Some very good feedback here - definitely some aspects involved in pipe-selling I had not considered. So this is very helpful. In retrospect, I believe I may have been laboring under a possibly simplistic assumption: that is, as a seller, one merely presents the pipe for sale with some very good photos verifying the condition, allowing the interested buyer to assess the particular piece, thus assuming the buyer already has the requisite knowledge of the piece he or she is considering in the offer for purchase. Therefore, the seller would not be required to be fully versed in the pipe's attributes in terms of what makes it "special," or particularly attractive relative to the market. That said, a certain level of understanding must be possessed by the seller, but perhaps less sophisticated than the prospective buyer. In other words, the seller will generally know the pipe's pedigree, if you will, have an ability to rate its condition, any understand particular aspects which make it an exceptional example or which make it stand apart. But I think I'm now seeing the value of an experienced seller who possesses a high degree of knowledge of a subject piece being offered for sale - and this for a number of reasons, as some of you have graciously pointed out. Just a few examples may be apropos: In the case of the '54 Tanshell LB, I merely evaluated the pipe on a couple of its merits. It was very early (2nd year of its production, if I'm correct), apart from being smoked very lightly, it was a close to mint as one would find, and the blast was exceptional, so that it was obvious the briar stock from which it was produced was also exceptional, displaying a deeper craggy attribute few other pipes had. But, I'm guessing there is much more to this pipe than just these considerations. For instance, my first thought was, how rare, or exceptional is this particular pipe? And, while the blast, to me, was stunning, maybe I'm not sure just exactly how to really appraise it, and so on. For the second example, take the Barling's Make companion set I had mentioned earlier in the thread: While I had read extensively on the Barlings, and knew they were "early," I really could not locate the actual date range. Additionally, other elements of value escaped me, such as, while one pipe was unsmoked the other was - maybe once or twice(?), and what about the condition of the case - how did that affect its value? Then, too, with regard to the pipe style/model - were they the most sought-after among the line, and what about their desirability today? And, as I looked at the "Barling Cross" stamping, what if anything was exceptional about it. Other examples could be offered, such as an unsmoked Sasieni Prince - just a beautiful little piece, to my mind. But actually, I didn't know much else about it except for its general dating. Or, take unsmoked Sasieni Two-Dot pipes with original boxes and socks - pretty much just like you'd have gotten when originally purchased...again, I didn't know much more than that. Then one other example that highlights well the issues being raised/discussed: An unsmoked '67 Dunhill Panel/EK - other than being the last year made entirely in-house, what else did I know about it?...and I'm pretty sure the case wasn't original, etc.
But when I first considered consignment - perhaps like a lot of guys, I simplistically sort of dismissed the commission as a less-than-attractive "value." In a bit of a reactionary thought, I balked at 20% or 30% as more than realizable on sale were I to do it myself. So that is really the question, isn't it? However, after getting some great feedback here, I've got good reason to take pause and reconsider things a bit. So, other than around a long response with no paragraphs, does this help to kind of crystalize my situation/thinking so far? You guys have been around awhile, and are probably thinking, while smiling and nodding, saying to yourselves, "Yep, that's what we thought."
But when I first considered consignment - perhaps like a lot of guys, I simplistically sort of dismissed the commission as a less-than-attractive "value." In a bit of a reactionary thought, I balked at 20% or 30% as more than realizable on sale were I to do it myself. So that is really the question, isn't it? However, after getting some great feedback here, I've got good reason to take pause and reconsider things a bit. So, other than around a long response with no paragraphs, does this help to kind of crystalize my situation/thinking so far? You guys have been around awhile, and are probably thinking, while smiling and nodding, saying to yourselves, "Yep, that's what we thought."