Selling Pipes --Best Way Suggestions Please

[alan73]

thanks for the input everybody. I ended up having over 60 pipes in the pile. I am sending 40 of them to pipestud, many of these were bought from him originally. I am also going to list a few pipes on eBay at a fixed price (these are ones I like more than the other ones and can be patient) I am also going to throw one or two up for sale on this website eventually . see how it goes.
I am very interested in on how close the gross auction proceeds will be relative to what I paid for them. Told my wife I'll hopefully be within 10%. if not, oh well .
my guess is that unsmoked pipes will get closer prices to actual purchase price than the estates .

 

[mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast]

I've had good luck and bad luck with most methods. I usually send mine off to someone like smokingpipes for an evaluation and consider their offer. If I don't like the offer and still want to sell I send them off to one of the reliable eBay sellers with the 'roll the dice' attitude. Offering them up on the forum is a good option too. I've found that it really doesn't matter as most of the pipes I've sold have brought about the same expected amount regardless of the means with about a 5 to 10% deviation or difference in net. I like Rcik Esserman's take on pipe sales in that he mentioned that he would trade the pipes he considered selling so that he always maintained the potential for regaining ownership down the road if he happened to change his mind. I always thought it was a good take on selling pipes as I've sold some that I regret selling and wish I had a chance to get them back. I've rarely made money on pipe sales regardless of how I've sold them. In fact, I've gotten less than what I paid on nearly all of them. Pipestud is a great choice and I hope you get a good return.

 

[mso489]

If you have the time and tech saavy (it will be a part time job for a while) do your own dealing on ebay, I guess. If you don't, pipestud has a sterling rep for doing these deals and it is his business. Ebay, buying or selling, would drive me nuts, but many do very well. For the cost of the commission, 'stud would offer some consultation and expertise to supplement your own, and that might balance the emotion of selling your own stuff.

 

[saltedplug]

It has galled me that I usually take a loss to sell my pipes. Lately I've sold pipes to smokingpipes but at best have gotten only 55% of their appraisal if spent on other goods they sell, which is a sweet deal for them as they make money coming and going, and I've done the same with Maxim at pipes2smoke. I don't sell anything that I can't live without, and I try hard to keep the pipes I've got as that's the best way to get back what I paid for them.

 

[alan73]

Saltedplug.....I hear you. I fully expected to lose money before buying. Question is how much? the 50% smokingpipes offers are suboptimal. anyone want to bet on how much less I receive? I'll set the line at 45% net loss, which includes the commission. I get to see how bad a bidder I was in the early stages of accumulating pipes, hoping to be within 15% gross .
In anticipation of receiving auction proceeds I just bought a pipe at Buy It Now on eBay , a nice little Geiger with wonderful Birdseye.

 

[alan73]

 

[saltedplug]

A Geiger, now we're talking pipes! Most of what I've seen has either gorgeous wood, a classical design pushing the envelope, like their Bodog, or both. Glad for you!