Pick a model and see the lowest current prices on eBay, where school instruments and estate horns come up constantly. Prices are pulled live, so what you see is what sellers are actually asking this minute.
Live from eBayPads decide whether a cheap horn is cheap. They are leather and they harden, and once they stop sealing the instrument will not play quietly in the low register no matter who is blowing. A full repad is several hundred dollars of skilled work, so a $400 horn needing one is a $900 horn. Ask when it was last done and by whom. This single question separates a bargain from a project more reliably than anything in the photographs.
Check the neck is original. On a collectable instrument the neck is a large part of the value, and a replacement, even a good one, takes a serious bite out of it. Serial numbers on the body and the neck should be consistent on the horns where that was the practice. Sellers who know this will say so in the listing; sellers who do not will answer if you ask.
Dents on the bow matter more than scratches on the bell. The bow is the U at the bottom and it takes the knocks, and a dent there changes how the instrument plays rather than how it looks. Lacquer wear is cosmetic and affects collector value without affecting sound, which is why a relacquered horn sells for less than an honest bare-brass one.
Student, intermediate and professional are three different markets. A student alto is built to survive a school year and is worth what it is worth. The step-up horns hold value far better, and the professional instruments barely depreciate at all, which is why the discount against new narrows as you go up the list above.
A mouthpiece is rarely included and is not an afterthought. The one that came in the case is usually the stock piece, and a good replacement costs real money. Budget for it separately rather than assuming the horn arrives ready.
Value. Vintage American horns and the professional Selmers hold their money for decades and are bought as much as an asset as an instrument. Student instruments lose most of their value immediately, which is exactly why buying one secondhand is the sensible move, and it is what the prices above show.
Live eBay listings. Pick a model and it fetches the current lowest-priced listings in real time, with the listing shown next to each price.
Several hundred dollars of skilled work. It matters whenever the pads no longer seal, which shows up as a low register that will not play quietly. On a student horn it can exceed what the instrument is worth, so ask when it was last done before you bid.
On a collectable instrument, a great deal. The neck is a large part of the value and a replacement takes a serious bite out of it, even when it plays well. On a student horn it matters far less than the pads do.
Cosmetically yes, practically no. It affects collector value and not the sound, which is why a relacquered instrument usually sells for less than an honest one with worn bare brass.
The professional Selmers and the vintage American horns, for decades. Student instruments lose most of their value straight away, which is the argument for buying those used rather than new.
A daily snapshot of the lowest genuine eBay price for every model we track, and how good that price is right now versus its usual level, updated automatically. Prices last refreshed 7 August 2026 . Tap a price to see that model's cheapest listings on eBay, or tap a model name for the full live list here.
Under each model is the actual listing that price came from, so you can see whether it is the thing you want or a bundle, a variant, or an accessory that happens to share the name.
| Model | Cheapest now | vs typical | This week |
|---|---|---|---|
Bundy II Selmer Bundy II Alto Saxophone with Case | $150 | – | new |
Yamaha YAS-23 Yamaha YAS 23 Alto Saxophone With Case. Good Condition. Made In Japan. | $399 | – | new |
Jupiter JAS-710 Jupiter JAS-710 Alto Saxophone | $600 | – | new |
Buescher Aristocrat Buescher Aristocrat Alto Saxophone Serial #668xxx | $625 | – | new |
Yamaha YAS-26 Yamaha YAS-26 Standard Eb Alto Saxophone | $640 | – | new |
Yamaha YTS-23 Yamaha YTS-23 Alto Saxophone with case and accessories. Made in Japan | $650 | – | new |
Conn 6M Conn 6M Alto - Original Lacquer, NY Neck, Great Player | $1,100 | – | new |
Yamaha YAS-62 YAMAHA YAS-62 Saxophone Trumpet Alto Sax Hard case Used Tested | $1,763 | – | new |
Yanagisawa A-901 YANAGISAWA A-901 Alto Saxophone | $1,899 | – | new |
Yamaha YSS-475 YAMAHA YSS-475 Soprano Saxophone with Soft Case #023082 Excellent USED | $1,970 | – | new |
Cannonball Big Bell Saxofón Alto Cannonball Big bell Stone | $2,000 | – | new |
King Super 20 Original Lacquer King Super 20 Alto Saxophone - Recent Overhaul | $2,300 | – | new |
Yamaha YTS-62 Yamaha YTS-62 Tenor Sax Saxophone Lacquer Made In Japan with Case Used | $2,500 | – | new |
Mauriat PMXA-67R P. Mauriat PMXA-67R Professional Alto Saxophone Dark Lacquer Excellent Condit… | $2,500 | – | new |
Keilwerth SX90R Keilwerth SX90R Black Nickel Alto Saxophone - Fresh Repad | $2,550 | – | new |
Yamaha YAS-82Z YAMAHA YAS-82Z Alto Saxophone Gold with Case YAS82Z Made in Japan Used Tasted | $2,650 | – | new |
Selmer Super Action 80 Henri Selmer Paris Super Action 80 Serie II Tenor Saxophone W Case Serial 412… | $2,750 | – | new |
Selmer Series III SELMER Alto Saxophone AS SERIE III W/E GL Series 3 [672964] | $3,297 | – | new |
Selmer Mark VI 1967 Paris Model SELMER MARK VI Tenor Saxophone SN #148XXX | $3,608 | – | new |