When Looking on Ebay, How Do I Spot Fakes?

SidPost

New member
First, I am looking for pans to cook in so, value oriented quality purchases are my interest today. I want to avoid fakes but, I'm as new as they come and other than the webpage here, I only have 'gut feel' to go by.

I am initially looking for a Griswold Colonial Breakfast Skillet and a 'regular' skillet preferably something like a #7 or something close though a smaller one would make a nice 'impulse buy' at the right price as I occasionally wished I had one smaller than my normal 10"/12"/15" skillets.

Warping and rust pitting are easy enough to spot but, how do I spot a fake with so many different pattern numbers, mold numbers, etc.? Additionally, I see differences in handles with the Breakfast Skillet which may or may not be related to a 'bacon press'. With the skillets I see online, it has been hard to tell which ones are just a bit dirty or worn versus a fake.

I really want to become a bit more informed before I spend my money though, I guess if I buy cheap enough I'm not risking much. However, a good pan generally doesn't go 'cheap' (at least less than a similar Lodge from Walmart or some other big box place).

I can dream about finding something at an estate sale or some random antique shop but, I don't go to antique shops and the estate sales around here I have gone to have been unimpressive so, Ebay seems like the best place for me to shop today.

TIA,
Sid
 
Hi there Sid. I am still a "newby" to buying but I've been using for a lot of years (hand me downs). I purchased a couple pans from EBay trying to complete my Mom's collection and both times was very disappointed. One pan was in TERRIBLE shape - despite being described as "good condition" and looking okay in the pictures. Live and learn I guess. Anyway, have had great luck in buying reasonably priced quality cast iron on the Facebook Iron Man Auction page. I found a really cool gate marked #9 at a junk store and loved it so much, I started searching for a #8 or #7. No luck at Goodwill or the junk store but I did see one on Ebay for over $100!!!! Considering I paid like $15 for my 9 I thought that was outrageous. Anyway, I found a number 8 on Iron Man and spent about $40 including shipping. The plus - when I got the pan it was completely cleaned, in exactly the same shape as the seller described and ready to use right out of the box. I love that pan now too. If you are looking for very specific pans, then that is definitely something to check out. I have seen some really awesome things for sale there. Good luck!
 
I think the concern over fakes is sometimes higher than need be. Even the rampant toy cookware counterfeits of the 1980s are relatively easy to spot once you've seen the genuine items.

Most non-genuine full size cookware was normally not created with the intent to deceive, but rather just to make a usable pan. Bottom gating and casting flaws typical of these copies is usually glaring. Granted, there were some makers who liberally used pans of other makers as the basis for patterns, but they didn't try to fool anyone into thinking their product was that of the other maker.
 
Hi there Sid. I am still a "newby" to buying but I've been using for a lot of years (hand me downs). I purchased a couple pans from EBay trying to complete my Mom's collection and both times was very disappointed. One pan was in TERRIBLE shape - despite being described as "good condition" and looking okay in the pictures.

Bummer. That's what I'm trying to avoid along with fakes.

Anyway, have had great luck in buying reasonably priced quality cast iron on the Facebook Iron Man Auction page.

Thanks! I have requested to join and I'm pending right now. Sounds like that is a better place to get a fair deal on a pan represented accurately.
 
For the CBS, you may have to go to an online purchase if you want to buy reasonably soon, but for your common skillets to cook in, there's no way I would buy online because even if you get the pan for $5 you'll still have to pay double or triple that to ship. For common skillets (and some not-so-common) I'd strongly recommend visiting your local flea market. You should be able to buy Lodges and BSRs all day long for $5-$10. You may get lucky and get some other more collectable makers as well. I've been to my local flea only three times this year, and my best pics are a beautiful single-spout #8 that I paid $5 for and an arc-Lodge #8 that I paid $8 for. Avoid the booths that sell new stuff and look for people having their yard sales at the flea. Good luck!
 
Flea Markets and Estate Sales are a good idea to some extent but, around here I haven't ever seen much cast iron that wasn't a neglected Wal-Mart purchase. I did go to Canton Trade Days (Canton, TX) once but, the cast iron there made Ebay look like a bargain. Sometimes, I get 'lucky' and find a Camp Chef piece somewhere but, it is almost all exclusively modern Lodge cast iron locally.

Also, when I factor in a drive each way of 30+ miles, online shipping cost becomes a cheaper option. Of course this is offset by possible deception by online sellers with bad pictures or misleading ad statements.

Out here (where I live in East Texas), there are a lot of retirees that probably abandoned any cast iron they had long ago. Now if I lived in the Northern MidWest or NorthEast, I'm sure I would do much better with Estate Sales, Craigslist, Flea Markets, etc.

I'm hoping I find the Ironman Auction page on Facebook turns out to be a viable source for me. Otherwise, it's mostly going to be Ebay or Walmart / Amazon modern Lodge cast iron unless I get really lucky somewhere.
 
Out here (where I live in East Texas), there are a lot of retirees that probably abandoned any cast iron they had long ago. Now if I lived in the Northern MidWest or NorthEast, I'm sure I would do much better with Estate Sales, Craigslist, Flea Markets, etc.

I'm not sure about the Northeast. At least for me, I've found very little cast iron available and when there is, it's unreasonably priced. There is a Griswold 8, nothing special, on Craigslist right now for $125. And some stores charge $50 or $60 for a pan you cannot even identify because it's so cruddy. I'm sure Goodwill probably has some on occasion but getting there before everything is picked over requires I be in line first thing in the a.m., which I can't do (I have to be at work lol). I found a couple Wagners (a 10 and an unmarked 6) at a local antique shop, paid $40 for both and felt like I hit the jackpot! I've taken Saturday drives over to the Lancaster, PA area (lots of antique stores and flea markets) and also down to DE beach area but haven't found anything really. I keep looking though - hoping one of these days I'll find another treasure like my cool number 9 gate marked from the junk store!!! Of course, garage sale season will soon be here so I'm hopeful that will yield some results. I think the FB Auction is great though if you're looking for something very specific to complete a set or whatever.
 
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