**WARNING**

[Dock]

Last week I purchased what I thought was a very nice estate pipe on e-bay for a very large sum of money. It was listed as being in "excellent condition".

I received it last week to find that there were several tooth marks and a dent on the cumberland stem and several handling marks on the bowl as well as a scratch on the face side which went into the wood. I contacted the seller and was offered a refund. About ten minutes later the seller e-mailed me again to say that he "changed his mind" and that he would'nt be refunding my money. After many e-mails back and forth and two calls to his home he finally decided to do the right thing and offer a refund.

It was a real ordeal to say the least! A word of warning folks, if you're gonna buy a big money pipe sight unseen, ask plenty of questions before bidding! Your idea of "excellent condition" may be very different from the seller's.

It's one of those gray area calls! On a $100- pipe I likely would'nt have minded a bit of wear and tear but when you spend as much on a used pipe as you can buy a new bedroom set for, it should really be in the shape as described...

Best,
Dock
ipe:

 

[Justpipes]

Been there done that on both ends.

One time I sold a rather large lot of pipes and gave plenty of warning in the description that the pipes were in bad shape. I made that fact more than clear. I did state that some of them could be salvaged as smokable pipes. After the transaction I started getting emails from the lady stating that she had expected to receive a box full of good pipes that she intended for resale. She left me bad feedback and sent me a few more emails about how displeased she was. I guess she thought she was going to get a bunch of pipes for little or nothing and make a killing on them. Most folks that I have dealt with on eBay are pretty honest about the condition of the item that they are selling but there are always a few bad apples, even on both sides of the transaction.

 

[Anonymous]

And then again some on ebay just dont know
What they see as passable a collector sees as junk

It is a very good idea to ask a lot of questions

 

[Ben]

I have a rule when using eBay: If I'm not satisfied with the language or pictures included in the listing, I contact the buyer. If I'm not satisfied with the response I get -- even by the slimmest margin -- I don't bid. I'd rather not have the pain in the ass.

 

[thomas james]

NEVER buy anything from a man who wears rubber pants while drinking beer.

You have that "Ahhhhhhh" look of relief on your face, Leroy.

 

[Justpipes]

a man who wears rubber pants while drinking beer.

You have that "Ahhhhhhh" look of relief on your face, Leroy.

Thomas,

It's a redneck thing and you wouldn't understand!

:lol!:

 

[thomas james]

a man who wears rubber pants while drinking beer.

You have that "Ahhhhhhh" look of relief on your face, Leroy.

Thomas,

It's a redneck thing and you wouldn't understand!

:lol!:

The guy in the background, white t-shirt, didn't quite make it to the buck house. What kinuv people do you hang with? Family reunion? Mercer side?

 

[pipemaker]

The way I heard it is those rubber pants and boots are required by North Carolina State law when smoking Walnut outdoors in public.

Mike

 

[Anonymous]

It was a real ordeal to say the least! A word of warning folks, if you're gonna buy a big money pipe sight unseen, ask plenty of questions before bidding! Your idea of "excellent condition" may be very different from the seller's.

I've purchased several pipes on Ebay, mostly Wilke briars so my risk is nothing near what you've experienced. I've always felt that Ebay is a risky venture at best, so I never went over $20-$30 on a pipe and managed not to get hosed. However, now I just by them from reputable dealers such as the guy at thesmoker.com. He always seems to have Wilke briars on the cheap.

 

[Justpipes]

The way I heard it is those rubber pants and boots are required by North Carolina State law when smoking Walnut outdoors in public.

Mike

That is the exception to the smoking laws in NC. As long as you are wearing rubber pants and boots and you are only smoking Walnut then you are automatically exempt from the no smoking laws anywhere in the state!

:lol: :lol: :lol: