Many collector pipes are being offered on e bay of late have junk replacement bits. They are even listed by known sellers. A lot of clear photos are included but no closeup views of bit logos. Replacements are purposely not included in detailed descriptions. Has any one else noticed this trend ?
Deceptive Replacement
- Thread starter Pipeoff
- Start date
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Nothing recent about it. It’s the rare seller who will mention a replacement stem though some do. My beef is with listings that claim the stem is “original” on a vintage pipe. It might be, but there’s no way to prove that, so it’s bullshit.
All major makers of Britwood had full repair departments which made replacement stems for their clientele. The stem could just as easily be a factory made replacement.
All major makers of Britwood had full repair departments which made replacement stems for their clientele. The stem could just as easily be a factory made replacement.
As Jesse said, it's nothing new at all. It's one of those plausible deniability things. If someone is savvy enough to notice and call the seller out, they can always claim ignorance and say they didn't know it wasn't the original.
That's why it pays to be knowledgeable about what your buying on eBay, caveat emptor. Sellers only have their own interest at heart, as a well informed buyer should also.
That's why it pays to be knowledgeable about what your buying on eBay, caveat emptor. Sellers only have their own interest at heart, as a well informed buyer should also.
You have to know what you are doing when bidding on pipes. If you take off bidding on something without full knowledge of what makes a certain pipe a certain pipe, then you are courting disaster. And if you have trouble identifying whether the pipe has an original stem just have @georged make you one. It will be better than the original anyway.
My solution is to only bid on pipes without enough collector value to have, replacement bits, or if by chance they do nobody cares.
I tend to quickly pass on blurred photos, incomplete photos, phrases like 'once smoked', 'almost mint', rare, collectible, 'ready-to-go, super grain, and 'refurbished', and estate find, listings that don't put in the pipe dimensions ... unless its clearly a non-smoker listing a relative's/friend's pipe.
To answer OP's original question ... yes, I noticed that twice this week.
To answer OP's original question ... yes, I noticed that twice this week.
FWIW ---
The most frequent giveaway of a replacement stem is the slot. They are tedious and tricky to get right, and back-in-the-day B&M repairmen never "went there".
When shopping on eBay, ping the lister for an end-on photo of the stem that clearly shows the slot, and compare it with one of the same brand from your own collection.
The most frequent giveaway of a replacement stem is the slot. They are tedious and tricky to get right, and back-in-the-day B&M repairmen never "went there".
When shopping on eBay, ping the lister for an end-on photo of the stem that clearly shows the slot, and compare it with one of the same brand from your own collection.