classifieds on SRP

A recent post involving a beginner making an eBay purchase has motivated me to write this thread. I've purchased several razors through the classifieds on SRP and I've purchased many razors on eBay, as well. IMHO, buying a razor via the SRP classifieds is THE WAY to go if you're a beginner (or a collector, too, but some real deals for beginners). There are so many decent razors being offered here at very reasonable prices, many of which come shave ready by folks who truly know how to hone. Also, I think you're less likely to encounter a bad deal here vs. eBay, because there's generally greater transparency and integrity here. Don't get me wrong, I'm not out to denigrate eBay selling/sellers, I just think the price vs. quality ratio is better here. I imagine many folks selling here are just moving their stock, pricing things fairly, and aren't really trying to make a business out of selling razors on SRP, as compared to the eBay paradigm. Having said that, there are many positives about eBay.. selection, variety, quantity, and greater availability of high-end stuff. Anyway, that's my $0.02. To sum it up, beginners should look here first. On that note, I want to add my thanks to all those who do sell here. I thinks it's good for the site in many ways, as long as it stays the way it is - offering good deals and maintaining the high standards of integrity that have built up a lot of goodwill for this site.

I suggest Copy-Pasting this to the Beginners section, that audience would really benefit from this advice.

Kudos!

Being a newbie who's bought on the classifieds and ebay, I have to agree. It's not the transparency or the bidding system. It's that I know the sellers here know what they're doing. Plus, a lot of the ads are for shave ready razors which is a plus for us newbies.

well here on the classefieds all the sellers have a reputation to maintain
bad feedback in the forum is quite another thing then ebay feedback
plus you cant just start another account and start selling if your rep goes bad

ebay is more about skill and luck
as in you need to know what to look for and hope you didnt miss anything
and then theres sellers who hide flaws deliberally to consider
in addition to those who dosnt know what there selling

excellent post, you are RIGHT ON !!!

+1 on this

I totally agree. I always tell new guys that their first stop for a razor should be the SRP classifieds.

If you really want to look on ebay, add on $20 for shipping and honing, plus the cost of shipping of the actual item, and consider that, if you don't know what you're looking for, you may end up with a paper weight.

Yup, the classifieds holds lots of great razors, and nearly all of them are shave ready. Great place for a beginner blade. You really wanna stay away from eBay, unless you are a collector, restorer or just keeping an eye out for a particular razor, IMHO...

When I got my first set of razors I too ventured in Classifieds and purchased 2 additional razors to practice with. It was great experience indeed. There are more reputable members here versus ebay who simply out to price gouge buyers. Granted there's more selection but that's a given. At least classifieds you needn't worry about dealing with questionable member or quality of razors and such. Ebay's a gamble at best. You win some you lose some.

Great post. I bought my first few razors on ebay and due more to good luck than anything else bought several razors from Bob Keyes. Those of you familiar with Bob know that his razors are in great shape and indeed shave ready. I bought my next 4 or 5 razors here and have been really pleased. It feels like the members here are interested in passing something of value on to somebody who will appreciate it while ebay sellers tend to be purely profit driven.