Hermès (Paillard) · 1958–late 1970s
Typical used$390–$990
The Hermes 3000 is Paillard's top Swiss portable, built in Yverdon and introduced in 1958. It is a segment-shift machine with a tabulator, a touch regulator and Hermes' margin system, and it has a long list of famous owners: Sylvia Plath typed The Bell Jar on one and Larry McMurtry wrote on his for decades. Collectors split it into three generations: the curvy, metal-bodied first generation (1958 to about 1966), usually in seafoam green; a squarer second generation in the late 1960s; and the boxy third generation of the 1970s with more plastic in the shell. They type much the same. The early curvy bodies carry the collector premium, while the 1970s machines are cheaper and often come with the Techno typeface people search for. On eBay in late 2026 complete unserviced machines with a case ask roughly $390–720 delivered, and specialist-serviced ones $850 and up.
Buying guide
From Oct 1, 2026 listings
19 Hermes 3000s are listed. Unserviced machines with a case mostly ask $390–720 delivered, and the one serviced 3000 in this snapshot is a 1971 machine in an auction opening at about $846 delivered. The curvy early seafoam bodies carry the collector interest; the boxy 1970s third generation costs less, types the same and often has the Techno typeface. On an untested 3000, budget $100–180 for a specialist clean and adjust, and check the case latches. Red flag: a 1971 machine the seller says needs service asks about $542, as much as cased ones with no stated fault. Bargain hunters should watch the 1964 seafoam auction; the $390 cased machine is the safer fixed-price buy.
A no-bid auction on a 1964 seafoam 3000 with its case, about $261 delivered at the opening bid, from a 100% seller, ending around Oct 2. It will climb; a sensible max is about $380 bid ($450 delivered). Ask whether it has been typed on.
Hermes 3000 Typewriter Portable Seafoam Green Case From 1964
About $390 delivered, Buy It Now, with the hard case, from a 99.8% seller, at the bottom of the band for a complete 3000. The cut-off title suggests a 1970s machine. It isn't listed as tested, so ask for a typed sample and a photo of the case latches.
Vintage Hermes 3000 Portable Typewriter Teal with Hard Case France 197
A 1971 3000 listed as serviced, in a no-bid auction ending around Oct 1 at about $846 delivered ($799 opening bid plus $47 shipping), from a 100% seller. It's the only serviced 3000 here, so the clean and adjust should be done; ask what the service covered and for a typed sample before bidding.
1971 HERMES 3000 Portable Typewriter Serviced Good Condition
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 1, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ — eBay shows your exact total before you buy.
Snapshot
8 of 19 listed
Snapshot captured — listings may have ended
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 1, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ — eBay shows your exact total before you buy.
UsedHermes 3000 Typewriter Portable Seafoam Green Case From 1964
$189.00 + $72.18 shipping
Auction · no bids yet · ends in 1d 3h
Good buy
No-bid 1964 seafoam auction with case, about $261 delivered at capture; cap around $380 bid ($450 delivered).
Seller: obriensdrygoods
100% positive from 227 ratings
UsedVintage Hermes 3000 Portable Typewriter Teal with Hard Case France 197
$350.00 + $40.00 shipping
Buy It Now$350.00
Good buy
Hard case included, about $390 delivered; the cut-off title reads 'France 197…', so likely 1970s.
Seller: wuzblindnowsee
99.8% positive from 1.4K ratings
Serviced1971 HERMES 3000 Portable Typewriter Serviced Good Condition
$799.00 + $47.05 shipping
Auction · no bids yet · ends in 2h 41m
Good buy
1971, listed as serviced, in a no-bid auction ending around Oct 1 at about $846 delivered.
Seller: dallasmorrow
100% positive from 162 ratings
UsedVintage 1970’s Hermes 3000 Portable Typewriter UNTESTED
$290.00 + $60.00 shipping
Buy It Now$290.00
This seller takes offers, and sellers often accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
Untested 1970s 3000 at about $350 delivered, barely under the cased $390 one. Ask for a typed sample before you offer.
Seller: pandabear23
99.2% positive from 399 ratings
UsedVintage 1970s Hermes 3000 3rd Gen "Boxy" Typewriter Techno Pica Font U
$429.99 + $27.30 shipping
Buy It Now$429.99
This seller takes offers, and sellers often accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
Third-generation 'boxy' body with the Techno Pica typeface, about $457 delivered.
