I have been looking on Ebay for a Fat Boy adjustable and/or a Red tipped Gillette. I have won nothing. What would be a good price for each razor in good condition? I've seen the Fat Boys selling (asking price) for $99 which is a bit over the top, and the Red tips consistently head for $50 +. Are these reasonable prices?
Gillette Razor Prices
- Thread starter mmiller3475
- Start date
Ebay is a crapshoot, especially for razors. You're bidding against collectors that already have 5 Fatboys and 6 Red Tips. That's why I hate buying shaving stuff on Ebay.
I'm no expert, but Fatboys in particular are ridiculous on Ebay. I snagged one off our BST forum not too long ago in very good/near-excellent condition for around ~$30. I've seen Red Tips go anywhere from $20-$40.
If I were you, I'd post in the WTB ("Want to Buy") forum here and I'm sure a member will be along and offer you a razor for a good price.
I'm no expert, but Fatboys in particular are ridiculous on Ebay. I snagged one off our BST forum not too long ago in very good/near-excellent condition for around ~$30. I've seen Red Tips go anywhere from $20-$40.
If I were you, I'd post in the WTB ("Want to Buy") forum here and I'm sure a member will be along and offer you a razor for a good price.
garyg
B&B membership has its percs
The only production Fat Boy that would even approach being worth $99 would be genuine NOS, blades in plastic, case still smells like fresh styrene. $50 should fetch a minty one boxed with blades & maybe instructions, anything over $50 isn't a very good deal unless there's something extraordinary. The Red Tip price you cite is also over by a factor of roughly double; $50 should bring a true NOS Red Tip in case with blades, instructions. Keep an eye on the BST & both will pop up fairly regularly, or post a Wanted to Buy as Kevan recommends
It certainly seems so - though I don't own one myself and can't comment on its quality or shave.
I've been outbid several times on eBay trying to snatch vintage Gillettes. My limited experience says it helps if the razor is not listed by its proper name (less search hits), is not pre-cleaned (less interest) and the picture is bad/vague enough so that the more casual bidder can't recognize the model. You can also perhaps catch better deals by searching for "vintage Gillettes" instead of just by the exact model name. Yeah, and don't bid too early if you don't have to. But these are just my thoughts and I'm by no means an expert.
Many times I'd prefer B&B's B/S/T (better prices, better pictures, better descriptions) but it's mostly Conus.
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No, they are not reasonable prices. You can get a nice Red Tip easily for under $30 or a Fat Boy for under $50. Keep your eyes on the B/S/T forum here for good deals. I bought a decent Red Tip for around $25 on ebay a couple of months ago.
When you search on ebay, type in "Gillette safety razor" instead of red tip or fat boy.
When you search on ebay, type in "Gillette safety razor" instead of red tip or fat boy.
I just picked up this F3 code Fat Boy at a consignment shop. It should clean up nice. No case.
They had $8.00 on it but took $6.00.
I have never delt with e-bay, don't really want to. As long as I can still find good deals locally I'll pass on e-bay. My Z1 SS (with case), and C1 Red Tip (W/O case)I paid $8.00. Until I found this Fat Boy all of my finds came from the same shop. Most where around $5.00.
Good luck finding a Fat boy to your liking, they are out there. Get out there and beat the bushs, thats the fun part for me.
They had $8.00 on it but took $6.00.
I have never delt with e-bay, don't really want to. As long as I can still find good deals locally I'll pass on e-bay. My Z1 SS (with case), and C1 Red Tip (W/O case)I paid $8.00. Until I found this Fat Boy all of my finds came from the same shop. Most where around $5.00.
Good luck finding a Fat boy to your liking, they are out there. Get out there and beat the bushs, thats the fun part for me.
I think they go high on Ebay because they're less common, being only produced for 3 years ('58-'61). Or they're thought to be less common anyway. In terms of quality, they're great shavers. Some don't like their "fatter" head design (preferring the Slim). The extra weight is a plus for me, though.
You can find some good deals on e-bay but you need to be patient. I have snagged a Diplomat in great condition and a nice cased Tuckaway for around $25 each shipped. Neither were listed correctly. I've seen nice Fatboys sell for under $25 but you need to look at quite a few to find an inexpensive one.
Anything that says fatboy in the title is going to sell for over it's worth. Best bet is looking for a listing that doesn't say what it is in the title. Also look for lots of several razors. I got a red tip in a lot of 3 razors for 22.00 shipped. I also found a lot with a fatboy, slim, korona, tech, and superspeed for 40.00 shipped. None of these are collectors grade but after a little cleaning they shave just fine.
- Thread starter
- #10
I'm going to try the WTB next. On all of the razors where I've been outbid, the winners seem to just lurk there. For all I know they might have been the ones posting the razor and just keep bidding to jack up the price...sad but it's something we have to live with.
- Thread starter
- #11
The $99 Fat Boys did look very nice, but still...
I think a post in the WTB would be in order as I'm always late with the razors listed in BST forum.
- Thread starter
- #12
Many of the razors have photos that look so grainy all I can tell is that it is a razor, and I'm a little hesitant to bid on who knows what. Also, the razors seem to command premium prices, and they look like they need a lot of cleaning.
- Thread starter
- #13
I have been scouring all the "antique" stores and consignment shops, but razors don't seem to be a big deal around here. I did find one place that had several straight razors that I picked up for $10 or so. They will satisfy my restoration urge.
