Why You Probably Shouldn’t Buy a Typewriter From Etsy or eBay
Everyone loves the idea of owning a typewriter. The romance of clacking keys, paper rolling through a platen, and the sense that you’re channelling Hemingway or Kerouac instead of just staring into yet another glowing rectangle. But before you open your wallet on Etsy or eBay, let’s have a serious talk about why this is usually a terrible idea.
When people trace the history of the typewriter, they usually start with Christopher Latham Sholes in the United States. His design of the 1870s became the first commercially successful machine and set the stage for a century of office life. But history is rarely that simple. In fact, more than a decade earlier, in a small village in South Tyrol, a carpenter named Peter Mitterhofer had already built the first functioning prototypes of a typewriter.
Don’t we all love typewriters? The clack of the keys, the smell of inked ribbon, the sense that each word is carved into the page with intention. But let’s be honest: what we really love—what makes us want to casually brag to our pen pals in carefully worded letters—is stumbling upon a rare typewriter or a beautiful typeface.
The typewriter world is small, but my brain feels overcrowded. So many stories, tools, ideas—most of them are typewriter-related while some are not—all jammed together until I type them out and share them with you.
That’s what these videos are about. Maybe they’ll be useful, maybe they’ll spark something. Or maybe you’ll just enjoy watching me unload my mental attic after typing them on one of our newly restored typewriters.
At Mr & Mrs Vintage Typewriters, we know how important it is for our customers in the everywhere around the world to receive their typewriters quickly and without hassle.
But in the United States, Over the past few months, and as we all know, there was a change in Tariff rules when buying anything from outside the US.
We’ve received several queries about tariffs, so we wanted to share some clarity from our experience and share our experience.
Recently, we’ve discovered websites using our images, product details, and name to lure people into buying typewriters that either never arrive or are not what was promised. These websites may look convincing at first glance, but they have no affiliation with us.
By Claire M., Los Angeles, CA
I’m sitting at my desk in Los Angeles with the windows open, sun pouring in, and the steady clack-clack-ding of a beautiful vintage typewriter beneath my fingers. It’s a restored Olivetti Lettera 32, seafoam green, and it’s changed the way I write.
In a world of mass production and digital overload, the charm of a vintage typewriter is more than nostalgia — it’s a return to craftsmanship, simplicity, and soul. But where can you find a typewriter that’s not just beautiful, but fully restored, serviced, and ready to write?
Walid and Joujou, AKA, Mr & Mrs Vintage Typewriters — one of the world’s most trusted experts in typewriter restoration.
Last year, we unveiled a video showcasing the top 10 typewriters beloved by authors and writers, deliberately leaving out desk typewriters for a special reason.
In todays blog and after nine years of typewriter expertise, we confidently present our top 5 desk typewriters that have stood the test of time & faithfully typing out letters, memos, and invoices.
Most importantly, we need to point out that Our Criteria is based on a combination of reliability, ease to fix and adjust, typing experience & sturdiness.
A company dropped typewriters from an Airplane! and why there is no “1” key on many typewriters ??
These are just two out of many facts and stories I learned about typewriters since 2015 while building up our typewriter restoration business, Mr and Mrs vintage typewriters.
Join me today as we delve into the lesser-known facts and captivating stories behind these charming machines.
In the late 1950s, deep within the exquisite landscapes of Italy, a revolution was quietly brewing. Little did the world know at the time, but a typewriter unlike any other was about to make its grand entrance.
This is the story of the Olivetti Graphika, a typewriter that defied convention and pushed boundaries. A typewriter ahead of its time.
