Selling a Quality Item on CL

twertsy · Jul 23, 2019

Looking for some experienced advice. As many of you know, I collect older tools. In keeping with that activity, I like the boxes in my shop to be vintage as well.

I picked up this box because it was cheap, and it has served me well. However, I have multiple stacks from the 1930's-1960's that I'd rather have in it's spot to keep the vintage theme of my shop. I've been trying to sell it on CL for over a year. I think $2500 is a smoking deal for a triple bank KRL box but I rarely get any response, apart from the typical scammers. Hell, I even offer owner financing with a dealer reference!

What's the deal? Am I asking too much? Is it not a good box? Frankly, I'm stumped. I don't "need" to sell it but I'd like that space. Any wise advice?

Todd

driftpin · Jul 23, 2019

Try facebook

Aquamoose · Jul 23, 2019

It’s like trying to sell lemonade to eskimos. Gotta find the right market and it ain’t easy for 3 reasons, they aren’t looking, it would have to be local to avoid shipping, and not everyone is a collector.

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MushCreek · Jul 23, 2019

I've been (trying to) sell a bunch of stuff on CL and FB lately. The only stuff that's selling is the junk I was considering throwing away. Anything worthwhile doesn't seem to draw any interest, even at very low prices. I guess I'll try my luck on ebay for the stuff that's light enough to ship. I don't get it. 'Widgets' are running $300-400 on CL, yet I put one up for $200 for a quick sale, and don't even get any hits other than scammers. Maybe I'm pricing my stuff too cheap?

zendriver · Jul 23, 2019

Would you have paid $2500 for it? Just curious.

Most shoppers on Facebook and craigslist are looking for bargains - meaning something for nothing

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Handyandy23 · Jul 23, 2019

driftpin said:
Try facebook

I second this, I've had some stuff (including a car) lately that I couldn't sell on CL. My wife said "put it on Facebook Marketplace" and everything sold right away. Seems like that's the new place more people are looking.

It also might help to 'showcase' it better in pictures. Clean the thousand tools off the top, wipe it down, maybe even put a coat of wax on it, take some nice glossy pictures under good lighting. I'm pretty picky, and if I see pictures that don't look like that person is really taking care of the item (especially something expensive like a SO box) I might avoid it.

twertsy · Jul 23, 2019

zendriver said:
Would you have paid $2500 for it? Just curious.

Most shoppers on Facebook and craigslist are looking for bargains - meaning something for nothing

Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

Thanks all. Guess I'll have to remember my FB password.......

As for the "would I pay $2500 question; It lists for $12k. If I was a tech and needed a large box, hell yeah I'd pay that. For that matter, I'm not a tech and I paid that.

Aquamoose said:
It’s like trying to sell lemonade to eskimos. Gotta find the right market and it ain’t easy for 3 reasons, they aren’t looking, it would have to be local to avoid shipping, and not everyone is a collector.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What does this box have to do with being a collector?

3jakes · Jul 23, 2019

Is your shop floor space worth $1000.?
Because the box would sell at $1500.
There are a ****-ton of used boxes for sale & it doesn't matter what the list price of a new box is.

twertsy · Jul 23, 2019

3jakes said:
Is your shop floor space worth $1000.?
Because the box would sell at $1500.
There are a ****-ton of used boxes for sale & it doesn't matter what the list price of a new box is.

Agreed. At the point that floor space is worth $1000 or $1500, I might drop it to that. But again, I don't need to sell it, just trying to get back what I paid.

Stooge · Jul 23, 2019

Something else to consider, although 2k-2500 is a good price based on the msrp, a lot of boxes get sold new through snap on because the buyer can finance it and make payments on it where as they would have to come up with the spare cash to buy one on craigslist, even though they would be saving money on it. I think at $1500 it would sell, not based on much to do with the box itself, but $1500 seems like an easier amount for the average someone perusing craiglist for used tool boxes to both come up with the spare cash, and also justify it. where as $2500, is not really a big amount of money, it just sounds like a lot more money for a used box on craigslist, harder to put the cash together, etc. if im wording this right.

twertsy · Jul 23, 2019

Stooge said:
Something else to consider, although 2k-2500 is a good price based on the msrp, a lot of boxes get sold new through snap on because the buyer can finance it and make payments on it where as they would have to come up with the spare cash to buy one on craigslist, even though they would be saving money on it. I think at $1500 it would sell, not based on much to do with the box itself, but $1500 seems like an easier amount for the average someone perusing craiglist for used tool boxes to both come up with the spare cash, and also justify it. where as $2500, is not really a big amount of money, it just sounds like a lot more money for a used box on craigslist, harder to put the cash together, etc. if im wording this right.

