CoronaJoe wrote:

I saw an SG1 on eBay... It eventually went for $250.

It's almost inconceivable to me that anyone would spend $250 plus $50 shipping in the United States on a SG1, regardless of its condition, which by the way is often not as good as photos make it appear to be. I've never spent more than $60 on one, and most were in the $30 range. I want to meet the buyers who are paying these amounts because I've got a shed full of machines that they'd be interested in.
 

CoronaJoe wrote:

pdxtypewriter, does pdx  imply Oregon?

Yes, Portland, Oregon. Typewriters are extremely popular here. We have one of the great typewriter repair shops in the country, ACE. The pickers are out at all the estate sales and Goodwills, so prices reflect this. Also, I'm of the philosophy of wanting to keep the last typewriter repair shop in town open, so I buy as much as I can there. When I get a typewriter from ACE, it works, beautifully. I still enjoy cleaning and doing whatever fixing I can figure out how to do on garage sale/CL finds, it's very relaxing. But I'm not in the hobby for bargains, I'm in it for machines I can use and write on, and if it's beautiful and restored, especially with new rubber,and it's a machine that gives me pleasure, I'll pay whatever I can afford to pay. I'm getting long in the tooth, I don't have all the time in the world--when I see it, if I want it--I buy it.

I also buy machines to bring in my class for kids to use. I particularly like SC's for that--especially Classic 12s, and Olympia SM9s when I can find them. 

Cheers.

On packaging typewriters, I've learned a trick from shipping refrigeration compressors.  One of the vendors I've dealt with would fill the empty container space with expanding foam.  They'd wrap the compressor in plastic, then a layer of sheet packing foam, then fill the box voids with expanding foam from a can, but not totally full and then top off with closed cell foam peanuts. Sometimes the foam shell around the compressor was tricky to remove, but there were no dented fittings or broken pieces from impact or poke throughs.  On top of that a layer of thin plywood ( 1/4") was placed on the bottom to help the container hold the weight without the seams coming undone.  With triple wall cardboard for the box, you have a pretty good chance of survival short of a wood crate.

Matt is a great guy. I like supporting him.

igotztowrite wrote:

You have to keep in mind that not all are willing to learn how to clean/repair typewriters. I think those high cost  buyers don't want to deal with it. Time, supplies, learning curve is not worth it for some or they aren't interested at all. They are looking for that one or two typewriter. I'll pay more for a machine if it's been clean and working or if it's a model that's hard to come by. Most collectors/users on these various forums are able and willing to learn hence the low purchase prices and they want more typewriters than one or two. Different stokes for different folks!

Yes, exactly. And I started paying top dollar for beautiful, completely restored machines, and then started tinkering with garage sale, thrift store Craig's list finds. So I'm learning. I know how to clean now. Fix--meh.Limited. But that's why I have ACE Typewriter in town. :-)