Pipes from E-bay or not

I've bought a new Vauen from eBay without any issues. Never tried any estates though. Why not try some of our great forum sponsors or the classifieds here first?

I've bought several pipes on eBay, you can get some great product at great prices. Even if things don't work out for you from time to time they have buyer protection and the deals you get more than cover your losses.

I bought a lot of 7 old estate pipes for 20 bucks, to try my cleaning hand. Two had threaded metal tenon's I couldn't clean and went to the trash, the other 5 are very smokable after I did some work. Good to keep in the rotation when my main pipes need a break. Although I did accidently over ream one that had about 1/8 of cake on it. Still smokes okay, but no going back on that one.
But I have too read that it's a gamble. I prefer my estates from SP when I have the extra cash or they go on sale.

Its just like anything else really. You are buying something based on pictures and the sellers descriptions.

There are horrors to be had, but if you know what you're looking for, and what to watch out for, navigation can be safe and rewarding. Only buy from sellers who have good ratings, and do research before you make your purchase. If you have any doubts or concerns, make sure the seller offers returns. Every estate pipe in my collection has come from eBay.

Most of my pipes are from ebay. Examine the photos carefully and look for intentional blurring (fills are a common photoshop hide) and carefully inspect the meeting of stem to stummel. Also, check the chamber for anomalies. Over reaming is a common enough issue.

With one recent exception, I've purchased all of my pipes from Ebay. I've bought some great pipes, and some not so great. Most of them have been good enough to keep. Two I later resold - good pipes that simply weren't to my tastes. One pipe I ended up returning to the seller because the drilling was obviously off center and the seller graciously offered me a full refund.
Out of the dozen or so I've purchased over the last 3 years or so, I've only had one where I felt like the seller had been...disingenuous...with the way he'd photographed the pipe. It was from a new carver and the pictures made the pipe look quite well done. Once I had the pipe in my hands I could see how he'd carefully angled the camera to hide the hatchet job he'd made of the carving. Strangely enough, it smoked extremely well, so I ended up keeping it. I've since refinished it myself, sanding off the rough edging and knife marks, although it still needs to be stained.
As others have said, look the auction over carefully. Also check out the seller - read all the reviews, especially the bad reviews. And don't just look at the stars. Read *why* they gave the negative review. In my experience there are some really dumb people in this world who will give bad reviews for some incredibly petty reasons.
Overall in my experience, as long as you're careful you shouldn't have any real problems with Ebay. You'll be able to pick up some fairly solid pieces for a reasonable price(I bought a JM Barlow for $35 that's still one of my favorite pipes) and you might find the occasional diamond in the rough .

In my experience(some good/some bad), avoid buying pipes if they don't have very clear pictures of the nomenclature and both sides of the stem near the button. Also, you are taking a serious risk if they don't give you a clear top down shot. Don't be afraid to contact the seller asking for these photos, and if they refuse or are reluctant, just move on.

I seems to me that one must do some homework to increase the odds of getting something worthwhile. Understand/know the product and study the vendors for their treatment of buyers. Otherwise, it's like going into the first auto dealer on the street, having decided to pick the vehicle closest to the front door. I am neither willing to devote the time studying nor, the time cleaning so, I only buy when I'm in a shop.

People find good pipes at reasonable prices on ebay, but the results are innately more unpredictable. Not all the sellers care about repeat business, and there are many scams, some of the most comical and outrageous pointed out here on Forums. I usually shop a long time for a pipe, and that involves comparison shopping on that pipe or others in a similar category or that would fill the same niche, somewhat differently. I'd rather spend a few more bucks on a pipe with relatively greater dependability, with direct sales or online retailers I know and trust than fiddle around with ebay. Still, I can see the fun and adventure of hunting on the "wilds of ebay" and ending up with a good deal. I just avoid disappointment when I can, and not using ebay is one of the ways I do that. If you can tolerate the rough and tumble, and have some good luck, it could be fun. Just not for me.

