A Duck Auction Gone Supersonic

Trolling through the recesses of the Bay the day before yesterday, looking for a Satinedge to fill some primo Wonderedge scales I have, and found this auction (closed now). Vintage Dubl Duck Wonderedge Pearlduck Solingen Straight Razor Very Nice | eBay At the time I first saw it the bidding was still below $100 and since I don't use sniping software I placed my high bid and moved on - yesterday as it was about to close it was apparent there are 2 guys that REALLY wanted this one a lot more than I did! WTH?!?!?! Is there something about this blade I missed (like 18k gold scales)?

I've bought from that seller before and he was a standup guy, so I doubt there's anything he did to trigger that bidding war. I guess plain old lust for steel is the cause because it got up to that lofty price long before snipes would have kicked in. It's certainly a nice blade but to push the $300 level on that particular blade is puzzling. Just amazing. - yeah I'm a little miffed I didn't get it...

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It isn't even in nos condition.

Btw, the link isn't working for me.

Someone would have to have some serious Duck addiction to go that hard for this one -- cracked scales, noticeable center-weighted spine wear, rust, corrosion. Come on, Duck fiends, really?

Sorry about that - here's a working link Vintage Dubl Duck Wonderedge Pearlduck Solingen Straight Razor Very Nice | eBay (I think)

Yeah this one is a testament to how insane either a bid war can get - or - how crazy Duck fever can be. Good to know I'm not the only guy around SRP with a touch of RAD still banging around me head.

Hey 10Pups, tell me you weren't one of those guys... though, if he got it, it'll look like $1K after he's done with it!

I've seen them go much higher than that...have seen great looking, in great condition, but not NOS, DD Goldedge's go for $300 and $400, if you do a search for these DD's on Amazon, you see them hitting the $500.00 mark...the Ducks are a highly sought after collectible.

Did a quick search on Amazon, yup, $499.00:

Amazon.com: double duck straight razor

I think we get so used to the (low) prices that we pay for blades planned for restoration that we're stunned when they sell for multiples of that price while still needing work. I have to admit that this morning I went into my box-o-ducks to see if there were any I might consider parting with - and I couldn't bring myself to even consider it since they're my go-to shavers when Duck fever hits me.

A shiny NOS or restored Duck has always brought a premium for as long as I can recall, but this auction took me by surprise. ...and since I didn't get it (bowed out under $120) I may just be a little sensitive. Well, I say good for the seller and buyer - and the blade I need for my scales will show up eventually at a sane price - I hope.

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Originally Posted by AirColorado

I think we get so used to the (low) prices that we pay for blades planned for restoration that we're stunned when they sell for multiples of that price while still needing work. I have to admit that this morning I went into my box-o-ducks to see if there were any I might consider parting with - and I couldn't bring myself to even consider it since they're my go-to shavers when Duck fever hits me.

A shiny NOS or restored Duck has always brought a premium for as long as I can recall, but this auction took me by surprise. ...and since I didn't get it (bowed out under $120) I may just be a little sensitive. Well, I say good for the seller and buyer - and the blade I need for my scales will show up eventually at a sane price - I hope.

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I know what you mean, I've picked up some W&B's, as you know I'm quite enraptured with them, for pretty reasonable, some even low prices, and had them cleaned up and restored, and have been offered significantly more times their monetary value, and the thought would never enter my mind to part with any of them. For me, it's just one of those things that can't be expressed in terms of a dollar value...

Name recognition is a very important thing and folks will pay dearly to own it. Wonderedges are the top of the line and they usually go for a mint so I'm not surprised to see it go for that price at all.

There's another thread going on about RAD, and a new member is commenting on how he picked up, basically a new DD Goldedge, has the box, blade looks new, goldwash all intact, and "picked it up" at the local antique store for $15.00...hahahaha!!! Gotta love it, a tired old poor Duck goes for close to $300, and a virtually brand spanking new Goldedge get's grabbed for $15.00...kind of explains the whole thing, one person's second hand razor is anothers treasure!!

There really wasn't a bidding war - one relatively new account placed a had a rather high bid $276, then another guy tried $124 and $134 which wasn't enough and then comes a brand new account outbidding the bidder with the $276.
Looks to me that somebody didn't want to pay the $140 anymore and created a fresh account to take the negative from not paying.

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Originally Posted by Phrank

Did a quick search on Amazon, yup, $499.00:

Amazon.com: double duck straight razor

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That's just another channel for the same marketer of pakistani junk alongside high-end customs. He is not selling many of these razors, though (he's had hundreds listed for months) - most people can do the comparison shopping and find out that a goldedge with freshly poilshed blade can be easily had for a fraction of $500.

The $124 and $134 bids were mine and once it passed that price I just backed out. That happened with some hours left so it probably wasn't a pair of snipes gone wild. The seller did tell me it was won by a guy in Scandinavia though, and since there are quite a few SRP members up there, hopefully it's one of us and he'll fix it up nicely - and post some pix! OK, off to find the next blade I want that hopefully folks won't go bid crazy over.

Curious - now we have yet another one doing something similar. This one is over $250 with about 9 hours to go. Vintage Straight Razor Wonderedge Dubl Duck | eBay Something is amiss in the world of Ducks... Again a so-so Wonderedge and 2 guys sending the price to the stratosphere hours before the auction ends. Again one has a zero rating and the other with a rating of 16. Sure seems to me like someone playing a game there with Wonderedge auctions.

Here's a pic of the latest one. I spoke with the seller of the one from last week and it's still sitting in the seller's lap since the winner hadn't paid as of yesterday. Something is amiss in the world of Ebay Wonderedges.


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Originally Posted by AirColorado

Again one has a zero rating and the other with a rating of 16. Sure seems to me like someone playing a game there with Wonderedge auctions.

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Yes, it's the same scrambled initials and feedback and the same pattern as last week.
I bet it isn't going any higher and the seller won't be paid. Ducks in nice condition could fetch good money (looks like last week one in excellent condition sold for this much) but these are in pretty bad shape.

No AirC I didn't bid on that. The last Wonderduck I bought went well below a hundred and was in better shape. It looks like somebody is messin' with the seller for some reason? If that is the case I hope their Karma gets run over by a Truckma :<0)

I have known people to have someone bid on there stuff to try and raise the price. A few times it back fired and the friend ended up winning.

On the flip side, I got one, 6/8, In better condition, for $99, like everyone was asleep! Can't figure that one out either.

These two auctions remind me of that WB that went for $700/800 a year or two ago.

Scent of fish?

Sounds to me like someone is trying to drive up prices so they can make more off of one they have.

Doesn't the site worthpoint that is used by appraisers use ebay as a benchmark of value? If so, maybe someone is trying to drive up the benchmark price on that site with the idea of enriching themselves.

I don't think one crazy auction is going to drive up prices. 2 guys bidding against each other for a month will for a little while. What I see is more guys getting into wet shaving. As I meet people and talk straights with them many start to think about it and want to give it a try. As the demand grows the price goes up. :<0)