2022 Garage Sale Thread

[Old Radar]

You look like the perfect buyer to ask.. I’ve asked before and no one answered seriously. I understand the joy of buying quality USA made tools.
However; what happens with all this stuff after you buy it? Are you making “sets” of “everything “? Selling “everything” on eBay? How do you recover your investment?
Thanks
James

Hi James!

Since I'm the only one who replied to your original query, let me apologize for not answering with the seriousness you were expecting. In my defense, I will say that sarcasm is only one of my qualities. Another is fastidiousness, that some would call **** retentiveness, but it's not OCD!! Since you seem to hunger for that kind of detail, here goes--but be advised, any answer, like the ones you have received above, is personal and may not completely satisfy.

First, let me thank 3bay, barracuda and RTM for their revelations and say they've hit on the major themes of why we do what we do--the hunt (which I alluded to in my original response), entertainment (hobby), use and hoarding. You say you understand the joy of buying quality USA made tools, so let's talk cost vs. return which is where I think your interest lies.

Let me say without any qualitative data to back me up, I would be very surprised to find more than one or two folks on this thread who do this as a money making endeavor. By and large, the group on this thread leans toward vintage tools and the time it takes to find and acquire the tools in that that niche market, not to mention the time needed to advertise, sell and ship them in quantities that would be deemed "profitable," would hardly leave any time left over to post and crow about them, share glowing comments on others' finds, or to answer questions from fellow thread members.

Given that, there is still a case to be made about indulging in tool buying (for whatever your personal reason may be) and not squandering your children's inheritance. Others may have similar cases, but this one is mine:

Although not a tradesman, I've always know which end of the screw driver to use. I've always done carpentry projects. I can do minor mechanical repair, but honestly, I look up to shade-tree mechanics. After retiring the second time, I found myself drawn to estate sales featuring old tools. Initially, I was into old Disston saws but soon reached my capacity there and swung over to precision and mechanic's tools. I had two criteria--the tool had to draw me in and it had to be cheap. Having an immediate use for it didn't enter the equation.

Okay, this is taking too long--ultimately I started selling a few things--mostly on eBay but some on CL. This is where the fastidiousness comes in. I wanted to know if I was at least breaking even so I began to keep records of purchases and sales. Although I never "search" for resale items, I do keep an eye open for them as long as they are cheap and desirable to others. In the first year and a half, I made 70 sales and about 120 purchases. In that period I was $40 ahead but I had acquired over 1000 tools that were essentially free. Last year with only 45 sales, I was $200 ahead with nearly 1500 "free" tools. I will admit, those "profits" would go straight to red if I factored in gasoline usage...so much for fastidiousness.

So there it is. I enjoy the **** out of the hunt for tools I both use and hoard. As an integral part of the hunt, I also keep a memo on my phone of tools I need to complete sets.

I hope this helps you along on your quest for answers. Remember, it's personal and everyone will have a slightly different answer. The most important person you should seek answers from is yourself. What would you do with this stuff after you buy it? Would you make “sets” of “everything“? Would you sell “everything” on eBay? Would it matter to you to recover your investment? How much does any of that impact your joy of buying quality USA made tools?

 

[LesserSon]

I agree with most of what others responded.
I’m a hoarder. I’m not ashamed of it. I relate to physical things in a way that is not satisfied by purely mental knowledge.
I’m not a mechanic, but I’m handy. I like learning what a tool is used for, trying it out, seeing what makes one better than another.
I minored in business in college. I rarely hear anyone use the word “profit” correctly, and it doesn’t really matter, because profit is not what keeps business (for that matter, “the economy”) afloat.
I note that few factor their expenses, overhead, and personal time when they talk “profit.” What they mean is markup.
Factoring transportation, storage, shipping/handling, taxes and fees…for the vast majority of people, the used items market is just entertainment, and should not be considered a significant source of income. It doesn’t matter HOW MUCH cash you pocket -your actual costs (not just what you paid) are going to bring you back close to zero.
If you do house cleanouts and flip everything without fixing, cleaning, transporting it more than once, and have available cheap/free both a venue for selling and one for promptly dumping what doesn’t sell, you can make money.
For the rest of us, it’s a hobby. By their nature, hobbies flatter our egos: “I’m good at this.” “I have taste.” “I’m thrifty.” “I can pick a winner.” etc.

