Sell Smoking Collectibles on eBay

What do you call items associated with smoking, like pipes and cigarette bands, ashtrays and matchbox labels?  Is It Smokiana or Tobacciana?  Call it what you will, this is one of the most popular collecting areas on eBay and a really great product to consider specialising in on any eBay country site.

Smoking might be on the decline but the interest in collecting smoking accessories, notably on eBay, is actually growing more popular than ever before.

In fact 'tobacciana', sometimes called 'smokiana', is one of the hottest collectibles on ebay.co.uk and eBay worldwide.

On ebay.co.uk the correct category for smoking collectibles is Collectables > Tobacciana/Smoking (Collectibles > Tobacciana in the USA), where you'll discover these sub-categories containing dozens of listings for specific smoking accessories:

Advertising

Ashtrays

Cigars / Cigar Cutters

Cigarette Boxes

Cigarette Cases

Cigarette Holders

Cigarette Packets

Cigarette Tins

Cutters

Match Strikers / Holders

Matchboxes / Matchbooks

Pipes

Rizlas

Rolling Machines

Shisha Pipes

Snuff Boxes

Tobacco Jars

Tobacco Tins

Vestas

Other Tobacciana/Smoking

eBay.com lacks some of those specialist sub-categories and includes others not on our list, the latter being:

Cases

Felts, silks

Lighters

Papers

Signs

Tags

Of course you are not allowed to sell cigarettes or tobacco on eBay, but you can sell what eBay calls 'tobacco-related items'.   The rule is:

"Cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco or coupons for such items are not permitted on eBay.com. eBay will, however, continue to be a forum for the sale of tobacco-related collectibles, (including tobacco related memorabilia and packaging) provided sellers comply with the above policy. These items are not subject to the same legal constraints. Prior to listing any tobacco-related items on eBay, sellers should read the ‘Additional Information’ sections to learn more about what tobacco-related items are not permitted.

*  Individual sub-categories under the overall theme 'Tobacciana/Smokiana' in the UK / 'Tobacciana' on ebay.com, indicate smoking accessories that are collectable in their own right which are also well represented in number of listings and multiple bidder potential.  So, ashtrays, for example, currently has 380 listings on eBay.co.uk, against a total of 19896 in the overall Tobacciana/Smokiana category. 

*  Sub-categories help narrow the search for specific items and saves people interested in just one item, like ashtrays, having to wade through thousands of smoking related items that do not interest them.  By its very nature, that's useful for sellers, too, who don't have to wait long for their listings to be found and attract early bidding.

*  Though it usually is the case in practice, having its own sub-category does not necessarily make a specific collectible more popular or profitable, just more prolific. 

*  As for many collectibles you'll also find smoking accessories listed in other eBay categories where bidding might be more intense.  For example, Bonzo Dog is hugely collectable and is often found under Collectables > Animals > Dogs, even for books, figurines, postcards, and ashtrays or other smoking accessories.  Whether by mistake or choice, Bonzo Dog items, for example, as ashtrays or virtually any product type, will invariably fetch more money from Bonzo collectors when listed under 'Dogs', than from ashtray enthusiasts as smoking collectibles.  Much the same goes for numerous multi-theme products.  So take time deciding categories for your products or you could miss out on a potentially more profitable category elsewhere.  See the next tip.

*  It's very common for two, three or even more collecting themes to converge in one item generically termed 'tobacciana', such as an item in Miller's guide which features a 'Dorset Light Industries petrol table lighter, Bakelite with electronic ignitions, special Coronation edition', which might appeal equally to collectors of lighters, Bakelite, Royal and Coronation Souvenirs, and manufacturer.  Just where do you list that: under tobacciana, royal souvenirs, bakelite collectibles?  Personally I'd list under tobacciana, and maybe royal souvenirs as my second category, but I'd be very careful to mention all themes in the title for my listing.  As mentioned last month, more than 70 per cent of eBay buyers search for items by entering keywords in eBay's main search engine which only returns items including those words in the actual title.  Keywords and phrases in sub-titles and descriptions are usually omitted from eBay's search facility.  So choose your words carefully because, even within a completely unsuitable category, around 70 per cent of people interested in lighters, bakelite or royal souvenirs would find this title:

BAKELITE Cigarette LIGHTER Royal 1953 CORONATION Edition

But would miss:

Lighter Lovely Red Colour 1953.  WOW!  Just L@@k at This!

Popular Smoking Accessories

Ashtrays

Ashtrays were, still are, intended for decorative as well as functional use, and many are valuable collectors' pieces today for reasons that have little to do with smoking.  

Like many decorative items, ashtrays often featured well known characters and popular themes, like Mickey Mouse, Laurel and Hardy, horses, artist drawings, and these are the areas likely to appeal more to collectors than simple ashtray value. 

You'll also find ashtrays collected for materials from which they were made, like filigree silver or gold with diamonds embedded, or with famous manufacturers like Clarice Cliff and Hermes.  Yet other collectors opt for ashtrays advertising well known places and events such as high class hotels (A standing ashtray from the lobby of the Plaza Hotel recently went for $850 - about £ XXX  ), or depicting celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, Donald Duck, the Beatles.  Witness the following highest realisations for ashtrays on eBay over the past thirty days:

*  An ashtray originally fitted to either an Aston Martin or Ferrari (it seems the design was similar on these models, date not given in listing) fetched £202

*  A Carlton Ware 'Egyptian Fan' pattern ashtray fetched £180

*  A Hermes Limoges Large Cigar Tray fetched £156

*  Another Hermes Porcelain Ash Tray went for £155

* A Clarice Cliff ashtray reached £155

*  Two Hermes ashtrays in angel fish design brought £132

*  A vintage 'Great Stuff This Bass' advertising ashtray made £113.11

*  A Maling ashtray in art deco style from the early 1900s went for £78

*  A German Baldy Head shaped ashtray fetched £72

Tips Based on the Above Realisations

*  Unusual almost always sells, such as the Balding Man made from bisque that fetched £72, not forgetting others depicting nudes, dogs and machine guns. 

