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Methodology

How listings get here

Listings on a model page come from a dated market snapshot: we review the active eBay listings for that exact model, record each one’s price, shipping, format, seller feedback and condition, and pick the ones worth buying (see below). Snapshots are re-checked roughly monthly. Between checks some listings will have sold or ended, so every snapshot shows its capture date and links to the live eBay search for that model. Every eBay link is a plain link to eBay, with no affiliate or tracking code.

How specs get here

Per-model specs — years produced, era, country of manufacture, segment width, pitch options, ribbon-spool group, typical-used price range, common-issues — are hand-compiled from public sources:

  • typewriterdatabase.com (serial-number reference, brand histories)
  • The Classic Typewriter Page (Richard Polt, Xavier University)
  • r/typewriters community wikis and pinned threads
  • Wikipedia brand and model pages
  • Surviving manufacturer service manuals and parts catalogs

Where a spec could only be inferred, the model page’s “Notes on sources” block says so. The fields that most affect a purchase, ribbon spool and pitch options, got the most checking. Confirm a machine’s year against a serial-number reference such as the Typewriter Database before you pay a premium for it.

What we don’t do (yet)

We do not show historical price-trend charts. Instead each model has a typical-price rangeand a dated snapshot of current eBay listings. Price history needs months of consistent data before it means anything, so it isn’t here yet.

We do not test typewriters ourselves.The condition explainer translates eBay’s badge tiers into what they actually mean on a 50-80-year-old machine, but we are not inspecting individual listings. Buyer due-diligence (asking the seller for a typed-output photo, verifying the case in seller photos, asking about the platen) is still on you.

We do not endorse any specific restoration shop, parts vendor, or refurbished-machine seller. The buying guides name shops by reputation (Gramercy, Cambridge, WordsAreWinged, J.J. Short) where doing so helps a buyer; that is editorial, not paid.

Typewriter photos

The product photo on a model’s page and cards is a representative image, not a photo of any one machine for sale. We generate it with an AI image model, working from several real seller photos of that model, and compare it with those photos before publishing. It is styled on a plain studio backdrop so every model looks consistent.

That means it shows what the model looks like, not the condition of a particular machine. Paint and crinkle finishes, key-top colors, decals, cases and wear vary from machine to machine and between production years, and some details may be simplified. Always judge a typewriter by the seller’s own photos, and ask for a typed sample. Wherever a representative photo appears large, it carries the caption “Representative photo — AI-generated from real seller photos. Individual listings vary.” Models without one show no photo.

Market snapshots and buying picks

For models with a buying guide, we capture a snapshot of the matching eBay listings on a given date. We record the count, the price range, where most asking prices cluster, and a selection of listings with their price, shipping, format, seller feedback and condition. A seller’s rating count (“from 4.6K ratings”) is their eBay feedback score as eBay showed it on the capture date. The date is shown next to the listings (“Snapshot captured …”), and by the time you read it some of them will have sold or ended. The “See all current listings on eBay” link always opens the live search. When a snapshot exists, the model’s price range on the page comes from it rather than from our hand-seeded typical range.

The captured listings are then tagged with plain labels: Cheapest (lowest delivered price for a complete machine), Best value (evidence it types at a below-typical price), Best for beginners and Easiest to get working (already serviced, cleaned or tested with a typed sample), Collector’s pick (a desirable model, color or production run at a sane price), and Project piece (a cheap parts or repair machine worth restoring). Two warning tags flag listings to approach with care: Check the seller (little or no feedback) and Priced high (well above the typical range without a clear reason). These are judgement calls made from the listing text and photos. We have not handled the machines, and nobody pays for placement.