Ebay Buying Experiences?

[BenVK]

I'm curious to hear about any ebay buying experiences.

 

I've been collecting militaria for over 15 years now and have picked up quite a few original items from ebay at bargain prices. 

 

However, being a complete novice where it comes to Japanese swords, I've never taken the gamble bidding on them on ebay.

They rarely appear on ebay UK anyway so it's never been worth the risk for me.

 

I see there have been a lot of threads here already about ebay but it's usually about which sellers should we buy from etc.

 

That's not the aim here. I would just like hear about the successes and the failures, tips and pitfalls etc. The sword that looked great in the photos that turned out to be a turd and vica versa. The seller who was a weirdo but the sword turned out to be a gem!

 

I've been through it and heard it all in my own chosen speciality of collecting (can bore you to death with stories) but I've never heard anything similar from knowledgeable Japanese swords collectors before.

 

It would be nice to hear some stories because it can be intimidating for a novice sword collector sometimes because it seems that the guys with the knowledge never make mistakes but I know that's not true.

 

 

 

 

 

[Taz575]

I have had several very good Ebay experiences.  But I assume all mei are gimei and I buy the blade, not signature/paperwork.  I am not looking for pieces to make a profit; I enjoy studying the steels, hamon, hada, hataraki and I look for interesting pieces that have interesting activity.  Kizu are fine by me if they do not detract from the blade.  I am looking typically in the under $1K price range and don't mind putting a little extra into them for a polish to see the activities to their fullest.  Most of my blades are "study" swords, which to me means I can enjoy them without them being high end blades.  Koshirae with the blade is nice, but I prefer a better condition and shirasaya than Koshirae.  Something study ready (decent polish, decent shirasaya) is great.  Tarnished, rusted blades that need some TLC and a shirasaya are OK as long as the price reflects that.  My study blades I enjoy for various reasons and plan to pass them down to my nephews, so I am OK with spending more on them, new polish, shirasaya, etc as a gift to them in the future.

 

I do have 1 blade I would consider a collector blade: signed, ubu, papered with koshirae and minty polish.  The other blades have helped me appreciate this blade much more.  For a collector level blade, I would go to a dealer, not ebay.  For a study blade/low budget stuff, Ebay is fine as long as you aren't expecting the sword to be a hidden treasure and understand what you are looking for and what you are looking at picture wise.

[Greg F]

Hello Ben, I think its important to realize that the most important thing when it comes to not buying a lemon on ebay or anywhere else is to invest in some books and soak up everything you can on Nmb. Ive seen plenty of swords on ebay that are ok deals but seen more swords that I would stay clear of. The more time you spend studying before you buy the better chance you have. I think if you can save for as long as possible till you can get a sword from a respected dealer like Aoi or here on the for sale section as there is always great deals going and you wont get burned. Good luck.

 

Greg

[Jamie]

Go to a show. You'll learn so much more than buying and or studying inferior stuff. Look at good swords and it will tune your eyes.