Tools on Craigslist rant...

[pfbz]

I use Craigslist and eBay for lots of stuff, buying and selling.

But whenever I cruise Craigslist for quality tools, I am always amazed at how little effort most sellers seem to put into describing what they have for sale.

Seems like I always see **** like this:

SNAP ON TOOL BOX AND TOOLS MACHANIC S TOOLS WE AREW ASKING 2000.00 FOR THE WHOLE THING THEY ARE IN GOOD CONDTION

Cripes! Could you put less effort into describing what you have?

Or this one...

I have a KRA Snap On box full of Snap On tools. The box has a stainless steel top and a nylon cover. Im looking to sell for $8000 or trade for a vehicle. If interested....

Good to know that it has a nylon cover. Much more important than having some idea of what tools you have

Seems like if someone is trying to sell thousands of dollars worth of high end tools, at least a list of what they have might be in order. People put more effort into describing the $5 garden shovel they are trying to sell...

OK, Rant over.

What cool tools is everybody buying themselves as a holiday present?

I want a digital 3/8" torque wrench.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Sounds like all the people who try to sell cars with a description like "blue sedan, runs good." A make, model and year would be nice to know.

 

[Toolhorder]

I get that all the time and the excuse that there is too much to list. Usually these same ppl want 90% of new truck prices too so I never bother them again.

 

[chadster1]

Ok, here is my rant.

Customer: "How much will you give me as a trade in for my toolbox"

Me: "Let's walk inside and go look at it"

Customer: "Oh, its not here. Its at home in my garage"

Me: "Do you at least know what the model number is?"

Customer: "No but have you got a catalog I can show it to you"

Me: "How old is the box?"

Customer: "I don't know"

Me: "So let me get this straight. You have a tool box. Its not here, you dont know what model it is or even how old it is but you want me to quote you a price for it."

Customer has a deer in the headlights look on his face: "Ummm, yeah. Its a Snap-on box. Cant you look it up in your computer?"

Me: "Look what up in my computer? A box without a model number of unknown age."

Customer: "Oh, by the way. My credit is pretty bad."

Me: "Well in that case, I hope you have cash."

The above has been embellished somewhat to make a point.

 

[snapmom]

I think that comes from "toolman gave me $xxxx for my old box".

 

[chadster1]

I think that comes from "toolman gave me $xxxx for my old box".

I just took over part of a route from a dealer that had to get out of the business. I have already had people say to me "Well the last guy would let me pay $10 a week on $500" and my reply to that is "And the last guy went broke doing things like that"

 

[Flash21]

...my reply to that is "And the last guy went broke doing things like that"

 

[autoace]

I just took over part of a route from a dealer that had to get out of the business. I have already had people say to me "Well the last guy would let me pay $10 a week on $500" and my reply to that is "And the last guy went broke doing things like that"

My Cornwell dealer has a 20 bucks for every hundred policy. A 500 dollar balance would be at least 100 the first day, 80 the next week, etc.......and no less than 50 a week, until paid off. I have tech Credit, so he gets paid for my stuff right away, and I pay off TC in chunks.

 

[rhastings80]

I think a lot of the ad's now days on Craigslist are fake. The new thing is post up something that looks like a good deal and they get you to e-mail them to ask a question or show your interest. What they are doing is just phishing for valid e-mail addresses based on your interest. Then in turn these e-mail lists get sold to people/companies that send out spam targeted to your interest - tools. The last 3 or 4 people I e-mailed on Craigslist I never heard back but the items keeps showing up every week or so being re-listed, Very strange. I miss the days when CL wasn't a bunch of scams.

 

[Mickey O]

snap on tools (midway)
Date: 2009-11-23, 5:25PM CST
Reply to: [email protected]


have snap on torque wrench,and misilanues snap on tools. 773-410-***. Link

I've been looking for some "misilanues" Snap On tools for quite a while, they work great on the radiators of '70's VW bugs.

We just had on recently:

Tool box $20

That was it, it lasted a few minutes before it was flagged.

 

[chadster1]

I've been looking for some "misilanues" Snap On tools for quite a while, they work great on the radiators of '70's VW bugs.

They also work good on the spark plugs of the Cummins 5.9.

 

[Danglerb]

I like Truck price was $459, I'll take $420.

What I hate most, emails without a phone number will be ignored.

