Affordable/Cheap eBay Vintage Pen Guide... Wanted!

[heath]

I'm looking to get my first vintage/older pen. From what I gather it is looking like ebay is going to be my best option. If I could lay down $100 or more I know there are other probably better ways to find one but alas budget is key here. So, my question is, what are maybe the top 5 most reliably consistent finds on ebay that are likely to be good pens for the money?

I've looked but not found any advice on this. I'd love some people to weigh in with maybe a few pens to look for and max prices for ebay and maybe some tips on what to watch for with the particular pens.

I'd like to spend $25-$50 on my first one so I'm obviously not looking for something amazing but advice and tips don't have to be limited to only that price range. I have two reasons for this. One, I need to mentally break this barrier and get a win before I'll feel I can spend more on an old pen and two, I'd love to have something in my collection that has some history. I've bid on too many to count that I ended up losing by less than $10 because I wasn't sure how far the bidding was going to go and I thought I was close to what they were worth.

[WirsPlm]

Esterbrooks. You can get fully restored Esties for $30-$40, and unrestored for $10, which then need some easy repairs. You can get easy replacement nibs for these if you want also, so you can get the pen body you want without worrying about the condition of the nib.

Other than that, you can get Wearevers or Sheaffers pretty cheap in the US unrestored, but YMMV as to how well they do. I got a Sheaffer that wrote but was terrible (scratchier than my Pilot EF!), a Wearever that was fine, one that needs a sac replacement, etc.

[Laura N]

FWIW, I think Ebay is the most expensive place to buy cheap restored vintage pens. :) In my experience, you will pay as much as you would from a good dealer. I'm not intending to diss the well-known eBay sellers: they do a good job. But so many people bid on those pens that you aren't getting any bargain.

If you want an Esterbrook, you are better checking the classifieds or dealer's websites. Or a pen show, if possible. Rick Krantz, who sells here, restores his pens, is honest about them and sells at a bargain price, in my opinion as a happy customer. Anderson Pens also sells excellent restored Esterbrooks at essentially the eBay price. Both are great sellers who will stand behind their pens. Then there are just other members who sell pens they don't use as much; that's a great source of good pens for good prices.

In addition to Esterbrooks, consider Sheaffers and Parkers.

One final tip would be not to set your heart on a perfect-looking vintage pen. The ones that are users but write well are cheaper and often more satisfying in the long run.

[fncll]

I agree with Laura...until you have more experience---and to minimize the terrible experiences you might have with the crapshoot that Ebay can be---I'd buy from someone with a good reputation on the sales board here or on PenTrace or FPN sales areas.

If you want to jump right in with tweaking, restoring or repairing, of course, that's a different story. But if you want a good vintage Esterbrook, for example, which is rightly a classic place to start with vintage pens, I'd buy one from Rick Krantz, who regularly sells them here. There are many other great sellers here, I just happen to have recently bought a couple of Esties from Rick. It's nice to know they will arrive in good shape, ready to write.

[mmahany]

I slightly disagree, but only because I consider there to be a significant difference between being new to ebay and being new to fountain pens. Ebay is an online venue to connect buyers and sellers of goods. You have to understand how to use eBay more than you have to understand how to buy a specific item (in this case a pen).

If you are new to eBay and new to fountain pens, you can certainly get yourself into some trouble. To that extent, I agree.
If you know how to use eBay, but are new to fountain pens I firmly believe that it is a perfect place to get started with collecting fountain pens.

To use myself as an example:
I am confident that if I were to buy a collectable sno-globe on ebay, I could find one in good shape and for a good price. Now I know nothing about collectable sno-globes, but I do know how to use eBay very well.

Do not be afraid to use eBay as a venue to buy your first fountain pen. Just make sure that you trust your knowledge of how the system works and how to find reputable sellers. If you question your knowledge, then I absolutely agree with the other responses so far.

[fncll]

The OP stated he was looking for his first vintage pen. Personally, I don't think it matters how well one knows Ebay...it's a roll of the dice to buy vintage pens given how many sellers have no idea what they are selling, how poor and inaccurate their descriptions might be, etc. That's part of the fun, but it's a part of the risk too. The fun in the risk comes with a good knowledge of the product, not ebay itself.

As to your snow globe example, how would you be sure you weren't overpaying (witness how many ridiculous prices pens go for on Ebay from reputable sellers to the unwary buyer who knows pens like you hypothetically know snow globes), that the listing is obviously wrong to one who knows snow globes but completely reasonable to one who does not, etc? There are a wealth of factors to consider beyond whether one knows how to see Ebay feedback and all the rest of those things unrelated to the actual item being sold. An ebay seller can have a stellar reputation despite having no idea about pens, thus leading to a disappointing purchase (or one that needs significant work not to be). I know this from my own experience. But as I said, if one isn't wanting to jump right into tweaking and repairs, it's even more risky.

