Thread: OVERPRICED !!

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

A big part of it is that many sellers don't know anything about razors, so they don't know what is good/bad, what can be salvaged or not, etc. Also, a lot of people will say things like "I saw such and such sell on ebay for $XXX so this thing I have must be worth at least $YYY."

+1

I hear ya.

Was at a big antique flea last weekend and one vendor - a knife and watch guy at that - felt that tortoise scales automatically made a straight worth $350 even though the razor was only in average shape and from a ho-hum manufacturer (so much so that just 7 days later I can't even remember who the maker was...).

There are two types of antique dealers in my area:
Ones that check the price of everything to see what it goes for on Ebay and price to match.
Ones that just put prices on stuff based on what similar items have sold for in their booth.

The first type tend to have overpriced wares. They seem to find a razors of the same brand and match their price to the highest selling prices on Ebay. They don't understand that there can be some big differences between two razors of the same brand. Sometimes they can be talked down on the price, sometimes not.

The second type tend to have some great deals on their razors. I have gotten to know which dealers are of this type and I visit their booths often.

Seems like ever since Sweeny Todd came out, prices spiked. Sounds silly, but it seemed obvious to me. Now the prices seem to have stabilized a little but still too high IMHO. The deals are still there, just harder to find. I keep hoping I can blunder into an estate sale with a gem or two but with even those are disappearing. STR8 razors are getting less common since the estates are "younger" and less likely to have razors. Sounds silly to some, but I have fond that a little sad; illustrates STR8 shaving is a lost art that we are helping to keep alive!

I am hoping they will come back down some but I have sensed a new-found interest recently. I'm not sure why unless, due to the economy, folks are trying to be more frugal which is laughable when RAD/HAD sets in!

I saw the same thing at an antiques place on Portobello Road here in London.

I wander in, ask if they have any straight razors and, after a few blank looks and questions, they produce an old Sheffield razor. Couldnt see the name for the rust on the tang, plain black scales and no edge on it at all. Totally dull.

It looked like a good restore, and I reckon with some TLC it could have been a pretty good shaver. So I was thinking maybe £20 - £30 for it.

"How much?", says I.

"£275", says the shop keeper.

"Bye bye", says I as I walk out the door.

People just have no idea what these things are worth. And lets face it, you're not going to pay nearly £300 for an antique razor that needs work unless its something really special or rare.

I got a limited edition Wacker for WAAAY less than that. £300 is top of the line TI prices, and, frankly, getting into custom razor prices.

As other posters have said, its after films like Sweeney Todd that people suddenly get interested, and a few major magazines have done articles about straights as well. Cue silly prices and a load of frustrated SRP eBayers...! :-)