Estate Purchasing Policy

Do you accept trades?

Sort of. Smokingpipes is always interested in acquiring quality estate pipes, and once we have assessed the pipes and made an offer, that amount can be applied to a new purchase. Items my be placed on hold in the interim.

What are "estate" pipes?

An estate pipe is a pipe that has been previously owned by someone else. Each estate pipe that we sell has undergone a thorough cleaning and disinfecting regimen before it is offered for sale. Estate pipes are generally far less expensive than a new pipe of the same make, thereby representing an excellent value for the money, and for many smokers, a way to sample the wares of pipe makers they might not otherwise be able to afford.

Estate Pipe Policy

Do you have any pipes that you just don't smoke anymore? Perhaps your preferences have changed. Maybe you've seen something exciting on our site that would better fit your current tastes. If you didn't already know, Smokingpipes would love to purchase such pipes from you.

Send us the pipes you're interested in trading, and we'll determine the current value based on extensive market research and years of experience. We will carefully unpack, inspect, and research every single pipe you send us. Then we'll give you a call or email with our detailed offer for each pipe, either cash (check) or store credit — which, if you ask us, is a great way to score some new pipes or tobacco! Of course, if you're not happy with our offer, we'll return the pipes free of charge to domestic addresses.

We purchase most pipes for a percentage of the price we expect to recover when we sell the pipe. This estimation is based on the current condition of the pipe, as well as other factors like market demand, desirability, and the customer's preferred trade-in method (cash or in-store credit). The only exception to this rule is low-value estate pipes. Since we have fixed costs associated with cleaning and listing pipes, we tend to reject any briar and meerschaum pipes that we value below $40. Between $40 and $70, we use a sliding percentage depending on the price of the pipe. Beyond $70, we follow regular percentages (typically 40% for cash or 55% for store credit).

For more information on the process or to start your submission, please contact our Customer Service department by email at [email protected]; by phone at +1 (888) 366-0345; or by Live Chat, accessed via "Contact Us" at the top of our website's homepage.

A Note On Repaired Pipes

Generally, we do not purchase pipes that are in need of serious repair — pipes needing replacement stems or tenons, for example, or pieces that feature substantial damage to the briar itself. While we do conduct some repairs in house, we usually undertake these repairs to correct issues that become evident during our restoration process. In those cases in which we do purchase an estate pipe with the intention of repairing it, a lower percentage will be offered in order to cover the cost of the repair.

Responding To Our Estate Evaluation

If you send us pipes for consideration, we spend a good amount of time evaluating and researching each pipe, and it usually takes between five to ten business days from the time we receive your items, depending on the size of the batch. Once we've completed our evaluation, we'll submit our calculated cash and in-store values to you before we take any further action. After we've contacted you, you may elect to:

Have the pipes returned to you at no cost (domestic only)
Have the credit applied to your House Account
Request a company check to be mailed to your preferred address

PLEASE NOTE: We reserve the right to refuse any items for purchase consideration for any reason — examples of which may include poor condition (cracked, broken, excessive alterations, missing pieces, etc.). We also do not purchase corn cob pipes, clay pipes, or any pipes with ivory. We do not negotiate the pipes' values once we've assessed them, except in situations where we have obviously erred (we do recognize that we are human, after all).

If you would like to have us evaluate your estate pipes for cash value or in-store credit, please send them to:

Smokingpipes.com
Estates
3750 Ralph Ellis Blvd
Loris, SC 29569

If you have any additional questions, please contact our Customer Service department by email at [email protected]; by phone at +1 (888) 366-0345; or by Live Chat, accessed via "Contact Us" at the top of our website's homepage.

My pipe broke! Can you repair the pipe or replace the stem?

We do not offer pipe repair services, so unfortunately we cannot repair or replace any stems/shanks/etc on site. However, if you contact us we can offer recommendations on reputable pipe repair people willing to take your business.