<< The only constant in life is change >> This famous quote by the Greek philosopher Heraclitus is confirmed everywhere. Also the Handpan world is no exception – and especially in recent times, a lot is changing.
More and more Handpan Makers show up, producing instruments at a different level of subjective and objective quality and prices. The offer of “How to play the Handpan Workshops” explodes. The Handpan street musicians are no longer the ‘kings of busking’. And the people who comment Handpans like “oh, i never saw befor” are getting less.
For many years, the biggest problem for someone who sold his instrument at a fair price was to whom of the 50 potential buyers you finaly sell it. Today it’s totally different. The offer of good 2nd hand instruments at fair prices is quite large (fe. Handpan Swap and Sale at Facebook). The offer of new instruments, also at fair prices, too (fe. the webshop of sound-scultures.de).
Making money, making money, making money …
Of course, with the widespread recognition of these instruments, the market is also changing. Many manufacturers have to adapt to the changed conditions. And what i can see, most makers adapt to this new situation very well. But what also happens is, that many fraudsters are on the market now – to take advantage of the situation and make as much money as possible with this tousends of Handpan Newbies. The frauders are (sometimes) ‘creative’ and they act on many levels. It happens, that they present themself as makers, but are just selling low quality Handpans totally overpriced. And some still try to to catch Newbies with tempting but totally unrealistic offers ….
So, how to buy a Handpan without getting scammed ?
There are some good ‘guides’ for finding handpans on the internet. one of them is the one published on “Master the Handpan”:
READ: Do you want to buy a handpan? Here’s all you need to know
If you are thinking about buying a Handpan, and you are new to Handpans, the best will be, that you connect with the so called “Handpan Community” which is very well organized via Facebook.
Here some FACEBOOK Links for you:
“Handpan Instruments” https://www.facebook.com/groups/1420146368215788
“Handpan Community” https://www.facebook.com/groups/handpancommunity
“2nd hand Handpans” https://www.facebook.com/groups/SwapandSale
My message to the Handpan Newcomers: Good luck in finding the best instrument for you. Take your time for the search – and at the end, you will hold an instrument in your hands that will bring you much joy into your life !
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