New or Used Handpan? How to Choose?

Planning to buy a handpan in the next few days? Wondering whether buying this percussion instrument used is a good idea? Are there any risks compared with purchasing a new model?

Having been into handpans for over 10 years and having purchased several of these one-of-a-kind instruments myself, I can share my best tips so you can land a great deal and avoid scams.

If this is your first purchase, it’s best to buy a new handpan from a trusted professional to benefit from solid guarantees and expert guidance, and to avoid the used-model scams that have multiplied in recent years.

Once you have read this entire article, you will learn:

• The advantages of buying a new handpan
• The risks associated with buying a used Hang

This will help you decide, based on your situation, whether a brand-new or pre-owned instrument is the better choice. You’ll also be better equipped to secure the best possible deal.

It now makes sense to start with the case of brand-new handpans.

What are the advantages of buying a new handpan?

To qualify as new, a handpan must be sold by a professional dealer or maker, not by a private individual who isn’t held to the same legal standards and obligations. It’s worth noting that these professionals almost never offer used models. So the real question is: should you buy new from a business or secondhand from a private seller? Buying a new handpan has several significant advantages over a model that has already been played. First of all, a handpan (or a Hang drum) is a major investment. You can generally expect to pay between $1,000 and $2,000 for a good-quality handmade model. That’s typically the price you can expect to pay for a handpan when it’s new. When you’re spending that much, it’s important to have guarantees that only a professional seller can provide.

The first is the legal guarantee of conformity, which lasts two years and protects you from defects and hidden faults. This mandatory coverage applies only when buying from professionals. In addition, it’s sometimes possible to add paid, extra protection plans you’ll never get when purchasing a secondhand handpan from a private individual. If you can’t travel to test the instrument, a trial period is often accepted, meaning you can try the handpan at home for 14 days to one month and return it for a refund if you don’t like it. Best of all, you don’t need to provide a reason for the return. Of course, when you buy used, once the transaction is complete, you’ll have no recourse at all and you’ll be stuck with the handpan.

Buying new also lets you carefully choose options such as the scale and the instrument’s tuning frequency. When shopping on the secondhand market, you won’t necessarily find the exact tuning you want. As a result, personalization is naturally much broader with a new model. Also, buying your new handpan from a professional means you benefit from their advice and expertise to find the model that truly matches what you’re looking for.

Finally, purchasing a new handpan from a store or company is usually a sign of trust. You’ll receive a durable, high-quality instrument. However, there is one important point to note here. If you are considering purchasing a new handpan from an online store, always check the legal notices. This page must be accessible from every page of the store and is typically linked at the bottom. The legal notices should list the company name, address, registration number, VAT number (for sales within the European Union), and the name of the person responsible for publication. This information is required by law, and if any of it is missing, it means the website owner doesn’t want to be found or identified in case of a problem, which is never a good sign. Therefore, you should be able to find the first and last name of the person who publishes the store’s content, not just the company name. If this information is missing or incomplete, I strongly advise against buying anything, even if the offer looks tempting.

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Is it worth buying this percussion instrument used?

There are two main advantages to buying a used handpan: price and availability. It’s hard to estimate exactly how much you’ll save because it depends on the listing, but a secondhand handpan can sometimes sell for close to half its original price on sites such as Craiglist or eBay. As for availability, you may be able to pick up the handpan right away if the seller agrees. With a maker producing a new instrument, you sometimes have to wait several months to get your handpan, although some online stores now offer several models directly in stock.

On the other hand, there are many risks involved in buying a used handpan. For one thing, you could run into a scammer who doesn’t actually own the instrument and simply wants to take your money, whether online or by luring you to meet somewhere. For another, you won’t benefit from any of the guarantees mentioned above for the instrument you’re about to buy. It may have been poorly maintained or misused, making its value close to zero. In fact, when a handpan is played improperly, the metal can deform, which throws the notes of the musical instrument out of tune. Imagine for a moment that the previous owner played the handpan like this:

That kind of playing will almost certainly deform the instrument and change its tuning. In plain terms, it simply won’t sound harmonious. Watch the difference in this before/after video of a used handpan that was retuned:

So don’t rely on a video or the seller’s claims alone, because you could end up with a poorly tuned handpan, just like in the first few seconds of the previous video. And as I’ve mentioned, once you receive the handpan, you’ll have no recourse. My advice is this: if you truly find a great deal, always go check the sound quality of the instrument in person, preferably with someone else. As you can see, you need solid handpan knowledge to determine whether the instrument is really worth it. For that reason, I also advise beginners, and anyone buying their first handpan, to avoid the secondhand market. I know many newcomers who bitterly regretted their choice, wasting hundreds of dollars. It’s better to wait a few extra months and increase your budget to invest in a new model from a professional who can provide all the guarantees you need.

Buy a handpan from a trusted professional

Handpans are expensive instruments, so it can be tempting to look for a good deal on the secondhand market. Unless you’re an expert, it’s much safer to buy a new model from a professional. With the information in this article, you’ll be able to make the right choice for your future handpan.

However, finding a trustworthy professional isn’t easy right now. Many shops and websites have popped up recently with almost no legal information and no delivery guarantees. That’s why I recommend checking out the excellent collection of handpans offered by the French company Instruments du Monde. You’ll be dealing with a trusted professional and can benefit from their expertise in exotic musical instruments.

Explore the full range of handpans available from Instruments du Monde by clicking on the image below:

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Now that you have a clearer idea of whether to buy a new or used handpan, the question remains: where can you buy this kind of musical instrument? Between specialty stores, general retailers, online shops, and makers, there are many options. Read my other article to find out where to buy an excellent handpan. You’ll then be sure to get a good deal on a quality instrument.