Sniping on eBay...There must be tricks I don't know.

[seattleshaver]

The best approach to buying vintage razors on Ebay is to not follow the pack. Most of us (me included) are buying razors by their looks. Most of the "good" razors have Sheffield or Solingen steel and if you already know that you like (for example) 6/8" round tip blades then it's just a matter of design/style.

I like bolsters, raised plaque on the side, engraved blade, interesting scales, etc. If you just have to have a Dubl Duck you will pay dearly for it. If you like the bolsters, cracked ice scales, and other style features, if you really look you will find the same thing (minus the ducks) from another company.

It will be more unique (not as many) and it will generally be less expensive because not everyone else is chasing it. By top four favorite straights aren't the ones that everyone else is chasing. I like them better (they are in excellent condition) because I get the looks I want, they are more unique and while not cheap, they aren't as expensive as the most popular razors.

I've bid/won in the $60-$80 range for them.

I won't pay more than $100 for any straight razor. I did set that as my maximum bid for my most unique razor because (1) I really wanted it (2) I hadn't/haven't seen another and I knew I would be happy if I won't and not too unhappy if I didn't win, considering my maximum bid.

When you can get into trouble if trying to snip auctions where you really aren't that into that razor. It's easy to pay too much for how little you actually like that razor.

I bought and sold a lot of $20 razors while I was "learning the market" and learning what I really like. After that it was easy as described above.

The four on the right are the ones that I'm referring too.

 

[Twelvefret]

The best approach to buying vintage razors on Ebay is to not follow the pack. Most of us (me included) are buying razors by their looks. Most of the "good" razors have Sheffield or Solingen steel and if you already know that you like (for example) 6/8" round tip blades then it's just a matter of design/style.

I like bolsters, raised plaque on the side, engraved blade, interesting scales, etc. If you just have to have a Dubl Duck you will pay dearly for it. If you like the bolsters, cracked ice scales, and other style features, if you really look you will find the same thing (minus the ducks) from another company.

It will be more unique (not as many) and it will generally be less expensive because not everyone else is chasing it. By top four favorite straights aren't the ones that everyone else is chasing. I like them better (they are in excellent condition) because I get the looks I want, they are more unique and while not cheap, they aren't as expensive as the most popular razors.

I've bid/won in the $60-$80 range for them.

I won't pay more than $100 for any straight razor. I did set that as my maximum bid for my most unique razor because (1) I really wanted it (2) I hadn't/haven't seen another and I knew I would be happy if I won't and not too unhappy if I didn't win, considering my maximum bid.

When you can get into trouble if trying to snip auctions where you really aren't that into that razor. It's easy to pay too much for how little you actually like that razor.

I bought and sold a lot of $20 razors while I was "learning the market" and learning what I really like. After that it was easy as described above.

View attachment 987676

The four on the right are the ones that I'm referring too.

Exactly^^^^^ Great post!

 

[naughtilus]

I've ruined snipers auctions by posting offers 15% lower than minimum price and sellers accepted days before auction ended. There's more than one way to skin a cat.

 

[Namkcakram]

Try gixen.com

^^this. Plus a little psychology and simple math.

1. Find item.

2. Decide for yourself how much you would want to spend on said item, including shipping.

3. Take note here that your brain jumps automatically to some nice round number. This is the key to the whole ebay sniping game. Your brain jumped to “oh $5 shipping... I’ll bid $25! $30 total seems great”. Guess who else’s brain jumped to $25? Literally everyone else looking.

4. Take a second and decide “do I really want this one, or is it just another random find...”

5. If you want it, go to auto sniping service and set your maximum bid just a couple bucks higher than the fair price your brain first jumped to automatically.

6. Completely forget about it, and let technology swoop in and bid in the last fraction of a second with your true bid.

7. Either you won or you didn’t. Your max bid took into account what you wanted to pay, and a little strategy to beat normal human behavior and most likely outbid everyone else. If you still lost, usually someone else was sniping and really did want it more than you by at least one whole round multiple of $5 or $10. If you lost just accept they really wanted it more, if you won take a minute to appreciate how predictable the human brain is among literally everyone on the internet and then enjoy your razor for $2 more than you wanted to pay.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

It's a conspiracy, so please stop bidding on razors at eBay. As a proof you'll soon see that all the good ones, given that no-one bids, end up with the same buyer a guy called Polarbeard.

I knew it!

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

The best approach to buying vintage razors on Ebay is to not follow the pack. Most of us (me included) are buying razors by their looks. Most of the "good" razors have Sheffield or Solingen steel and if you already know that you like (for example) 6/8" round tip blades then it's just a matter of design/style.

I like bolsters, raised plaque on the side, engraved blade, interesting scales, etc. If you just have to have a Dubl Duck you will pay dearly for it. If you like the bolsters, cracked ice scales, and other style features, if you really look you will find the same thing (minus the ducks) from another company.

It will be more unique (not as many) and it will generally be less expensive because not everyone else is chasing it. By top four favorite straights aren't the ones that everyone else is chasing. I like them better (they are in excellent condition) because I get the looks I want, they are more unique and while not cheap, they aren't as expensive as the most popular razors.

