I don't know how long y'all have been at this hobby, but it's been ~10 years or so for me. I guess I'm lamenting the market-driven costs of DE razors on eBay. Back in the good ol' days (heh heh), you could pick up some nice finds for a reasonable price, but these days it's much, much different. One, everyone knows razors bring in good coin (sellers that is), so they start bids higher, because buyers drive the prices up. Kind of seems to me like what happened to vinyl in the 90s, when before you could find some neat gems at a good price in your local Goodwill - before everyone scoured Goodwills across the country, leaving only scratched Herb Alpert and Jim Nabors lps. Is eBay good for DE razors? Maybe, because you get loads of variety, and have access to a lot. But damn, it's gettin' expensive out there. My 2 cents.
Ebay and the growth of DE razors
- Thread starter Pioneer
- Start date
It's all about patience. I prefer folks selling here over eBay, but there are still deals to be had out there. I don't collect razors as a hobby. In fact, I have one straight and one DE. But I have purchased DE razors for my wife, daughter, and two of my sons, and found at least one Slim at a good price on eBay.
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I agree, eBay can have some decent prices. I look here in the BST section, and also there are a couple of groups on Facebook to pick up safety razors, brushes, and straights. I have also had a couple of great finds at flea market, or antique shops. Just some ideas. Most of the vintage razors on eBay will cost though. I guess timing matters too.
I have been obtaining vintage and newer DE razors for about 5 months now. For sure the best finds have been in old drawers at out of the way antique stores ($6 '64 Slim, $6.50 '46 no-notch Ranger, $14 '46-47 no-notch gold Aristocrat in case). Well visited antique stores have given up a couple of nice razors, but paid market for them (birth year 57 Tech). Ebay has varied. On Ebay I have paid to much for '59 Fatboys, Schick injectors, and Schick Kronas, but got a good '57 red tip SS for $14.50.
I agree with Lightcs1776, it is now all about patience - both on Ebay and in antique stores and flea markets. My "gotta haves" no longer get the best of me and I am now giving away those razors I don't use in rotation to family members and friends with an interest in wet shaving. Still enjoying the search, but razor scope has narrowed and vintage brush (for restoration) added to search.
I agree with Lightcs1776, it is now all about patience - both on Ebay and in antique stores and flea markets. My "gotta haves" no longer get the best of me and I am now giving away those razors I don't use in rotation to family members and friends with an interest in wet shaving. Still enjoying the search, but razor scope has narrowed and vintage brush (for restoration) added to search.
Due, I think, to the popularity of the less common Gillettes going way up (some blame goes to this site) in the past 10 years as well as the more savvy seller now taking better photos and learning a bit more about the items they have up on auction. I remember buying a "safety razor lot" for about $10 on eBay that included a few Gem SE and techs but (hehe) allowed me to score my first 1953 President. Very, very hard to do these days.
It depends greatly on what your looking for and where you are located. Ebay is one of the few resources most of the antique stores in Mt are just as expensive
I have not had much luck with eBay. I live in Los Angeles and finding a razor in the wild is rare.
The antique store I have gone to (FL and AZ) are more expensive than eBay. One that I saw recently was a no-name straight razor that was in horrible condition. The scales were damaged and the blade looked as if it was used to cut nails. It had chips and nicks everywhere. The shop had a $50 price tag on it. A Slim was tarnished and the doors would not open all of the ways. Plus the adjuster would not move above setting 3. For this gem, the cost was $20.
I don't think there's a single collectibles community anywhere (for collectibles small enough to mail, anyway) that hasn't asked a question like this since eBay really became a thing 20 years ago. I've been a part of a few over that time (I don't care about collecting razors though, I just have a couple of nice daily drivers to shave with.) The bottom line is that eBay makes the market more efficient by increasing the number of buyers and sellers who can find one another. That's a disadvantage for people who were able to take advantage of the inefficiencies of smaller markets by buying at a lower price (or selling at a higher price) than you'd see in a more efficient market.
Of course, sometimes good deals and overpays slip through on eBay too; no market is perfect, but it's less imperfect than a smaller one. If you see prices going up, it just means the same thing that it does in most collectibles markets - a wider gulf between common items and rarer, more desirable items as more people chasing a smaller number of the desirable items pushes prices up. And perhaps the greater exposure that eBay brings might create more new collectors, but then in the same way it ought to bring out more sellers who may not have realized they have something worth selling.
It's still easy to find nice condition '60s and '70s Super Speeds and Slims to actually shave with for under $20. But if everyone is chasing the same Toggles and Fatboys, well, prices for those are going to go up.
Of course, sometimes good deals and overpays slip through on eBay too; no market is perfect, but it's less imperfect than a smaller one. If you see prices going up, it just means the same thing that it does in most collectibles markets - a wider gulf between common items and rarer, more desirable items as more people chasing a smaller number of the desirable items pushes prices up. And perhaps the greater exposure that eBay brings might create more new collectors, but then in the same way it ought to bring out more sellers who may not have realized they have something worth selling.
