Searching ebay for good smokers is like looking for pearls in a huge pile of rotten oysters, but it is possible with a combination of discernment and intuition. All of my best pipes were ebay finds I got cheap, and despite awful photos and descriptions I could tell there was potential. Clear away the gunk and there was real beauty beneath. Even some of the duds turned out okay (but with a lot of work), and I think out of three or four dozen I've only had one truly useless pipe due to a brittle shank.