Add to that the fact that if a seller does deal in many pens *and* has a positive reputation, one is likely going to pay the same kind of prices one can get from a regular seller here and elsewhere. The real value in vintage pens on ebay, at the lower levels at least, isn't in the direct savings, but in discovering the "sumgai" kind of pens.

Some great pens come from Ebay, but for a first vintage purchase if uninterested in having to work on the pen when it arrives, I stand by exactly what I said above. It will cost minimally more--if any more--and there is significantly less chance of the pen needing work.

[cwent2]

Peyton Street Pens - New Old Stock Writing Instruments | Vintage ...
www.peytonstreetpens.com/‎

Is another good source for vintage pens - can even get user grade NOS on some sheaffer's

[AndyT]

I agree with Laura and fncll, my experiences with several UK dealers have all been good ones, and that's most certainly the route I'd recommend for a first pen.

[ChrisC]

Aerometric English Duofold line or Aerometric 51's. Great, convenient, super reliable fillers and smooth 14k nibs. F and M nibs are most common, and can definitely be hand from $25-$75 range. Likewise, Sheaffer Craftsman with Feathertouch nibs and lever filler are great, wet, reliable, very springy in some cases, writers. completely blows new modern pens in that price range out of the water.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I'm looking to get my first vintage/older pen. From what I gather it is looking like ebay is going to be my best option. If I could lay down $100 or more I know there are other probably better ways to find one but alas budget is key here. So, my question is, what are maybe the top 5 most reliably consistent finds on ebay that are likely to be good pens for the money?

I've looked but not found any advice on this. I'd love some people to weigh in with maybe a few pens to look for and max prices for ebay and maybe some tips on what to watch for with the particular pens.

I'd like to spend $25-$50 on my first one so I'm obviously not looking for something amazing but advice and tips don't have to be limited to only that price range. I have two reasons for this. One, I need to mentally break this barrier and get a win before I'll feel I can spend more on an old pen and two, I'd love to have something in my collection that has some history. I've bid on too many to count that I ended up losing by less than $10 because I wasn't sure how far the bidding was going to go and I thought I was close to what they were worth.

No antique stores or flea markets near you? Pawn shops? Ancient drug, hardware, or stationery stores? Yard sales? (Be sure to ask if they have fps).

If not, then do browse the classifieds here and FPN and take care on the 'bay. PS: good luck!

[heath]

No antique stores or flea markets near you? Pawn shops? Ancient drug, hardware, or stationery stores? Yard sales? (Be sure to ask if they have fps).

If not, then do browse the classifieds here and FPN and take care on the 'bay. PS: good luck!


I live in a small college town of just over 100K pop and FPs are not easily found. There are 2-3 at each office supply store and one of the college book stores sales Safari & Al-Stars with about 50% markup. We have several thrift/antique stores but they have had nothing at all since I started looking a while back. We have a tiny paper and it has had no FPs in classifieds nor has craigslist, etc. So, I'm basically stuck with online. I've ordered from Goulet, Jet Pens and others for new stuff mostly and some on ebay. I've not bought used or NOS at all. I'm comfortable with eBay and I'd rather get a decent writer than a mint anything but I don't want corrosion. Looking at Anderson and some others listed in this thread so far it looks like they are just above eBay on prices but not much. That being said, the quantity and selection (colors/etc) are very limited on these retail sites. I guess I could keep watching them for a while. There was one I liked but of all the colors the pen was available in it was only in stock on the color I wouldn't have.

So, I've added a few new places to look but as of now I'm guessing it is still going to be a waiting game. There have been a few on the "For Sale" thread here that I've tried to buy but just missed or were just a bit more that I wanted to spend. I think my main issue is that with new I know what I am getting but used is al together different. I'm not afraid of risk but at even these "Low-end" prices I'm afraid anything but a good experience may put me off altogether. I'll try to go to the closest pen show to me next year (another 11 months from now) if I can but wasn't able to this year and it was my first year as a FP Geek.

Thanks for all the input so far. This is exactly what I was looking for. Please keep commenting if you have any other tips/advice. I also posed a similar question to SBRE Brown and his reply was more on the specific ebay part, "Yes. Don't overbid, so stick with an amount that you are comfortable with. Pay really close attention to the pictures and read the description well. Even then, assume that the pen's state will be worse than described."

[tandaina]

Many of us here probably have pens that'd work for you. I've got a couple Esterbrooks that need a home and would be in your price range. Others I'm sure have other options!

Ebay is a crap shoot. If you want to learn to RESTORE pens eBay can be OK. Buy the cheap ones that need sacs/polishing/cleaning and learn. But restored low end vintage pens are definitely over priced on eBay!

