Looking at the razors on eBay....

[Terry Tibbs]

I'm looking at old Gillette razors on eBay and I don't know which one to go for. All the say is 1920s, 1950s and fat boy etc.
which is the best one to go for or are they all pretty similar? I. Ant see what people referred to in my last post about new/old gillettes?
Sorry for silly questions. Thank you for taking the time.

 

[dcobranchi]

[W]hich is the best one to go for?

I'd vote for "None of them." Razors on eBay are a prime example of caveat emptor There are lots of razors that are mislabeled. Tons more with crappy and/or misleading photos. Yes, you might get a great deal. Might. But you're much more likely to overpay. You'll do much better posting a WTB on the B/S/T. You'll get a good razor at a good price.

I'd suggest starting with a Super Speed (either '40s style or flair tip). They're great razors: well built and terrific shavers. They're also cheap (on the B/S/T).

 

[kaiseris]

Ebay buys aren't always bad. I bought a couple of razors there for good prices. Though I knew what razors I'm buying and how much they are worth roughly. They just needed to be cleaned. Buying on BST is probably safer, but good deals are gone in seconds and most of the sellers sell to CONUS only. That's why I bought on Ebay.

 

[taco8slo]

I would start with any of the super speeds (plenty around so get one in good shape). Slim adjustables are good deals as well. Sometimes Etsy.com has good deals as well. But the best deals are at the bst.

 

[zenless]

If you're starting out probably better off just looking here in BST. A Gillette Tech, Flair SS, or 40's SS is good to start with for vintage. You can get good deals on Ebay, but it can be a crap shoot. I did get a Red Tip with no plate loss (just missing endcaps) for $12 shipped but it could have easily been in rough shape.

 

[CharlieFoxtrot]

You can score a fair deal sometimes on eBay. BST you get one most of the time. Nothing beats hunting in the wild though. I find the prices to be much more agreeable.

 

[Mike'sWorld]

I love ebay, but you have to know your goods and their pricing. I love fuzzy pics, I love bad descriptions, sellers who don't know what they're selling. All of this provides an opportunity to buy at well below market value. It's a gamble, but I never bet (bid) more than I can comfortably lose. I'd like to think I have a good feel for quality goods and an honest seller. I can't remember the last time I got burned on ebay. The majority of auctions I win, nobody bids on. I won't bore you all with details, but I never bid unless it's priced 1/2 to 1/3 or less of fair market value. It's fun for me, it's time consuming, but it's not for the faint of heart. And like I said, you have to know your goods and their value.

 

[Go West Young Man]

You're much better off buying a razor through the BST here, the community will help you out a lot more than an anonymous eBay seller. Nevertheless, before you start buying anything, you need to know what it is you're looking at!

The Gillette ID guide is a good place to start learning the different types.
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/US_Gillette_Dating_Information

Mr. Razor is nice to help visually identify a razor. The page is in German, but if you open it in Chrome the browser will translate everything for you.
http://www.mr-razor.com/

Ignore the descriptions on eBay, they're notoriously inaccurate since they're usually written by people with as much knowledge of the field as you have right now

What's a good razor? If Gillette made it, it's a good razor! The question is will YOU like it or not, and the only way to find out is to try different types to get a feel for them

 

[LarryDarrell]

I've bought a few razors on ebay, as with anything on there Buyer Beware.
Do your research: if there's a few examples of what you want, put some on your Watch List and see how the prices go; check out the seller, what is their rating and do they specialize in the item; and above all, know the product, check out the websites others have mentioned and compare the listed items to the information in the expert site.

There are good deals - nice Techs are plentiful and cheap, I got 2 in 'A-' condition for very little, Fatboys go for ridiculous prices, though.

And finally, if you do buy something - clean it thoroughly before you use it; scrub it, boil it, soak it in peroxide and/or alcohol, whatever works for you to get it aseptic - 'cause you don't know where it's been and not everyone cares for their razors the way people here would

 

[LarryDarrell]

I love ebay, but you have to know your goods and their pricing. I love fuzzy pics, I love bad descriptions, sellers who don't know what they're selling...

I'm with you - searching for typical misspellings throws up some hidden gems too.

