Buying GuidesBuying Typewriters at Auction: A Bidder's Practical GuideAuctions move typewriters that estate sales and shops do not — rare variants, large lots, machines with no reserve. They also move them fast, with no return right and a buyer's premium that can add twenty-five percent. Here is how to bid without overpaying.Department
Buying Guides
Model-by-model buying advice, second-hand red flags, price benchmarks, and how to inspect a machine before your money leaves the table.
7 articles in this department
Buying GuidesBuying Typewriters at Auction: A Bidder's Practical GuideAuctions move typewriters that estate sales and shops do not — rare variants, large lots, machines with no reserve. They also move them fast, with no return right and a buyer's premium that can add twenty-five percent. Here is how to bid without overpaying.
Buying GuidesChoosing a Travel Typewriter That Will Actually Leave the HouseA travel typewriter is the one you actually pack. Weight, case, typing tolerance for hotel desks, and repair robustness matter more than typing feel. Here is how to choose.
Buying GuidesYour First Portable: Four Machines to Consider and Four to SkipThe best first portable is the one you will still be typing on in six months. Here are four machines that consistently reward beginners and four that consistently disappoint them.
Buying GuidesYour First Typewriter for Under $200: Five Realistic RecommendationsTwo hundred dollars will not buy you a museum piece. It will buy you a reliable daily writer that keeps you in the hobby past the first month. Here are five specific models and where to look.
Buying GuidesIn-Person Inspection: The Ten-Minute Checklist That Prevents RegretThe seller is watching. The other customers are watching. You have ten minutes with a machine you may take home. Here is a routine that fits those constraints and misses nothing that would kill the deal at home.
Buying GuidesShipping a Typewriter Without Damage: A Packing Method That Actually WorksOne in seven typewriters shipped worldwide arrives damaged. The techniques that eliminate almost all of those failures are well known, cheap, and rarely used by amateur sellers. Here is what to demand.
Buying GuidesSpotting Fake Glass Keys and Restored-Not-Original TypewritersA repainted machine with reproduction glass keys is not, in the collector's sense, the same object as an original. Neither seller nor market always makes the distinction. Here is how to make it yourself.