Oh the joys of playing the accordion!  If you have a musical background of any kind and can read music, there is no finer instrument to play on this earth!  And you can take it with you wherever you go.  This guide is to assist you in making a good decision when buying a used or new accordion.

1.  Check out all the great deals on ebay and call around  to a few dealers to determine what the going prices are at the current time. Also visit websites of accordion manufacturers, listen to mp3's of the instrument   (can also do on dealer's websites).  Determine if you want your instrument to have a "wet"  or mussette sound or a "dry"  sound. 

2.  Next decide on the size of accordion you want to play.  They generally come in compact, subcompact and full size.  A smaller person or a lady might like to have a 15-16 inch keyboard,  then there are intermediate keyboard lengths, say 17 or 18 inches, then there are full size.  A man would probably like to have a 19-21+ inch keyboard.   How many basses would you need?  Do you want 80?  96? or 120.  Most instruments are 120 basses, and this is because it is the standardized size that most of the industry follows.    For the most part, a beginning accordionist will not need more than 96 basses in most cases, however it will not save you that much in the cost to have the full 120.

3.  I personally recommend starting out with the standard 120 stradella bass arrangement.  There are accordions that are called "free bass" where you can play the bass keys must like you would a piano, playing chords with your left hand, which gives you much more freedom to construct different sounds on the bass side of the instrument.  This is for advanced players, for beginners, keep to the basics.

4.  Of course, you want the instrument to be clean, not to have been stored in an attic or wet basement,  all the keys to work correctly, and the bellows to be intact and "tight".  Tight bellows will not fall half the way to the ground when you let go of them.  They will more or less stay where they were when your hand was on them.  Also, you will need to know that there are several different "types" of reeds.  There are machine made reeds which are the cheapest, hand finished  (more expensive)   and hand made  (most expensive and the "pros" say are the best sounding).  I play an instrument with "dural" reeds which are machine made, and they can sound very nice depending on the manufacturers.  (accordions stored improperly often have damage that could require major bucks to fix if that is even possible)

5.  A note of caution.  I am an experience accordion player.  And the following is just my opinion.  In my humble opinion, I strongly recommend that you try to buy an Italian made instrument.(or German)   Some of the better ones are Giulietti, Titano, Paolo Soprani, Hohner,  amongst others.  Stay away from the Chinese made instruments.  I have one in my closet that I bought for about 500 dollars and after only a very short time of playing it,  it is unplayable.  My experience with these cheap mass produced instruments is that they just don't last.  Another problem with them is that no matter what the seller says, they just don't move air properly.  You will have a difficult time playing these cheap instruments .  You should be able to play 4-6 measures in most instances per directional move of the bellows.  With these cheaply made Chinese machines, you'll be lucky to play two measures per direction. And bellows control is one of the most important things you will have to learn as a budding accordionists.  These instruments, in my opinion are not worth your time or money.  You can get a good Italian made instrument for around 500 dollars or less  with 2/4 sets of reeds  (2 sets treble 4 sets bass) that will be more than adequate for a beginner and will sound good and give you many years of playing enjoyment.  

6.  I recommend that you buy from experienced  dealers or if on ebay, check the seller out; look at their feedbacks.  Are they selling musical instruments,  other accordions?  Are they getting good solid feedbacks on those other accordions they have sold. If so, it's probably ok to proceed.  But be aware that older accordions may have some issues that will need some repairs in the future.  It's always best to buy from someone that you can go and play the instrument and check it out first. But if that is not possible, buy from someone experienced with the instruments.  I also recommend that you buy from someone who will allow returns, if the item is not the "gem" they say it is.  If they don't allow returns, I wouldn't waste my time bidding on their auctions.

7.  Once you have your instrument, find a good teacher, or if you can read music or have a musical aptitude, I recommend the Mel Bay Book:  "you can teach yourself the accordion" .  I also recommend joinging an accordion club if there is one in your area or check out some of the online clubs, they are some really good ones on yahoo.  Take your time and learn slowly and well, and have a good time with it.  Who knows, you may be the next accordionist virtuoso !