 

[LesserSon]

There’s a seller I see at the flea markets around me. She buys books by lot at auctions, sells them indiscriminantly at $1/ea for a few hours then gives them away free the last hour. She packs the remains in her trunk and recycles them as scrap paper. Done.
I believe she does (or could) profit. Just once&done price, transportation, table fee, and her own time. She is not investing one moment on appraisal, not a cent on storage. No affection, no mission to “rescue” anything from the maw of time. The buyers select what has value to them, and the rest becomes pulp.
It’s business - just business.

 

[bmwrd0]

I would throw the question back at Giwizjames (I was an account manager at one time, and this is an old technique in business) and ask, "how much do you spend on entertainment, and what do you get back from it?"

Because, for a number of us, what I would call the ******** set, this is our entertainment. We enjoy both finding bargains, and we enjoy owning and using good tools, among other collectibles. And if you look closely, you will find more than tools in this thread. Furniture and books (my two other subjects) along with toys, knives, kitchen goods, fine art, you name it, it has probably shown up in one of the garage sale threads from almost a dozen years.

Now, I do both, look to add to my collection, and look for things to sell. Why? It keeps my hobby costs neutral (and helps with my credit card bills) which in turn makes me feel better about being retired young. Which is to say, keeps the boredom down.

Right now, I am in a slowdown period, as I go through my collection/hoardings and see what I really want and need, and what can be "purged" so to speak. But, in time, I will be right back at it, no doubt. You see, I am not a first-generation yard sailer. My father was one, and his father before that (though that might be more a factor of the Depression.)

It is in the blood.

 

[3baygarage]

There’s a seller I see at the flea markets around me. She buys books by lot at auctions, sells them indiscriminantly at $1/ea for a few hours then gives them away free the last hour. She packs the remains in her trunk and recycles them as scrap paper. Done.
I believe she does (or could) profit. Just once&done price, transportation, table fee, and her own time. She is not investing one moment on appraisal, not a cent on storage. No affection, no mission to “rescue” anything from the maw of time. The buyers select what has value to them, and the rest becomes pulp.
It’s business - just business.

You have to start boxing up those leftover books and sending them to your fellow members.
Seriously though, that's how a lot of the storage flippers operate at the flea. Practically give it away near the end of the day, and then give it away at the end. That or find a fellow dealer to buy them out if it's decent stuff.

 

[3baygarage]

You guys have reminded me of when I was 17 or 18, and kept a list in my wallet of Craftsman sockets I needed for my personal tool box.
I had a flea vendor get irritated with me because I wouldn't buy his 1/4" 8mm. He didn't understand I didn't just need an 8mm, I NEEDED the 8mm in 3/8". Yes those were simpler times.

 

[bmwrd0]

LesserSon said "I note that few factor their expenses, overhead, and personal time when they talk “profit.” What they mean is markup."

It's called the rule of threes. It was an old technique I learned in my used book days. If you are looking to make a profit, you have to buy knowing you can sell it for 3 times what you paid for it. The first third goes for the initial cost. The second goes for rent. The third is for you. Now, rent refers to any expenses that occurred between buying and selling.

If you keep that formula in mind, you will generally do all right.

 

[LesserSon]

I agree with that, too, BMer.
There’s a plank-bottom rocking chair in my family. My grandfather went past it where it sat under a downspout, every day on his way to work. Eventually, he algerined it, repaired it, refinished it, put it back to its original use.
In some families, that story would be disgraceful; everything must be bought new, thrown out when it breaks or gets dirty, replaced with new again.
Even viewed from a cold-hearted business POV, there’s no way his time and materials restoring the rocker were ever recovered. He just grew to love it, and could not bear to see it rot under the downspout.