It's still easy to find nice condition '60s and '70s Super Speeds and Slims to actually shave with for under $20. But if everyone is chasing the same Toggles and Fatboys, well, prices for those are going to go up.
Ebay is great for wetshavers IMO. I'd hate to have to drive all over town looking for vintage razors. I think Ebay prices are probably better than most local antique store prices with their higher overhead.
My Gillette Old Style Open Comb was purchased for $10 on Ebay. This was a razor made in the 1920's. How much less could it possibly sell for. I think even the Fat Boys and Slims are less today than they were just a couple of years ago.
I don't collect DE razors. I'm sure the harder to find models are more expensive but where it not for Ebay there probably wouldn't even be a market for them.
I do have several straight razors (not a collection but I have and use about 6 of them). Were it not for Ebay it would be really hard to find nice straights.
My Gillette Old Style Open Comb was purchased for $10 on Ebay. This was a razor made in the 1920's. How much less could it possibly sell for. I think even the Fat Boys and Slims are less today than they were just a couple of years ago.
I don't collect DE razors. I'm sure the harder to find models are more expensive but where it not for Ebay there probably wouldn't even be a market for them.
I do have several straight razors (not a collection but I have and use about 6 of them). Were it not for Ebay it would be really hard to find nice straights.
For me, the problem with eBay is the shipping costs (Europe). Sometimes the shipping, and import taxes if really unlucky, will both double AND triple the price.
But then again, I would not have any way of browsing for vintage shavers if not for eBay..
BTW I have only been browsing, and have not bought a vintage YET...
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But then again, I would not have any way of browsing for vintage shavers if not for eBay..
BTW I have only been browsing, and have not bought a vintage YET...
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This, made me look for a Gibbs no.17 on e-bay. I bought one in great condition with some original blades, less the case for about 35 euros last year. The cheaper I could find today is $150 going up to $350 for a complete razor with case and blades. Go figure.
Be a seller then!
I might with all the razors I have amassed over the years, but the Gibbs will never be for sale.Be a seller then!
So, I started amassing my vintage lot over the past six months. The only razors that seems to be market driven are Fat Boys, Aristocrats, and English Gillettes, of which I have little or no interest. I've noticed, not smugly, that men looking for these Gillettes remind me of other markets I participated in which the demand comes from men listening to other rather than being free thinkers.
More than a couple members here who started with Gillettes are now using vintage and new single edge and getting better shaves. I suspect that over time when the quality Schick and GEM razors get bought up, there may be a resurgence in interest for these.
Shaving seems to follow a steep learning curve over six months or less because of availability and that the razors are cheap. This results in huge sell offs in lots rather than eaches. While this keeps prices down, I think it also means what's being released are the poorest specimens often being altered or non original. I think this accounts for why some razor perform poorly because the caps or such have been swapped around. That said, there still exists "estate sale finds" with an all original vintage.
Obtaining good vintage requires work and knowledge. The generosity of the members here and the forum data bank have been my most important resource in finding quality items. I just feel for those who over pay for a Fat Boy that has been damaged or abused. Buyer beware is definitely the best wisdom.
Bid sites sell for precisely for what the market will pay.
It's great that the commonly-found razors are readily available to those building a collection ... Slims and OLDs, in great condition, can frequently be found cheap.
The rare model razors, like the rare of anything, will draw a premium price ... but isn't it great to be able to take a swipe at some of these precious prizes?
Like any other duel, the other guy might blink ... and you might get that Aristocrat or Senator for less than you think.
Local here is no longer an option. Picked over and pricy junk.
AA
It's great that the commonly-found razors are readily available to those building a collection ... Slims and OLDs, in great condition, can frequently be found cheap.
The rare model razors, like the rare of anything, will draw a premium price ... but isn't it great to be able to take a swipe at some of these precious prizes?
Like any other duel, the other guy might blink ... and you might get that Aristocrat or Senator for less than you think.
Local here is no longer an option. Picked over and pricy junk.
AA
I think we have ourselves to blame for this phenomena - a razor gets some positive attention on this and other wetshaving sites around the world and all of a sudden interest spikes and ebay sales take off. Demand rises and stimulates bidding. I hate to see the hobby go crazy over a razor that I don't already have but might want, because the prices will surely go up as a result.
I'm not sure that Goodwill is the best example in this case. I think it used to be the case that Goodwill would put out a lot of items with little regard. Now, we have the case where many will discard razors automatically over health and safety concerns or are required to retain them for Goodwill's own auction site.
There's still bargains to be had on eBay, but you need to be patient, understand what you are looking at/for, and be willing to put in the work to clean and polish a purchased razor. I think a lot of people pass by auctions for razors with lots of tarnish or old soap scum, leaving them as bargains for the rest of us.
On other advantage to eBay is that it is a global market, making it possible to find and purchase razors that one might never see in their lifetime otherwise.
I've been collecting for about 10 years too. Lately I've noticed that ebay prices are quite good on some pretty nice vintage razors. There are still some good deals. Or people are buying new razors and overlooking vintage more.
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