I finally gave up trying to find a birth year razor in the wild and grabbed the nicest one available on eBay. I paid a bit more than I think was fair but being it was my birth year razor and all I shrugged and clicked the buy button. The transaction was smooth, seller left positive feedback almost immediately and the razor showed up a day earlier, so they shipped it almost immediately too. The razor matched the description and functions as advertised. Now where I need help from the gallery is about what happened when I doused it with alcohol before I went for the first shave (set to 5 and loaded with a new vintage Gillette Thin that came with it). The dial numbers....they went from sharp black to a runny bleeding purpley schmeer. Now, to be completely honest, I didn't buy the razor for the aesthetics but for the W3 it has stamped under the base plate and the fact it functions correctly. Just because it doesn't matter to me though, doesn't mean it won't matter to some other buyer who doesn't realize there is lipstick on the pig he's looking at. The way I see it, my options are: to do nothing and be happy, which I am shoot the seller a message letting him know he needs to use a different paint because the most likely/readily available sanitizer in a bathroom (alcohol) negates any of the prettying up done to the dial numbers contact eBay and see if I can update my feedback to adjust for the new information What do you all think? It could save the next buyer a little bit of angst.
I would tell the seller, reprint the numbers with better paint, and move on. It doesn't make a difference on razor function so I wouldn't worry too much about it.
Guess it would depend on my mood at the time. More than likely, me being me, I would probably just make sure to get off all the runny bleeding purpley schmeer and move on.
Just clean the numbers with Alcohol, until no paint is left. Or, use acetone, on a q-tip. Then get some Testers model paint, and repaint the numbers. Easy fix.
Some good advice here it seems..best deal with it quick cuz the razor appears to be functionally ok and that is the main thing. And the last thing we need is a raging monkey on our hands..
One thing to consider in addition to what the others have said... being that this is a special razor to you.. birth year and all... what were your expectations on the paint vis a vis the price? That is, did you willingly pay more with the expectation that this was original paint? If so, then I'd message the seller and see if you might get a little bit of a refund. Even more so if he represented it (stated or implied) as original paint. If the paint originality doesn't matter in terms of what you paid, then I'd probably let it go. But, either way, a note to the seller just advising him couldn't hurt either. Maybe even noting for future auctions that he should disclose the modern repainting of the numbers.
This. And then if the seller responds in a negative way, decide if you want to pursue the matter further. They might not have known that the paint would come off, and your response could help ensure others don't share your experience. Also, sorry to hear your birth year razor didn't come perfect...
Also somewhere around here is a thread that advises on how to do the numbers yourself. I at the moment am drawing a blank on where that is exactly...
Thanks. I didn't go into it for the aesthetics but for razor functionality, so I'm not butthurt that the paint came off. Was more thinking of doing the seller a solid and letting him know because one day someone will care and affect his rating. @RetLEO-07 the second the alcohol hit and the lettering paint ran off I thought of that exact thread. Now to find it!
I'm glad you got your birth year razor. You can fix the numbers yourself, then you will have a little skin in it. Shoot him a nice note, then let it go.
I'm thinking maybe the numbers were touched up with a marker. I've used alcohol on many things I've painted and have never had any issue about it coming off after it's been properly dried. And I've done a lot of models in my lifetime.
eBay won't let you change feedback after it's posted. It sounds like giving the seller a heads up on the numbers and, if you are interested, an opportunity to make it right is the best move. If he/she is a jerk about it you can decide if you want to report the defect to eBay for a resolution. Since you are otherwise happy with the razor and more interested in helping make sure the next guy doesn't get disappointed I think a note to the seller is a good plan.
The "purple schmeer" is most likely permanent marker not paint. I did that to a slim I had and it was fine.
Sitting here I cannot remember if any of my Gillette Adjustable number still have paint on them or not. So went and looked. Two have all numbers painted, two have partial paint on some numbers.
Razor Emporium has a video on how to repaint the numbers, using Testors. Easy fix! I think the video is on their website, and I'm pretty sure it's on YouTube.
I use a few drops of acrylic paint, add a drop of water to thin it a bit. The paint will flow into the numbers easier, dry quicker and easier to wipe off. I do this a couple of times for each number.
It's important to you, I think you should send the seller a kindly worded email explaining your disappoint. Nothing wrong with letting the seller know.