Brother · 1970s–1980s
Typical used$120–$270
The Charger 11 is one of Brother's long-running Japanese manual portables, built in Nagoya and sold from the 1970s well into the 1980s, including under store brands. Many are the Charger 11 Correction, with a correction key that uses lift-off tape, which is genuinely useful for daily typing. It is an honest, practical machine rather than a collector's piece, and it remains one of the cheapest working manual typewriters to buy. Blue is by far the most common colour; yellow, mustard and white ask more. In late 2026 about 22 were on eBay, most at $120–270 delivered, none sold as serviced.
Buying guide
From Oct 1, 2026 listings
22 Charger 11s are listed, one for parts, with most at $120–270 delivered, though several complete machines ask under $120 here. Blue is the common color; yellow, mustard and white ask more, and the Correction version adds a lift-off correction key. None are sold as serviced and no captured title says tested, so ask every seller for a typed sample. Red flags: sellers with 33.3% and zero feedback, a $389 yellow machine, and $83–89 shipping on $95–100 items. The $98 blue Correction with its case is the budget buy; the boxed one suits a collector.
A blue Charger 11 Correction with its case, about $98 delivered ($70 plus $28 shipping), Buy It Now, from a 99.2% seller — the lowest price on a complete machine and below the $120–270 band. The title doesn't say tested, so ask for a typed sample showing the correction tape lifting a letter.
Brother Charger 11 Portable Typewriter Blue Correction Tape Case Vinta
Blue, with its case, about $113 delivered with Best Offer from a 100% seller, still under the band thanks to $14 shipping. The title makes no working claim, so ask the seller to type a few lines and confirm the carriage return and spacebar work before you offer.
Vintage Brothers Charger 11 Portable Typewriter w/ Case, Blue Made in
Boxed Charger 11s are uncommon, and this one is about $184 delivered, mid-band, from a 100% seller. Nearly half the total is $89 shipping, so offer on the $95 item price and ask whether the inner packing survives and whether the machine types.
Brother Charger 11 Portable Typewriter in Original Box
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 1, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ — eBay shows your exact total before you buy.
Snapshot
8 of 22 listed
Snapshot captured — listings may have ended
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 1, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ — eBay shows your exact total before you buy.
UsedBrother Charger 11 Portable Typewriter Blue Correction Tape Case Vinta
$69.99 + $28.23 shipping
Buy It Now$69.99
Good buy
Blue Correction with its case, about $98 delivered. No working claim in the title.
Seller: mtholly11
99.2% positive from 1.8K ratings
UsedVintage Brothers Charger 11 Portable Typewriter w/ Case, Blue Made in
$99.00 + $13.77 shipping
Buy It Now$99.00
This seller takes offers, and sellers often accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Good buy
Blue, with case, about $113 delivered from a 100% seller; no working claim in the title.
Seller: hobbyhub164
100% positive from 582 ratings
UsedBrother Charger 11 Portable Typewriter in Original Box
$95.00 + $88.69 shipping
Buy It Now$95.00
This seller takes offers, and sellers often accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Good buy
In the original box, about $184 delivered, but $89 of that is shipping.
Seller: nqny970
100% positive from 11 ratings
For partsVintage 1985 Brother Charger 11 Portable Typewriter with Case For Part
$52.00 + $20.00 shipping
Buy It Now$52.00
This seller takes offers, and sellers often accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
Sold for parts at $72 delivered, only $26 under the cheapest complete Charger, so it's only worth buying as a donor.
Seller: rudan007
100% positive from 4.5K ratings
UsedBrother Charger 11 Correction Blue Vintage Typewriter with Case.
$100.00 + $83.14 shipping
Buy It Now$100.00
This seller takes offers, and sellers often accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
Blue Correction with its case, about $183 delivered, but $83 of that is shipping; offer on the $100 item price.
