typewriterbaby wrote:

What is the best place to search for these "vintage" typewriters?

If you're near a large urban center in Texas, you should be able to find typewriters that are local to you and be able to avoid the entire shipping issue and also buying a typewriter on faith based on someone's description of it. You should be able to find very inexpensive machines in your local thrift shops, antique dealers, antique malls, flea markets, and in local Craigslist ads.

typewriterbaby wrote:

Also, I came across this typewriter/seller on ebay... in both of your opinions, (1) is this machine in good shape based on the pictures/what is written about it and (2) is the price for the machine justified?  

There are a number of things that bother me about that ad; regardless, I would never spend $1000CAD on a fairly common KHM. Case in point, this is a KHM that I bought for $50CAD, which works perfectly and is in comparable cosmetic condition to the one you're looking at that is twenty-times more expensive:

 

Moderator,

I just read the posts you made earlier today and have the answers to my question.  I guess these machines that I am looking at are grossly overpriced.  I will have to look at another dealer.

Maybe Canada is the place to go.  A $50(CAD) machine would be about $37(USD), .  Perhaps like cars, certain models or years of a model have more value than others.  But here in the NW US I've seen similar machines that were super clean, good paint and intact badging, oiled/adjusted, sometimes a recovered platen, going for $250-$375 in repair shops.  Once in awhile an asking price approaches $500 tops;but I fail to remember what typewriter that was.

All that, and sometimes you can't own just one.

Agreed with everything here. I bought a similar L.C. Smith last year for $25 on Craigslist, so I'd think $1400 would be kind of insane. But then again, it is a money-vs.-time tradeoff: I've got all the time in the world, and watch patiently as machines pop up on Craigslist. Sure, people post ads for typewriters for hundreds of dollars, but they never sell. Sometimes they come down in price, sometimes not. Like I said, I'm willing to wait, because I know that it is definitely a buyer's market. But I suppose I wouldn't begrudge someone who had quite a bit more money than time, and really wanted one ASAP. (That seller should thank his lucky stars!) 

Anyway, I've never even considered eBay, due to the shipping. On Craigslist, at least you can meet up and check out the typewriter first before you buy it. I know Texas is massive, and I don't know where you are in it, but I did a quick Craigslist search around the state to see what's out there:
https://austin.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=typewriter&sort=rel&searchNearby=2&nearbyArea=364&nearbyArea=326&nearbyArea=265&nearbyArea=21&nearbyArea=470&nearbyArea=23&nearbyArea=327&nearbyArea=271&nearbyArea=646&nearbyArea=53&nearbyArea=449&nearbyArea=649&nearbyArea=308&nearbyArea=564&nearbyArea=270&nearbyArea=365