Author of $10,000 eBay auction for Wolfman Razor admits his motive

I don't want to be out of line here, and I hope the mods don't object, but I wanted to follow up with a post I made pointing out that some joker put up a spoof eBay listing with a Buy It Now price of $10,000 for a '1st ever made' WR. Today, he edited the title to admit it was a joke (as if we didn't know).

Calm down peeps. This a joke: Wolfman Razor Bronze 1st ever made real deal here

But what's of interest is this person's vitriol toward our beloved hobby:

This whole eBay posting is a joke. I'm making light of the culture of crying for razors they can't get, takimg pics of their shaving equipment in different settings, or just plain ol showing off their paraphernalia. And when taking theses pics, there's captions like: "Shave of the Gods" that is as nonsensical as my eBay listing here. No high dollar razor or whatever exorbitant price you pay on eBay for a razor will get you any better of a shave than what you already own. And if you don't already own a DE razor, start at sub 30.00 like a Gillette NEW or Tech because those shave great.
Wolfman Razors has nothing to do with this sale. I'm leaving this sale up for 1 more day so my message here is plain to see that WOLFMAN RAZORS IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH MY STUPID EBAY POST.

Here's my two cents, for what it's worth:

What is wrong with celebrating our hobby, celebrating the oasis we create, the 30 minutes of quiet enjoyment, the elevation of a workaday task into a celebration of texture, of fragrance, of the cool hardness of steel against the warm softness of lather?

What is wrong with showing off our shaving equipment, whether it be costly or humble, famous brand or unsung artisan?

I've only been on this forum for a short time, but I've seen razors that must have cost a thousand dollars, and some that could be bought for a $20 bill; soaps that cost $100, and some that cost $5 from supermarkets; brushes that cost hundreds, and some that cost next to nothing. Whether these pictures are generated from sentiment or pride; from artistry or observation of an acquisition or anniversary, they almost all exhibit an exuberance and joy in our hobby. I like them all.

Surely, we don't have to take ourselves too seriously about it all, and I had a good chuckle (at myself) about his original auction description, but I dislike his criticism of our 'culture'. In this high-speed world of 6 second videos, and tiny attention spans, an innocent, beautiful hobby that celebrates skill, technique, craftsmanship, and attention is a welcome respite.

It's a wonderful hobby indeed.  Maybe we missed a subtle point he was making?  Enjoy this wonderful hobby.  Like in any hobby, the fun can become polluted by commercialism-  enjoyment can be lost out of the lure and salesmanship to compulsively buy and acquire-

On the other hand, buying and acquiring...collecting so to speak, is for some another hobby all together.

For those of us who are in the former category I think a message is to not let others pollute or taint your enjoyment.

Well said to both of you!

The original Ebay post I thought was pretty funny. Its interesting that he decided to smack down exuberance, luxury and perhaps even some of the SOTD stuff that goes on. I'm not typically into the SOTD, other than to learn about new products but to each his own. Its a really cool hobby and I find myself now, a collector, whether it be soaps, creams, brushes, razors, etc. Its just like any other hobby. One can collect guns, fishing rods, knives, almost anything right? So we like collecting shave gear and we take pride in that. Its fun to me.

The only thing I think he has a point on is how angry/irritated/serious people get about it, especially when it comes to acquisition of things. The problem is, I think society/culture lends itself to this behavior. Everyone out there is a keyboard warrior now through social media, forums and what have you. In addition to this, we all have it much much easier than prior generations and things just come to us. I think we all (even though so many say they are SO BUSY) have too much time on our hands. No tending to the field, or trying to go get our own food, its all too easy. Therefore, we have too much time to stew about not getting that Paladin brush, that Wolfman Razor, a beany baby, a Tickle Me Elmo, or anything because we are all so freaking spoiled and we WANT IT NOW, no matter what it is. This lends itself to bashing of vendors and wet shaving providers, along with plenty of bashing of other products and services. We need to tamp down our expectations and be more patient, me included. This I think we could all work on in this hobby. Especially since, this hobby has so many razors, brushes, soaps, made by vendors that have waitlists! There is so much specialization and scarcity in this hobby which can drive one insane in the membrane.

I think he hit the nail on the head on many points. Sorry, but like the eBay seller, I find many of the SOTD pics and whacky settings a bit odd so try to avoid those threads.

But again, I'm not offended by them and don't care if people want to take the time to stage their photo's, edit them.

The eBay seller is entitled to his opinion and people shouldn't be offended that he shared it.

I don't read eBay stuff anymore so I have no idea about your reference but ...

What is wrong with celebrating our hobby, celebrating the oasis we create, the 30 minutes of quiet enjoyment, the elevation of a workaday task into a celebration of texture, of fragrance, of the cool hardness of steel against the warm softness of lather?

