I've bought a lot of pipes from eBay in a short time. The phrase Caveat Emptor was never more correct.
Sometimes you can get lucky. I've gotten several pipes under $10. Savinelli, Sasieni, BBB, Parker, Hardcastle, and many others.
Most just need to be cleaned and sanitized. Others need stem repair/replacement, cracks repaired, refinished, and some are just parts. Got the busted ones in lots or to get experience repairing them.
I got some really nice pipes in lots too. A couple were about $1 a pipe. I have a couple Dunhills in need of repair. One has a cracked bowl the other has a break out on the shank.
Once the shank is repaired and banded it'll be fine. The cracked bowl I'm sending to briarville for repair. It's currently beyond my experience. I do have some inexpensive pipes to practice on. I could've waited until I learned and recouped some of my money but I plan to sell one of the Dunhills and keep the other.
I've had pipes with glued in stems. Stems glued to the shank with no tenon. A flash light in the bowl showed light where the shank and stem met. People do really dumb things for a buck.
I've returned a lot of pipes. Even to those that list them as is or no returns. They're simply not as described or unrepairable and unusable.
If it showed a crack in the pictures or it was mentioned and it was overlooked, then that's on me. But if they went out of their way to hide damage I'm getting my money back
If they sold a pipe with the stem glued in, I'm getting my money back. How can you not know?
Even if you know nothing about pipes. If you sell used items, if you're an honest person, you inspect the items before shipping to make sure it wasn't damaged, or if it was operational.
Whatever you're selling, you inspect it, unless you just don't care. In which case you're going to get a lot of returns.
Every time I get a pipe now I get my magnifying glass and a loupe to look for cracks. First thing though, I remove the stem.
Got a meer pipe once. There must have been a little glue still on the stem when they put them together because with very little effort I unscrewed it and a piece of meer came with it.
Where it was stuck together, a piece of stem and meer dropped to the floor and broke apart. I can glue it no big deal. But I told the seller, they refunded 30%. Was surprised they offered.
Now before I buy any pipes I have a list of questions and if the pictures don't show everything I need to see I ask for them. If they refuse, make excuses, or don't answer, I don't buy from them.
I have a list of good sellers and bad. I put a note in so I know.
This all started because I wanted to increase my pipe collection. I also found out I needed to let them rest.
I started out with 2-3 pipes. Bought some estates that needed cleaning. Then a couple lots. Then a couple more.
Then I wanted to learn repair so I purposely bought cracked pipes, pipes needing refinishing, and pipes with stems needing repair or replacement.
I was working on a pair of Calabash gourd pipes today. Some need new inserts. But I'm not buying them all at once. I'm waiting to get some of my money back.
One of them I'm keeping, the other I'll sell. Haven't decided which I'm keeping yet. A couple went to briarville but after his inspection I found out one had a burn out, the other has a glued in insert.
Just finished getting one of those out today. A pain in the ass!! But it was gypsum not meer.
Gypsum is thinner and a different color. It was used in really old pipes from my understanding.
Sometimes I'd have to maneuver the pick a certain way to get purchase on the piece and when it popped off the pick ripped across my hand or thumb. SOB comes to mind.
Anyway I had to look for my old leather Army gloves, finally found them and put one on my left hand.
Before that I put on one of my mechanics gloves but the pick went through the glove and got stuck. MFR was the word. Needless to say the leather did its job. Took me 3 hours to find them.
People move my stuff and they don't bother to tell me. That ever happen to y'all? Does it piss you off too.
"I don't know" 3 words you wish you could grab and choke them with. Or how about "Where'd you leave it?" If it was where I left it I wouldn't be asking if you saw them would I?
Anyway, pipe sales are a little better after the holidays I decided I'd put some pipes online to sell after some cleaning and repair.
Sold a couple all ready, enough to get me a nice working overhauled Dunhill Rollagas and a working Laque De Chine DuPont Ligne 2. Not a copy. I do have a couple "Memorial" DuPonts. I liked their looks.
Some people think they're worth more and they can keep them. Not paying $50-$60+ for a fake knockoff when I can get it for $20.
Took a while watching and waiting. After awhile it paid off. Bought the Dunhill then a couple days later I got the DuPont. Wasn't even looking for a DuPont.
Sold one of my guns to my son too so I'd have some extra cash. Been bugging me for awhile about it. It's an old Tokarev 7.62x25. Like brand new but it was made in 64, same year I was.
Patience, determination, and patience. Yes I said patience twice. Coffee doesn't hurt either. Nor does a pipe with your favorite tobacco. The only thing I wish is that they'd stop making them 6-9 day auctions. Reason for putting patience twice.
I was going to buy one that needed overhauling, but most of them had beat up cases that averaged $40-$50 so you'd have to get a nice case for about $30, then a repair kit for $15.
By then your in for $85-$95, if the shipping isn't $29-$30+. So I started looking for a working or overhauled one.
Got very lucky and got one for $65. But because of Covid they couldn't ship it out of the country for the free shipping so I added $15 for expedited shipping.
The overhauled DuPont was even a better deal. I got it for $58 including shipping. Its a little distressed looking but working.
Just looked over what I had written. A bit much. So I'll stop now.
Later, thanks