exclusively. I don't work with FedEx.

  When posting an instrument, preparation and packaging is very important. For instructions in how to package an instrument click here.

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  Payment:
  In all deals, payment must be once-off within a prearranged period of time. I don't do terms or financing.
  Payments effected within South Africa must be done via EFT to my account, or cash, if that is suitable.
  A deal is considered as concluded only after complete payment has been made and the funds being available, at which point ownership is transferred to the buyer.
  Payments done internationally must be through SWIFT interbank transfers. In the case of SWIFT transfers the buyer must pay the required bank charges at his end and I will undertake to pay the required charges at my end.

  I don’t accept credit card payments.

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  Trade-in as part payment:
  I don’t take a buyer’s old instrument as part-payment or as trade in. Many of the instruments I sell are consignments I take in behalf a seller and the seller wants money, not another violin.
  However…
  I may be prepared to assist in selling your old violin as consignment stock at a price we agree on, should I feel the instrument is viable for a sale and up to the required standard of the instruments I normally offer. In such a case my normal percentage commission will apply in the event of a sale of your instrument. Furthermore, conditions relative to the value, quality and standard of the instrument, as set out in the “For Sellers” page, will apply.
  In exceptional situations I will consider taking an instrument as part-payment, but in such a case the instrument you're buying must be my own property, and secondly, I must really consider your trade-in violin as a sellable and worthwhile instrument, but such a decision is at my discretion. This means I am in fact buying the violin. In such an event, the conditions outlined in the “For Sellers” page will apply – I will only buy an instrument a maximum of 60% of its expected retail value - the norm is 50% and in some dealerships even less.

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  Trial period:
  I endeavour to give a trial period to all buyers, the purpose of which is to try out the instrument to see if it is suitable.
  The norm is a week. In the case of beginner instruments, two to four days should be enough. In the case of high-value instruments for professional use, such a trial period can be longer, but must be negotiated and agreed on before the instrument is handed over.
  The procedure for each purchase will depend on the respective locations of both the buyer and the instrument, hence each situation is largely dealt with according to its own circumstances.

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  Security during trial period:
  The matter of security during a trial period depends entirely on the situation.
  In the event where I personally know the buyer’s teacher, or if a respected teacher or academic is involved, or where the musician is a well-known and respected individual with an exposed reputation to protect, a trial period can be given without prior payment.
  However, when I don’t know the buyer or anyone else who knows him/her, and/or when the instrument has to leave the country for a trial, etc. I will expect the full purchase price to be paid over to me prior to handing over the instrument for trial. The amount will become fully refundable if, at the end of the pre-agreed trial period, at or before the cut-off date, the instrument is returned to me in good order. In the case of such a refund any technical banking charges incurred in the process of effecting the refund, will be withheld from the refund.
  I’ve done this several times and it works well. So far no refund was ever necessary – the buyers were happy with what they got.

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  Paperwork:
  I issue written invoices and receipts for all items sold.
  On request I also issue a written assessment and evaluation for all items sold by myself. These are perfectly good for insurance and fiscal purposes.

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  About guarantees:
  My reputation is my guarantee. For more than 26 years, The Violin Connection of Southern Africa has successfully bought and sold fine violins, violas, cellos, and bows to professional musicians, teachers, students, collectors, and institutions in South Africa and internationally.
  I undertake never knowingly to sell an instrument with an undisclosed defect. Most of the instruments I handle are older instruments, many of which have undergone repairs during their lifetime. In the great majority of cases, an experienced assessment can determine the quality and reliability of those repairs and provide a realistic expectation of the instrument's future performance.
  On the rare occasions that an unforeseen problem has arisen soon after a sale, I have always endeavoured to resolve the matter fairly and reasonably. Where a defect can reasonably be regarded as having existed, or been developing, at the time of sale, I will normally arrange or contribute towards the cost of appropriate repairs. This applies only within a reasonable period after the sale, after which responsibility passes to the purchaser.
  All opinions, assessments, and recommendations provided during the sales process are offered honestly, professionally, and in good faith.

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  Items not warranted:
  Some of the items I do not warrant after a sale are string breakages or fraying, bow hair wearing out, breakage of bows (bows don’t break in normal use), broken bridges and instrument seams opening up after a considerable time.
  Furthermore, instruments can crack, or the glue can fail due to severe climate change, or severe temperature changes. Extreme dryness can lead to shrinkage of components which in turn can lead to cracks. In such a case many factors have to be considered and each case is treated on its own merit.

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  Indemnity:
  Prospective buyers acknowledge and accept that the owner of a consigned instrument may, at any stage of the transaction, including during the trial period, withdraw the instrument from sale or decide not to proceed with the sale. In such circumstances, The Violin Connection of Southern Africa accepts no liability for any inconvenience, expense, or loss arising from the owner's decision.
  I also reserve the right to decline or terminate a transaction at any stage if I have reasonable doubts about a prospective buyer's seriousness, ability to complete the purchase, or genuine intention to buy. This includes situations where instruments are requested for trial out of mere curiosity, without a bona fide intention to purchase. Any such decision shall be made at my sole discretion.

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