Beating a dead horse

[m_hatcher]

I know this has been discussed over and over and people seem to get worked up on the price of some tools. Well I always watch eBay for certain things and I came across these auctions that I just had to share.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/snap-on-clear-racheting-screwdriver-/140892177208?pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&hash=item20cdd40338&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Snap-On-Tools-Rare-Huge-Collectible-Promotional-Display-Wrench-47-Inches-Long-/261131792141?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cccaaef0d

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SNAP-ON-TOOLS-RARE-CLASSIC-BLUE-HANDLE-4-PIECE-MINI-SCREWDRIVER-SET-/170948302889?pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&hash=item27cd501829&vxp=mtr

What do you guys think? This is not asking your opinion of eBay and the people that use it but the price some things go for.

 

[lilscorpion]

It just sold for $212.90. Dang, I have a black one and I thought I paid a lot for mine new but this clear one isn't new. I guess I get it if you're a collector - hell, people pay stupid money for figurines my parents put in my stocking as a child and they paid less than a dollar for them back then. To each their own.

 

[kythri]

Well, you're dealing with "rare" color Snap-on stuff there in two of those auctions. That stuff always commands high-dollar. The promo wrench? Same thing.

Both those style of items seem to be less purchased as tools and more as collectibles. I find the pricing to be near-lunacy on the stuff, but I'm not a collector of it. Since the normal non-rare colored tools themselves are already premium-priced, it's not surprising that the collectible stuff goes for that much more.

That said, based on what I've seen here in the past, that's not necessarily outside the norm for that kind of stuff.

Those ratcheting screwdrivers? There's a member here (or, there was) that has 30 or 40 of the things. If he ever sells them, he'll likely fund his entire retirement.

 

[m_hatcher]

I know that those items are some of the rarer colors/items but the wrench price is way out there considering IIRC that they were given away if you bought a wrench set or something along those lines. The reserve has not even been hit yet.

 

[creativecars]

Well, You didn't want to know about the people of e-bay, but I think this is an example of a similar type personality, except... These are "collector" type pieces for a tool collector not a tool user. With that in mind, there are several people out there with more dollars than sense. One to bid it up and one to buy it. I have never seen a screw I could not get out, and needed a 200.00 screwdriver to get it done.

 

[Boiler]

The clear screwdriver is rare.

The other two didn't sell from what I saw. I could list it for a million. That just makes one person nuts, not a whole brand. I could easily see those blue ones go for 40-50 bucks though, which is new price or better. But it makes sense. If you like blue, you can buy them on ebay for the same price as new.

 

[warmpancakes]

Those are cheap compared to some other things I deal with vintage license plates and sparkg plugs can b in the 10s of thousands

 

[dirtydogintex]

Better dead than alive, eh?

 

[m_hatcher]

Those are cheap compared to some other things I deal with vintage license plates and sparkg plugs can b in the 10s of thousands

Holy S**t! I had never thought of license plates being worth more than a few bucks. 14 million dollars for a plate that says #1.

 

[Wakefield]

Like a rich person paying over $1000. for one bottle of wine-

 

[thightower]

Depends on you priorities and the money in your pocket. Auctions are a **** shoot anyway. Sometimes it doesn't make sense, cheap stuff going for premium, expensive stuff going for cheap. Just have to be in the right place at the right time.

 

[ptschram]

On a daily basis, I have to deal with folks telling me the tools I sell are too expensive-and these are guys who use them to earn a living.

I suppose it's all a matter of priorities.

 

[dirtydogintex]

The law of diminishing returns also applies to tools.

Ask any MilitaryIndustrialCongressionalComplex auditor....

 

[CWP1616L]

Did you guys see the miniature ziplock bag to protect the nut?

 

[NWphotog]

It just sold for $212.90. Dang, I have a black one and I thought I paid a lot for mine new but this clear one isn't new. I guess I get it if you're a collector - hell, people pay stupid money for figurines my parents put in my stocking as a child and they paid less than a dollar for them back then. To each their own.

Haha. That thing is fugly to me!

 

[Ironhorse]

View attachment 223123someone had to do it...lol