I've bid/won in the $60-$80 range for them.

I won't pay more than $100 for any straight razor. I did set that as my maximum bid for my most unique razor because (1) I really wanted it (2) I hadn't/haven't seen another and I knew I would be happy if I won't and not too unhappy if I didn't win, considering my maximum bid.

When you can get into trouble if trying to snip auctions where you really aren't that into that razor. It's easy to pay too much for how little you actually like that razor.

I bought and sold a lot of $20 razors while I was "learning the market" and learning what I really like. After that it was easy as described above.

The four on the right are the ones that I'm referring too.

Nice looking razors, sir!

Mostly the razors I've purchased have been fairly to extremely inexpensive by my standards.

I paid for this Kukri $13.50. I like it very much and have seen the same razor sell for $80 or so.

My Dubl Duck shorty cost me a lot (by my standards), $37, but I wanted a shorty and I wanted a Duck. It's a very well done shorty. Shaves nicely and looks great to me.

I have in hand or in transit three Boker Red Injun razors. One, the first, was sold in near mint condition (not near mint by my standards, but by the vendor's). I may have overpaid for it, $83. The other two Red Injun razors cost me $26 and $42 respectively including shipping. I like the Red Injun and I like Bokers in general.

However, more often than not I buy perfectly nice razors for which the total is in the $10 - $20 range. Some have been under $10.

My Wade (with bad scales) cost me $33, which I think was a bargain. It's a very nice blade. Still needs scales (my latest attempt to install scales was a failure; I broke the scales).

At some point in the future I may buy some of the more expensive razors out there, but mostly I've found "bargains" which actually turned out to be nice razors. I've really only been burned once with a RSO.

I know pretty much what I like and want now, and also have a dream list, etc. I can certainly see that you're buying some beautiful razors at what I'd guess are really good prices for such nice examples. I don't see many razors I think as good looking as the photo's view of the ones you've purchased. Really nice, yours are, especially for $60 - $80.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[SliceOfLife]

Wade & Butchers are criminally overpriced in my opinion. I've encountered more with bad grinds than good, and their steel is certainly not in my top 50%... and they're one of the most expensive razors out there. I would pay TWICE as much for a Geo Wost vs an identical W&B... but maybe that's just me.

Takes different strokes, I guess.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Wade & Butchers are criminally overpriced in my opinion. I've encountered more with bad grinds than good, and their steel is certainly not in my top 50%... and they're one of the most expensive razors out there. I would pay TWICE as much for a Geo Wost vs an identical W&B... but maybe that's just me.

Takes different strokes, I guess.

I only have the one Wade and it's a very nice blade, but I suspect you're right.

Some razors are way overpriced and not better than other similar good razors. However, I have also noticed that some razors are as a brand better than others. I think that's what you're saying about the G.W.'s.

Speaking of which.

This one's in transit. My winning bid? $6.00. Plus $4.44 shipping. I believe it will clean up nicely and shave well.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[kcb5150]

Greaves, Elliot, and Rodgers are imo the pick of the litter for Sheffield steel that is easily accessible. Marshes is right there but they are harder to come by. For hollow ground Sheffield, Taylor's Eye Witness are nice for what they typically sell for.

 

[Twelvefret]

Greaves, Elliot, and Rodgers are imo the pick of the litter for Sheffield steel that is easily accessible. Marshes is right there but they are harder to come by. For hollow ground Sheffield, Taylor's Eye Witness are nice for what they typically sell for.

There in lies the problem. Folks go crazy on those and overlook comparable quality razors.

 

[SliceOfLife]

The thing with Sheffield steel is if anything, the smaller makers/names that are so uncommon no one bothers talking about them seem better quality than the bigger guys everyone knows.

I'm not the biggest Sheffield fan because I find they are more prone to bad grinds or less than perfect steel than most other regions in general, and W&B in particular. Maybe it's survivor bias and W&B made so many razors that there's always gonna be bad ones and those are the ones that come up for sale again and again while the good ones get tucked away and treasured... but I've encountered four times as many problematic Sheffields (not trying to buy Sheffields) as every other regions razors combined... and many of those have been W&B's). It's not just razors either. I've had more than a few Sheffield steel knives... and they are far less consistent in quality than their reputation would suggest.

Not saying there aren't plenty of good ones out there... but whereas it seems most people pay a premium for Sheffield razors over German and American ones (maybe not over Swedish)... if anything I actually hedge my bets by ensuring I pay LESS for them.

 

[kcb5150]

I have a heavy german grind that I know is from 1872 at the absolute latest and you can pretty much set a watch to the bevel it gives vs a lot of sheffields.

 

[Polarbeard]

It's easy to answer that there's no such thing as overpricing, there's just a marketprice based on what the customers are willing to pay, but that statement is a bit pompous and kills the discussion and hence needs to be refined.Customer are willing to pay a premium for

• Higher quality. If I think that a product has higher quality I'm prepared to pay a higher price. I'd never pay as much for a Gold Dollar razor as I have for a Koraat.
• Reduced risk. If I don't know enough about the product I'm buying it's safer to buy what everyone else favours. I want a Swedish razor but I haven't the foggiest idea of which brand to pick, but most people seem to like Heljestrand so Heljestrand it is.
• Higher status. I might not know if a Dorko truly is a better razor than a Dovo, but people seem to be impressed by them.
• Better design. Besides most Dorko razors are truly beautiful.

