When You Say Pipes Available or for Sale...

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quincy

Part of the Furniture Now
Feb 7, 2013
508
10
...and I click on the link to find them all sold? That really annoys me. If they are sold then they aren't available or for sale. Oh, it isn't always that I'm looking to buy a pipe that second from you, but with my budget and with your prices (well deserved, of course) it takes me time to form a game plan. However, when I go to your site and I can't even get a guess-timate of how much one of your pipes are? Well, I go looking other places. Dear Pipe-makers, your "pipes available" or "pipes for sale" page may be your most important page! Keep it updated and fresh! If you can't, can you at least say how much the pipes that sold, sold for or give me a good idea of what I'm looking at to get a piece of your fine briar?
Thanks!

 

flmason

Lifer
Oct 8, 2012
1,131
2
That is a good suggestion. I too would like to know the cost of pipes that sold so if I wanted something similar I would know an approximate price range.

 

pruss

Lifer
Feb 6, 2013
3,558
370
Mytown
:clap:
Preach on brother. I recently made first contact with a number of artisan pipe makers' websites due to an online contest. I must have been all over 17 or so websites over a one week period. I was surprised, saddened and down right irritated by the lack of clarity around available pipes... further, it appeared that many of these pipe makers invested time/energy/money in the design of the site (slick design, consistent branding, edgy interface) but put little to no thought into making it easy for site visitors to find out basic information like pricing, pipe dimensions, materials used, turn-around time for a custom order, etc. Granted, a lot of these folks will happily chew your ear off on a phone call. But for those of us who like window shopping; there isn't a lot of detail out there.
-- Pat

 

tjameson

Lifer
Jun 16, 2012
1,191
4
I agree the lack of information on some sights sucks, but I also think if you are thinking about an artisan pipe you may want to email or call the artist anyways to get an idea of what they have available or what they can make to your specifications. If I had the money to drop on an artisan pipe I'd probably want a commissioned piece and I'd like to get to know the maker anyways.
Edit to add, if a pipe maker doesn't have a decent inventory or at least pipes that have sold recently I would probably question their level of expertise in making a properly engineered and finished pipe. Some one like Rad Davis or Mark Tinsky alway have available pipes or a wait list for commissions, which obviously says a lot about the quality of their work.

 

shutterbug

Can't Leave
Apr 12, 2013
306
6
I agree with the OP, and have suffered the same agony. There is however, a retail strategy for not posting sold prices. Often, when it comes to commissioned work and/or pieces, or even regular products that a maker has produced for sale, they rarely list sold prices due to future sales. To explain: often, as a Photographer, I will not tell someone what my piece was sold for, because it could affect my future pricing if I were required to ask for higher pricing. When it comes to my photos, there is also a range of 'quality' pieces...some good, and some not so good. If I were to list the prices I sold to a publication, it would set a precedent as to future works. If I indicated a price for say a magazine cover at $10,000, a publisher a year down the line would say that that is my going rate for a cover shot. If however, I was able to get a great shot and asked for $20,000, those who knew I charged 10k the original time would ask me to justify why my price is so much different from the 'not great' shot. The analogy is very much the same for artisans who sell a product of craft. If for some reason an Artisan pipemaker sold a *** Bulldog at $1,000.00, he would need to try and justify a ** Bulldog for the same price if he deemed a price increase necessary. It is very difficult to try and explain and justify that he put 'extra work' into a piece, because as a consumer, you will not notice it. All you see is 2 of the same Bulldogs with varying prices. Furthermore, showing sold prices affect the future collectability of a piece by the same artisan. If public opinion dictates that a person's pipes double in price, it is often believed by the artists that one would look at the old pricing and deem them 'fads' or pipemaker of the season, only to wear off in the future when he's not so hot.

The reason why big companies are relatively straightforward with their pricing is because they all have relatively the same pricing margins that single, lone artisan pipe makers cannot afford to give or offer. Time, craft and skill is money to them, and with large factory pipes, none of those factors weigh heavily on the pricing. The more of those factors that come into play will dictate that the artisan needs to protect his pricing for the future if and when he becomes famous and or gets better at his skill (or becomes hotter in the public eye).

I'm not saying I agree with it, but I understand it completely.

 

lucky695

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 2, 2013
795
143
Good post Shutterbug...
I too was confused when searching for pipes, but Shutterbug explains this very well, and it now makes complete sense to me. Bottom line is that artisan pipes and art in general is worth as much as someone is willing to pay.
...and tjameson has a fine idea of calling them directly.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
It's true. A web site selling tobacco pipes or anything else is like a child; it can't be left unattended.

I don't mind seeing some pipes that have been sold, if there is a selection of other pipes with prices

that are available. It irks me when I click on a particular pipe carver or brand of pipe and I get a

a note about "nothing available at this time." I understand that the retailer wants me to know it carries

that brand, but some of these go on for a year or more with nothing available. Who's minding the store?

People tend to shop pipes because they buy pipes, and this kind of thing represents missed

opportunities. A web site needs someone to tend it at all times. All that said, I am impressed with

most sites that there is a lot of care and attention spent, and I've had some pretty fine experiences helping

me select and purchase. Smokingpipes.com brought a pipe to a pipe show for me. Tobaccopipes.com

emailed me a photo when the pipe they had didn't exactly match the pipe online, and I bought it. This

attention counts big time with me, and anyone in the market for a pipe, I imagine.

 

quincy

Part of the Furniture Now
Feb 7, 2013
508
10
I've purchased from Tobaccopipes.com a few times now. They are awesome. Great customer service and great website!

 
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