So, I've been playing flute for over five years, and I started playing piccolo a few months ago. But, I've been using my school's piccolo, & I'd really like one of my own now. I don't have the money to buy a nice new one, so I have been looking on ebay, & I could really use some help in which one I should choose.

The first one I found is a Gemeinhardt, which I've heard is one of the best to get, but I don't knoe if I'll win the bid. It's used, so I really don't know if I should take the risk. So, tell me if you think this one's good.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190585615236&fromMakeTrack=true#ht_500wt_1282

I think this next one I found is an Anaxa? It's new, but I've never heard of the brand, so should I maybe stay away?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-SILVER-C-KEY-PICCOLO-W-CASE-5-YEARS-WARRANTY-/260789870944#ht_4903wt_1139

I don't even know what brand the last one is. It's new, & looks good, but I'm not really sure.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Professional-Piccolo-Silver-C-Key-School-Band-Brand-New-/280686170566?_trksid=p4340.m1374&_trkparms=algo%3DPI.WATCH%26its%3DC%252BS%26itu%3DUCC%26otn%3D15%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D3457422052645569226#ht_2408wt_786


With shipping they all cost between $90 & $110. So, price isn't really the problem. So, which one would you recommend I get?

The Gemeinhardt looks pretty nice, but it's very hard to tell with ebay instruments what condition they are really in. If there is a reasonable return option, it might be ok to try. It is quite possible that an ebay instrument would need significant repairs once you receive it. I recently bought an old Artley on ebay, which turned out to be in playable condition, but I was prepared to do some repairs myself if needed.

I didn't look closely at the others, but I suspect they may be inexpensive imports, many of which are not of good quality. These may not stay in adjustment and may be impractical to make proper repairs on.

It's good that you've played piccolo for a while. Hopefully you have a good handle on intonation, which can be challenging. My Artley is not so good, but once familiar with the issues, you can test play a new instrument to see how it will be. Spend some time with an electronic tuner, making note of the pitch trends across registers and from note to note. The piccolo is typically opposite the flute in that lower notes tend to be sharp and higher notes tend to be flat.

A big question is "how will you use it?". For a marching band, you want a metal or plastic instrument. For a concert band, a wooden instrument may have a slightly less shrill tone. If you are a serious student headed for music college you need a higher-end instrument.

Another big question is "how much can you spend?". There are some excellent professional piccolos, but they can cost big bucks. I played a Yamaha YPC-82 which was not bad.

It would be a really good idea to trial a few instruments and talk about them with a good teacher.

Jim