Nothing. Your hobby, don't let anyone else tell you that you can't.  However, to the outside world? A lot. Remember, its still very, very niche. While we might think its cool, the 95% of the population view shaving as a mundane, everyday task the are forced to do that is NOT fun and ANY money spent on it is a waste of money.

Think about this holistically. Do you think our grandfathers and great grandfather sat around the local tavern discussing soaps?  I was just watching some stuff about the Revolution War, some set in Taverns. You think George Washington and his cronies had long deep discussions on scents and which badgers to go out and trap?  It is  ... different. And since the vast majority of men don't get it - expect pushback. Expect a lot of pushback.

What is wrong with showing off our shaving equipment, whether it be costly or humble, famous brand or unsung artisan?

Nothing. Go for it.

I dislike his criticism of our 'culture'.

That's life. I'm sure there is lots of stuff he might like  you don't like. Any hobby is fair game to those not into it. I might think playing golf is pretty stupid and a waste of money, but I'm sure the weekend golfers don't agree.

Just ignore it. Not worth worrying about.

Well said grim

I wonder if there are Toothbrush forums that have a bunch of whackadoodles like us?

You could discuss different bristles, handle materials, tongue scrubbers, toothpaste, mouth wash and the highly sensitive topic of Dental Floss. Up and down motion, circular motion, how long does it take you to brush, why do my gums bleed, canker sores, bumps on my tongue, plague build up and how to avoid it, how do you store your toothbrush, how much floss do you use each session, can I get my brush re-bristled, clear handle or solid color, do you rotate your pastes, my brush is loosing fibers, teeth whitening is it here to stay or a fad. The possibilities are endless and the forum could be HUGE.

The funny thing is, it sounds absurd....but that is basically what all of us are doing here with shaving.

Don't even get me started on those guys that use Electric Toothbrushes. That's not how you brush your teeth. Tooth powder and a free toothbrush from the dentist is how real men brush their teeth.

I think grim hit the nail on the head. Hobbies are a healthy way to spend our time.

I thought the original ebay post was hilarious and I think the person who posted it made his point in a humorous yet gentle way. Going back in to spew his vitriol is an example of drilling too deep so that you come out the other side and ruin the original intent. I guess the reason he delivered his message on ebay was that no shaving forum would have permitted him to post what he did - the guy has obviously spent considerable time on forums as he seems well informed on what goes on in forum land. Its kind of pathetic really, I mean whatever you may think about people generally and their attitudes towards shaving, nobody is being hurt and as a matter of fact, I see bridges being built between people all over the world which is a good thing. Where is all this anger coming from? The ego that allows him to sit in judgment of us all is sadly a common feature of the human condition.

As for me, I'm going up to have me one damn fine shave
Marko

Too many jealous people out there. Instead of feeling happy for others and their good fortunes, they spend their time hating.

Personally, I own several Wolfman razors and I have posted pictures of them before, not to brag, I'm upfront about it, I can afford them, but to share it with the community. Unfortunately, haters are going to hate. Therefore, I don't share anything anymore.

That's why I have never seen this as a hobby, but a lifestyle. I buy gear for my usage and enjoyment, and frankly I could care less what anybody else's think of it.

As much as I agree with a lot of the complaints about waiting list snafus, etc, this whole mess with Wolfman was made by the same community that criticizes this ebayer and his description of basically a dysfunctional community.

Since this whole Wolfman thing started a few weeks ago, I read how people talked about the issue and I can say that it was pathetic. Anybody watching from the outside would think this is indeed a crazy community.

Since I have been told by the administration that I'm the "most hated member" at DFS, let me share a few small thoughts.

I have helped a lot of people in my years participating in these type of forums, but sometimes I call things they way I see them and I don't dance. Some people don't like honesty, I rather be honest, than a hypocrite. In the last few weeks I even sold several of my Wolfman razors to members in here that missed the list or have been waiting for a long time. I didn't have to that and I didn't make much on the deal, but that's who I am. I never bragged about it because I don't care about such things. And if you think that I'm bragging right now, then you really don't know me and I don't care to explain myself to you, whomever you are out there.

To me, been able to help someone else has always been a blessing because my life has been blessed by success. I don't need money and I don't have kids, so helping a friend or a stranger means a lot to me, can't take it to the grave. But for the haters out there, they can never see the good in others, only jealousy.

I'm done with these forums, the hypocrisy, and the lies and deceitful practices by forum administrators. I'm done with people that in front of you are one thing and behind you are a whole different story.

I'm done dealing with jealous and hateful people. I have better things to do with my life. My few real friends? They know who they are, so I'm not concern about them. I do feel sorry for those of you that spend your time hating, instead of enjoying, that must be a hard way to live.

I want to thank wingdo for opening my eyes and for letting me know how the DFS membership felt about me.

I'm sure this post will be deleted, but at least I was able to express my mind and I feel much better.