I agree with this as well. But I did offer to finance it with a dealer reference.

BarryWells · Jul 23, 2019

It is a good deal. Put it on ebay and someone will spend a day driving to pick it up.
Up the price a little and tell a Snap-On dealer ya wanna sell it.He can send his client-victim over and pick up his commission from you later ($500 or so without even touching the thing)
Craigslist was only good for one thing and they shut it down.

vavet · Jul 23, 2019

I think you’re 10 years too late. I was shopping for a nice box like that in 2007. I finally bought a new Matco double bay with my student discount. The problem was that I couldn’t find any professional grade boxes within 500 miles for less than essentially new price.

I think the quality for the HF boxes has become to be better known and the boxes on display in the big box stores are pretty nice. I don’t know much about their quality, but they offer a lot of space and some cool features for less money than you’re asking for that box.

Two Door · Jul 23, 2019

BarryWells said:
It is a good deal. Put it on ebay and someone will spend a day driving to pick it up.
Up the price a little and tell a Snap-On dealer ya wanna sell it.He can send his client-victim over and pick up his commission from you later ($500 or so without even touching the thing)
Craigslist was only good for one thing and they shut it down.

This. I know someone who drove halfway across the country for a box, because it was just the box he wanted, the deal justified it, and he wanted to get out of the house for a bit anyway.

You never know what abilities to pick things up exist out there. I've had people from out of state buy large items for delivery in ways I never would have anticipated. One person was in the freight industry and got discounts. Another was an airline pilot that could get here cheaply, and who had a side business where he could justify renting a van because he could use it for business reasons on the way home.

Davefr · Jul 23, 2019

The market is extremely thin for those large SO boxes for the DIY/Homeowner (ie most of CL).

Pros will likely buy from the dealer (even used) so they can finance.

That leaves you with little demand. Just gradually reduce the price $100/wk until it's sold if you really want it gone. You might also want to try "free local delivery". Moving these things is a PIA.

List on CL, FB, Ebay, etc to reach out to more prospective buyers. You'll get a lot more exposure from Ebay.

Parrothead · Jul 23, 2019

vavet said:
I think you’re 10 years too late. I was shopping for a nice box like that in 2007. I finally bought a new Matco double bay with my student discount. The problem was that I couldn’t find any professional grade boxes within 500 miles for less than essentially new price.

I think the quality for the HF boxes has become to be better known and the boxes on display in the big box stores are pretty nice. I don’t know much about their quality, but they offer a lot of space and some cool features for less money than you’re asking for that box.

I don’t know if he’s ten years too late, but he’s behind and fishing in a smaller pond. The “Waterloo tariff” didn’t have the results they anticipated.

Is the Snap On a good box? Sure! But even with offering financing with a tool truck referral, it’s not the same as payments to a truck, or putting it on a credit card. Are you going to show up at their work to get your payment? Convenience matters.

And the Waterloo Tariff actually caused new problems instead of solving the old ones.

“The scope of the investigation and determination excludes certain product categories, such as “service carts,” and “industrial” tool boxes that are either over 60″ in width or having each of the following characteristics:

A body made of steel that is 0.047″ or more in thickness
Body depth exceeding 21″
Unit weight that exceeds pre-determined weight to width ratios

”

So what did importers do? They started making deeper boxes. Those HF boxes didn’t magically increase to 22” by accident. Problem is, with the additional depth, it put them squarely in line with the tool truck boxes. For under $1,200 you can get a brand new US General 72” box in red, green, blue, yellow, orange, and black. You put it on your credit card, load it in a truck and drive it home or to the shop. The 56” is even cheaper at $650 and still has the 22” deep drawers.

Are the HF boxes as nice as the Snap On? No, they’re not. But what they are is cheaper and easier. That’s the reality, and that’s your competition.

rlitman · Jul 23, 2019

Davefr said:
...Moving these things is a PIA...

Not really. Just call a flat bed tow truck and pay by the mile. I wonder if you could use your AAA 100 mile towing ...

DFB · Jul 23, 2019

I hate Craig List for the scammers and BS offers alone.

Seems like you need a wider audience, and those with money you should maybe advertise like at Classic Car/motorcycle shows maybe.

Seems them are the guys with money

Sounds like a museum quality piece

I'm on a few closed group FB mechanic forums you could maybe something like that too the guys always seem a lot younger and though Snap On boxes are prevalent they are usually the newer ones and course the talk a lot is HF boxes like its been mentioned :dunno:

Guess not interested in auction site like EBAY?

