They were never common. They were mostly business tools, and consumers never wanted them. Sometimes you'd be required to send someone a fax, and you'd have to go to an office store. (And pay rather a lot; dollars per page.)
I hope you get to give one a try some day, for kicks, but the thrill will wear off fast.
Are you sure about that? I remember we had one at home when I grew up, so I assumed they were very common at the time. (And it's not like we had this crazy business driven family use of it.)
Next day, the books would arrive. This was maybe 1996, but I thought it was pretty cool.
Maybe you can relate to seeing webcams or Facetime when it came out or something.
Being able to see a signed document or a picture someone took 5000km away quickly was mind boggling in its age.