Ebay Gamble Purchase?

[Tseg]

Anyone ever win a low ball bid on a risky purchase and how did it turn out?

 

This week I was the only bidder (snipe) on an ST DuPont Olympio (middle sized)... ~$100. The seller has thousands of transactions in the $20-$300 range, 99.8% rating, but I could not see where they ever sold another pen. Some of the pictures were a bit fuzzy but I feel comfortable it is authentic. Listing was 'DuPont Paris' as if Paris was the pen model. Seller claims excellent condition. There looks like a potential scratch on the clip, but it may just be camera glare. I'm thinking this pen is in the $250-$500 range depending on actual condition. It is at my house as we speak but I'm travelling but will be home tomorrow to see the results. I just wanted a nice writing Olympio, mint condition less important, but was not in the market to spend a lot. In fact my goal was to snipe such a pen and after a month of looking this was the first one to come through. Several others I plugged in a $200 bid but the final sales were over $500, one even over $1K. This may be an expensive lesson or a good deal. This is actually my first auction won in my life despite having made a few handfuls of bids over the years.

 

Clearly the seller was not a pen person and the poor photo quality did not help their cause (or maybe it did). The pen has a dried up cartridge in it and no converter but is in a ST DuPont box. I ordered an authentic ST DuPont converter on Amazon. I'm guessing I may want to soak the nib before trying to remove the cartridge and give it all a good cleaning? I guess I'll find out if I'm a moron soon enough.

Edited April 19, 2018 by Tseg

[jekostas]

I paid $270 CDN for a 149 last summer. The listing had the wrong model in the title, the wrong box and crappy, crappy pictures, but it turned out to be authentic. Just needed a good thorough cleaning.

Edited April 19, 2018 by jekostas

[Lam1]

I hope it turns out ok. Let us know and post pics .

 

Ive had a few good buys on eBay (and lots of not so good). Mostly buy it now (being in the right place at the right time and all that), but also a few bids. Like the Parkers 51 and senior striped duofold I got for $115. The best deal I ever got on eBay was a Remington buy it now for $200... did I mention it came with a black waterman Patrician set that, if Im nit-picking, has a tiny little spot of brassing on the clip . The seller actually advertised the Remington (which went straight to the garbage pile) and did not mention the waterman. The photos also didnt show the pens uncapped, so I had no idea if it had a nib until it arrived - not only it had the nib, but it is super flex . Sometimes you gotta risk a bit.

Edited April 19, 2018 by Lam1

[jar]

Anyone ever win a low ball bid on a risky purchase and how did it turn out?

 

This week I was the only bidder (snipe) on an ST DuPont Olympio (middle sized)... ~$100. The seller has thousands of transactions in the $20-$300 range, 99.8% rating, but I could not see where they ever sold another pen. Some of the pictures were a bit fuzzy but I feel comfortable it is authentic. Listing was 'DuPont Paris' as if Paris was the pen model. Seller claims excellent condition. There looks like a potential scratch on the clip, but it may just be camera glare. I'm thinking this pen is in the $250-$500 range depending on actual condition. It is at my house as we speak but I'm travelling but will be home tomorrow to see the results. I just wanted a nice writing Olympio, mint condition less important, but was not in the market to spend a lot. In fact my goal was to snipe such a pen and after a month of looking this was the first one to come through. Several others I plugged in a $200 bid but the final sales were over $500, one even over $1K. This may be an expensive lesson or a good deal. This is actually my first auction won in my life despite having made a few handfuls of bids over the years.

 

Clearly the seller was not a pen person and the poor photo quality did not help their cause (or maybe it did). The pen has a dried up cartridge in it and no converter but is in a ST DuPont box. I ordered an authentic ST DuPont converter on Amazon. I'm guessing I may want to soak the nib before trying to remove the cartridge and give it all a good cleaning? I guess I'll find out if I'm a moron soon enough.

Just a minor nit.

 

It Is ST Dupont. DuPont is the chemical company.

 

Post pics when you can.

