FAQs
No we offer a simple to your door collection and payment service with ZERO fees or charges.
We are based in a small village called Kentisbury in North Devon which is just on the edge of Exmoor.
The age of any instrument is just one factor in calculating value. In simple terms old does not always mean valuable. Cellos are items that are expected to be played and all too often instruments are left unplayed and stored incorrectly. For those who have already visited violin shops in the quest to bring back such instruments, they are aware of the high cost of undertaking this very skilled work. Often the cost for servicing or restoring an instrument can be far greater than even their retail value.
We will make an appointment with you to come and view the cello and give a final appraisal offer. Appointments are typically made between 1-4 weeks in advance. You are under no obligation to accept an offer from Cellos in the Attic.
In the event that we come to you to make a final appraisal and you decline our offer, but then change your mind and decide to accept the final offer, there are two ways to complete the sale of your cello. We can arrange a 2nd visit to collect the cello and make payment, but there would be a charge for a 2nd visit service of £99. You can arrange the delivery of the cello to our office, where subject to a final inspection, we would complete the sale and make payment.
Once we have agreed a final price and completed the necessary sale paperwork in person, we will make a bank transfer payment (we only offer bank transfer options due to money laundering regulations) to the bank account of the authorised seller or owner the instrument. We cannot make any payments to any third party bank accounts. All transfers will be made in person on the day of completion. Once the funds have left our account we will take possession of the instrument.
At the moment we only purchase cellos (sometimes we buy other classical stringed instruments), but we do have links with other musical service providers around the country, so you are welcome to send us your instrument details and we’ll see if we can pass it on to a suitable provider for you.
As I am sure you can guess, 99.99999% of labels with the famous “Stradivarius” name are NOT real Strads. Copies, fake labels and more are very common so just be realistic about your instrument.
No, we accept cellos in any condition provided they are worth rescuing. If your cello is unplayable don’t try and restring it as this could cause expensive damage and effect the offer we may make. Please don’t attempt DIY fixes, nothing good will result from such intrepid actions.
Cellos are made of wood and extreme shifts in temperature and humidity can have disastrous consequences. So please don’t leave your cello by a radiator, in a conservatory, in direct sunlight or in a damp environment. pick a room who’s temperature is the most consistent.
Sadly there are some instances when we will not make an offer. The most terminal thing to beset a cello is woodworm and so we will not take any cellos with woodworm. If your cello has woodworm we suggest you take precautions to protect any other wooden items in the vicinity and remove the cello from your premises. We also don’t tend to make offers on low quality student outfits that are mass produced in China. If you have such an instrument our suggestion is to sell this on Ebay, Gumtree etc.
It has been know that people come to us with many instruments. We have helped such individuals decide on which items to sell. Often for sentimental reasons people wish to keep an instrument and it’s not always the most valuable instrument chosen to remain in the family. Selling an instrument is a choice not to be take lightly and sometimes the sentimental value will always trump any commercial worth.
Providing you are able to show written consent from the owner and have agreed to our terms and conditions that express this.