 

[BlueBomber]

You look like the perfect buyer to ask.. I’ve asked before and no one answered seriously. I understand the joy of buying quality USA made tools.
However; what happens with all this stuff after you buy it? Are you making “sets” of “everything “? Selling “everything” on eBay? How do you recover your investment?
Thanks
James

So here's my take: when I started in on this garage sale/estate sale hobby, it was all about getting a great deal on tools that I wanted for a steal of a price. My goal early on at any given sale was to find the tools I wanted to keep and then combine them with the tools I knew I could sell so as to come out even or slightly ahead, money wise. And I did quite well at this and like others, kept a spreadsheet of outlays and income, and regularly stayed in the black for many years. However, as I started to fill up my garage space with acquisitions, I also started to delay the listing of items for sale and thus accumulated a bow wave of flipping fodder that I've never gotten around to selling. I've really slowed down on going out to sales in the last two years or so. COVID restrictions certainly helped wean me down.

Now, to your questions about filling sets: yes, I do have a few collections that I am seeking to acquire specific items to finish off a set for my own amusement. I've zero'd in on double box end wrenches, and specifically domestic manufacturers of U.S. SAE sizes. I have over 700 wrenches (last time I counted) and have no plans to sell them off (well, maybe some of the duplicates...see above re: my success in getting them listed).

Like others, I have really enjoyed the thrill of the hunt. For me, there's nothing better than going into an old barn or dim basement, and finding cool and valuable stuff that the family doesn't care enough about to even look at, and buying it at a bargain price. To paraphrase others, somewhere in the afterworld there's a group of old dead guys who are both thrilled that someone else values their junk and pissed that their relatives sold their treasures for so little.

 

[gearhead1960]

I guess I have to chime in also....our (SWMBO and myself) habit started when early in our child rearing days (over 20 years ago) she started going to thrift stores to look for reasonable used furniture (a dresser) to outfit one our kid's room. New, quality furniture was well out of our budget. She found one, but while looking at the local Salvation Army came across a group of women pawing through estate jewelry, that was SHINY! She elbowed her way in and found a fair amount of gold/silver and even a diamond encrusted broach. This then lead to going to her first Estate Sale, where we bought some jewelry for under $100 and promptly flipped it on fleabay for $1,000. The start of our Estate Sale Odyssey. Like @BlueBomber our we have slowed down more recently, but do go to the occasional sale when it's close or being done by one our favorite ES companies. Lately, the flipping has been about cleaning **** out that we should have donated or sold years ago, or the kids (adult now) **** they don't want anymore. They don't get the proceeds..... Just my 2 cents..... Oh and have we made money over the years? I started to keep track and found that if we broke even, we had funded our hobby, and that was just fine with me.....

 

[Gwizjames]

Great response guys. I’ve learned some interesting tidbits about you. I love a good deal; love digging for treasure. Also don’t mind paying for the good stuff. I try to limit my hoarding tendencies, and don’t have a good outlet to sell.

Son of a hoarder, country boy, business degree, short term CPA, 21 year union carpenter, 7 year superintendent, play farmer.
James

 

[ChiefBeef]

I've only been here a short time, but I'd like to chime in with the rest and say that it's more about the hunt than anything else. My beautiful beloved is the same way with old-school Pyrex and '70s decor.

 

[four.cycle]

Investment?
Are you kidding?
If I was going to "invest" in something, it would be stocks, or bonds, or mutual funds. Used tools are not an "investment", any more than collecting "Beanie Babies" is an investment.
It's "collecting", or (more accurately in some cases) "hoarding". Having stuff simply for the sake of having.
Acquiring stuff simply for the sake of acquiring.
With the people you see on television on "Hoarders", most of them aren't really fully aware of what they're doing.
In the case of most of the gentlemen here, they know full well what they're doing, and why, and they make no apologies for it (nor should they.)

There is no "investment" when it comes to vintage tools. Certainly there may be some items that may fetch premium prices, but it's not a hobby one would want to get into if the objective were to make a profit, because the bottom line is: it ain't there, baby.

 

[PacificaVette]

Did you pick that up on Hiawatha? IF so, we were walking in as you were walking down the hill. See my post uphill

Yes, I bought that from the seller on Hiawatha. I'd bought a small lead furnace from him several months ago, and he just got around to finding some of the things that go with it.

