The Ugly Side of Buying Estate Pipes
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ive had offerings in the mail, that actually wanted MORE then the actual listing price. Suckers are suckers.That happens all the time when Ian offering on eBay.
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But one guy on ebay wants 39,000 for a dunhill namiki/namika pipe.
a different guy wants 9,999 for one..
I bought one estate lovat, and there was nothing in the photo to show relative size. They gave the dimensions, but it was much smaller and thinner than I imagined it would be. I dropped it in the garbage and called it a $40 lesson learned.
Sorry but that was on you - if they gave you the dimensions and you couldn't visualize the size properly, you should have taken some reference measurements of a pipe you already own and compare them.
I didn't say it was their fault. I just learned to avoid estates or just be picky about photos with it shown in someone's hand or something that shows relative size.
General rule ---
Taking photos is both easy and zero-cost, anymore, and online selling has been going on for 20+ years.
Meaning any seller who does NOT provide enough visual information to make a buyer COMPLETELY comfortable in the "what you see is what you'll get" sense, is very probably trying to hide something.
Taking photos is both easy and zero-cost, anymore, and online selling has been going on for 20+ years.
Meaning any seller who does NOT provide enough visual information to make a buyer COMPLETELY comfortable in the "what you see is what you'll get" sense, is very probably trying to hide something.
I had some bad luck recently with an eBay lot. Pictures weren't terrible and description seemed to indicate they were salvageable. When they arrived it was the worst burnout in a bowl I've ever personally seen. It wasn't all the way through but it looked like the previous owner lit their pipes with a cigar torch. Only on one side of multiple pipes and the briar was toast.
Luckily the seller was willing to take a return without issue and communication was great. The seller has enough other much higher end pipes on their site that the issues I caught immediately in person should've been called out, but at least they were upstanding when I called the issues out.
Luckily the seller was willing to take a return without issue and communication was great. The seller has enough other much higher end pipes on their site that the issues I caught immediately in person should've been called out, but at least they were upstanding when I called the issues out.
I’m not shy about contacting a seller to ask for more photos or other information. If the seller doesn’t respond, I move on.
I usually buy cheap ebay estates, my “yard pipes” and have been pretty happy though it’s always a bit of an adventure. I now buy from the same handful of pipe resellers that “clean up “ the pipes. Sometimes that means getting over zealous with a reamer. But point is don’t buy ebay pipe lots from someone who found em in their dead grannys attic.
I think you're being mildly hyperbolic, the key to my statement is mildly. I.e. I'd say you're not far off from the truth. Sidenote my favorite pipe postings on ebay for fun are the ones that don't understand condition, sure that pipe would be worth a ton if it wasn't mostly destroyed in some industrial fire, or if it wasn't used to beat a large animal to death taking the pipe out with the large animal. Or the ones that think every pipe over 20 years old is worth thousands of dollars just by the age. There are a lot of people that think antique just means old.
reminds me of sellers who when asked for that don't respond with pics but with complaints about how they're sick of people doing that and not buying the pipe which means obviously that they just wanted to look at the pipe and not buy it. Couldn't be that the pics show the people they're being ripped off no couldn't be that.
That would be not so bad compared to what I am talking about. I've contacted a few sellers to ask them why they're charging several hundred for that pipe, and had them say they saw another pipe that's the same age sold for that much and that means any pipe from that decade must be worth the same. At least the one understood what I meant when I asked if they'd pay the same for a Fiat from the same decade as a Fancy Sports car based on them being the same year.
The fun part about crazy stupid pipe postings is there are the bad actors who know what they have and are looking for a sucker (it only takes one). And then there are the I was gifted or inherited the pipe and then did ebay research poorly. And thought all pipes that look the same to a newb or are the same year or my favorite the same size are worth the same amount.
Time to repeat some cautions regarding eBay that I wrote down here some years ago.
1. eBay is like the Wild West of auction houses. Don't expect the cavalry to ride in to save you.
2. I recommend that anyone new to eBay not actually bid on anything, but to watch the market for what you're interested in, for a few months to get some understanding of prices, condition, and posting practices. Follow a bunch of auctions to get how it works. Don't worry about the stuff going by. There's always more down the road.
3. Know what you're looking for. Do some research before you start bidding. Use the advanced search function to see what prices were like on other items you're interested in, and look at the images to see what those prices were about.
4. If there are no images of the "business" parts of the pipe, especially the rim and the bit, ask for pictures. If the seller doesn't respond, look elsewhere.
5. I generally avoid "no return" auctions. The "no return" is BS. With eBay if the seller's offering is defective or not what it is portrayed to be, and the seller is being difficult, you can file a dispute and get the sale unwound. I prefer to avoid the hassle.
6. Don't believe the ratings. Most of the snakes I dealt with had 100% ratings.
7. It's worthwhile to check out the neutral or negative ratings to see what issues past buyers have had with a particular seller. Sometimes the negative rating is due to the buyer being an ass.
8. There is no such thing as photographs that are sufficiently equal to having the item in you hand to examine. Sellers who claim this are full of it.
9. If you have questions, contact the seller and politely ask them for answers. If they don't respond, move on to another auction.
10. If you really know what you're doing you will be able to spot potential problems, like briar discoloration from the pipe being smoked too hot, topping of the pipe, etc. Many sellers are not that knowledgeable about what they're selling and may not notice these issues. That's on you to know what you're doing.
