Estate pipes appear to be among the hottest items on eBay. When does that special estate pipe, the one in your own pipe dreams, become a nightmare?

Usually, it will be when you buy a pipe from a seller who openly admits they know nothing about pipes.

How then, does one know from whom to buy?

Upon finding a pipe, in which you are interested, go to Sellers Other Items and see how many, if any, other pipes are listed for sale. If there are no others, be very careful before you bid on that one that is listed.

In 40 years of pipe smoking and collecting (which started in the dark ages, before personal computers and eBay) I have had some wonderful and some disasterous experiences. I once bought a lot of 80 estate pipes, in four free-standing circular pipe racks, for $10 at an antique fair in Atlanta, GA. The value of the pipes was well over $2,000.  I bought one on eBay for $325 and it wasn't worth $50. And I am an experienced pipe collector.

So, in a nutshell, if you are just starting your interest in estate pipes, use Buy It Now or Best Offer, when available, and purchase from established eBay sellers whose primary products are pipes and who offer a Return Policy and have a high percentage of positive Feedback. Don't be afraid of such a seller whose Feedback Score is less than 100%! There are those, in the eBay community that would complain if they received the item for free. These types entertain themselves by creating grief, in the life of others, for no other reason than they can. Read feedback comments, positive and negative, about your seller. If negative feedback seems to be petty, ignore it.  On the other hand, if negative feedback comments show a trend of absence of honesty, customer service or communication, be wary of that seller.

Once you have had a few good purchasing experiences from established and reputable pipe dealers, you will also have obtained, through no fault of your own, an enlightened knowledge,which you can then use to review any pipe listing you find interesting and readily discern whether to Bid, Buy It Now, make a Best Offer, put it on your Watch List, or go back to List of Items.

As with most things in life, purchasing estate pipes successfully requires education AND experience. These two elements should occur simultaneously using the approach suggested herein.