Dear Tara - my suggestion is to either buy a used dulcimer made by a
well-known maker, like Master Works or Derrogie (spelling?) or buy new
from them. If you get a cheap dulcimer made by someone who doesn't
know what they are doing, you won't get the beautiful, rich sound that
makes dulcimer music so lovely. I can't think of other maker right
now. I have a Master Works which cost about $800 almost 10 yrs ago so
I think the price range you should look for is about $1000 new. I
think they are selling for $600 to $700 used.
Betty