Seller: hcamarketplace
100% positive from 134 ratings
UsedVintage white Brother Charger 11 Portable Typewriter
$70.73 + $56.59 shipping
Buy It Now$70.73
This seller takes offers, and sellers often accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Heads-up: check the seller
Seller feedback is 33.3%, a serious warning; skip unless the history explains it, and pay only through eBay checkout.
Seller: freshfindfreddy
33.3% positive
UsedBrother Charger 11 Correction Type Writer
$150.00 + $51.11 shipping
Buy It Now$150.00
This seller takes offers, and sellers often accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Heads-up: check the seller
Zero-feedback seller asking about $201 delivered for an untested Charger; pay only through eBay checkout.
Seller: mamacn64
no feedback yet
UsedVintage Brother Charger 11 Typewriter Yellow With Case
$300.00 + $88.69 shipping
Buy It Now$300.00
Heads-up: priced high
About $389 delivered for a yellow Charger — about twice what other yellow and mustard ones ask.
Seller: griffins-garage
100% positive from 533 ratings
Prices and availability change daily. The full, current search on eBay shows every matching listing, including new ones since Oct 1, 2026.
See all current listings on eBay →Manual typewriters here are 50–80 years old; the same condition badge means different things at that age than on a 2-year-old electronic. Use this as a translation key when you read listings.
New / new-old-stock
Vanishingly rare on a manual typewriter — most surviving units are 50+ years old. A "new" listing here usually means a late-production unit (e.g. a 1990s Olivetti Lettera 32 still sealed in factory packaging) or a seller misusing the badge. Verify the listing photos show the original packaging and factory ribbon spool; treat the price premium with skepticism unless those check out.
Refurbished / serviced
The body has been through a CLA (clean / lubricate / adjust) by a typewriter specialist — segment re-lubed, platen tested or re-covered, draw band re-tensioned, type slugs cleaned, key linkages freed. Expect a $100–250 premium over an unserviced "used" equivalent; the listing should name the shop (Gramercy, Cambridge, WordsAreWinged, etc.) or include a service receipt. Highest-confidence buy for a writer who wants to type the day it arrives.
Used — tested / working
The realistic ceiling for most listings. Body types, carriage returns, escapement advances, shift works, ribbon advances. Cosmetic wear is normal. Look for "tested with fresh ribbon" (best), "tested — types all letters" (fine), plus a stated return window — anything short of that drifts toward "for parts." Platen rubber often still hardened on a "used — tested" body; budget $150–250 for a re-cover if you plan to type long-form on it.
For parts / not working
Sold as-is with no functional guarantee. Common project-typewriter failure modes: hardened platen, gummed segment (sticky keys), broken draw band, missing case, broken bell, dirty type slugs. Buy only to harvest components for another body, donate to a tech for spares, or accept the gamble of a $100–300 specialist CLA on top. The cheapest path to a typing body is almost always a "used — tested" listing, not "for parts" plus a service bill.
The ribbon, brush, platen fluid, and oil a body off eBay almost never ships with. The ribbon link is matched to Group 1 universal — the wrong spool is the easiest way to lose a typewriter purchase on the consumable.
Ribbon — Group 1 universal (most postwar portables)
Search on AmazonType slug cleaner brush
Search on AmazonPlaten rejuvenation fluid
Search on AmazonLight machine oil (segment + rails)
Search on AmazonReplacement rubber feet
Search on AmazonMany repair shops will not take a Charger, so favour listings that say it types and show a sample. Check the correction mechanism if present, the carriage return and the ribbon reverse. Check plastic parts and the case latches for cracks. Five sellers in our snapshot had zero, low or missing feedback, so be selective.
Store-brand versions sold by department stores are the same machine under another badge. Production years are approximate spans compiled from collector references (the Typewriter Database, oz.Typewriter, Ted Munk's and Richard Polt's typewriter pages). Individual machines are dated by serial number: look the serial up on the Typewriter Database's serial-number page for this brand rather than trusting a seller's stated year.