My name is Dan and I have a problem

[DandDMachine]

I have been buying and selling tools for years. I used to sell at swap meets and on ebay so my inventory was always changing. Over the last few years I have virtually stopped selling at swap meets, and really slowed down the ebay sales. The buying hasnt stopped though. I cant pass up a good deal. I now have tools all over the place and its becoming problematic. I even have a tool box in the back of my truck because I have no place to put it in my house, shop or garage. To compound this problem I am not the most organized person in the world. The question is, does any one else have this problem?

 

[mncountrydoc]

I would say that is not a problem you are investing

 

[Dan Babb]

There are a lot of people on the show "hoarders" that have that problem.
Don't let it get that out of hand.

I could use a good quality crimper...not the crappy stuff they sell at the big box stores. PM if you want to sell one.

 

[Tarheelgarage]

you have a sickness, not a problem.

Might be a goberment check available for you....LOL

 

[t100]

no a problem for me. I don't flip tools to begin with, so I buy tools I need, not I want, at a set budget (most of the time). I went to 2 auctions in the past 4 weeks, bought absolutely nothing.

 

[snowman1981]

if you want you can mail me any you want to just give away!

 

[CopterDoc]

Ha its funny that I just saw this, I dont think I have a problem with tool buying...however my wife thinks I do. Its hard to pass up a good deal, especially when I see so many on ebay.

 

[egnorant]

Guilty! But I am much better now! My recent tool roundup came with a prohibition on buying tools. 5 months I have been strong....except for the free vice and planer...and a buck for a Proto ratchet...and the box of stuff from the auction for $10.

If you really want to slow up your buying, start organizing, then you won't have time for buying.

Bruce

 

[Exceller8]

I used to want a backup set of tools. I now have a backup of a backup of a backup. Yes, I'm addicted too!

 

[Man of Many Vices]

Dan, you are sick. And so am I. My name is Dan, too, by the way. I think they messed up on our birth certificates. It should read D E N I A L instead of D A N I E L. It has taken me close to 60 years to confront this problem.

Like you, I have tools of all kinds piling up in the garage, then the house, then the yard, now the luggage area of my Prius.... it's so bad the Prius only gets 25 mpg.

Your case gives me hope. You have actually SOLD some of them. I keep promising my patient wife that each purchase will return 100 percent profit, but she has seen nothing from my acquisitions other than her own personalized tool set. I did give some away at a family reunion, but was so frustrated by the lack of appreciation that I came close to asking for my tools back.

I will be following your case for signs of progress, the goal being to cull down the stock to one good set of tools you need and use, plus one good backup set, plus a travel kit for each vehicle, plus a junior kit for each member of the family old enough to ride a bicycle, plus a household repair set, and a smaller set in case a neighbor comes over to borrow a tool.

Good luck

Dan Schmidt,
Indio, CA

 

[bczygan]

I don't understand the question or see the problem...just kidding!

Of course I'm a hoarder too...

The rush comes from the deal and the buying. After that, having the item becomes a burden...think about that.

 

[uniballer]

Not a problem, its not trash or trinkets. Organize them and youll be fine. We all here have to a degree this problem. Thats why we all gather here, to tell each other that its OK!

 

[kc-steve]

I have somehow managed to resist it, but I think it is a common problem. In my case, it does make me feel better to buy something for a good deal even if I don't need it. Even when I watch American Pickers I'm amazed at the people with barns, trailers, and sheds dedicated to keeping their stuff. Then there are the storage war shows where people couldn't afford to keep paying for the monthly storage fees, then lose their stuff.

I recall a George Carlin routine about buying "stuff" and then buying a bigger place for his "stuff." It's very funny! And it might help.

Video:

Steve

 

[archirelic]

I don't understand the question or see the problem...just kidding!

Of course I'm a hoarder too...

The rush comes from the deal and the buying. After that, having the item becomes a burden...think about that.

Entirely too true sometimes.

 

[Jeeper]

Hoarding is Bad
OCD is bad
Hoarding + OCD = Collecting which is good

 

[DandDMachine]

I have seen the show Hoarders, its not that bad, but dont want to get there. I have a basement workshop that I cant really work in. A 2 car garage that I can only fit my El Camino in. The rest of my house is clean and organized thanks to my wife.

I do buy tools that I need but most of them are for resale. I dont hunt or fish, but I bet the thrill I get from a really good deal is like what a hunter gets when they get that big buck or a huge walleye. I guess if I want to continue buying I just need to really pick up the efforts to sell them again.

 

[rockchucker]

(everyone in this thread) "Hello Dan."


=)

 

[Conductor562]

My wife tells me all the time I have a tool problem. I'm perfectly aware of and content with my addiction. It seems to me she is the only one with the problem. Then again, I do spend several hours each week talking about tools on the internet….

 

[ephotrod]

We need pictures to believe you. If you need help i can send prepaid boxes so you can send tools my way!!! Just trying to help!
Josh

 

[krivasgarage]

D&D

Keep watching Hoarding. I suspect that's what made you think you had a problem. Sooner or later someone will say or do something you recognize and then it will click. When you start throwing out tools instead of selling or gifting them, you know you are on the road to recovery.

Recently I cleaned out my father's house after he died. It was a mess - not floor to ceiling but getting there. I told the hired hands - if it exists somewhere else on the planet, throw it away. Tools are made by the tens of thousands. There really isn't anything special about any one of them.

