Oberton-pro
Russia
Started by Oleg Rodnin as a hobby, his online shop Oberton-pro specializes in Vargans, a historical musical instrument. His store now unites Vargan fans from every corner of the globe.
More than 15 years ago, Oleg, a programmer based in St Petersburg, bought a Vargan, also known as the Mouth (or Jaw) Harp, as a souvenir. Oleg started playing it as a hobby and spent time browsing for information on its history and producers all over Russia. He then created the most informative online resource about its culture and traditions, which today unites many fans worldwide.
Oleg opened his shop on eBay in 2008. His sales are 99% exports with customers coming from Europe, Japan, Australia and USA. Oleg and his team are very pleased that via eBay people from all over the world can now learn about the instruments. Russia is famous for its wooden Vargan producers. Most of them live in distant villages in the North and Oleg knows many of them personally. They often visit his shop in St. Petersburg. Thanks to eBay now, their masterpieces can be sold to customers all over the world.