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A guy near me is offering a seafom Hermes 3000 for $300 or best offer. I don't want to pay $300, I think that's way too high. But I don't know what a reasonable offer would be. He says it's in good working condition. Pictures look great. It has a case but no manual. Some damage to the case.
I checked the finished eBay listings for that model and it was no help, because the prices paid ranged form $50 to $350.
Thoughts?
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Always a tricky question, and no absolute answer, I guess.
Having said that, and depending on rarity in your particulat area, I should have thought this was the highest that you would ever expect to pay.
I would want such a 3000 at that price to be the earlier curvy style, in mint condition, and perhaps to have some unusual keys and so on.
This is not that uncommon a machine, though a very good one, of course, and uness you fall in love with it when you go to view, I would be patient and look for a cheaper example, or make an offer.
Last edited by beak (06-9-2014 18:38:07)
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Beak, what do you think a reasonable offer would be?
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First off, where are you located (it's an extremely important point)? And which year was this Hermes 3000 made? The 3000 was manufactured between 1958 and 1976 and went through three generations of case design.
In my area (Toronto) there are plenty of 3000 models around and people typically ask a ridiculous amount for them because they look exotic. I would never pay more than $100 for a first generation model - and even then it had better be in pristine condition. I think I paid around $40 for my 1962 model (see below), and $20 for my 1970 3000.
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Here in Australia, 1960s Hermes 3000s in good condition for those prices would be a bit of a steal.
Be patient and look at the market locally; see what they go for in your area, and judge accordingly.
Condition is also very imortant, of course, and if you are a beginner, I would avoid anything that seems to have any mechanical problem - you will want to be typing and enjoying the machine, not wondering how to mend it. So you need to know how it should work in the first place.
Patience and research.
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I think the ebay sold listings are a good indicator of pricing. Be sure to search only Sold listings, instead of Completed so you know what prices were actually paid. First versions sell for the most, but several have sold lately for less than $100 US, although some have sold as high $350 US including shipping. Second and third versions normally sell for less than $100 US.
Sounds like the seller is asking the high end, especially if there is no manual and the case is damaged.
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Thanks for the advice, everyone. Uwe, I'm in Southern California. The one being advertised is very close to me, which is appealing because there's no need to worry about shipping or possibly inaccurate item descriptions.
I don't know the year the typewriter was made (I need to ask him that) but it's the curvy design like in your photo.
Clark, I think I made the mistake of checking the eBay completed listings rather than the sold listings. Good point. I'll go back and look at that again.
Yes, I'm a beginner, so I do want a machine that works well. I don't have the know-how and experience yet to restore a non-working machine. (Though that's next!)