 

[Mickey O]

I think a lot of the ad's now days on Craigslist are fake. The new thing is post up something that looks like a good deal and they get you to e-mail them to ask a question or show your interest. What they are doing is just phishing for valid e-mail addresses based on your interest. Then in turn these e-mail lists get sold to people/companies that send out spam targeted to your interest - tools. The last 3 or 4 people I e-mailed on Craigslist I never heard back but the items keeps showing up every week or so being re-listed, Very strange. I miss the days when CL wasn't a bunch of scams.

Yep, I contacted a person for an ad, one of those ads that says they won't reply to people that don't include phone numbers. Never heard back but yesterday I received a call from some place 'giving stuff away'. When he started his spiel, I stopped him and said "whatever you're selling I'm not buying", then he says "We're not selling anything we're giving away........" I interrupted him and said don't call this number again, I have your number from the caller ID and you won't like what happens if you do, then I hung up.

I also get tons of money making scams sent to my email when I list things for sale on craig's list. Now when I sell something I put a phone number but I do it with multiple graphics versus text so the "robots" cant get it.

Great place if it weren't for all the spammers and idiots that don't list their items properly, how can someone not know the difference between friction slides and bearing slides?

 

[Zrexxer]

Or those whose ad title states nothing but "For Sale." Pure genius

 

[Mickey O]

Here's one I found amusing:

Vice Craftsman - $20 (Dyer Indiana)
Date: 2009-11-23, 9:15PM CST
Reply to: [email protected] [Errors when replying to ads?]

Craftsman Vice - for mounting on a work-bench - good shape.

Mounting on a work bench, is that right. I found the picture amusing, he probably did more than $20.00 damage clothes washer.

 

[chadster1]

Here's one I found amusing:



Mounting on a work bench, is that right. I found the picture amusing, he probably did more than $20.00 damage clothes washer.

Dang, I was looking for one of those portable vise's.

 

[bry@n]

I heard those protable wise hold the spark plugs of the 6bt really well.

 

[Chris Adams]

In defense of idiots...
Ok not really idiots but having spent a LOT of time reading CL, calling, e-mailing, buying, selling with CL, I can say that on some things, lots of people are ignorant.

I see truly bad adds every day.
I sometimes contact them, as I have made my best deals on those kinds of adds.
Most of the time they just plain do not know how to compose an add.
I mean, no idea. None.
And doing the research, you know, by reading a few hundred other adds, is a completely foreign concept.

Some, heck, many, people do not write well.
Hell, many don't READ well.

Possibly twenty percent of the populous can't string three sentences together to save their lives.

Throw in zero typing ability and you get some really useless adds.


Remember, the guys posting HERE are exceptionally literate. Also quite computer savvy.
Plus tool knowledgeable.

Any poster in this forum could post a very useful, helpful add.

But how many posters do we have?
Not members, not readers, just posters?
A few hundred in each section?
Out of 320 million souls in the US alone?


Even worse, many people who are bright, educated and knowledgeable in other fields know nothing about tools. And couldn't care less.


I was at a friends house. He was a corporate executive (a vice president for IBM) then a business owner, now a management type for Boeing.

A really sharp person, one of the most intelligent people I have ever met.

He was in the process of throwing away some old tools his father had left.
Yup, mostly SnapOn. Many other nice brands.
He was tossing them.
I talked him out of it, got him to let me haul them away. He had been going to give them to Goodwill, but they didn't want to drive over and pick them up, as 'we have lots of tools'.

He doesn't use hand tools. He pays to have his BMW worked on, his wife's Mercedes has never had the hood raised anywhere but at the dealership.

When I suggested he sell the stuff, and told him roughly what they were worth, he suggested that for that little money the trash can was a better place for them.

So if he had written an add it would have read;
Old tools.


So while I completely agree that it's a pain to read these God-awful adds, at least I can understand why they exist.

 

[Merkava_4]

Here's one I found amusing:



Mounting on a work bench, is that right. I found the picture amusing, he probably did more than $20.00 damage clothes washer.

That looks like it used to be a nice washer; couldn't he had've put a piece of cardboard down first?

 

[jamesemery728]

I love the ones trying to sell hundreds, even thousands of dollars worth of things with no pictures. I have gotten so I don't even look at the ad if there is no picture. The best ones are those selling furniture with no picture....