Guy on his deathbed sees an angel. Angel says, you will be granted one request. Guy says, I want to take all my gold to heaven with me. Angel says, wish granted. Guy gets to heaven, sees Dad. Dad says, what's in the sack? Guy says, I got to bring all my gold! Dad says, you brought pavement?

Make sure the people in your life know they are more important than your stuff, and giving stuff is not a substitute for gving the real thing.

 

[greasemonkey44]

i have had good luck selling stuff to the classifieds here; the rest of the extras get given to my dad or friends who havent got much
i mostly buy when i need it though; not when i want it

 

[Singlecut]

I collected TONS of tools because of this site. It is, in a way, investing. Because top tier tool companies hold their value. Recently i said "f" it. I'm downsizing. Thats why lots of stuff is going up in the classifieds. And i'm not even a quarter of the way downsizing.

 

[FiendFX]

My tool box is growing because of this website

 

[Exceller8]

I collected TONS of tools because of this site. It is, in a way, investing. Because top tier tool companies hold their value. Recently i said "f" it. I'm downsizing. Thats why lots of stuff is going up in the classifieds. And i'm not even a quarter of the way downsizing.

Downsizing is really hard when it comes to tools. What do you get rid of? Sockets are easy, but what about something like US made Vise-Grips? I don't want to part with any of them even though I have more than I'll ever need.

 

[thebeekeeper1]

I can stop any time I want.



Really.

 

[Ironhorse]

I have been buying and selling tools for years. I used to sell at swap meets and on ebay so my inventory was always changing. Over the last few years I have virtually stopped selling at swap meets, and really slowed down the ebay sales. The buying hasnt stopped though. I cant pass up a good deal. I now have tools all over the place and its becoming problematic. I even have a tool box in the back of my truck because I have no place to put it in my house, shop or garage. To compound this problem I am not the most organized person in the world. The question is, does any one else have this problem?

Brother...Your a tool Collector, no problem there!! If it was Trash you would be a Horder..lol

 

[retDAC]

... The rush comes from the deal and the buying. After that, having the item becomes a burden...think about that.

Yeah D&D, tools and such don't fill the empty spot(s) in my life either.

 

[jeffmoss26]

I don't hoard, I maintain an inventory.

 

[woody 73]

I find the excitement of the hunt is what fuels my fire; to keep me sane from becoming a hoarder, I told myself years ago that I would keep the tools in a small room and never go outside of that room about the size of a small walk in closet and true to my word i have never broken that rule.

 

[KSwiss]

Sounds like its time to kick up the eBay auctions again. Then your problem becomes an income again

 

[HubbaBubba]

I just like to have backup tools to my backup tools.

More serious...if that is your problem....your alright.

 

[miss snap on]

love this thread , i think i have definatly come to the right place , my addiction has only just started

 

[Packard V8]

"Hello, Dan,"

I feel your pain. The deal was just too good to pass up, so I just bought an entire garage and 90% of it was stuff I already had. Some of it I will sell, promise ;>)

The unofficial motto over on another site is "We've got to buy 'em all up to keep the machines away from the hoarders." There are guys over there with garages and barns full of old machinery they'll never get around to fixing up to use.

Worst case I ever read about was the guy who went to all the swap meets and bought up GM performance cars and parts. He would take them home and store them in 40' trailers. When the trailer was full, he'd weld the doors shut. Filled about six trailers with cars and parts he'd never see again.

Your results may vary.

jack vines

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Faster Horses, younger women, more whiskey.... Nice tune,

and your name is Dan, and your problem is??? Ok, so you only go on the SnapOn truck to get the girlee calander? Tell us the rest ,, naaa, maybe you're not as screwed up as you think

 

[hifi_hokie]

There are a lot of people on the show "hoarders" that have that problem.
Don't let it get that out of hand.

I could use a good quality crimper...not the crappy stuff they sell at the big box stores. PM if you want to sell one.

My last landlords in DC were actual, be-on-the-show level hoarders. The 20' high piles of junk under tarps, stuff falling in the driveway at the slightest breeze, having to clear a path to get to the front door, etc.

So glad I got the hell out of there. It's sad to see...

As a result, I probably have an extreme anti-hoarding complex I understand buying a few sets of something to have a nice set and a set to beat on, but if I haven't gone in that drawer in the box for years, have to ask myself why I'm holding on to it...

 

[Exceller8]

As long as I keep the tools contained to a fairly small area I don't see a problem. If I really don't use a tool I'll sell or trade it. I have three work shops right now and two are pretty clean. One is a dump zone that I need to work on now that the weather is cooler. I want to make that a dedicated wood working shop.

 

[SMKS]

 

[TDLMOMOWERS]

I also have a tool addiction. I really can't pass up a deal on USA made tools. When I go to a garage sale, and they have tools, it's like I get all crazy and want to push everyone else out of the way. My wife has no idea about how many tools are stored away in different places around our house. When I pass, she will cuss me good, when she has to clean out all my stuff. If I pass before any of you guys, make sure you come to the sale that my wife will have, because she will probably give everything away, cheap. I went to a garage sale years ago, and the lady was selling her husband's tool collection. She had no idea what anything was worth. I felt guilty paying what she was asking and bought a bunch of stuff, that I really didn't need, but just couldn't pass up. She seemed happy just to be rid of all those tools.

 

[Jweldie83]

Tools, guns, cars, parts ect are just another form of currency in my loop of friends. My friend, you're rich!!!

 

[DandDMachine]

Ok after several requests for pics I will try and post some later tonight.