We may be our own worst enemy... that is to say our primary bidding competitors. I have bought and sold many items on eBay and I have noted a prevailing association between good reviews found on the better known forums (such as B&B) and the prices one encounters on eBay.
Case in point: I fancy myself a Hi-Fi hobbyist. The sort who appreciates exceptional sound in vintage equipment and who has no qualms in repairing the machine myself. And, to satisfy my yearning for an exceptional stereo tuner, I once fancied a Kenwood Model KT-5020. This particular machine has been out of production since the mid 1990's. I discussed the relative merits of this machine with my local group of audiophiles and we determined that, with a few modifications, this particular tuner had the wherewithal to produce a truly lovely sound. And, immediately thereafter, one muddleheaded member of our group put our collective thoughts into words... on the Audiogon web site and forum. It wasn't long before other web sites, particularly The Tuner Information Center, had joined the chorus in singing the praises of my dream tuner. The result was KT-5020 tuners, which had been selling on eBay for prices ranging from $100 to $150 were now fetching upwards of $300. One pair of besotted lunatics bid one up to over $700!
Admittedly, my introduction to "trendoid" price inflation was partly my own fault... I was part of the group that discovered the potential in this machine. But, one can clearly see an association with the accolades we bestow on a particular shaving tool and the prices found on eBay... the Fat-Boy being a perfect example. You may also add the Aristocrat, Red-Tip, Ranger Tech, and Slim Adjustable to this list. The price of all of these razors seems to have skyrocketed in recent times... possibly as recent as the glowing reviews right here on the B&B. BTW: There is a magnificent #16 Aristocrat on eBay right now... for a paltry $128.22. Much better than the one that brought $235 a few months ago.
Case in point: I fancy myself a Hi-Fi hobbyist. The sort who appreciates exceptional sound in vintage equipment and who has no qualms in repairing the machine myself. And, to satisfy my yearning for an exceptional stereo tuner, I once fancied a Kenwood Model KT-5020. This particular machine has been out of production since the mid 1990's. I discussed the relative merits of this machine with my local group of audiophiles and we determined that, with a few modifications, this particular tuner had the wherewithal to produce a truly lovely sound. And, immediately thereafter, one muddleheaded member of our group put our collective thoughts into words... on the Audiogon web site and forum. It wasn't long before other web sites, particularly The Tuner Information Center, had joined the chorus in singing the praises of my dream tuner. The result was KT-5020 tuners, which had been selling on eBay for prices ranging from $100 to $150 were now fetching upwards of $300. One pair of besotted lunatics bid one up to over $700!
Admittedly, my introduction to "trendoid" price inflation was partly my own fault... I was part of the group that discovered the potential in this machine. But, one can clearly see an association with the accolades we bestow on a particular shaving tool and the prices found on eBay... the Fat-Boy being a perfect example. You may also add the Aristocrat, Red-Tip, Ranger Tech, and Slim Adjustable to this list. The price of all of these razors seems to have skyrocketed in recent times... possibly as recent as the glowing reviews right here on the B&B. BTW: There is a magnificent #16 Aristocrat on eBay right now... for a paltry $128.22. Much better than the one that brought $235 a few months ago.
- Thread starter
- #15
I think you're right about ourselves being our worst competitor. Still...options for finding one around here are few and I reluctantly turned to EBay. What all this has really taught me is that I should be happy with what I currently have and not worry about what everyone else may have. I'm sure that there is someone out there whose shave would really improve if he had a $128 Aristocrat razor, but I'm not one of them.
BTW did oyu get your tuner?
No, I never did get a KT-5020. The current price is simply out of line with the sound quality of the stock tuner. I did find a magnificent Sansui TU-919. To the audiophile, this tuner is known to provide a sound of exceptional quality, without the need for upgrades or modifications. Since it is not currently all the rage on the web sites, I bought it for only $400... about $200 less than a comparable, but less desirable, KT-5020.
Everything turned out for the better.
Everything turned out for the better.
You're right. More often than not bidding there is somewhat of a gamble.
I'd rather find my razors somewhere else than eBay but internet is the only way for me.
- Thread starter
- #18
Did you mean everything tuned out for the better? <grin>
I'm glad you found a tuner. Ten years ago I went through the same process and ended up with a $1200 tuner. It was very nice, but when I moved to FL that and about $2500 worth of my audio gear disappeared...sigh!
I'm glad you found a tuner. Ten years ago I went through the same process and ended up with a $1200 tuner. It was very nice, but when I moved to FL that and about $2500 worth of my audio gear disappeared...sigh!
Just keep watching. And look for things listed as "gillette adjustable" instead of Fat Boy. I got my Fat Boy off of eBay last week for under $15 including shipping. It was just listed as a Gillette Adjustable razor and had the seller's note that it didn't make the last 1/4 turn to lock the adjustment after the doors closed which, just like I figured, now works excellent after just running some lighter fluid through the body of the razor to dissolve out all the gunk. I've also recently seen a pair of Fat Boys go for $35 and a pair of Red Tips for $24.
- Thread starter
- #20
I just picked up a Fat Boy for $22, and now I wonder why it was so cheap. I need to lay in a supply of Scrubbing Bubbles and Maas and maybe some jeweler's rouge!
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