[The Blue Knight]

One of the biggest issues with buying from non-pen folk is packing I recently bought two pens from a seller which had been sent in a plastic envelope in a box and had been allowed to knock against each other for the whole journey.

 

I'm not one to complain unnecessarily but if it had been an expensive item I would have.

[chromantic]

​I got a Snorkel FP and pencil set that appears to never have been used for $18, maybe $20, iirc. I figure the price was low due to it being personalized with some guy's name. Luckily for me, it was a buy now, not an auction. I must have stumbled on it very soon after it was listed, as I think anyone would have jumped on it at that price had they seen it.

[MG66]

I saw an Ebay ad for a pen not long ago that mentioned the pen had "a small crack in the nip" <sic>. Yep, by golly, that nib had a slit in it!

 

 

C

[cherylmarie]

Well, this isn't very risky, because I only spent $7 + shipping. But I got an Esterbrook, a Sheaffer Valiant, a Parker 61, a couple cartridge pens, and a lot of ink bottles.

 

The auction didn't include the word "fountain", didn't show pictures of the nibs, and was in the wrong category. I knew I would be out of communication at the auction's end, so I wrote to the seller offering a fair buy-it-now price. He didn't take me up on it, so I won with the beginning bid.

 

The pens were duplicates which I didn't need, but I enjoyed refurbishing them and made a nice profit while offering others a good deal. Days like that, ebay is fun!

[Tseg]

I'm home and I've taken my new ST Dupont Olympio for a test drive. Bingo! The pen turned out much better than expected for a bit over $100. First, it writes!. It actually writes well, super smooth. Really well. Only on Rhodia paper have I come across some very slight start up issues, but all other papers have been fine. There is a very subtle dent in the barrel with no damage to the lacquer... have to hold it to the light to see. Probably the biggest 'issue' is the lacquer section seems slightly faded to a greyish overtone, so does not quite match the barrel and cap. Suggestions (I already tried wax polish... helped slightly)? I apologize I did not take pictures before my initial clean up... the gold visor over the nib was crusted with all kinds of funk. I put the nib in an ultrasonic cleaner twice. Lots and lots came out. While the Ebay picture depicted a used cartridge in the pen, this arrived with cartridge removed and generic converter in its place. There were no scratches on the pocket clip unlike the very poor photos by the seller suggested. I had already ordered an authentic ST Dupont engraved converter which arrived today, so now I'm all matchy/matchy. Best of all, I get to finally experience that satisfying ST Dupont 'click' when closing the cap... puts the Waterman Carene sound to shame. I got lucky with this one.

 

 

 

 

Edited April 19, 2018 by Tseg

[Barkingpig]

Congratulations on your purchase & knowledge that enabled you to see the pen despite it's listing!

 

I recently purchased a Dupont Fidelio because it was a color I liked, had an original stub nib & was from a Seller I trusted. I had bought my first Dupont from him, more than 3 years ago. Mine was an auction & I was not able to purchase it as favorably as yours but I have been very happy & enjoyed using it. I hope yours provides many years of enjoyment for you. (And those snap caps ARE a unique & pleasant sensation, aren't they?)

[Tseg]

Congratulations on your purchase & knowledge that enabled you to see the pen despite it's listing!

 

I recently purchased a Dupont Fidelio because it was a color I liked, had an original stub nib & was from a Seller I trusted. I had bought my first Dupont from him, more than 3 years ago. Mine was an auction & I was not able to purchase it as favorably as yours but I have been very happy & enjoyed using it. I hope yours provides many years of enjoyment for you. (And those snap caps ARE a unique & pleasant sensation, aren't they?)

 

Glad you are still enjoying yours... I just looked under the bed in the box and to my surprise there is an ST Dupont booklet in mint condition along with the international warranty card (28.07.09)... I assume July 28, 2009? The eBay seller lived in NY City but the International warranty card is from BHV Rivoli, 14 rue du Temple in Paris. That is a nice touch for this second (or third+) hand French pen purchase.