*  People love classic cars, they're highly prized for their own sake, as is virtually anything since parted company with models like Rolls Royce or Ferrari, from which ashtrays recently fetched £67.99 and £202, respectively.

*  Look for big name makers and other items misspelled by sellers that are attracting low prices and offer good resell potential for you.  For example, right now the word 'ashtray' is misspelled 659 times on ebay.co.uk, and four fabulous Clarice Cliff designs are all listed with her name spelled incorrectly and attracting no bidders.

*  Crystal ashtrays have a good following and often fetch high prices,    especially for any 100 years old or more (recently a standing ashtray with chandelier drops fetched $340 about £  XXX ), or with names like Lalique (very famous for numerous things made from glass, often frosted and highly ornate, such as an Aruba design that recently fetched $250, about £   XXX).  That must all surely be good news to anyone realising that the word 'crystal' is one of the most misspelled words of all, commonly appearing as crysal or chrystal and other variations in 1949 ebay listings.  Would you believe I have just found the phrase 'chrystal ashtray' misspelled three times, both words incorrectly, with really low starting prices and no bids on highly collectable pieces. 

*  Fabulous ashtrays are common sights at offline auctions, especially those selling entire house contents and deceased estates.  Ashtrays were given as gifts to most people who smoked, as many people did in the early to mid 1900s.  As gifts, few were thrown out or given away and many perfect examples of highly collectable ashtrays can be picked up at low prices from auctioneers who know little about ashtrays (other than the fact they hold ash and cigarette butts) and know even less about eBay. 

*  At local auctions, most with 50 bidders maximum, many far less, you'll rarely find specialist smoking accessory dealers and just the odd eBay seller who may or may not bid against you.  Beat him or her to the best pickings, get the catalogue days before you view, check eBay's completed auction listings, look for ashtrays (and virtually anything else) that recently fetched high prices and use this as a guide to your maximum bid.  Chances are you'll bid more than your eBay friend who doesn't have a clue about ashtrays or your sneaky way of valuing items before bidding.

Enough About Ashtrays, On to Other High Value Smoking Accessory Collectibles

There's so much more to smoking accessories than just ashtrays, such as:

Cigar Bands, Cigar Boxes, Cigarette Cards, Cigarette Packets, Lighters, Matchbox labels, Matchboxes, Pipes, Snuffboxes, Cigarette dispensers, cigarette holders, tobacco cutter, cigar cutter, smokers' companion, matchboxes.

Of all, pipes probably represent the most collectable item with highest potential resale value so let's take a closer look.

Collectable pipes are also commonly found at local auctions from country and deceased estates and, like ashtrays, they were often given as gifts or special awards and more often kept and cherished than used or discarded. 

Pipes were made from many different materials, some short lived and easily broken and made from inferior clay, or expensively fashioned from ivory or rare woods and embellished with silver and porcelain.  The latter represent the highest profit potential.

Carved wood and ivory bowls fetch the highest prices especially with famous faces (a bowl with portrait of Napoleon fetched £400 at a sale in Newcastle last month), and most highly valued of all are long stemmed pipes, up to fifteen or sixteen inches long with ornate carved bowls sometimes embellished with silver and precious gems. 

eBay.com's ecent high prices include:

*  $3075.00 (about £  ) was paid for a Lars Ivarsson Pipe

*  A large Dunhill pipe fetched $1875.00 (about £   )

*  A Dunhill White Spot Briar Pipe and Case fetched $954.81 (about £ )

*  An Ivarsson Pipe, Pot with Bamboo, made $860.00 (about £    )

* A Meerschaum pipe carved with face of a mountain man made $661.00  (about £  )

I won't go further because in just a few minutes I spotted the following trends:

*  Pipes represent one of those collectables that fetch high prices and rarely go unsold on eBay.

*  Names like Dunhill and Ivarsson are amongst the highest achievers of all on ebay.com and other ebay sites.

*  Meerschaum pipes are also extremely collectable, meerschaum being the material from which the pipes are made.  Meerschaum is better known as magnesium silicate, a porous mineral found in rock veins. Pipes made from meerschaum absorb nicotine and gradually grow darker.  The better types are elaborately carved to represent people or animals.  The more intricate the design, the higher the price is likely to be, such as a pipe depicting an elephant's head with long winding trunk and tusks that several years ago fetched £1,000 at Christie's, and a cheroot holder (not exactly a pipe) in the shape of two ladies sitting on a snake that fetched almost fifteen hundred pounds at Sotheby's.

Avril Harper is a triple eBay PowerSeller and author of BANK BIG PROFITS SELLING VINTAGE TOPOGRAPHICAL VIEW POSTCARDS ON EBAY which you can read about at: http://www.sellpostcardsonebay.com and MAKE MONEY TEARING UP OLD BOOKS AND MAGAZINES AND SELLING THEM ON EBAY which you can read about at: http://www.magstoriches.com