 

[porschedude996TT]

Here's one I found amusing:



Mounting on a work bench, is that right. I found the picture amusing, he probably did more than $20.00 damage clothes washer.

Looks like it takes a special washer to bolt it down...LOL

 

[Displaced Hokie]

You can also tell that you don't really need to know how to type, spell, or write to use a computer. In some cases, it's just sad more than funny.

I also skip anything that doesn't have a photo.

 

[eborcim]

This probably makes people P-cubed, but I throw flags at poorly worded/spelled, no price, misleading, miscategorized, and overposted spammer ads. I know it takes several flags to pull a post but, I wonder if CL uses a flag-bot?

 

[Mickey O]

pannel saw - $50 (Round Lake Beach)
Date: 2009-11-19, 1:56PM CST
Reply to: [email protected] [Errors when replying to ads?]


Black and Decker saw on wheels. Sorry, no camera available for pictures. Please call 847 804 xxxx with any questions.. Link

Where was the camera, lunch date?

Allow me to translate:

The thing is such a piece of **** and if you saw a picture of it you wouldn't respond to my ad.

I've seen several ads that have the 'broken camera' excuse (none of my digital cameras ever broke) and a phone number so I search the number and sometimes find another ad by them with a picture.

On the other hand I did buy some stuff from an ad without any pictures, it was placed by an older man that probably didn't know what a digital camera was much less own one.

 

[Mickey O]

Here's a few broken cameras for a quick search:

desk - $100 (Downers Grove)
Date: 2009-11-21, 12:52PM CST
Reply to: [email protected] [Errors when replying to ads?]


Large L shape desk Sorry no pics Camera broke Call Gordon 630-697-xxxx link

christmas blow molds - $10 (Grant Park)
Date: 2009-11-21, 12:10PM CST
Reply to: [email protected] [Errors when replying to ads?]


43 inch Mr Santa Claus with blue gloves and big bag of presents on his back. Vintage fat toy soldier with blonde hair outside decorations that light up asking 10.00 each Sorry no picture camera is broke.. Location Grant Park 60940... Very good condition. link

1977 Chrysler New Yorker fs/ft - $1200 (Elgin)
Date: 2009-11-20, 3:49PM CST
Reply to: [email protected] [Errors when replying to ads?]


1977 Chrysler runs strong (need radiaitor) will drive anywhere without new one if you dont mind a little steam!

Trade for pick up or station wagon!!!

Good winter car decent interior - rough exterior

Parts car or restore good for either!!!!

Car looks just like the one in the picture my camera is broke so i cant take pictures of the real thing link

Sure it does.

16ft. car trailer - $750 (bourbonnais)
Date: 2009-11-17, 8:29PM CST
Reply to: [email protected] [Errors when replying to ads?]


For sale 16ft. car trailer ,with ramps works great for small cars .Has home made title . MUST SELL LOST STORAGE.... YOU CAN CALL OR EMAIL JEFF 815-295 xxxx SORRY NO PICS CAMERA IS BROKE link

A digital camera repairman could do real well out here.

 

[Diesel-Mech]

They also work good on the spark plugs of the Cummins 5.9.

Bet you did not know that Cummins makes a Natural Gas 5.9 that does have spark plugs.

http://www.everytime.cummins.com/every/applications/cummins_westport/b_gas_westport.page

 

[Mickey O]

Bet you did not know that Cummins makes a Natural Gas 5.9 that does have spark plugs.

http://www.everytime.cummins.com/every/applications/cummins_westport/b_gas_westport.page

Maybe you could tell us the ending to a movie we haven't see yet.

 

[Diesel-Mech]

Maybe you could tell us the ending to a movie we haven't see yet.

I will in a bit, I need to go pick up some piston rings for an RX7 at the parts store first.

 

[MD11]

What gets me is the ebay listings for $25000-$35000 with a KRL series box filed with heavily used and greased up tools stacked 4" deep ontop of each other. No attempt to clean up the box or tools, and no attempt to organize the drawers ...yet they want me to bid $25K ??

 

[Mickey O]

I will in a bit, I need to go pick up some piston rings for an RX7 at the parts store first.

When I was young I worked at a motorcycle shop and the owner collected cool and rare bikes, we had an old Wankel powered motorcycle, I think it was a Suzuki, both rare and cool.