I picked up the Herbrand ratchet that you bought later, and was about to put in in the pile with my other purchases, but then thought, "I really don't have any room in the box for another 1/2" ratchet". Of course that never prevented me from buying anything before, but I guess 7 1/2" ratchets are enough for most.

 

[RTM]

I picked up the Herbrand ratchet that you bought later, and was about to put in in the pile with my other purchases, but then thought, "I really don't have any room in the box for another 1/2" ratchet". Of course that never prevented me from buying anything before, but I guess 7 1/2" ratchets are enough for most.

I thought it was cool enough to potentially trade away to someone rabid about Herbrand. Nifty selector.

Wasn't that cabinet at Hiawatha cool as heck?

 

[PacificaVette]

I thought it was cool enough to potentially trade away to someone rabid about Herbrand. Nifty selector.

Wasn't that cabinet at Hiawatha cool as heck?

Yeah, that file cabinet was really interesting. He was asking $900, which may be hard to get, as that sort of furniture only appeal to a select few buyers. It was too nice to keep in the garage, but of no use in the house.

 

[wrenchguy]

You look like the perfect buyer to ask.. I’ve asked before and no one answered seriously. I understand the joy of buying quality USA made tools.
However; what happens with all this stuff after you buy it? Are you making “sets” of “everything “? Selling “everything” on eBay? How do you recover your investment?
Thanks
James

I do it because I like old stuff that makes me happy whether I fix it or just have it. I don't care what happens when I pass.

 

[Old Radar]

I don't care what happens when I pass.

With your last ounce of strength, can you drop it all off at my brother's place in Lafayette? I'll get it from him next time I'm up there.

 

[mikeinri]

I'm the oddball here.

I hate garage / yard sales, flea markets, etc. I don't know it's because I dislike strangers (I'm no hermit, but do get a bit claustrophobic, but throw all of that out the window for a good concert). I disliked being dragged to flea markets as a kid, so it probably stems from that (utter boredom, and never found anything but junk).

Anyway, I do love free stuff, and have acquired enough large items (compressor, mill, workbenches, cabinets: most of that from cleanouts at work) that I really need to slow down and clean out the garage, shed and basement before bringing anything else home.

When I had to clean out my parents / grandparents basement a few years back, I found some pretty old stuff that grabbed my interest and brought me here to help answer some questions (such as "Is this worth keeping / fixing?")

The rest is entertainment. I love seeing what these guys find!

Mike

 

[Davefr]

Because, for a number of us, what I would call the ******** set, this is our entertainment.

It is in the blood.

^+1!!

When I was a toddler I'd go up and down the alley digging in neighbor's garbage cans looking for junk to bring home and take apart. (broken toaster, mixer, record player, etc).

Many decades later, it's still in my DNA to look for old interesting/weird things, fix/restore things, make things and take things apart.

G-sales are the venue to do that and a huge part of it is entertainment (not profit). "The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat". It's also a whole lot cheaper than golfing, attending sports games, gambling at a Casino, etc, etc. To each his own.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

You can tell it's a slow mid-week and a popular subject (few topics on any forum or around any 'water cooler' generate more interest than any type of person's raison d'etre) that we're still going on the Why of Picking.

what happens with all this stuff after you buy it?

The keepers go on display in The Lugzsonian.

Are you making “sets” of “everything “?

If I find a partial set that's a keeper, yes, I will try to complete it as time goes on. Either through trades with fellow GJers or hoping to find the missing pieces myself. I prefer shopping "in the wild" - which refers to vintage tools that are taken out of an old garage or basement for the first time, that have not yet hit a vintage collectibles tool marketplace (e.g., eBay, FB, etc), and my wilderness is exclusively flea markets. But I have bought things from eBay and CL etc if it's something very unlikely to be found in the wild or I've been looking for it for a long time and one pops up and someone tips me off to it.

If it's not a keeper partial set I may try for awhile, but I generally don't put that much effort into completing them. I will pass that on to the next guy.

Selling “everything” on eBay?

How do you recover your investment?

