What do hand crafted pipes go for these days?

[CooperHaydenn]

Hey guys, i have been searching the forum but haven't been able to find an answer to this. what is the expected price of a hand made pipe? I know it depends on quality but, whats the average?


also im new. so. hello everyone

[KurtHuhn]

Oooooo... That's a bit of a loaded question.

The price of your average handmade pipe is dependent upon:
- quality of craftsmanship
- quality of briar
- name recognition of the maker
- length of time the maker has been producing quality product
- recognizable style unique to the maker
- popularity of the maker
- market demand

There's no real answer, unfortunately. A given maker's average price might be lower or higher than anyone else of similar "fame" - or lack thereof.

What I would suggest is that you find similar threads on this subject and take the advice to heart. It's easier to raise the prices of your work as you get better and develop your own style than it is to drop them drastically when you realize that nobody wants your blocky, bulbous, and formless pipes. Just as an example, as most new makers make pipes easily recognizable as having been made by a complete noob.

[JHowell]

Hey guys, i have been searching the forum but haven't been able to find an answer to this. what is the expected price of a hand made pipe? I know it depends on quality but, whats the average?


also im new. so. hello everyone

Are you buying or selling?

If you're selling, make sure to read Tyler's letter (it's a sticky). Make lots of pipes. Look at lots of websites. Smokingpipes.com, alpascia, Smoker's Haven. Become familiar with as many artisans' websites as possible. Read smokersforum, brothers of briar, etc. and see who's getting mentioned, look at their pipes and look up their prices. Go to a show, if possible. You can find handmade pipes just by North American carvers selling for around $100 up to $X,000. Some of the European carvers are higher still. By the time you've made enough pipes to consider selling them, you should have some idea where you fit in. You'll probably want somebody to tell you how much to charge, but it's really something you've got to decide yourself, unless you simply put yourself in the hands of a pipe seller.

If buying, same deal, except for the part about making pipes. It's your taste, your budget.

[CooperHaydenn]

Thanks a lot guys. it was really helpful. il definitely have to do some more research, and some more crafting.
sorry if this topic was over used.

[JHowell]

I can't say where, you might have to go back a bit, but I do remember some threads on the topic on this forum. Not that they'll give you any numbers. Pricing can be difficult, and NOBODY with an ounce of sense will tell you what price to put on your pipes. You've got to decide where you're comfortable and make it stick. Good luck.

[Sasquatch]

The market will eventually decide for you, in a sense. You can list your second or third pipe for $500.00 if you want. It's just that no one will buy it.

For any given definition of "handmade", someone up the street is selling a nicer pipe than yours (not yours particularly Cooper, but ANYONE's) for 10 bucks less. I mean it. Check out what 200.00 buys in a Mastro de Paja for example - http://www.cupojoes.com/cgi-bin/spgm?dp ... m=mdp24001

Holy SHIT that's a nice pipe. Okay so I cheated - it's 209. Is your pipe that nice? Then you probably are not gonna get 200 for it. Pipe buyers are aware of what's out there by and large.

I advise brand new carvers to sell what they can at whatever price things sell at - 75 bucks for example - enough to buy more briar. I truly don't believe you can just jump in and start making $200.00 pipes. There are other opinions out there - Tyler on this board will advise a guy to sort of secretly make some pipes and get a little good before going public, with the intent being that you get known ONLY as a guy who makes pipes of a certain standard.

The argument that if I made a pipe that was EXACTLY as nice as one of Jack Howell's, I wouldn't get 500.00 for mine and he would get 500 for his (because after all his is a "Howell" and mine is just some dude) is moot because the fact is, if I could make a pipe exactly like Jack's, I would indeed be getting 500 for mine or close.

If you post some pics of your work, experienced people can give you some idea of how objectively "good" your pipes are, and that will give a guy some idea what they're worth.

[e Markle]

what is the expected price of a hand made pipe?

Far too low.

[Mike Messer]

My pricing scheme is this.... I price them whatever I fell like pricing them, and I'm not in a hurry to sell them.

I don't consider myself to be a pipemaker, craftsman, or a business, as such, but more of an artist, and the ideas related to the pipes are more important than the physical pipes.

I consider pipes to be an art medium, and only coincidentally, utilitarian objects.

We are currently in a period in history when governments and social institutions are perpetrating injustice in relation to tobacco use, similar in principle to the inquisition. This I feel is very significant, that "modern, advanced civilization" is still capable of colossal stupidity and injustice, and has sold these ideas to the general public.

My pipes are related to these ideas, I think, and as such, are more significant (and valuable) than pipes which are strictly utilitarian objects.

I have been criticized on this forum by some pipemakers, thinking in terms of the way they approach pipemaking, but I don't think I ever made this clear to them. I actually wasn't sure exactly what I was doing to begin with, but I think this is it.

[CooperHaydenn]

Holy SHIT that's a nice pipe.

that made me laugh:P

im beginning to relise how much of a reputation of your skill matters. maybe even more so than your skill alone.

bad news is: i have no skill (yet).

good news is: i have no reputation of m lack of skill.

thank you guys for all the wise words. im only 17 (hardly old enough to be smoking what i make) so what you say will definitely help guide me through my pipe crafting career.

[ND Pipes]

nice to see you are interested in this... there are not a lot of guys being 17 and having the will to create things... they rather have the need to .... errmmm, look arround ... you know
...
so, this is really positive - wishing you a good luck in that manner and read the forum... start making some pipes - you will learn what you will need related tools and material - my advice is to use briar wood that is not expensive in order to practice.. also, would be a nice thing to find someone that you can talk to (not just forum guys), someone that will be your teacher ..
and keep your fingers busy
good luck..