Thread: Why Romania?

Can someone help me understand why there seems to be a lot large W&B blades coming out of Romania?

Ive been following W&B blades for a while on the bay but here lately I seem to see a lot of the larger ones coming from there. Is it a distribution/shipment thing from the past or is someone intentionally buying up Eastern Europe stock and reselling them?

Are the sellers out of Romania?

Yes he is based out of Romania according to the bay. Thats where the shipment is originating from.

He has been or I should say his razors have been the topic of several discussions on here for various reasons. But they are mostly 8/8s that have been cleaned, some over polished and restored.

I don't know which seller your talking about, but Romania is an untapped source for razors, as is many Eastern Block countries.
Why,,, well,, this is a guess,,,1. The vintage straight razor market is/was not well known. 2. Collectors there are few & far between.
So, who is going to supply the rest of us with vintage straights that are just lying in drawers all over Eastern Europe?

I compare the situation to vintage radios. In 2000 I was in Romania & found myself staring at one of the nicest RCA console radios I had ever seen. The kind that our parents used to sit in front of & listen too, before T.V.s were the norm. When I expressed my love for it, I was laughed at & told, "Those junk radios are in every house & barn." I asked what she thought it was worth. She gave me a price of about $10.00 , if I remember correctly. That radio, after a power change/adapter, would have easily brought over $300.00.

Maybe Romania has produced a collector who monitors the market.

I think that there are pockets of undiscovered gems of all kinds all over the world. If you can read and write in English that gives you an advantage. Apparently razors in Europe are quite a bit cheaper and more plentiful than they are in North America and Australia. So those few that know about eBay and are proficient likely have a huge leg up in the market. There are tons coming out of Japan too. Who knew that such a tiny country would have heaps of vintage German blades, and there seems to be no end there either.

Originally Posted by Hirlau

I don't know which seller your talking about, but Romania is an untapped source for razors, as is many Eastern Block countries.
Why,,, well,, this is a guess,,,1. The vintage straight razor market is/was not well known. 2. Collectors there are few & far between.
So, who is going to supply the rest of us with vintage straights that are just lying in drawers all over Eastern Europe?

I compare the situation to vintage radios. In 2000 I was in Romania & found myself staring at one of the nicest RCA console radios I had ever seen. The kind that our parents used to sit in front of & listen too, before T.V.s were the norm. When I expressed my love for it, I was laughed at & told, "Those junk radios are in every house & barn." I asked what she thought it was worth. She gave me a price of about $10.00 , if I remember correctly. That radio, after a power change/adapter, would have easily brought over $300.00.

Maybe Romania has produced a collector who monitors the market.

I'm sure that's the case given his prices are between $500-1000 for restored FBUs...

I was thinking it was a distributor route back in the day but what you said makes better sense.

I think as competition with new collectors in Romania emerge, his prices will have to drop.

Originally Posted by RezDog

I think that there are pockets of undiscovered gems of all kinds all over the world. If you can read and write in English that gives you an advantage. Apparently razors in Europe are quite a bit cheaper and more plentiful than they are in North America and Australia. So those few that know about eBay and are proficient likely have a huge leg up in the market. There are tons coming out of Japan too. Who knew that such a tiny country would have heaps of vintage German blades, and there seems to be no end there either.

Absolutely ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

We can get restored Wade & Butchers here for a lot less & done by the best. His prices will have to drop.

I watched him for a while. In the start of his FBU sales he did auctions. Most rapidly climbed to the 1k mark. Now he changed his approach and lists them for a 1k BIN.