How could I know without lighting it up? Any pipe experts?
Summary: authentic*vintage started a discussion about a pipe they sold, focusing on the buyer's feedback regarding the alignment issue of a stem that didn't line up perfectly. They expressed confusion over this complaint, especially as they felt they had been very careful. a_c_green provided insight, noting that lighting the pipe wouldn't necessarily reveal any issues unless there was a joint problem and suggested disregarding the feedback since it didn't significantly affect the overall positive review. Another part of the discussion involved chapeau-noir sharing personal anecdotes about their family’s history with pipe smoking and a special coating developed by their father for Dr. Grabows. authentic*vintage responded with admiration, acknowledging chapeau-noir's family's contribution to the pipe industry.
I got the oddest positive feedback on a pipe (an item I don't use and have no experience with) about disclosure about something fitting or not fitting properly - literally don't know how I could have known about this because I still don't understand - and I used all of my photos to take pictures of every angle of this thing.
Is this something I could have detected before listing?
I wiped it down and ensured it was tight, nothing broken, etc - I can't be an expert in everything I sell but I do my fair share of research on this stuff and already know more than I wanted to in the first place. I also don't like wasting my listing space with disclaimers like that.
Just bugs me a little.
chapeau-noir
·4 months agoPipe smokers don't like the tilt of the bowl if the bit is off center (dad and all of my uncles smoked pipes, and dad developed the special coating that made Dr Grabows famous).
authentic*vintage
OP4 months agoWOW!!! you're practically famous, then, right??
chapeau-noir
·4 months agoMy dad was a chemist and kicked himself for not taking out a patent, but it was just one project.
1786davycrockett
·4 months ago@authentic*vintage
Dr. Grabow brand pipes are very inexpensive, and so I would expect that quality control would not be very high.
If this were a high-end, hand-made pipe, I might sympathize more with the buyer; but I owned multiple Dr. Grabow pipes 50 years ago, and they were attractive but not expensive (I bought all of mine at various drugstores).
authentic*vintage
OP4 months agoThat is good to know. Thank you!!
lacemaker3
·4 months ago@authentic*vintage
The stem is the end of the pipe that is held in the mouth. The buyer says that the stem doesn't line up, by which he means that the stem is twisted so it is not on a straight line with the rest of the pipe. I can't really confirm this in your pictures because even with all the different angles you took, I don't see one with the pipe straight on. It looks to me like it might be twisted by a few degrees, not much more than that.
Apparently, this can be a big deal when purchasing a used pipe, and some will reject a pipe because of it. It can be hard to correct depending on how the stem is fastened to the pipe. With the type of pipe you sold (Dr. Grabow), it may be easier to fix than some other brands of pipe.
https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/threads/threaded-stems.12459/
authentic*vintage
OP4 months agoThank you so much! With all the photos I took, I still missed. This is very good info.
dhbookds
·4 months agoIf you really want to know the answer......ask the buyer who made the comment. Admit ignorance, and desire to learn........buyer would probably enjoy "educating you" . You never know when an odd tidbit of knowledge might come in handy.........
authentic*vintage
OP4 months agoThere was a cufflink seller here (maybe still is?) I used to write to with questions about cufflinks all the time and he was very happy to look at what I had and tell me about it - and I learned quite a bit about cufflinks. More than a person who doesn't wear cufflinks needs to know about cufflinks. If anybody can come up with an alternate use for them, I am all ears. I did thread some of the wrap-around type into the buttonholes of a jacket and I guess it was ok but it didn't thrill me.
I am thinking this little tidbit about the thingy not aligning o the other thingy may be in the nice to know but not need to know category because I don't come across many pipes. This is the only one in all of these years. 😄
a_c_green
·4 months agoI don't see how lighting it up would have made any difference, unless there's an air leak or something in the joint where the mouthpiece attaches. There does seem to be a little misalignment as seen in the photos, but those photos are certainly clear enough that the buyer should have seen what he would be buying.
His complaint ("The product is good quality but the stem doesn't line up. Not a big deal and I will fix that but discloser [sic] might have been helpful.") is a bit silly, but a Positive is a Positive, plus the default feedback sort order when viewed by others is "Most Relevant" rather than "Most Recent," in which case this funky feedback doesn't show up at all.
Definitely let this one go without responding or otherwise drawing attention to it.
authentic*vintage
OP4 months agoOh I wouldn't dare. It's just so weird to me because I was so careful with it and obviously am a complete idiot when it comes to pipes.
fabrics24
·4 months agoThat sounds like a huge bummer; I'm sorry to hear 😞
I have a lot of plumbing supplies for sale, and I have a little disclaimer that basically amounts to "please know what you're doing; I can tell you what the packaging says, but I'm just the seller."
If one turns out to be defective or not quite what they're hoping, I'll just take the L and refund, because I cannot possibly be made to know everything about each random thing I'm selling.
I don't have any ideas, but you're not alone. You can list everything as best you can, and sometimes it just doesn't work out.
pickapaper
·4 months agoIt's a positive. Most potential buyers don't read positives. The buyer himself said the "issue" was no big deal. I wouldn't worry about it.
authentic*vintage
OP4 months agoNot worried about the feedback - more the oversight on my part - not that I plan to sell more pipes but you never know -