[Honey Mustard]

I'm looking to get my first vintage/older pen. From what I gather it is looking like ebay is going to be my best option. If I could lay down $100 or more I know there are other probably better ways to find one but alas budget is key here. So, my question is, what are maybe the top 5 most reliably consistent finds on ebay that are likely to be good pens for the money?

I've looked but not found any advice on this. I'd love some people to weigh in with maybe a few pens to look for and max prices for ebay and maybe some tips on what to watch for with the particular pens.

I'd like to spend $25-$50 on my first one so I'm obviously not looking for something amazing but advice and tips don't have to be limited to only that price range. I have two reasons for this. One, I need to mentally break this barrier and get a win before I'll feel I can spend more on an old pen and two, I'd love to have something in my collection that has some history. I've bid on too many to count that I ended up losing by less than $10 because I wasn't sure how far the bidding was going to go and I thought I was close to what they were worth.

PeytonStreetPens and their ebay shop terim are a great place to purchase NOS or restored vintage pens. They have wondeful customer service, and everything I've purchased from them has been wonderfully finished.

[mmahany]

The OP stated he was looking for his first vintage pen. Personally, I don't think it matters how well one knows Ebay...it's a roll of the dice to buy vintage pens given how many sellers have no idea what they are selling, how poor and inaccurate their descriptions might be, etc. That's part of the fun, but it's a part of the risk too. The fun in the risk comes with a good knowledge of the product, not ebay itself.

As to your snow globe example, how would you be sure you weren't overpaying (witness how many ridiculous prices pens go for on Ebay from reputable sellers to the unwary buyer who knows pens like you hypothetically know snow globes), that the listing is obviously wrong to one who knows snow globes but completely reasonable to one who does not, etc? There are a wealth of factors to consider beyond whether one knows how to see Ebay feedback and all the rest of those things unrelated to the actual item being sold. An ebay seller can have a stellar reputation despite having no idea about pens, thus leading to a disappointing purchase (or one that needs significant work not to be). I know this from my own experience. But as I said, if one isn't wanting to jump right into tweaking and repairs, it's even more risky.

Add to that the fact that if a seller does deal in many pens *and* has a positive reputation, one is likely going to pay the same kind of prices one can get from a regular seller here and elsewhere. The real value in vintage pens on ebay, at the lower levels at least, isn't in the direct savings, but in discovering the "sumgai" kind of pens.

Some great pens come from Ebay, but for a first vintage purchase if uninterested in having to work on the pen when it arrives, I stand by exactly what I said above. It will cost minimally more--if any more--and there is significantly less chance of the pen needing work.
So don’t buy from sellers that don’t know what they’re selling, look for one with a good description, and buy from a seller that exclusively sells fountain pens. That addresses every one of your points and it requires no knowledge of fountain pens.

As far as your point about “fun.” That wasn’t part of his criteria so it’s not worth touching on. It doesn’t look like he’s trying to find a diamond in the rough. It sounds like he’s looking for a good deal on a used pen in good shape that fits his budget.

Since you asked about how I could be sure I was buying correctly. I’ll touch on that:
1.) I look at not just the seller’s reputation, but also what they’re selling. If their listings include all kinds of items I can assume they’re a pawn shop, thrift store, or someone looking to flip items….I would not buy from them without an advanced knowledge of the item they're selling. If they are an exclusive sno-globe seller with a good reputation, I can infer that sno-globe collectors have bought from them in the past.
2.) I do my research on what I’m buying. I’d probably search for “Good first sno-globe forum” on google which would likely return several threads about the topic and I could then infer a good one to buy within my budget.
3.) I would search “Sold” listings and sort them in order from low to high prices. I generally remove the 5 outliers on each side as a way to cull out auctions that went for absurd prices.
4.) I'd also search for “fake sno-globe” or “replica sno-globe” as a way to see if there are fakes out there.

If you’re still skeptical, you’re welcome to test me. Give me something to look up that you assume I know nothing about. I’m not making any promises, but I'm willing to bet I would come out ahead on 4 out of every 5 items mentioned.

I’ve never gotten scammed as a buyer on ebay and I’ve bought from plenty of people with 0 feedback, sellers that don’t speak English, sellers that recently registered, sellers that provided small descriptions, and everything in between.

My pen collection is worth more than $20k on the used market and I probably paid 1/4th of that for all of them. Along the same lines, up until about a year ago I bought things like mobility scooters, sports memorabilia, cars, antiques, and tons of other things I knew nothing about at the time and found ways to make money off of them. It involves understanding the system rather than being an expert on the item.

To put that into perspective, do you think the experts on the Antiques Roadshow know everything about everything? No, they know what to look for, how to research the item, and how to search for auction or sale listings to estimate the price.