I do enjoy a good laugh.

I’m sure that many of you will be aware of Firebreakline, the famed (or infamous) eBay seller who attaches ridiculous descriptions and far-fetched prices to very ordinary pens, and who is readily recognisable by his stripey wallpaper backgrounds.

Today, I found another!  Usually I only look for auctions, but because there was nothing there I turned to Buy It Now sales.  There I found a seller called antiquesboutiqueuk.  Interspersed with other bric-a-brac he has some fountain pens.  One is a Swan SF2 for which he wants a mere £174.99 but shipping is free!  He says the condition is good apart from “minor brassing to cap band and the usual small crack to the cap”.  Judging by the photograph it is more than minor brassing, in fact it looks like there is very little gold left at all on the cap band.  The pen is actually worth perhaps £15-£20 for the nib.

Another bargain that he has is a Blackbird BB2-60 which has been reduced from £199 to £157.99.  This gem is in excellent condition apart from the lever being slightly brassed, some “minor scars” and a cracked lip.  Otherwise superb.  In reality it is unlikely that this pen would sell at any price.

Have a look at his collection of goodies – he’s a laugh a minute.

In other news, eBay has finally conceded that buyers should not have to pay the return postage for items that are not as described.  That, my friends, is a signal victory for buyers (including me) that have fought long and hard to have this inequity addressed.