23ford · Jul 23, 2019

Price too high ! Seems you have an emotional attachment to the box so you price it high.

rande · Jul 23, 2019

Thanks all. Guess I'll have to remember my FB password.......

As for the "would I pay $2500 question; It lists for $12k. If I was a tech and needed a large box, hell yeah I'd pay that. For that matter, I'm not a tech and I paid that.

Is there anyway to contact techs at local dealerships who might be looking for a good box? Or technical schools in the area? New graduates might need a box.

930dreamer · Jul 23, 2019

What about trading for something you need?

Rickster · Jul 23, 2019

If you want to get to the younger market use Offer-up or Let-Go. Easy for people to scroll through those two Apps on their phone.

marineman · Jul 23, 2019

Part of your problem is it's a triple bay. Our snapon guy has reservations taking triples because they tend to sit on his truck forever. He moves 3-4 double bays for every triple he sells.

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rijndael · Jul 23, 2019

I just stumbled across your box on my CL feed. I'm always looking for good deals on boxes, so I look often. IME, almost all boxes over $1500 sit for a long time. Boxes under $500 go quickly.

Handyandy23 · Jul 23, 2019

930dreamer said:
What about trading for something you need?

It's surprising how much easier it can be to move something expensive if you want to trade. Nobody has money but everyone has stuff they don't need. Buddy of mine was trying to sell a pair of sleds so he could buy a new boat. Snowmobiles sat for sale for quite a while with not much interest, then he listed them for trade for a boat, and he got rid of them right away.

FigureItOut · Jul 23, 2019

I'm shocked it was only mentioned once, but your pictures are horrible. The second two pictures in your ad provide no value and gives the impression of a dusty beat up old box in the corner. I was in the market for a box in that price range about a year ago, and I can tell you I likely would have passed that by. Put a little effort into the presentation and you'll have much better luck.

RKA · Jul 23, 2019

While I do think price is a factor, I think the 3 bay limits your audience significantly. Most DIY/Homeowners considering a nice box just don't have the floor space to dedicate to a 3 bay box, even if they have money to spend on something nice. Someone working in a professional setting might need it, but they need to unload the 2 bay box they grew out of first. The tool truck offers a trade up and financing to make that easy. But there is always someone out there looking at the bottom dollar. As easy as the tool truck makes it, it's still expensive. But if they can unload their smaller box for $1500 and get into yours for $2000, that's worth their trouble. Even better if they can come close to breaking even.

For you, that may as well be a needle in a haystack. So use every avenue you can to list it, and keep renewing those listings until it's gone. If it's taken a year, you're either asking too much or not trying hard enough to find a buyer (or both).

I'll say this, sometimes it's just dumb luck. I've had things sit on CL for months on end thinking it will never sell. Longest I went was 6 months and I was at the point of throwing it in the trash THAT weekend. These are usually obscure things where it would be hard to find a buyer. But eventually someone turns up (as long as I remember to keep renewing the listing). I will say, I spent quite a bit more on my 2 bay KRL. Finding a used one cheap meant I had to act fast. Needing to rent a liftgate truck and take time off from work meant it had to be scheduled and planned. After 6 months I gave up and found one. We settled on a price that was a lot higher than my ideal price, but I could put my hunt to an end, organize my tools and put it behind me. So for that seller, it was dumb luck. He found an exasperated buyer who was serious.

Regarding the pricing, I've found the key is to drop it until you get at least 1 inquiry a week. Then hold the price and wait for the right buyer. Anyone that asks serious questions or comes to look at it counts. Anyone that asks if it's available and ghosts you doesn't. It will sell, you just have to wait it out and get the ad in people's faces.

Edit: LOL, I see you replied to Nomex's thread! There you go! Get the word out!

Rory Bellows · Jul 23, 2019

If you really want to sell it present it like you want to sell it. Completely empty the box, take better pictures. Why only three pictures? They allow like 15-20 for free. You want $2500 present it more professionally. To get top dollar you have to work for it. Step one, take all your stuff out of it and take better pictures. If I was in the market I might pass yours up because you make it appear like you don't want to sell it. Who wants to look at a box filled with stuff that isn't part of the deal. A full box doesn't empty itself in ten minutes. How do you expect to sell a box still filled with your stuff?

Empty the box and take more pictures. You will be amazed how fast it sells. Frankly, your ad *****. You portray your box as a low quality item because your junk is still in it. A quality item wouldn't be filled with stuff and be clean and ready to go to the new owner.

gnpenning · Jul 23, 2019

Have you talked to any SO dealers about consignment or if they know of anyone looking? Maybe you need some tools you can trade it in for????