Like others, I sell non-keepers on eBay, periodically, a couple times a year, usually by brand. Last year, for example, I sold off a bunch of Plomb and Craftsman. The year before that some SK. Like others, it's my spending money. I started a separate bank account for this hobby several years ago. I draw cash from it. And my eBay sales are connected to it. I've always been in the black. Except for gas - and only one of my three flea markets is truly out of my way for one of my workplaces, I am spending other people's money.

I do plan to pack up about half of my collection some day and sell as much of it as I can at a big outdoor car show and swap meet type event here on the East Coast. Probably Hershey. I hope to come home with a big fat wad of cash. And I will consider that to be in the profit margin. What I am doing is profitable. Or at least I'm not going broke. And I pay attention to value. (More on that on page 23 and post #905 in the thread I linked above.) But I'm not collecting to flip. I'm flipping to collect.

 

[LesserSon]

does that laminated ratchet have a spring in the middle? I assume just a length of spring steel for tension.
…no spring to hold the direction lever in position. Any clues so I can fab a new one would be appreciated.

I have one with the spring and one missing it. The spring comes out easily with a push with a screwdriver.
Getting it back in is frustrating, and I think, not worth the effort. (Except as entertainment, as we’ve been suggesting.) I finally made a little jig with a cedar shim in a vise to prevent the spring from passing fully through. After I did, it was still deformed enough (multiple curves), that the ratchet does not operate smoothly like it did. Maybe more tinkering will help, but I’m done with it today.

 

[bmwrd0]

"Flipping to collect"

That is a good way to put it. My father was a gun collector, and every weekend he would be out at the garage sales, looking for guns he could flip to pay for his collection: English Rook Rifles. All sorts of things came through his hands, and they would leave just as quickly.

 

[ChiefBeef]

"Flipping to collect"

That is a good way to put it. My father was a gun collector, and every weekend he would be out at the garage sales, looking for guns he could flip to pay for his collection: English Rook Rifles. All sorts of things came through his hands, and they would leave just as quickly.

I could never. I feel like I can't give them up on account of the spirit each one has

 

[WNYflyer]

Some really nice finds there gentlemen.

Don- I like those Ford script cans. That one sure is purdy.


My little Williams treasure, a B-52W.
It was at the bottom of a tray of doe‘s and dbe’s. I about passed it over thinking “just another pin spanner”, then I paused like ...”No way!”.

I may have heard the Snap! song playing in my head at that moment

Wow great score 3Bay. Thanks for the post so now I can be on the lookout for those specific pin spanner wrenches. After seeing that wrench I am kicking myself because you got me wondering if one of those was in the tool box where I got the B-52 repair kits........Thanks !!

 

[jeffmoss26]

another small ReStore haul - I think the cushion grip screwdriver and diagonals are both Klein

 

[Private Lugnutz]

After seeing that wrench I am kicking myself because you got me wondering if one of those was in the tool box where I got the B-52 repair kits

I must've missed those, but yes, one special pin spanner came in each repair kit.

Just as an FYI, they were machined at the factory from a standard No. 420 pin spanner. The pins on the No. 420 were 7/32" diam. located 1-1/4" apart, and to make the B-52W (wrench), they just ground and filed the pins into rectangular shapes to fit the rectangular slots (four of them) on the retaining ring around the head of the postwar B-52 ratchet. You may make one yourself from a No. 420, and it doesn't need to be a Williams. Just sayin'. Obviously having the pin spanner they made with the "B-52W" stamped in it is cooler.

 

[misterbill]

I must've missed those, but yes, one special pin spanner came in each repair kit.

Just as an FYI, they were machined at the factory from a standard No. 420 pin spanner. The pins on the No. 420 were 7/32" diam. located 1-1/4" apart, and to make the B-52W (wrench), they just ground and filed the pins into rectangular shapes to fit the rectangular slots (four of them) on the retaining ring around the head of the postwar B-52 ratchet. You may make one yourself from a No. 420, and it doesn't need to be a Williams. Just sayin'. Obviously having the pin spanner they made with the "B-52W" stamped in it is cooler.

