have I been ripped off ?

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whitepipe

Lurker
Jul 1, 2015
3
0
HI everyone, I after wanting to get back into smoking I stumbled upon a shop in France where the owner is an artisan and he claims that the shop has been there for 130 years, so I decided to buy one of the pipes he made, instead of an off the shelf type of pipe.
There was a selection of pipes some he made the rest were categorized by brands, I noticed a selection of white pipes with an amber stem, it was the first time I had seen a white pipe. After I made sure it was one of the ones he made himself I went for it
Before buying asked him these questions:

is the stem made of stone .........he answered : yes.

how long does it takes for you to make it ? .........he answered : about a day.

would the outside turn black after using it for a while ? .........he answered : yes (I didn't mind since it would add to the charm of it)

what is the bowl made of ? .........he answered : briar.

is the case custom made? .........he answered : yes I artisan makes them for me.
He sold me the pipe making me believe he made it himself, the handle was stone and it took about a day to make it.
After I came home my brother pointed out it probably wasn't stone, and after doing some google search I started doubting everything he told me about the pipe. and I'm thinking maybe he bought it for cheap online and scams people into thinking it's a high quality pipe he made in his shop
I took a few pics of the pipe so you can see by yourself.

the last picture shows an engraving on the pipe. if he's telling the truth it's the engraving of his shop ?

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Thank you all in advance for all your help

 

daimyo

Lifer
May 15, 2014
1,460
4
It's not an amber stem, the bowl is Meerschaum and I'd bet the person you spoke with had no hand in making it. How did you pay? Contact them and provide the proof of his claims.

 

warren

Lifer
Sep 13, 2013
11,717
16,292
Foothills of the Chugach Range, AK
You got a decent looking meershaum there. He "played" you well. What you paid for the pipe is the important concern as to whether you were taken with regards to value. The old boy who sold it to you certainly had a line of patter.

 

phil67

Lifer
Dec 14, 2013
2,052
7
is the stem made of stone .........he answered : yes.
What on earth is a stone stem?
what is the bowl made of ? .........he answered : briar
You see a pipe that is 'white', which is obviously not briar (wood), and yet you think it's briar and will turn black?
HI everyone, I after wanting to get back into smoking I stumbled upon a shop in France
I don't know what you mean by getting back into smoking, but it most obviously wasn't pipes as you would certainly know what a briar pipe looks like. And yet... you purchased it thinking that it was briar, with a 'stone' stem (handle!), and would turn black.
Sorry, but I'm totally confused here?

 

billypm

Can't Leave
Oct 24, 2013
302
3
If you think your white pipe is briar and its yellow stem is stone-- well you've got a little reading and learning to do to get your head straight on the basics.
But that being said, it looks to me like you've got yourself a perfectly serviceable meerschaum pipe. I say smoke it!

 

buckaroo

Lifer
Sep 30, 2014
1,165
2,970
So. Cal.
That stem color looks pretty sweet to me. Nice overall shape to the meer too. Communication breakdown & lack of knowledge being new to the hobby. We've all been there. Well, maybe just me.

 

whitepipe

Lurker
Jul 1, 2015
3
0
Thanks for the replies, some things I forgot to mention:

-I'm perfectly fluent in french and english. nothing was lost in translation.

-I have not the slightest clue about pipes, I actually thought the stem was some kind of carved stone. now I realized it's just some kind of plastic

-How do I know if the bowl is actually meerschaum and not some kind of composite ? the feel of the pipe doesn't have much texture to it, it's almost perfectly smooth, I do get fine white power on my finger if I swipe my finger in it
-My first concern here is to find out if it's a cheap chinese/mass production pipe he sold me, I paid 110euros

thanks !
p.s The guy came out from the back of the shop smoking his pipe, he had been working, looked like honest artisan, his shop did look very old, and I just gobbled everything he said, I paid cash, I'm still in the city I bought it, so I can go and confront him about his BS

 

drennan

Can't Leave
Mar 30, 2014
344
3
Normandy
Presuming you bought it in France. If you have a block meerschaum pipe then you've paid probably the market price, I'm sure I don't have to tell you how expensive France is. Because you have a meerschaum pipe it's probably made in Turkey
Lick your finger and touch the inside of the unsmoked bowl, if it feels sticky then it's block meerschaum. If it was block meerschaum I'd happily keep the pipe as it should be a good smoker if it's not then I'd take it back and ask for a refund.

 

whitepipe

Lurker
Jul 1, 2015
3
0
Thanks a lot drennan that's all I wanted to know, the bowl was sticky, so I guess It's a real meerschaum,

I actually called him and asked him (anonymously) if the meerschaum pipes he sold were made in house he said no... I guess I'll keep it since it's a fair value. I'm just distraught he played me.

 

brudnod

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 26, 2013
938
6
Great Falls, VA
The same pipe, or very close to it would cost about 60 euros in the states and would not have been so badly misrepresented. All the same if you have not smoked a meerschaum pipe before you may enjoy the experience. Assuming that you will not get your money back you might as well use the knowledge base in this forum, which is extensive, to work and learn how to smoke pipes in general and meerschaum pipes specifically. Their use and care is different than a briar pipe.

 

pitchfork

Lifer
May 25, 2012
4,030
606
That's a nice looking meerschaum with a case. If that price includes the VAT, I don't think you overpaid. As far as the representation from the seller, I can only assume that he was trying to say that the bowl is made of stone, which it is, not the stem. It just doesn't make sense that he'd tell you the pipe was made of briar. Still, you were there, and maybe I'm wrong, but it sounds like a whole lot of mis-communication was going on. Whether the seller was honest or not, I'm trying to imagine how telling you that a meerschaum pipe was made of briar or that the stem was made of stone, would be to his advantage as a rip-off artist.
If I walked into a shop and walked out with that pipe, I'd call it a good day.

 

zack24

Lifer
May 11, 2013
1,726
2
What was the name of the shop and what city was it in? We visited several shops in Paris last year and had some great conversations...

 
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