I've bought a number of nice pipes on eBay and not one real dog. I picked up what I believe is a good deal on a smaller castello sea rock yesterday. Three are 3 sellers I know of that specialize in pipes and are reputable. I'm sure there are others. A member here, pipestud, is arguably the best. Three been some excellent advice given thus far.
Don't fall in love with a pipe to where you over bid. There will be others.
Don't get emotional and get into a bidding war.
Look for bargains. Things slip through at times. If you don't think you're getting a good deal, you're probably not.
You also have some carvers, like Moretti, that sell most of their work on eBay. Cuts out the middle man. When you win his auction at $120, you'd pay around $240 from a retailer. I've bought 9 of his pipes on eBay and am delighted with the pipes and his customer service.

Be prepared to deal with nasty ghosts and doing complete cleaning, sometimes that lakeland flowery and soapy ghosts do not come out even after 3 rounds A&S treatments.

There's some great sellers on eBay, bruyerepipes out of Germany is a top guy, piero9743, TreasurePipes..... no problems.

A couple ebay rules of mine:
I never buy a pipe that they won't show the rim or the button.

I rarely buy "Buy It Now" and stick 99% to auctions.

If the pic is blurry, remember not everybody is a photographer....check out what they've sold and if they seem to specialize in selling pipes, that is a red flag on blurry pics.

Be aware of bait and switch on new pipes....the guy may have a case of seconds and the pipe in the pics is not what you will get....got burned bad on a Peterson full of really nasty fills that way.

Pipe lots are a great way for normal folks to get rid of grampa's pipes all at once....also a great way for a restorer to unload his junk. Figure out which they are.

Not all pipe lots were grampa's. A lot of people quit the hobby and I look for those lots with a smattering of new and old pipes.
Returning pipes to their former glory is a big part of the hobby for me and my overall ebay experience has been pretty positive and I've bought a lot. And most people will try to make it right if you find issues by knocking off some on the price or full reimbursement.

Lots of good insight in the comments thus far. I'll add the following:
- If the seller isn't at least close to 100% positive feedback, move on.

- If the pictures are not plentiful enough, or the description is weak...use the "contact seller"

feature and ask some questions. Good sellers are happy to answer anything you need to know.

- If you buy a pipe with "issues" that were not described in the description or shown in

the images...you can return it...even if the seller offers no returns. This is covered in eBay

guidelines.

- Forward the link to a pipe you're considering to a fellow forum friend here who's got a lot of

experience in buying on eBay; lots of guys would be glad to help you learn how to shop there,

many great bargains to be had there.

for example there was a Peterson Spigot estate pipe that looked like brand new

Click to expand...

You'll find that on occasion on the Bay. It could be something along the lines it being the last pipe Grandpa bought before he passed away and never had a chance to smoke it. Or it could be something like my Boswell where the original owner bought it, smoked it once or twice, and then decided he didn't like it after all.

I've gotten some good pipes & good deals from ebay. As others have mentioned, make sure there are adequate photos before buying. I assume that if an important part of a pipe isn't shown (or is photographed poorly) there's a reason for that. On some pipes it's worth asking the seller for more information. On others (lower cost pipes) I couldn't be bothered, so move on. Often sellers know nothing about pipes, so that needs to be taken into consideration too.
I remind myself that I already have more pipes than I need. So, for the most part, I'm not bitten by auction fever -

(that is, the desire to 'win' over other bidders, no matter the price). If you know what you want & move quickly, good deals do come up.

I ran into a seller two weeks ago selling 3 pipes in 3 separate auctions. He claimed one was never smoked, one was smoked only once and the third was only smoked twice. Of course, I was a bit skeptical and the pics sucked, but I won the unsmoked pipe for less than half the price it was going for new at SPC. I wound up buying all three pipes from the guy. After a few emails to secure combined shipping, I learned it turns out his doctor told him to quit smoking and he was just dumping his pipes, starting with his newest ones first. And the pipes arrived just as described in fantastic shape, and all at a fraction of retail. And that is not the first time I've gotten lucky like that.
You just have to keep looking for those hidden gems....they're out there.