Waterman Edson... 3 different nibs, 3 different prices??? I'm confused...

[ana93]

hello all, I am very new to the pen world. my uncle passed away, and I was chosen by my aunt to sell his fountain pen collection. one of the pens is a Waterman Edson in sapphire blue 18k nib. I am trying to find how much it is worth to post it on Ebay, but I am finding a very small and diverse range of prices... I have only found two listings for them for sale one Ebay from the same seller... I see that the difference is the nib, but I don't really understand how that affects the price. The F nib is around $2700 and the B nib is around $1400. Mine is a M nib, so I have no clue what it is worth... Can anyone give me some advice or maybe a link to another thread or outside website that may explain this to a lay woman? thank you in advance, ana

[Paul-in-SF]

I looked up your two listings on eBay, and (personal opinion here) I caution about using prices from Japanese sellers as any kind of guide to price your own pen by, especially for Western pens, which tend to be more expensive in Japan to start with. Some Japanese sellers seem to have an inflated idea of what Western pens are worth. These two pens are lacquered metal, while other "Sapphire Blue" pens of the same model are resin (plastic), so I assume your pen is also lacquered metal. 

 

If you read these two listings, you will see that the Broad nib pen has a lot more condition issues (i.e. scratches and other light damage) than the Fine nib pen, they say so right in the listing, which is at least part of the reason for the price difference. 

 

I've looked at a lot of listings on eBay, and here's my advice: you can't just glance at the model and the price, you have to examine the listing information and all the photos as if you were thinking of buying the pen yourself and you want to get the best buy you can. This way you will much better understand the reason for the pricing of each pen, and you will be better able to price your own pen. I would also do this over the course of at least a few weeks to get a general idea. 

 

Once you have that idea, you have some pricing choices. You can post your pen for a take-it-or-leave-it Buy It Now price, you can post it with a BIN price but allow people to make a lower offer, or you can post it in an auction with a minimum price you are willing to accept. 

 

Good luck, I hope you get a good price for your uncle's pen. 

[recluse]

Frankly, these prices seem arbitrary. Sapphire Blue was one of the common colors and it is not _that_ difficult to find one. To me, 1400 seems too much and 2700 is just absurd. Granted, I am not following closely the current Edson market, maybe there's indeed some huge difference between F, M, or B nibs. The last time I've seriously exercised the idea of buying one, they were still in production. There was no difference in availability of any standard nibs.

 

Check completed listings on eBay for establishing expectations. Of course, nothing precludes for setting your own price and see if it sells.

[dipper]

2 hours ago, recluse said:

Check completed listings on eBay for establishing expectations.

That is a wise approach.

(The wisdom of actually selling on eBay is a different matter. There are alternatives such as selling through a reputable pen shop on a commision basis.)

 

Ways to do eBay checking as a preliminary research method vary depending on how you are viewing eBay. (By the eBay app, or the full "desktop" website, or the mobile phone view of the website.) Possibly there are variations country to country also.

 

I use a phone browser, for convenience, where the process on eBayUK goes like this:

 

Search for item xxxxxxx.

Tap Filter button

Tap Price, to see a chart of all the prices of current listings. The price scale is not callibrated, so you need to slide the minimum and maximum circles to the limits of the prices distribution and read the values displayed in two boxes above the chart.

Tap return arrow at top left to return to the list of filter options.

Scroll down.

Tap Show More.

Scroll down, and tap to turn on two switches: Completed items, and Sold items.

Scroll back up to price, and tap price to see the same chart as before - now showing prices actually paid.

 

There is often a very wide spread of prices seen, due to variations in condition of a pen, special features not separated out by the original search term, some sellers asking inflated high prices in current listings, and all the other crazy goings-on that happen in auctions.

[SpecTP]

Chatterly has a green edson that you can check the pricing. https://chatterleyluxuries.com/product/waterman-edson-queen-fountain-pen/

[Paul-in-SF]

Here is a current listing of a lacquered metal version, same color as yours, Medium nib. 