Edited April 19, 2018 by Tseg

[surprise123]

Congrats on your snipe! I sniped a few pens myself. Last week, for no apparent reason, I bid on a Parker Duofold restored and forgot about it. Then 2 days later, it said I won. The other 4 bidders seemed to have given up. A 18k gold flexy Parker pen that was restored and in great condition. You'll find that with patience, you will find those infrequent listings.

[surprise123]

The seller had several other restored parkers on list going for around 20 dollars, but it felt wrong sniping his listings. Almost.

[jar]

Looks great. Have you noticed that when you post the pen the balance is not effected? Look inside at the finish on the places that don't show. The issue with the section is likely normal. The urushi on the section gets handled far more than the rest of the pen so slight differences in aging are normal.

[Tseg]

Looks great. Have you noticed that when you post the pen the balance is not effected? Look inside at the finish on the places that don't show. The issue with the section is likely normal. The urushi on the section gets handled far more than the rest of the pen so slight differences in aging are normal.

 

I know you think the balance is not affected when posted, but it feels better to me unposted. My Pro Gear King of Pen, on the other hand, I will only use posted. It has perfect balance when posted.

 

The unposted Olympio balance point is about an inch down the barrel from where the section attaches. It feels perfect in my hand. When posted the balance point movers another 1"+ down the barrel (or further up my hand) - where the cap end is on the barrel - and I just get a different feeling with the pen that I don't prefer. It is a heavy cap.

 

BTW, is the lacquer true Urushi, from an Urushi tree?

Edited April 20, 2018 by Tseg

[surprise123]

 

I know you think the balance is not affected when posted, but it feels better to me unposted. My Pro Gear King of Pen, on the other hand, I will only use posted. It has perfect balance when posted.

 

The unposted Olympio balance point is about an inch down the barrel from where the section attaches. It feels perfect in my hand. When posted the balance point movers another 1"+ down the barrel (or further up my hand) - where the cap end is on the barrel - and I just get a different feeling with the pen that I don't prefer. It is a heavy cap.

 

BTW, is the lacquer true Urushi, from an Urushi tree?

If the pen truly has Urushi lacquer, then there is no wear to be concerned of unless you beat up the pen intentionally and run it over with a car. However, I must say that some pens look better with wear on them, like the brass and copper bodies Kaweco/Karas Kustoms make that patina beautifully with use. But I digress.

[jar]

 

I know you think the balance is not affected when posted, but it feels better to me unposted. My Pro Gear King of Pen, on the other hand, I will only use posted. It has perfect balance when posted.

 

The unposted Olympio balance point is about an inch down the barrel from where the section attaches. It feels perfect in my hand. When posted the balance point movers another 1"+ down the barrel (or further up my hand) - where the cap end is on the barrel - and I just get a different feeling with the pen that I don't prefer. It is a heavy cap.

 

BTW, is the lacquer true Urushi, from an Urushi tree?

Yes, true urushi.

[sidthecat]

I had a similar experience with a Lady Elsa, a rare Waterman that I collect. Got it for the starting bid. I’ll pay on the back end, though, cause I sent it to Mr. Minuskin to make the nib more interesting.

[senzen]

That's a beautiful pen, congratulations.

 

Pen gambles: Pelikan m205 for something like $59, Lamy Studio for $25 and another for $40; none of the sellers seemed pen specialists. All in perfect state, one of the Studios has a small chip where the clip touches the cap, still an awesome pen.

 

I'm very risk averse but couldn't say no to these. The Pelikan is my accidental grail pen, it's just my notion of a perfect fountain pen, even if my m600's nib seems better.

Edited April 20, 2018 by pseudo88

[james3paris]

That's a beautiful pen, congratulations.

 

Pen gambles: Pelikan m205 for something like $59, Lamy Studio for $25 and another for $40; none of the sellers seemed pen specialists. All in perfect state, one of the Studios has a small chip where the clip touches the cap, still an awesome pen.

 

I'm very risk averse but couldn't say no to these. The Pelikan is my accidental grail pen, it's just my notion of a perfect fountain pen, even if my m600's nib seems better.

As one one of my friends say, "Pay small, hurt small."