I see they have some nice looking pipes, have heard rumor they use photoshop. But some of the stuff they got is impressive. Opinions? Go!
Shiny Pipes on EBay. Good or bad?
- Thread starter aggravatedfarmer
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Photoshop to hide flaws and they coerce their patrons into posting only positive reviews. Do what you like, but I avoid them. I have never been so disgusted in dealing with any other ebay-er.
You don't need Photoshop to cleverly hide flaws or crap grain, just the right lighting and soft focus! Not saying PS hasn't been used, though....
There's a very long thread or two on the subject within the last six months.
There's a very long thread or two on the subject within the last six months.
We had a couple of threads dealing with their use of Photoshop to hide blemishes, with some pretty damning examples posted. Unfortunately, those threads got removed after Shiny Pipes showed up here and went to war with her accusers. Some people say that they have had a good experiences with them, others say that they've had awful experiences with them. I won't buy from them, since I can't be sure what I'm going to get.
I do not buy from them for two reasons. First, their mark-up is tremendous. Second, I do not trust them to be honest about the pipe's condition and what they may have done to make it "shiny".
To be fair, shinypipes is not the only eBay estate pipe "major" with questionable practices. Still, the fact that they are not entirely uniquely bad does not make them good enough to get my business.
To be fair, shinypipes is not the only eBay estate pipe "major" with questionable practices. Still, the fact that they are not entirely uniquely bad does not make them good enough to get my business.
Don't do it. Even if they have stopped some of their scrupulous practices (as they claim) they still over buff the hell out of a pipe and really do not understand restoration at all. Restoration isnt about hiding flaws, sanding the inside of a bowl to paper thin, removing nomenclature so you get awesome photos, etc.
Stand down, Kelley.
Those folks at Shiny Pipes post great looking product but with very questionable ethics. You were wise to ask.
And, if Tbradsim1 says go away, then put your Keds on and scoot.
Fnord
Those folks at Shiny Pipes post great looking product but with very questionable ethics. You were wise to ask.
And, if Tbradsim1 says go away, then put your Keds on and scoot.
Fnord
I'd take the advice on ebay from many of the posters in this thread. Tobacco flavors and personal preference are different than used pipe purchases.
I will stay clear of them. Fortunately the pipe was purchased so temptation was fully removed. It looked like a Charatan Billard I seen here. The top of the bowl was a smaller shape than the rest of the bowl. Quite peculiar.
My advice is to draw you own conclusions.
I've purchased three pipes from Marianna in the past two years, and I've been 100% satisfied with each of them. On the last two pipes, I've made an offer and she accepted. I'm very happy with her pipes and service.
Recently, on a Facebook page, I got into a war of words with the owner, Marianna. I was actually defending her, by my experiences, but also pointing out many others have not been happy with her past practices (full disclosure). A few days later, she reached out to me via email, then phone and apologized. We had a long talk via phone and discussed some of her forum issues, which she regrets. I won't go into those details, as it was a private conversation, but I can say she was open to feedback and there were some extenuating circumstances for some of the responses made on her behalf. I also apologized for some of my Facebook comments, as that thread became contentious. Thru Facebook, I had made comments not deserving of a lady and deleted them following our phone call.
During our communications, she inadvertently shared an aspect of her personal life and activism thru her community, that gave me a much higher admiration for her as a person,outside the world of pipes.
During the Facebook issues, I had become angry towards her, but she took the initiative and reached out to me, to make amends. To me, that showed a lot of character. As always, if you have an issue with someone, doing battle on the internet in any format isn't productive and just having a conversation goes a long way to understanding the other perspective.
I've purchased three pipes from Marianna in the past two years, and I've been 100% satisfied with each of them. On the last two pipes, I've made an offer and she accepted. I'm very happy with her pipes and service.
Recently, on a Facebook page, I got into a war of words with the owner, Marianna. I was actually defending her, by my experiences, but also pointing out many others have not been happy with her past practices (full disclosure). A few days later, she reached out to me via email, then phone and apologized. We had a long talk via phone and discussed some of her forum issues, which she regrets. I won't go into those details, as it was a private conversation, but I can say she was open to feedback and there were some extenuating circumstances for some of the responses made on her behalf. I also apologized for some of my Facebook comments, as that thread became contentious. Thru Facebook, I had made comments not deserving of a lady and deleted them following our phone call.
During our communications, she inadvertently shared an aspect of her personal life and activism thru her community, that gave me a much higher admiration for her as a person,outside the world of pipes.
During the Facebook issues, I had become angry towards her, but she took the initiative and reached out to me, to make amends. To me, that showed a lot of character. As always, if you have an issue with someone, doing battle on the internet in any format isn't productive and just having a conversation goes a long way to understanding the other perspective.
I have had two pipes to send back to her. One was so full of fills that never showed up in the pictures. It was pathetic. The second one when it was being restored had a drill mark clear through the other side into the wall of the bowl. I told her by email how disappointing it was and sent it back. She emailed me to say that it was a cake reaming problem. I said no I don't want it because I was so disgusted with the whole experience. I called ebay to tell them of her actions and told them after she called me to plead not to leave negative feedback that it would close her business. I thought long and hard about what to say in my feedback and got wobbly and only left neutral feedback. I have kicked myself in the ass ever since. I should have left honest feedback. Do not buy from them.
Estate pipes are not my cup of tea so I have no personal opinion about their pipes or service. I remember the epic thread here a few months ago though. Most people didn't seem to have a very good opinion of them.
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