There's no linearity in the cost/benefit effects aspects described above. If you do a blind buy you might end up with getting far more for your money. "Made in Solingen" most likely will give more bang for the buck than "Puma". The .Puma will most likely shave you better but it might not shave you five times better. So the reasons for what people are willing to pay are complex and has little to do with financial rationality. If it had no business would pay for brand marketing.

One factor I haven't mentioned is the relative cost. If buying even the most expensive razors won't make a noticeable dent in my wallet why should I go for less?

I'm not always rational, few of us are. I always do my weekly grocery shopping in the super market where I know that I'll get the best price for a quality that is fully acceptable, but I drive there in a car that stole my heart and my wallet. Rationality must always come first, but sometimes it can be rational to follow your heart if it doesn't endanger your financial situation.

So as I started this post: There's no such thing as overpricing, there's just a marketprice based on what the customers are willing to pay,

 

[seattleshaver]

It's easy to answer that there's no such thing as overpricing, there's just a marketprice based on what the customers are willing to pay, but that statement is a bit pompous and kills the discussion and hence needs to be refined.Customer are willing to pay a premium for

• Higher quality. If I think that a product has higher quality I'm prepared to pay a higher price. I'd never pay as much for a Gold Dollar razor as I have for a Koraat.
• Reduced risk. If I don't know enough about the product I'm buying it's safer to buy what everyone else favours. I want a Swedish razor but I haven't the foggiest idea of which brand to pick, but most people seem to like Heljestrand so Heljestrand it is.
• Higher status. I might not know if a Dorko truly is a better razor than a Dovo, but people seem to be impressed by them.
• Better design. Besides most Dorko razors are truly beautiful.

There's no linearity in the cost/benefit effects aspects described above. If you do a blind buy you might end up with getting far more for your money. "Made in Solingen" most likely will give more bang for the buck than "Puma". The .Puma will most likely shave you better but it might not shave you five times better. So the reasons for what people are willing to pay are complex and has little to do with financial rationality. If it had no business would pay for brand marketing.

One factor I haven't mentioned is the relative cost. If buying even the most expensive razors won't make a noticeable dent in my wallet why should I go for less?

I'm not always rational, few of us are. I always do my weekly grocery shopping in the super market where I know that I'll get the best price for a quality that is fully acceptable, but I drive there in a car that stole my heart and my wallet. Rationality must always come first, but sometimes it can be rational to follow your heart if it doesn't endanger your financial situation.

So as I started this post: There's no such thing as overpricing, there's just a marketprice based on what the customers are willing to pay,

You've certainly proved that you're not rational. Why should you pay more just because to do otherwise won't make a noticeable dent in your wallet?

Companies don't market brands because people aren't financially rational. They do it to make you aware of their products. You buy the products that you are aware of. If you know something about one product and nothing about the other product, you'll probably buy the product that you know something about.

Carry on...

 

[Polarbeard]

You've certainly proved that you're not rational. Why should you pay more just because to do otherwise won't make a noticeable dent in your wallet?
(...)
Carry on...

If money isn't a constraint some people tend to forget that money has a value so it becomes a theoretical figure not needed to take into account when making a decision. That accept sometimes as a mean of social mark; I can afford this and you can't. Edit: This doesn't always mean that you're well off. It can also be based on that you take all the loans you can get without understanding the consequences.

(...) Companies don't market brands because people aren't financially rational. They do it to make you aware of their products. You buy the products that you are aware of. If you know something about one product and nothing about the other product, you'll probably buy the product that you know something about.
Carry on...

You are correct, but that's not the full truth. Companies selling high end products with large margins must infuse their brand with values that assure their customers and potential customers that the premium cost gives premium value. Why does a Dior EdC cost more than ten times more than a Proraso EdC? It's better true, but not that much better.

I hate to state this, because it makes me sound arrogant, but I studied and worked with this for a living for more than 20 years until I realised that life is too short to be wasted.

I would say that I'm an extremely rational person, too rational even, except when it comes to straight razors and really beautiful design. However I am aware of it and I have made a rational decision to make these two areas my "irrational haven" within very defined boundaries.

 

[Twelvefret]

Be content with your buying decisions and enjoy your collections. There is nothing better.

 

[Polarbeard]

Be content with your buying decisions and enjoy your collections. There is nothing better.

Amen

 

[Tester28]

There's a little too much info on this thread...LOL

 

[Twelvefret]

There's a little too much info on this thread...LOL

How so?

 

[Keto]

It's a conspiracy, so please stop bidding on razors at eBay. As a proof you'll soon see that all the good ones, given that no-one bids, end up with the same buyer a guy called Polarbeard.

Lol, good one. Then we can say @Polarbeard can I borrow a razor, and your good old shaving buddy will let you borrow one to try to see if you even want to buy one, great thought.haha