 

[tpolley]

i hate when people put $1 as the price. then they put the price in the title. pain in the a$$ when i search for a max price of $150.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Here's one I found amusing:

Mounting on a work bench, is that right. I found the picture amusing, he probably did more than $20.00 damage clothes washer.

I have that exact same vise. Probably dates to the '50's. The one I have, my dad bought new, sometime between 1948 and 1960, I'm guessing early '50's.

Charles

 

[Charles (in GA)]

I was at a friends house. He was a corporate executive (a vice president for IBM) then a business owner, now a management type for Boeing.

A really sharp person, one of the most intelligent people I have ever met.

He was in the process of throwing away some old tools his father had left.
Yup, mostly SnapOn. Many other nice brands.
He was tossing them.

And he probably battled with one or more siblings to get "everything dad had" because he was "the smart one" and the others "didn't deserve it".

Yes, I'm making assumptions here that I shouldn't, but it happens like that all the time.

Charles

 

[Mickey O]

I have that exact same vise. Probably dates to the '50's. The one I have, my dad bought new, sometime between 1948 and 1960, I'm guessing early '50's.

Charles

The funny thing about that vice is that last weekend I was at an estate sale not to far from my house (in Illinois) and they had the same vice (quite possibly they are both one in the same) for $20, I'm wondering if one of the people from the estate sale company is listing it on craigs list.

Wild house where the estate sale was at, an acre or two, they bred large birds for a local zoo (1rst floor of house was cinder block with a bird section with tons of cages), had stuffed large game on the walls (rhinoceros, gazelle, large cats, etc), a HUGE compressor, an old hopped up Camaro and a pile of old Herbrand tools.

 

[Dust]

A digital camera repairman could do real well out here.

Nah, I'm thinking that camera had better get itself a job so it can afford to take some more pictures.

Lousy freeloading camera.

 

[Chris Adams]

And he probably battled with one or more siblings to get "everything dad had" because he was "the smart one" and the others "didn't deserve it".

Yes, I'm making assumptions here that I shouldn't, but it happens like that all the time.

Charles

Not this time (he's an only child) but yeah, I've seen that like you wouldn't believe. Everyone is so angry at the others that by the time they finish, nobody benefits.

 

[Chris Adams]

Here's a few broken cameras for a quick search:








Sure it does.



A digital camera repairman could do real well out here.

Oddly, no camera and broken camera are often legitimate.

Can't get get the photos to upload is true most the time.

About once a week, sometimes more, I get calls to fix digital cameras, or to help people with their picture uploads.

I have roughly fifty clients left over from the computer business I sold years ago.
So that means perhaps 200-400 people who might call me on that kind of ****.

And frankly, I never personally take any pictures.

My wife is an amateur photographer, and I NEVER touch her cameras.

She doesn't mess with my truck, I don't mess with her Nikons.

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

Here's a good one....not written by an illiterate though he may not be far off...


It's a US General box from HF...all I can say is that box better be loaded with expensive tools


http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/tls/1469321137.html

toolbox and tools 4 sale - $4500 (Atl)

Worked as a motorcycle mechanic and is burn out from indusrty,have my tools and box for sale.This is not junk here mostly evreything is Snap-on and will not be lowballed,the box is not but is worth every dollar asking for it.Also have some specialty tools also.Have everything you need to do from basic to major repair work. i can be reached @ 678 665 3977, also have othr pics of things for sale

 

[Skyline]

Buying on Craigs list is just like cold calling. You get a ton of ****, but there's almost always a reward for those that stick it out annd work hard. When I'm on the lookout to buy tool collections, I seach CL 2-3 times each day on a 5 state radius...probably about a week on average for every collection I take home. And call lots of folks. But I just will not travel more than 20 minutes away to see tools if I can not get detailed pictures emailed first. On the other hand, if I like what I see in a set of pitures, I will tentatively agree on a price and travel several states away to pick up a good collection.

I've actually met some very interesting folks while buying tools. If they are a retired tech they always respect someone who knows exactly what they are getting...even if the collection is going to eBay...not a "good home". I've never paid a visit to someone who was not extremely polite and friendly. Not all the ads were the best, but there are 100 good people out there for every jerk you find.

 

[airdale]

When I was young I worked at a motorcycle shop and the owner collected cool and rare bikes, we had an old Wankel powered motorcycle, I think it was a Suzuki, both rare and cool.

And a spaceship too (or something): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikorsky_Cypher