 

http://www.montgomerypens.com/waterman-edson-sapphire-blue-fountain-pen-medium-nib

 

Note that they haven't sold it yet at this price. Also, this is a retailer's price, so even if it is the same pen in similar condition, you probably should not expect to be able to get that much for it. 

[mge01park]

Interesting that it was made in a lacquered metal body as I only knew of the plastic with gold plated accents which I believe was available in a few different colors but the blue and green were popular. I had the green at one time many years ago with the fine nib which leaked with the long waterman cartridges. I had it repaired by Waterman and then I sold it. We’re talking late 90’s here and I recall the pen was in the high $400’s new which I bought from FPH then. Excellent advice above, also, you should probably if you haven’t already see that the pen is clean and functions before listing it. 

[Gloucesterman]

A couple of things...

If you are using prices on eBay to estimate your possible selling price, check the "Sold" listings as they usually offer what someone actually paid vs asking price. You could also contact someone who actually sold one for advice and more details. Obviously, they may or may not respond.

 

If you do decide to post on eBay, be aware that your lack of experience (if you mare new) may make you vulnerable to less-than-ideal results. A friend who is now a regular dealer on eBay had a somewhat expensive learning curve with his first 100 or so pen sales. Now that he has over 5,000 sales he is a lot more savvy at selling on eBay.

 

There are people who will list/sell your pen(s) on consignment and that can be expensive (although much easier) for you.

 When it comes to selling anything (especially on the Bay) caveat venditor (seller beware).

Just my perspective - YMMV

[ana93]

thank you all for such great advice! i am definitely going to check out the sold listings to find a better price estimate. i have sold things on ebay before, but i have never had to determine a price out of the blue for an item. i think i have around 10 pens, so i am just looking to make a fair price- not really trying to make a killing on the sale. 

[Lam1]

The prices of most pens mentioned above are completely outside the market price. I have two Edsons, Sapphire and Diamond Black, which I love and have the much sought after Stub nib. I have no intention of selling them, but for anything close to those prices I would sell both of mine without thinking twice. The pen for sale by Chatterley Luxuries is within a reasonable price range, since the green one is harder to find (still it is a bit on the high side). 

 

The Sapphire Blue Waterman Edson is the most common of all the colors. For a sapphire blue with a common nib such as EF, F, M or B (I would think EF and B carry a little premium; M is the most common) the price of a pen in excellent condition should be in the range of $600-750, depending on fine details about condition and if it comes with the original package and with the correct converter, which is blue for the sapphire one (meaning, $750 for a pristine condition B nib, with complete and perfect package. I certainly would not pay more than that and, in fact, $750 is pushing it IMO. I could pay up to $850 for a pristine pen & package with a stub nib). But, as was mentioned above, If you do not have lots of pen sales on eBay, the odds are that you will have a hard time getting the fair price.

 

 

[A Smug Dill]

9 hours ago, ana93 said:

… i am just looking to make a fair price- not really trying to make a killing on the sale. 

 

2 hours ago, Lam1 said:

But, as was mentioned above, If you do not have lots of pen sales on eBay, the odds are that you will have a hard time getting the fair price.

 

@ana93 If, by “a fair price”, you mean as would be determined by supply and demand, then do keep in mind that (however you choose to put the pen up for sale) your item cannot reach all would-be purchasers, but only those who may possibly look on that particular marketplace/auction website in the particular period during which you have listed your item. If you're looking to sell on eBay, then prices successfully fetched by independent retailers, or other sellers elsewhere, aren't going to do much for meaningfully informing you at which price(s) there is genuine demand and prospects of selling.

 

How you present the pen for sale is also going to affect demand. It's not a case of, the pen being what it is, there is some objective measure of what its inherent value (as a writing instrument, or a collector's item) is, from which you can assess its “fair price”. A more appealing listing, description, or “ad” is going to increase demand, even though the nature and condition of the object is unchanged by it.