The B-52W (for 3/8") was machined from a 418 and the S-52W (for 1/2") was machined from a 420. See https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/j-h-williams-vintage-hand-tools.274782/post-9390742

 

[Private Lugnutz]

The B-52W (for 3/8") was machined from a 418 and the S-52W (for 1/2") was machined from a 420.

Thanks for the quick correction, Bill!

 

[3jakes]

Here are 3 cool to me items that came from a TOO that I passed between scheduled stops.
A very junky looking house in a nice neighborhood had the normal clothes on a table, open garage with a few rusty shovels etc sitting in the driveway for sale.
I asked if there were any other tools for sale.........
Lady says, "yes in the shed back there, but I don't have time to dig that stuff out"

Would it be ok If I took a look?
It was a hell hole of rat infested milk crates of glass jars, moldy cardboard boxes of board games, buckets of...? dirt? scrap metal, & on the bottom layer...... rusty tool boxes.
After an hour, I laid out a pile of mostly usable flipable at flea stuff & she was happy with my offer.
(sorry no, I won't take the rest for free if I take it all)
These 3 items were interesting to me:
The Blue-Point ignition set in a leather rollup. (was disguised as a mud ball & I almost tossed it)
A West Germany pliers with notched grip. (no other mfg. markings)
And an anvil that I would love someone to explain how it was used. (I am ignorant on blacksmithing)
Weighs just under 30lbs.

 

[WNYflyer]

I must've missed those, but yes, one special pin spanner came in each repair kit.

Just as an FYI, they were machined at the factory from a standard No. 420 pin spanner. The pins on the No. 420 were 7/32" diam. located 1-1/4" apart, and to make the B-52W (wrench), they just ground and filed the pins into rectangular shapes to fit the rectangular slots (four of them) on the retaining ring around the head of the postwar B-52 ratchet. You may make one yourself from a No. 420, and it doesn't need to be a Williams. Just sayin'. Obviously having the pin spanner they made with the "B-52W" stamped in it is cooler.

Private Lugnutz,
Thanks for the FYI !

 

[Private Lugnutz]

You saw @misterbill's correction, though, right? I had my B (Bantam) and S (Standard) drive models mixed up. If you want to make your own ratchet repair wrench, you'll want to find No. 418 pin spanners and file those pins down to fit the slots in the head of the B-52. The No. 420 would be for the S-52. My bad.

 

[JMLangford]

My Wednesday flea find....


Slow day.....all I found was a Craftsman 9-47390 cable hose clamp pliers for a dollar....
It's missing the spring in the center of the pliers but still functions o.k.






.

 

[uncwstudent]

My Wednesday flea find....


Slow day.....all I found was a Craftsman 9-47390 cable hose clamp pliers for a dollar....
It's missing the spring in the center of the pliers but still functions o.k.






.

These are the best. Ive had mine for years and never had a problem with it. A lifesaver when you need it!

 

[WNYflyer]

The B-52W (for 3/8") was machined from a 418 and the S-52W (for 1/2") was machined from a 420. See https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/j-h-williams-vintage-hand-tools.274782/post-9390742

You saw @misterbill's correction, though, right? I had my B (Bantam) and S (Standard) drive models mixed up. If you want to make your own ratchet repair wrench, you'll want to find No. 418 pin spanners and file those pins down to fit the slots in the head of the B-52. The No. 420 would be for the S-52. My bad.

Yep saw it. Thanks for the great info & clarifications misterbill & Private Lugnutz

 

[mikeinri]

Cable hose clamp pliers????

Never knew those existed. Can't recall ever not being able to use pliers or vice grips (worst case, channel lock pliers) to handle those clamps.

But I'll bet they're handy in tight quarters.

Mike

 

[mikeinri]

@3jakes Nice find on the Blue Point set. Sounds like persistence through hazardous duty conditions paid off!

Mike

 

[RTM]

A West Germany pliers with notched grip. (no other mfg. markings)
.

Those are Oxwall pliers. I threw a pair away a few months back when I could not give them away.

Nothing on the anvil yet, that patent is not in DATAMP that I can easily decipher.

 

[LesserSon]

HERE is that anvil/vise/drill patent. You’re missing some parts.

 

[Old Man Roger]

Well that explains it.