Jason280 · Jul 23, 2019

Harbor Freight has killed the used tool box market, plain and simple. That would have been a great price 5-10 yrs ago, but now it's likely priced $500-750 too much.

Doesn't help that Craigslist has really lost viewership, and those who are looking are scammers, traders, or want to give you $500. FB is a better market, but it's still no guarantee.

PugetDude · Jul 23, 2019

Scammers, thieves, and bottom feeders have turned Craiglist into a nasty little ghetto fleamarket.
I rarely even look there anymore; Last few items we sold on CL we were overrun with Nigerian Princes, "master negotiators" and trolls. Haven't tried FB marketplace, (probably because I'm not on Facebook) but several friends swear by it.

vavet · Jul 23, 2019

I found your ad. I agree with the others. Empty it. Clear the top off. Maybe it wipe it down with some windex. You don’t have to put a coat of turtle wax on it, but help the buyer see it in their garage or shop bay.
I’m 100 miles from you and I have a utility trailer that could haul that. I’d love to have more storage, but what does $2500 get me from HF or big orange compared to yours?

PugetDude · Jul 23, 2019

vavet said:
what does $2500 get me from HF or big orange compared to yours?

5X the storage...and a nice dinner for you and Ms. Vavet.

The Wizard · Jul 23, 2019

Rickster said:
If you want to get to the younger market use Offer-up or Let-Go. Easy for people to scroll through those two Apps on their phone.

Those apps are horrible. Expect a ton of spam and junk email the second you sign up. I found them to be no better than CL.

Zewnten · Jul 23, 2019

Just bought that exact box for $500 because it has an UGLY DIY paint job.
You need a "professional" ad on craigslist or wherever you list it, bad ad usually means a scammer. I'd say the price is high because that wide and deep is a niche market, ie heavy diesel mechanics, so unless you get someone who just got their tax return and is just starting out they're probably more interested in buying tools. Also its a generic color red so it doesn't stand out to the people who want something different. That's been my experience anyways.

BigBoreFan · Jul 23, 2019

CL jumped the shark years ago. At least in my area it did.

dr_clyde · Jul 23, 2019

I'll be the odd guy out here.

I would happily pay that for that box. I think a KRL is worth that, easy.

I also think that if you want to get your asking price, you should do as good of a job as you can cleaning it and photographing it, then be patient.

I've sold a ton of stuff for more than the GJ collective thought it was worth.

As my local machinery dealer likes to say, "there's an *** for every saddle". You sometimes just have to wait a while to find it.

Gew · Jul 23, 2019

CL doesn't seem good at all these days. Just logged on for the first time in ages, it was so filled with junk threads (spam bots) so i couldn't see clearly at all. Sad development, really.

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twertsy · Jul 24, 2019

All,
Appreciate all the feedback. First, regarding the pics.......you're all correct, since I don't "need" to sell it I really haven't gone all out in presentation. Sure, I could empty it, clean it up and take some centerfold shots but as many of YOU point out, what does that buy me? I'd spend the better part of a day transferring tools to other boxes, then cleaning/waxing this box and updating photos. Frankly (again, as many of you point out), I don't need to sell it that bad. I'm running and trying to grow a company and the trade-off in time isn't worth it to me currently. To sum it up, you're all correct in that respect.

I will consider the trade option.......I've been struggling mightily getting a new floor/rockers to fit correctly in my '70 GTO project so perhaps I can lure a body guy to assist in trade. EDIT: I updated the ad to reflect a willingness to trade for old tools or assistance with my project.

Since I know most of the tool collectors w/in 100 miles of here, it's doubtful any of them would have enough antique tools/boxes to trade.

I really do appreciate all of your perspectives!

Handyandy23 · Jul 24, 2019

If you sell it you're going to have to empty the tools out of it anyways, so not sure why spending that time now versus rushing to empty it when you have a buyer seems like wasted time to you. If anything, emptying it now on your own time lets you set up your other boxes how you want. If a buyer shows up tomorrow with cash what is your plan, dump the tools on the floor?

It just seems like you're not too serious about selling it, which is the illusion it gives in your pictures. If the master plan is to use other vintage boxes in it's place, then unload the tools from it into those said vintage boxes, wipe it down, move it aside somewhere temporarily, and take new pics and sell it that way. Unless you're selling it with the tools inside included, you're going to have to unload it at some point.

Selling a Quality Item on CL

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