Hey all,

Where is the best place to find a very inexpensive/cheap flute? Maybe 25-100 USD?

I've never heard of a flute that costs so little. If you find one for that price, it's probably about the snap in half or something.

you get what you pay for, save your money and get something decent...

I'm not really looking for something decent. Just something that is a flute, and cheap, and hopefully not something from e-bay. It can be used and beat up and even some strange off brand.

Are you looking to play the flute, or just decorate with it? If you want to play it, you're not going to get much for that amount of money (in fact, you'll be lucky to get one from a reputable maker that plays at all). If it's for some other use, eBay is your best shot.

Oh shoot I thought I had written this, I actually just want one to be able to take apart and try to put it back together, to get more of an idea how they work. I own a few flutes now but none that I am willing to take apart, one I think I would cry if I took it apart. Sorry about that.

Well then you don't need one in that great a condition. To get an accurate idea of how flutes are built, do try to get your hands on a reputable brand of flute. If it doesn't play, an old Armstrong or the like could be found quite easily for that budget. Try looking in pawn shops (they usually have some pretty broken down instruments, but as long as you're just going to pull it apart rather than play it, that shouldn't be a problem). Ebay is another good resource for flutes like this. To take a flute apart fully, you'll need to unpin it, take the headjoint cork out, etc. Feel free to contact me if you need help doing it correctly, as a mistake in the wrong place could mean that the flute will never be playable again.

Perhaps you mean Salvation Army stores, Lera?

Im sure that you could find an old Armstrong 104 or Selmer/Bundy flute on eBay for $50 or less, possibly even one that plays.
The start of summer vacation time is a great time to find used flutes, kids are planning to not go back to playing and parents want to get rid of an instrument.