11. eBay doesn't exist to give you great bargains. What you pay, on any given day, is the highest price that the item will sell for.
12. If you know what you're doing, it's occasionally possible to score a good deal, like this one:
The seller had no idea what he was selling and referred to the sterling silver fitments as "some kind of metal"
I knew what I was looking at and bought it for peanuts. Here it is after I cleaned it up:
13. Don't get emotionally involved in "winning" an auction. You will be roadkill.
14. Know what you're willing to pay and don't go over that. Period.
13. You can find great stuff on eBay, but you need to know what you're doing.
Good luck!
1. eBay is like the Wild West of auction houses. Don't expect the cavalry to ride in to save you.
2. I recommend that anyone new to eBay not actually bid on anything, but to watch the market for what you're interested in, for a few months to get some understanding of prices, condition, and posting practices. Follow a bunch of auctions to get how it works. Don't worry about the stuff going by. There's always more down the road.
3. Know what you're looking for. Do some research before you start bidding. Use the advanced search function to see what prices were like on other items you're interested in, and look at the images to see what those prices were about.
4. If there are no images of the "business" parts of the pipe, especially the rim and the bit, ask for pictures. If the seller doesn't respond, look elsewhere.
5. I generally avoid "no return" auctions. The "no return" is BS. With eBay if the seller's offering is defective or not what it is portrayed to be, and the seller is being difficult, you can file a dispute and get the sale unwound. I prefer to avoid the hassle.
6. Don't believe the ratings. Most of the snakes I dealt with had 100% ratings.
7. It's worthwhile to check out the neutral or negative ratings to see what issues past buyers have had with a particular seller. Sometimes the negative rating is due to the buyer being an ass.
8. There is no such thing as photographs that are sufficiently equal to having the item in you hand to examine. Sellers who claim this are full of it.
9. If you have questions, contact the seller and politely ask them for answers. If they don't respond, move on to another auction.
10. If you really know what you're doing you will be able to spot potential problems, like briar discoloration from the pipe being smoked too hot, topping of the pipe, etc. Many sellers are not that knowledgeable about what they're selling and may not notice these issues. That's on you to know what you're doing.
11. eBay doesn't exist to give you great bargains. What you pay, on any given day, is the highest price that the item will sell for.
12. If you know what you're doing, it's occasionally possible to score a good deal, like this one:
The seller had no idea what he was selling and referred to the sterling silver fitments as "some kind of metal"
I knew what I was looking at and bought it for peanuts. Here it is after I cleaned it up:
13. Don't get emotionally involved in "winning" an auction. You will be roadkill.
14. Know what you're willing to pay and don't go over that. Period.
13. You can find great stuff on eBay, but you need to know what you're doing.
Good luck!
I guess a decade plus looking at auctions every day has seasoned me. I rarely get burned on a pipe.
But, I was trying to buy a new pair of Maui Jim's and both pairs I ordered, they have been counterfeit. Both returned with no drama.
I did get burned for $10 shipping by a buyer. I had listed a broken pair of vintage Ray-Bans "for parts" in the title. I included detailed photos and listed the broken part in the description. The seller contacted me and said that he didn't realize they were broken. I sent screen shots of the title, picture and description. Sold as "no returns" but I agreed to accept a return if he shipped them back. He ignored that message and filed a claim. I just accepted and paid for a return label. Ebay told me they would reimburse me for the return label. Later, they said that was false. Luckily just out $10.
But, I was trying to buy a new pair of Maui Jim's and both pairs I ordered, they have been counterfeit. Both returned with no drama.
I did get burned for $10 shipping by a buyer. I had listed a broken pair of vintage Ray-Bans "for parts" in the title. I included detailed photos and listed the broken part in the description. The seller contacted me and said that he didn't realize they were broken. I sent screen shots of the title, picture and description. Sold as "no returns" but I agreed to accept a return if he shipped them back. He ignored that message and filed a claim. I just accepted and paid for a return label. Ebay told me they would reimburse me for the return label. Later, they said that was false. Luckily just out $10.
Keep in mind that many sellers are selling stuff that they picked up at a garage sale, a thrift store, belongings of a family member who's fallen off the twig, unpaid storage locker sale, or other unrelated source. They don't know the specifics of what they are selling. It isn't always a matter of trying to pull a fast one.
I've had listings where the winner was surprised that they were now supposed to pay for the pipe they won and ghosted me. I've also had buyers try to offer me a lesser amount, now that the auction was over. Crookedness isn't just on one side.
Because of the problems with beginners I made it a rule that you have to have at least 10 successful wins to qualify to bid.
At some point I'll put some stuff up for sale, but it's really a pain in the ass.
sablebrush52:
Regarding your post above, is this really an LHS Sterncrest pipe? I'm confused because of the Seller's Post-It note and the Barling hallmarks on the wind-cap. If so, I've never seen one so adorned and I must say that it's beautiful! How does it smoke?
Regarding your post above, is this really an LHS Sterncrest pipe? I'm confused because of the Seller's Post-It note and the Barling hallmarks on the wind-cap. If so, I've never seen one so adorned and I must say that it's beautiful! How does it smoke?
Completely agree. Same reason there are plenty of under priced pipes on ebay too.
There are some people who you wonder how they survive at all.
That's shady as heck.