 

[jrak2]

You can score a fair deal sometimes on eBay. BST you get one most of the time. Nothing beats hunting in the wild though. I find the prices to be much more agreeable.

I scored a very nice Schick Injector E on eBay for $5. It was a very fuzzy photo and no one else bid on it. But the seller had a good rating and that's what encouraged me to make a bid.

 

[CharlieFoxtrot]

I scored a very nice Schick Injector E on eBay for $5. It was a very fuzzy photo and no one else bid on it. But the seller had a good rating and that's what encouraged me to make a bid.

No doubt. I've landed some sweet razors off e-bay for next to nothing under similar circumstances. Most off the time prices seem to balloon on traditional shaving hardware. The last time I hit the antique malls, I scored a NOS '66 slim adjustable, NOS OS mug w/ soap, and a NOS Burma shave brush for $18 before tax. I sold the razor for $30 and called it a day. Sometimes a few hours walking around pays off.

 

[gus1942]

I stumbled across a deal yesterday in a small Alabama town antique store. Bought 6 razors for $25. Three are in good-excellent shape and the other 3 are good shavers. Will try to do some pics. They include 1 Fatboy, 1 Super Adjustable reg. black handle, 2 SS flair tips, 1 1950 style SS and 1 tech. I may PIF them after I clean them up.

Gus

 

[razorgal]

Hi there......I am brand-spankin new here and inherited a few interesting items that may interest someone on this site....I am not too sure what they are worth, if they are even worth anything..if someone could help me out and give me some info as well as guide me to where I can sell them as I have no use for them. I can post pics soon.....I am just trying to find my way around the site first..The 1 one is a small brown box-inside of the lid says "Valet" Auto Strop Safety Razor (made in England)it comes with a valet razor....I will try posting pics up here....

 

[Renato1]

I bought a razor on Ebay labelled 1948-50 SuperSpeed and it's okay.
I bought one labled 1956 Tech and I love it.
Everyone seems to be having bidding wars over Fatboys and Slims, while avoiding the Super Adjustables - which some experienced people seem to think are better than the first two (though they seem to be in the minority).
Cheers,
Renato

 

[jamesspo]

Welcome to B&B, Razorgal. It's against forum rules to sell to other members (either in the Buy/Sell/Trade forum or by other means on the site) until you have 50 quality posts and have been a member for 45 days. However, you're more than welcome to post pictures of what you have, and we can help you identify them. As said, after you meet the criteria, you can sell them on the BST. Before then, you could certainly sell them on eBay or any other venue you prefer.

So to your question about what you have, the first thing you'll want to do is to post a thread of your own, with your question (and pictures), rather than tacking it onto someone else's thread of a different topic. That'll get you the most response. Depending on what you have you'll likely want to post in a different sub-forum. There are forums for Double Edge Safety Razors, Single Edge Safey razors, and straight razors. Just pick whichever is appropriate, and ask away! The Autostrop you mention is an SE razor, so you should probably post in that forum about that razor.

Here's a good link to the Safety Razor database on the B&B ShaveWiki. It has good information about a variety of razors:

http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Safety_Razor_Database

Another good resource for Gillette Razors (in case you have any) is mr-razor's site:

http://mr-razor.com/Rasierer/Gillette Rasierer.htm

Hi there......I am brand-spankin new here and inherited a few interesting items that may interest someone on this site....I am not too sure what they are worth, if they are even worth anything..if someone could help me out and give me some info as well as guide me to where I can sell them as I have no use for them. I can post pics soon.....I am just trying to find my way around the site first..The 1 one is a small brown box-inside of the lid says "Valet" Auto Strop Safety Razor (made in England)it comes with a valet razor....I will try posting pics up here....

 

[Doppelgaenger]

Are you looking for collectibles or something you're actually going to shave with on a consistent basis? You can't go wrong with a Superspeed if it's something you're actually going to use.

Things to look out for on gillette razors: obvious rust, plating wear and razors that have been dropped, the last one can put the head out of alignment and make the blade drop along the length of the blade and change the exposure. Dropped razors may not even be noticed by the seller and it takes a blade in the head to see it.

Hit up antique shops, for the most part their prices are completely competitive but if you know your game you can talk them down. Most of the razors in antique shops (at least in my area) are gilettes in very nice shape, not something I can say about the straight razors they have.