I visited a lady today who is selling her husband's enormous collection of tools and related stuff. He suffered a stroke several years ago, and while his brain is good, he's bedridden.
She's got literally hundreds of used tools in her basement, an outbuilding and a shed, plus a weird collection of auto parts, including about five identical muffler-and-tailpipe sets for a VW. The lighting is just terrible, and tools are stacked in piles, on counters, shelves, floors, etc.
Some are nice, some are junk, some might be vintage collectibles. Some work, some might work with some TLC, some are rusty, some are scrap metal. We're talking wrenches, sockets, hammers, saws, misc hand tools, hydraulic jacks and jack stands, breaker bars, miscellaneous auto specialty tools. There are lots of duplicates -- I saw at least three rolling hydraulic auto jacks, for example, but unclear if any of them work. Then there's garden equipment -- wire trimmers, blowers, shovels, etc. And there's air tools, tool carts w/ drawers, toolboxes, cabinets, etc. Words fall short trying to describe it.
It would take many hours to sort and evaluate this stuff. If she tries to sell it piece by piece on craigslist, it would take months or years. My thought was that after the stuff is all sorted, she could auction ALL of it (as a package) on eBay (local buyers only), or schedule a local viewing day (appointments from buyers required) followed by submission of written offers by a deadline. (One problem w/ using craigslist is that once people know your address, and that you've got tons of tools, you're inviting burglars. She also has a safe for sale, and I told her to make sure that if she posts a photo, she shows the safe OPEN, with nothing inside.)
I don't think a yard sale is a good idea, because it would attract a zillion shoppers, and very hard to keep merchandise from walking away. You'd need a bunch of people to keep an eye on things, answer questions, field offers, make change, etc. Plus, you'd still have to sort and price it. You'd also need many tables, shelves, etc. ... and what happens when it rains?
Anyway, I've sort of offered my assistance to help her sell it. My problem is that I have no idea how much $$ to charge her. I'm a very experienced shade-tree mechanic and know a lot about tools (and buying and selling used stuff), so I know I can do a good job. Frankly, I'm not doing this to be a nice guy -- I'd like to earn some money.
My thought would be to ask for a percentage of everything that's sold directly through my marketing efforts, whether craigslist, ebay or in person. But what percentage? Anyone have other ideas for sales techniques or compensation?
Thanks in advance for any help.
She's got literally hundreds of used tools in her basement, an outbuilding and a shed, plus a weird collection of auto parts, including about five identical muffler-and-tailpipe sets for a VW. The lighting is just terrible, and tools are stacked in piles, on counters, shelves, floors, etc.
Some are nice, some are junk, some might be vintage collectibles. Some work, some might work with some TLC, some are rusty, some are scrap metal. We're talking wrenches, sockets, hammers, saws, misc hand tools, hydraulic jacks and jack stands, breaker bars, miscellaneous auto specialty tools. There are lots of duplicates -- I saw at least three rolling hydraulic auto jacks, for example, but unclear if any of them work. Then there's garden equipment -- wire trimmers, blowers, shovels, etc. And there's air tools, tool carts w/ drawers, toolboxes, cabinets, etc. Words fall short trying to describe it.
It would take many hours to sort and evaluate this stuff. If she tries to sell it piece by piece on craigslist, it would take months or years. My thought was that after the stuff is all sorted, she could auction ALL of it (as a package) on eBay (local buyers only), or schedule a local viewing day (appointments from buyers required) followed by submission of written offers by a deadline. (One problem w/ using craigslist is that once people know your address, and that you've got tons of tools, you're inviting burglars. She also has a safe for sale, and I told her to make sure that if she posts a photo, she shows the safe OPEN, with nothing inside.)
I don't think a yard sale is a good idea, because it would attract a zillion shoppers, and very hard to keep merchandise from walking away. You'd need a bunch of people to keep an eye on things, answer questions, field offers, make change, etc. Plus, you'd still have to sort and price it. You'd also need many tables, shelves, etc. ... and what happens when it rains?
Anyway, I've sort of offered my assistance to help her sell it. My problem is that I have no idea how much $$ to charge her. I'm a very experienced shade-tree mechanic and know a lot about tools (and buying and selling used stuff), so I know I can do a good job. Frankly, I'm not doing this to be a nice guy -- I'd like to earn some money.
My thought would be to ask for a percentage of everything that's sold directly through my marketing efforts, whether craigslist, ebay or in person. But what percentage? Anyone have other ideas for sales techniques or compensation?
Thanks in advance for any help.
