EBAY: Would This Be a Turn-Off for You?

[rmbittner]

I have a nice pipe I've considered selling on eBay. . . But I don't have the equipment necessary to give the bowl and stem a great shine (and remove some of the scorching on the top of the bowl), and I don't have any experience sanitizing pipes.
If you saw a listing for a pipe that required the above -- and didn't come "ready to smoke" -- would that be an immediate turn-off? Is it in my best interest as a seller to take the time to prepare it for the next owner?
BTW, I don't want to overstep the forum guidelines regarding the prohibition against promoting eBay auctions, so I don't want to go into any more detail about the pipe or the possible sale, should I decide to move forward. I just wanted to hear what this community thought. (And, although I've bought a number of pipes on eBay, I've never bought one myself that required sanitizing/refurbishing.)
Thanks!
Bob

 

[captainprophesy]

I know of lots of people who prefer to buy estates that way... there are allot of people that dont know how to properly clean a pipe and end up screwing it up, especially during the reaming process.
I am one of those that prefers to do the cleaning my self
Good luck.

 

[crpntr1]

Not a turn off at all...folks on here including myself do this everyday. Concider what the pipe is worth to you and the time and money reqired to get the tools and whathaveyou to restore and go from there.

Once you get it all the info you need to restore is on this site already. Good luck

 

[nsfisher]

No it is not a turn off, although alot depends on the asking price and or minimum bid. One does need equipment at all to bring an old pipe back to life. As far as build up etc. on the rim, one needs only a rag, moisture, and a little elbow grease.

 

[foggymountain]

I sometimes sell pipes on Ebay. They are not sanitized , and not polished except the silver. I make no claim that they are sanitized. Most people who get estates have their own procedures for cleaning the pipes.

 

[cigrmaster]

If you want to get the most money for your pipe then it would behoove you to clean it up and make it look as nice as possible. Pipes that are in the shape you describe do not get the money that a well cleaned pipe will get. Depending on the pipe it could bring 3 to 4 times the price of a dirty pipe.

 

[rmbittner]

Thanks, guys. I'd definitely try to make it look as good as possible, since this is the kind of pipe that would need a minimum bid of at least $150.
But I keep going back and forth about selling it. Some days, I love it; it's my favorite pipe brand and it's a different shape from all of the others I have of that brand. Other days, it's too big for my hand, takes too long to smoke a bowlful. . .
It doesn't help that my strongest memory associated with that pipe is smoking a lot of Haddo's Delight in it before I discovered that perique and I just do not mix. So it's also the pipe that's made me the sickest I've ever felt after smoking! (Maybe we just both need to go into couples counseling. . . )
Bob

 

[shaintiques]

And you could try it on briarbid and give us first crack at it

 

[rmbittner]

You know, I'm open to BriarBid. . . but I've only just heard of it. And I was surprised that when I looked, there were only, like, six pipes for sale. So I'm kind of wondering why that site gets preference here over eBay. . . ?
Also, I could swear that I saw mention in one of the stickies here that there's a forum for trading pipes. But it has never shown up. Is there one? If not, is there a reason why? I'm curious because we have a pretty active tobacco-trade forum; it seems like there would naturally be a similar option for pipes. Or am I missing/overlooking something?
EDIT: I just checked BriarBid, and they have exactly four pipes for sale! And they range in price from $10 to $25. Doesn't seem like the kind of place to try to sell a $100+ pipe.
Bob

 

[crazypipe]

I only buy estate pipes that are clean and ready to smoke. ::

The only place i trust for this is The Pipe rack. http://www.thepiperack.com/

 

[rmbittner]

Teddy:
The Pipe Rack has a great selection of pipes and, sometimes, vintage tobaccos. Usually outside of my budget, though.
Bob

 

[numbersix]

I am one of those who would recommend that you clean it as well as possible.
I don't think its necessary to do a full retort and claim it's been sanitized since most people will sanitize it anyway. But the better it looks, the more money you will get.
I can say for certain that I have passed on estates because I wasn't certain I'd be able to clean it up well enough. Especially when it comes to rims. If a rim is blackened, it might clean up quite well - but if it's burnt wood (can't always tell), it might not be fixable without sanding it down to bare wood.
So it pays to get it as nice looking as possible.
FWIW: the other thing I would recommend is pointing out any issues, like teeth chatter, etc. When I see those kinds of things in the description, I gain much more trust in the seller (as opposed to those sellers who warn to look at the photos for any issues). Good luck.

 

[uberam3rica]

I think it should be somewhat clean, but not perfect.

 

[shaintiques]

Briarbid is run by Kevin who also runs this site. It is just getting started and will perhaps blossom in time. The thing about it is that you can freely advertise your pipe sales on that site, here. And if there is any interest from the guys on here it is a good place to start. My practice from now on with pipe sales, will be to post pipes there first and let the guys on here know whats what and then if they don't sell go over to ebay. And on Briarbid you can choose the option in the midst of the sale page to accept trades. That took the place of the pipe trade thread on this site.

 

[kcghost]

The pipe needs to be presentable or you will take a price hit. Just think if two identical pipes were side by side but one had been cleaned up a bit and the other had not then which do you think will command the higher value. I don't know of any reseller who "sanitizes" his offering. Just a decent clean up and buffing being careful not to remove any of the marking son the pipe.
To remove the light blackening around the top of the bowl is no big deal.

 

[numbersix]

riarbid is run by Kevin who also runs this site. It is just getting started and will perhaps blossom in time. The thing about it is that you can freely advertise your pipe sales on that site, here. And if there is any interest from the guys on here it is a good place to start. My practice from now on with pipe sales, will be to post pipes there first and let the guys on here know whats what and then if they don't sell go over to ebay. And on Briarbid you can choose the option in the midst of the sale page to accept trades. That took the place of the pipe trade thread on this site

That makes a lot of sense. The other benefit is that if you are in good standing on the forum then you've built up trust.
As well, many people on this forum, while not the large audience ebay can bring, are enthusiastic buyers of estate pipes. So if you think there's likely to be interest, you can make a quick sale.

 

[instymp]

Maybe you could find out how much Walkers or some people here would charge to to fix it, then figure out if the cost is worth it to sell.

 

[captainsousie]

One thing you might think of is that a bit of spit and a rag will clean up the rim nicely. Add to that a stem restore kit from Walker Briar Works ($20) and a pipe cloth from one of our sponsors ($15-20), you can restore and sell quite a few pipes.

 

[billbearcat]

From one of your other posts you are up in the air about selling it. If I were you I would clean it up (wash away that single bad moment) and try a different blend in it. Plus, you said it was "your favorite pipe brand and a different shape the other ones," based on that I would keep it and revisit the pipe in the future.

 

[instymp]

I have the same problem with Pernod, sp? French Liquor, made me sicker than **8 after a half of bottle, never drank it since, but I still like stuff that comes in glass bottles.