Olivetti · 1963–early 1980s
Typical used$220–$330
The Olivetti Lettera 32 replaced the Lettera 22 in 1963 and stayed in production for about twenty years. Marcello Nizzoli updated the design with Olivetti's engineers, and Olivetti built it in several plants: Ivrea in Italy and Barcelona in Spain from 1964, and later Mexico and Yugoslavia among others. Italian-made machines carry a small collector premium, though they type the same. It is light, compact and easy to live with, which made it one of the most popular writer's portables of its time and still a common first typewriter. On eBay in late 2026 about 29 were listed at roughly $220–330 delivered, and a serviced one started around $360.
Buying guide
From Oct 1, 2026 listings
29 Lettera 32s are listed (two for parts), most at $220–330 delivered; two spare body shells aren't counted. Italian-made machines ask a little more than the Barcelona-built ones, though they type the same, and a serviced one starts around $363. It takes the small Olivetti Lettera spool, not Group 1, and the plastic case latches break, so check them. Red flags: several titles are copied word for word, one by a zero-feedback seller, and a serviced script machine asks $2,025. Budget buyers start at the $127 aqua machine; the serviced $363 one suits someone who wants to type right away.
Aqua green at about $127 delivered ($81 plus $45 shipping), Buy It Now, from a 99.9% seller — far under the $220–330 band. No case or testing is mentioned, so ask whether it types, whether a case comes with it, and how it will be packed.
Vintage Olivetti Lettera 32 Typewriter Aqua Green
Barcelona-built, with its zippered case, tested working per a 100% seller, at about $289 delivered, mid-band. Spanish builds type the same as Italian ones for less. Ask for a typed sample to confirm the keyboard layout and that the margins and bell work.
Olivetti Lettera 32 Barcelona Spain Typewriter Zippered Case Tested Wo
Serviced and 'works great' per a 100% seller, about $363 delivered with Best Offer — the cheapest serviced Lettera 32 listed and only a little over the band. Ask what the service covered and whether a case is included.
Olivetti Lettera 32 Typewriter - Serviced and works great
With the service already done, this should type on arrival rather than needing a clean first. Ask the seller to lock the carriage and pad the machine on all sides, since the light body and plastic case don't survive loose packing.
Olivetti Lettera 32 Typewriter - Serviced and works great
A blue Lettera 32 with the cursive script No. 75 typeface at about $543 delivered, Best Offer, from a 100% seller. Script Lettera 32s are uncommon, and this costs about a quarter of the $2,025 serviced script machine. Ask for a typed sample of the full script set.
Olivetti Lettera 32 Ultraportable Typewriter Cursive/Script No.75 Blue
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 29 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.
UsedVintage Olivetti Lettera 32 Typewriter Aqua Green
$81.15 + $45.35 shipping
Buy It Now$81.15
Good buy
Aqua green, about $127 delivered. No case or testing mentioned — ask about both.
Seller: mercatodelleoccasioni
99.9% positive from 4.4K ratings
UsedOlivetti Lettera 32 Barcelona Spain Typewriter Zippered Case Tested Wo
$200.00 + $88.69 shipping
Buy It Now$200.00
Good buy
Tested working per the seller, Barcelona-built, zippered case, about $289 delivered.
Seller: adamkellerseller
100% positive from 1.1K ratings
ServicedOlivetti Lettera 32 Typewriter - Serviced and works great
$300.00 + $62.61 shipping
Buy It Now$300.00
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.
Good buy
Serviced and works great per the seller, about $363 delivered with Best Offer.
Seller: thedude4444
100% positive from 57 ratings
UsedOlivetti Lettera 32 Ultraportable Typewriter Cursive/Script No.75 Blue
$525.00 + $17.83 shipping
Buy It Now$525.00
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.
Good buy
Cursive script No. 75 typeface, blue, about $543 delivered. Ask for a typed sample.
Seller: ratmix107
100% positive from 1.7K ratings
For partsOlivetti Lettera 32 Underwood Portable Typewriter & Case - AS IS
$155.60 + $30.47 shipping
Buy It Now$155.60
Our take
Sold as-is at about $186 delivered — more than the $127 aqua machine, so ask exactly what doesn't work.
Seller: samleb-55
100% positive from 186 ratings
UsedVintage Olivetti Underwood Lettera 32 Typewriter- Italy w/ Case
$175.00 + $54.04 shipping
Buy It Now$175.00
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.
Heads-up: check the seller
Zero-feedback seller using another seller's exact title. Likely a copied listing — avoid.
Seller: wunderstorenyc
no feedback yet
UsedVintage Olivetti Underwood Lettera 32 Typewriter UNTESTED With Zippere
$299.00 + $32.80 shipping
Buy It Now$299.00
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.
Heads-up: check the seller
Seller feedback is 97.7%, and the title copies another seller's untested Lettera 32. Compare photos before buying.
Seller: uniteyoursole
97.7% positive
ServicedNear mint! Serviced 1964 Cursive/Script Olivetti Lettera 32 Vintage Ty
$2,000.00 + $25.14 shipping
Buy It Now$2,000.00
Heads-up: priced high
About $2,025 delivered. Serviced and near mint, but a script Lettera 32 from another seller is about $543.
Seller: brooksawantiques
100% positive from 2K 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 Olivetti proprietary (Lettera) — the wrong spool is the easiest way to lose a typewriter purchase on the consumable.
Ribbon — Olivetti Lettera proprietary
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 AmazonThe weak points are the carriage and escapement: Ted Munk and others report carriages that will not hold position after a return, growling or sticking near the left end, and drawcords that unship and wrap around the spring drum (often from typing with the machine flexing on your lap). A bent carriage-lock plate is another common fault. It takes Olivetti Lettera spools, not Group 1. The case latches break easily, so check them, and check the platen for hardness.
Factory locations per collector sources; the country is cast or printed on the machine. 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.