Ebay advice???

[Searock Fan]

I'm kind of new at buying pipes on the internet and was wondering if any of you have any advise about buying pipes on Ebay? And if you can recommend any other good places.

 

[Niblick]

I only buy from a seller that gives pictures of the pipe 360 degees and inside bowl wear. Should be about the max in 12 pictures and save them on a laptop or desktop to blow them up to pick up fills, pits and top of bowl wear along with stem bites. Hope this helps and welcome to the forum. Flea market antique shops and resell shops.

 

[RSteve]

I'm kind of new at buying pipes on the internet and was wondering if any of you have any advise about buying pipes on Ebay?

Don't get caught up in the bidding action. You may win the auction, but pay more than a Pipe's value.Have you looked at the Estate pipes area of Smokingpipes.com?
And (lol) ask yourself if you need another pipe.
The magic phrase with Ebay sellers=Accepts returns

 

[Blackhorse]

Buying pipes on eBay? Expect to be burned (according to your expectations) about a third of the time. If you can’t take that as a part of the overall experience then don’t play.

 

[RSteve]

Another thought. In another post you described a collection that includes many expensive Italian pipes. Obviously, you have the means to purchase and assemble a fine collection. Have you considered commissioning your own custom designed pipes with domestic carvers?

 

[Zeno Marx]

anyone know how RSteve is doing? Hope he is well.

back to ebay advice...always add it to your watch list. ALWAYS. I bet a good 50% of the time, and even more so outside of pipes, I get hit with an offer within a few hours. It doesn't mean anything when a guy is selling a $90 pipe for $199.99 Buy It Now and giving me an offer of $190, but adding things to your watch list instantly notifies sellers that a new person is in play. And it costs you nothing to get that potential ball rolling.

 

[Singed]

Buying pipes on eBay? Expect to be burned (according to your expectations) about a third of the time. If you can’t take that as a part of the overall experience then don’t play.

!00% in agreement, emptor caveat.

 

[Armen]

I'm kind of new at buying pipes on the internet and was wondering if any of you have any advise about buying pipes on Ebay? And if you can recommend any other good places.

Askiyan Pipes on eBay is legit.
https://www.ebay.com/usr/asikyanlevon

He's a pipe carver in Armenian and found him on Dale Pipers youtube account when someone gifted Dale one of the Asikyan pipes. I bought a pipe from him on eBay last year and will be buying another one later this year. I've spoken to him on the phone. These pipes should be selling for double, but he's a pipe carver in Armenia and marketing and traveling to pipe shows isn't cost effective. He's also a jeweler and makes a tamper to go with each pipe and some nice carving of Petroglyphs on the brass band. Good luck!

 

[BriarPipeNYC]

I have purchased a small number of pipes, usually estate pipes, off of eBay. I would proceed with caution. I can clean, restore, refinish, rejuvenate, estate pipes, but I cannot make or repair cracked/damaged stems, so, I pick only pipes that I can work on. I only bought a few new pipes off Ebay and had no problems.

Watch out for vendors with blurred pictures. Blurring hides surface defects, fills, cracks, and mortise/shank cracks. I only buy pipes that can be returned. I don't buy auction pipes.

BTW, Etsy has a great selection of pipes, too.

Caveat emptor! Have fun with your pipe quest.

 

[Idlefellow]

Pay attention to the seller's feedback.

 

[Bill Webster]

My wife and I run a fairly big business on eBay. The "Watch List" advice is very good for opening negotiations. Only look at items you can return. Pictures are critical; make sure you can see all parts of the pipe and the photos are in focus. Feel free to ask the seller for more pictures if needed. It's up to you to determine how much you will spend. If the seller does not accept your offer, move on! 100% Positive Feedback and customer focus sellers are plentiful on eBay. We have over 18,000 positive feedbacks. Also, read at least one full page of the seller's feedback results to see how other buyers respond to the service and quality of what they bought.

 

[Carlos]

anyone know how RSteve is doing? Hope he is well.

I honestly do not know. It will soon be 2 years since he last checked in. The mods discussed this a couple times. My best guess is, that he's in some type of care facility without Internet access.