Estate Pipe Sites other than Ebay?

[danielplainview]

Recommendations for buying unrestored estate pipes other than ebay?
There are a few other sites that sell estates, but mostly restored and overpriced.
I'm a terrible ebay sniper. I'd like to find more places that sell unrestored estates.

 

[yorkshirepipe]

I'd like similar things to be honest!
I know of a number of great sites that do great restoration work as well, the only one that springs to mind is - they sell loads of estates that look refurbished, but I've certainly had one from them that needed some sprucing up before.
As I said, not quite what you're after maybe, but it's a start.

 

[pruss]

I use Kijiji, which is like Craigslist, to some satisfaction. It can be hit and miss, but two of my largest scores came in this way. Beyond that, hitting the auction and antique store trail has also lead to some rich rewards.
-- Pat

 

[misterlowercase]

If you haven't looked on Etsy,

sometimes you can find interesting stuff,

doesn't seem to be as plentiful and cheap as it used to be,

and it's rather difficult to sift through,

but,

you might find something...
This old Tally Ho has been listed there forever it seems, it's a little known brand associated with Dunhill...

https://www.etsy.com/listing/167605264/vintage-tally-ho-25-smoke-pipe-made-in?ga_order=date_desc&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=england%20pipe&ref=sc_gallery_5&plkey=0b1c090e2a062ce39343a8ce0fc5c3c9eb23cfc1:167605264
Here's an old Comoy made pipe...

https://www.etsy.com/listing/234736258/vintage-siegels-own-make-156-made-in?ga_order=date_desc&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=england%20pipe&ref=sc_gallery_4&plkey=dc49bc146b8a6599c8d7ebf836b37b1e540df6bf:234736258
::

 

[xrundog]

I've bought a couple Parkers on etsy. As said before, there isn't a lot so sifting through the listings is easy. There's some newer carvers selling new pipes there too.

 

[mso489]

I'm a fuddy-duddy about online auctions, just mistrustful and vulnerable to all the competitive energy that blocks out clear headed evaluation. Though you might spend incrementally more, I'd stick with a site like smokingpipes.com for estate pipes. First, they're pretty straight up about the conditions of the pipes, accurate about their provenance as nearly as possible, accountable if something goes awry, uniform in sanitizing, professional about identifying replacement stems, and fair in pricing. You aren't going to win any low-bid one-bid spectaculars, but for what extra you will pay, you will get all of the above benefits. Pipes can and often do last a lifetime, so why junk up your stable and be forced to foist your bad choice off on someone else? Some Forums members are skilled ebay buyers and do themselves proud, but it can be a frustration. I'm in pipes for pleasure, not frustration.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Makes much sense, mso! Only pipes I've bought sight unseen (pix help but don't 'count') are ones I've regretted. Not all, but a couple.

 

[crazypipe]

James Island Piper
http://www.jamesislandpiper.com/

 

[sallow]

Pulvers prior briar
Briar blues

 

[cigrmaster]

The OP is looking for sites that don't sell restored estates. Places like Marty Pulvers, Bria Blues, MKE-LAW pipes, SP and others sell only restored pipes.
I will say that Dave you are a bit misinformed about the pricing at these sites like Briar Blues and the others. I consider myself and astute buyer of estate pipes. I have bought many pipes for great deals at these sites you consider to be over priced. You just have to know what things are really worth. I bought a Stephen Downie estate Apple for 135.00 that was a fantastic deal from SP. The pipe came in and I just filled it and smoked it with no headaches and a money back gaurantee. I have gotten great deals from BB and MKE as well. To just give a blanket statement that all places who restore pipes are overpriced is just not accurate. If you don't look at these places, you are missing out on some great deals. You also should remember that when buying pipes that have not been restored, you can run into all kinds of problems such as spider webbing, over reaming, stems that need to be replaced, pipes with serious ghosts that can take hours or more to get rid of. Your time is worth something isn't it? If it takes 10 hours or more to restore a pipe even at minimum wage, that is 80 bucks you can add to the price of a pipe. If you get a pipe with a cracked shank then the pipe is useless.
There are so many issues that unrestored pipes can have and when you figure in your time, I would be willing to bet you are paying as much or maybe more than the pipe might cost at these so called overpriced dealers. Just something to think about.

 

[danielplainview]

Cigmaster you're right, I'm looking for unrestored estates. It may have been an unfair statement that most are overpriced, but I didn't mention any sites by name. It is fair to say that most places sell only fully restored estate pipes which most pipe smokers prefer, so the free market prevails. It is true that the time it takes to refurbish a pipe yourself negates the savings of unrestored vs. restored, but for me restoration is as much a part of the hobby as smoking. I take them to work with me on nightshift. It's a great way to stay awake and pass the time.
Thanks for the links everyone.

 

[huntertrw]

Allow me to suggest that you check out the "New Estate Pipes for Sale" page on pipestud's Website (Pipestud's Consignment Shop). Pipes are not always listed there, but when there are they are typically very nice...and unrestored.

 

[ericthered]

This is akin to asking a fisherman to divulge his favorite secret spot where all the best trout are!
A couple months ago I had a successful streak on www.proxibid.com, a website that hosts auctions of all sorts from around the country. There is some competition for pipes and tobacciana, but not like there is on ebay. You've got to read the fine print for each auction you're interested in, because it varies for each auction house listing on proxibid. Some of the auctions there are actually live auctions that you can listen in on and sometimes even watch on a video feed. The biggest difference between proxibid & ebay is that on proxibid the auction is extended every time a bid is made in the last 2 minutes. So, there is no sniping.
Why am I giving up this information? My win streak did not go over well with the wife. My hope is that the fine folks of this community will help me out and win the auctions that may tempt me beyond what I can bear.
To those of you who already knew of proxibid and were keeping it quiet to keep competition down, I apologize, I had to do it for the good of my marriage. For those who didn't know, good luck and happy bidding!

 

[ericusrex]

shopgoodwill.com I have seen Dunhills on this site. Mostly junk but you like junk pipes!
http://www.shopgoodwill.com/search/searchKey.asp?sortBy=itemEndTime&sortOrder=a&itemTitle=pipe&minPrice=&maxPrice=&closed=&month=&day=&year=&days=0&catID=0&sellerID=all&srchdesc=&showthumbs=on&page=2

 

[jackswilling]

+1 on Shopgoodwill.com Watch out for shipping and handling charges they can be steep.