Seller: revivaldistrictco
99.8% positive from 2.8K ratings
UsedVtg Hermes 3000 1971 Blue Typewriter Rare EUC Needs Service Read
$499.99 + $42.00 shipping
Buy It Now$499.99
This seller takes offers, and sellers often accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
1971 blue 3000 the seller says needs service, about $542 delivered. Read the description for the fault before offering.
Seller: steven_robinson
99.3% positive from 3.7K ratings
UsedHermes 3000 Portable Typewriter With Case Seafoam Green
$509.97 + $34.99 shipping
Buy It Now$509.97
This seller takes offers, and sellers often accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
Seafoam green with its case, about $545 delivered with Best Offer. Not described as tested.
Seller: oceanblue1022
99.9% positive from 4.4K ratings
Used1977 Hermes 3000 Typewriter VG to Excellent Condition! Techno Font!
$600.00 + $64.34 shipping
Buy It Now$600.00
This seller takes offers, and sellers often accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
1977 machine with the Techno typeface, very good to excellent per the seller, about $664 delivered.
Seller: thakseman1
100% positive from 912 ratings
Prices and availability change daily. The full, current search on eBay shows every matching listing, including new ones since Oct 1, 2026.
See all current listings on eBay →Manual typewriters here are 50–80 years old; the same condition badge means different things at that age than on a 2-year-old electronic. Use this as a translation key when you read listings.
New / new-old-stock
Vanishingly rare on a manual typewriter — most surviving units are 50+ years old. A "new" listing here usually means a late-production unit (e.g. a 1990s Olivetti Lettera 32 still sealed in factory packaging) or a seller misusing the badge. Verify the listing photos show the original packaging and factory ribbon spool; treat the price premium with skepticism unless those check out.
Refurbished / serviced
The body has been through a CLA (clean / lubricate / adjust) by a typewriter specialist — segment re-lubed, platen tested or re-covered, draw band re-tensioned, type slugs cleaned, key linkages freed. Expect a $100–250 premium over an unserviced "used" equivalent; the listing should name the shop (Gramercy, Cambridge, WordsAreWinged, etc.) or include a service receipt. Highest-confidence buy for a writer who wants to type the day it arrives.
Used — tested / working
The realistic ceiling for most listings. Body types, carriage returns, escapement advances, shift works, ribbon advances. Cosmetic wear is normal. Look for "tested with fresh ribbon" (best), "tested — types all letters" (fine), plus a stated return window — anything short of that drifts toward "for parts." Platen rubber often still hardened on a "used — tested" body; budget $150–250 for a re-cover if you plan to type long-form on it.
For parts / not working
Sold as-is with no functional guarantee. Common project-typewriter failure modes: hardened platen, gummed segment (sticky keys), broken draw band, missing case, broken bell, dirty type slugs. Buy only to harvest components for another body, donate to a tech for spares, or accept the gamble of a $100–300 specialist CLA on top. The cheapest path to a typing body is almost always a "used — tested" listing, not "for parts" plus a service bill.
The ribbon, brush, platen fluid, and oil a body off eBay almost never ships with. The ribbon link is matched to Group 1 universal — the wrong spool is the easiest way to lose a typewriter purchase on the consumable.
Ribbon — Group 1 universal (most postwar portables)
Search on AmazonType slug cleaner brush
Search on AmazonPlaten rejuvenation fluid
Search on AmazonLight machine oil (segment + rails)
Search on AmazonReplacement rubber feet
Search on AmazonAsk for a typed sample: the typeface (pica, elite, Techno, script) moves the price more than the year. Check the carriage advances on its own spring tension; a carriage that will not move usually means a detached or broken drawband or a jammed escapement, both specialist jobs. Many buyers mistake the margin system for a fault, so read the manual before assuming the margins are broken. Old lubricant gums the segment and typebars, so budget about $100–180 for a clean and adjust on an untested machine. Check the hard case latches and the platen, which is often hard after 50+ years.
Generation boundaries are approximate; a serial number and photos of the body shape tell you which one you are looking at. Production years are approximate spans compiled from collector references (the Typewriter Database, oz.Typewriter, Ted Munk's and Richard Polt's typewriter pages). Individual machines are dated by serial number: look the serial up on the Typewriter Database's serial-number page for this brand rather than trusting a seller's stated year.