Thread: Advice about ebay purchases

Any thoughts on this one? A boker that seems to be in good condition, for 9.99? I'm wondering what the catch is lol. It seems to be a little rustier, but it also seems to have less hone wear than the wade and butcher. Is that a good assessment?

That Boker also appears like it would make a fine shaver, as Boker's tend to be. I'm not sure about how much time is left on the Boker auction, but I did manage to find the auction for the first razor (I recognized the photos and found that seller's page). Just keep in mind that often, auctions are bid up as closing time comes near, so the price with even just a few hours left could be far lower than the ending price.

There are, however, lots of razors that go for great (meaning low) prices. The advice I was once given (though I forget by whom) is "bid low, and bid often."

I've just noticed that that Boker has no tree on it. Could anyone comment as to what that might mean?

I try to avoid ebay for the same reasons ;-). I am no expert but think that $25 is a good price for the razor and as long as you like it, you should be ok. I have seen blades that unlike yours, look really bad, restored to incredible beauty. I think that you if you are going to continue buying on Ebay, you need to start somewhere and start developing that feel for what constitutes a good buy. Think about it as a long term proposition.

Al raz.

Originally Posted by Alraz

I try to avoid ebay for the same reasons ;-). I am no expert but think that $25 is a good price for the razor and as long as you like it, you should be ok. I have seen blades that unlike yours, look really bad, restored to incredible beauty. I think that you if you are going to continue buying on Ebay, you need to start somewhere and start developing that feel for what constitutes a good buy. Think about it as a long term proposition.

Al raz.

Quite right, you must consider the cost, the current condition, and how much time/money it will take to get the blade to where you want it. With that in mind, a good buy for one person might not be a good buy for another. For example, if you have the equipment to hone that Butcher up yourself, it would be an excellent buy for $25. Having to send it out for honing (which could run up to $20 or so) would still make it a good buy, but the cost to get it to shave must be taken into consideration. The same applies to restoration, as Alraz has commented

That's a good point. I didn't notice the lack of tree until you mentioned it. Yeah, I know that often people wait until the last moment to drop down bids, but I'm not too worried. If I don't win the auction, there will be other razors . Regardless, I wanted to aquire a few vintage razors, partly to work on honing, and partly cause I'm a bit of a pack rat . But I know how much I'm willing to pay, so that's that. Lastly, I primarily posted pics here because I'm interested in learning how people with more expertise assess blades and such, the difference between pitting and rust and how to eyeball it, and all sorts of things like that.

This is going to sound a bit weird (it did to me at first) but if you think about it, it makes perfect sense. A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned to Don that I wanted to buy a cheap razor on Ebay to learn honing. His response was to buy a new razor to learn. As a newbie, you do not want to screw up your new razor but there is probably no easier way to start the learning process than using a razor that has no other problems. Probably you still do not want to buy a limited edition razor to learn though ;-). No smiley razors either ;-).

Al raz.

I would agree with the bit about buying a new razor so you know there are no problems, but, unfortunately, that is not always the case. I myself have never bought a new razor, but I have heard of many of them being warped, having uneven grinds, etc etc. I don't say this to knock new razors, I only mean ta say that new razors can have problems just like vintage ones can. The difference is that new ones with problems would likely be considered to have manufacturer's defects while vintage ones would likely be considered mistreated, mishoned, or damaged.

If I was to recommend a razor to learn to hone on, it would be a Wapi. I've gotten two of them (I think two) NOS, and, even though one was a bit warped, whey were both quite easy to hone and both took great edges. I honed the first on Spyderco hones and a Swaty and the second on a BBW/Cotucule combo

I started buying razors on ebay a couple months ago and have been very happy with the results. I also need to STOP.

First, I bought "Standard Guide to Razors" by Roy Ritchie & Ron Stewart. It gives an exhaustive list of brands and values them. That gives you some basic idea of what brands are acceptable, because if they are in there they are probably ok, and he list zillions of brands. The actual valuations don't at all reflect ebay reality, but they are a great sanity check. For example, the book gives high values to american steel razors, and those are generally underpriced on ebay compared to German brands.

Then, I picked some brands from the book to "track" on ebay, and did a bunch of searches, and watched for a while to see what differint razors went for. I contstantly keep razors on my watch list that I don't intend to buy, just so I can get a sense of what costs what. The last hour of bidding often doubles or triples the price, so you need to track the final price, not the 3 days left to go price.

Also, pay attention to which razors seem to draw in bidders with high purchase counts. That's a blunt tool, but if a bunch of guys with 200 razor purchasers bid on a razor, that probably tells you something. I only guys with 2 razor purchasers are looking, that might tell you something too.

Also, occasionally do searches spelling things wrong. I saw a dubl duck go real cheap because the idiot seller listed it as a "Twin Duck". I think I got an ok deal on a green lizard because cattaraugus was spelled wrong.

Here's what I've bought just as anecdotal perspective, and roughly what I paid (ie what I remember) minus shipping:

1. Robeson NuBack 4/8s in great shape - $5 [seller put up a terrible picture - this was an anomoly]
2. Robeson Shuredge 6/8s in very nice shape - $50.
3. Geneva Cutlery 6/8s in very nice shape - $30
4. W&B 7/8s wedge in great shape for a 150 year old razor - $41 - had this one rescaled by another member and it is now SWEET.
5. W&B 8/8s wedge in great shape for a 150 year old razor - $40
6. Henckels 3 pin Twinworks 9/16 with inlaid scales in great shape - $38
7. Cattaraugus 5.8s green lizard - $28
8. Puma 5/8s in unused shape - $61
9. Friodur 5/8s untouched or close to it - $108.
10 Wustof 5/8 - $110
11. Engstrom 5/8 swayback untouched - $26
12. THessenBruch 5/8s in good shape - $19

This reminds me I need to stop buying razors - I'm glad I went through that exercise.

These razors are all great (though the lizard is still defying me on the honing, but I cracked the rest), and I've been able to see a lot of diverstiy in grinds and widths and steel feel, and I've learned a ton about honing (and developed tendinitis, but that's another issue). You can see you can get great american blades under $50, and alot of good german ones too for $50. Likewise very nice Beau Brummels go a little over that all the time. And I've seen gorgeous lesser known but great Solingen razors that haven't been used go around $50.

So do some lurking on ebay and you'll get a sense of what to look for.

Also, ask a lot of questions before you buy - does it close smoothly without rubbing the sides of the scales, any chips or scratches on the blade, etc. You can't pick everything up on the pictures they post.

Finally, get a sense for the good sellers.

Yeah, I'm not expecting the razors to stay at their starting prices. Also, learning honing on a new razor actually makes a lot of sense. I wouldn't have thought of it, but now that you mention it, it does make a lot of sense.

I'll definately have to pick up that book, and your listing here is a solid guide. Its good to see I'm not the only one to get the "itis".

What makes you think the Twin Duck was not a "Twin Duck"??? I listed my Bresnick Twin Duck with Dubl Duck razors and had the listing canceled due to spamming. Twin Duck Special #1 is equivalent to the Bresduck Dubl Duck Special #1 It's not nice to call people "idiots"