Auction best way?

[JOECOOL]

My wife and I have been looking at doing the snowbird thing. I say that I would rather sell all the garage stuff in one lump rather than pieceing it out or having an auction.
The problem I have with an auction is it it hard to show that all the stuff works and the auctioneers want me to transport everything to their location to sell.
If I try to sell it buy the piece some Items will be a lot easier to sell and other stuff may just go to the landfill.
It may be hard to find someone with several thousand dollars to purchase it all .We probably will not do anything till fall so time may be on my side. What does everyone think will bring the most money ,or be the easiest? thanks

 

[bazzateer]

snowbird thing..

What's that then?

 

[Ray-CA]

What's that then?

Snowbird (defined): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowbird_(people)

Ray

 

[Steve from Socal]

You wont get anywhere near the money each piece is worth as a lump sum sale. Even if you have to give some of the stuff away parting it out, you will be dollars ahead. That and finding a buyer for the whole lot is going to really narrow down the field. Then you may find the whole thing on the market and only low ball offers. Try selling the less desirable stuff on ebay and see how it goes, start off with a 99 cent bid and no reserve.

Do a yard sale you will find there is a buyer for nearly anything. Start making packages of stuff and sell off a few good items and a few clunkers in batches.

Steve

 

[TLCDino]

Develop a list with asking prices and post the list in one post on Craig's list.... You get buried with calls and should clean out the bulk in short order. People that come for good stuff will leave with multiple other purchases if priced right.

"a guy doesn't walk on to the lot unless he is willing to buy".

 

[kbs2244]

It depends a whole lot on what you value your time at.
And your stuff.

After 30 years my wife and I moved out of the 3600 sq ft, lakeside, 100 year old house we raised 5 kids in.
She had it full of antique stuff.
I had a barn style garage full of “good stuff.”

After setting aside the emotional and “too good to sell” stuff, we started shopping for an auctioneer.
That was an experience!
The good ones (we both attend a lot of auctions and know who has the reputations) knew they were good and wanted cash up front and a percentage of the take, and they set the schedule.
Newer, younger, ones were more reasonable, but we knew they wouldn’t get the draw of the more established ones.

We ended up picking a kind of middle of the road lady.
She worked hard before the auction and during it.
But like any auction, it al depends on the crowd.

We both ended up bidding on our own stuff, paying the auctioneer for her troubles, and not solving our problem of getting rid of our stuff at a “reasonable” price.
In the end it was a disappointment for all involved.

In the end, my advice would be, if you live near a good resale place (be it antiques, tools, whatever) that takes things on consignment, use them.

They have the buildings, the retail presence, and expertise to help you price things.
(It is sometime a hard lesson to learn that “what the market will bear” is nowhere near what you think something is worth. The “antique” treadle powered Singer Sewing Machine is a classic example. Just because it is old people like to think it is valuable. But Singer made close to a million of them. Yes, they are old, but they are common. And not very valuable.)

 

[Stuart in MN]

I'd think auctioneers in Iowa are pretty similar to those in Minnesota, you should be able to have the auction right at your house. That's what we did when we closed out my parent's house. It ended up being a LOT of work, but we had the place cleaned out in one (very long) day.

 

[thrifty bill]

Auction = Fast. Speed comes at a cost, much lower prices.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Any sons or son-in-laws that want the stuff ? If they take the tools, you would still have access to them in the summer months when you come home.

 

[justanengineer]

Not to sound like a complete ***, but coming from someone who attends tool auctions and events every single weekend year round...

The thing you have to realize first and foremost is the realistic value of your tools. They are like cars, once you leave the store they are instantly worth 50% of retail or less. If you want the possibility of getting anything more than that, then you need to either post to a user site (like this one), or on ebay. Regardless of what people say, most true tool collectors cant afford to pay the majority of these prices, so I wouldnt advertise things for them if you want top dollar. Craigslist is a good free way of disposing of things, and the prices are slowly becoming overinflated in many areas, so you might consider trying that. Personally I find auctions to be the truest test of something's value, because its not an individual making a decison about an item's value, but rather a consensus of a group of people. I think many on this site would be amazed at the prices of a true SnapOn collector's auction - much less than on here. There are also flea markets and garage sales to consider, but these tend to be the most labor intensive and least travelled, so seller beware.

In the end it comes down to how much time and effort you want to put in, along with possbily having to admit to SWMBO that your tool investment might not have been so great after all, depending upon how you bought over the years. If you put in the time, your loss will likely be minimal. If you have been smart and bought your expensive tools used over the years, then likely you will make out nicely.

 

[JOECOOL]

Thanks ,it looks like my wife may be right again,darn it.I think I can be realistic on the prices,I might try some collector stuff and some trinkets on Craigslist this week. I need to start somewhere. Thanks everyone

 

[Packard V8]

To summarize above, there ain't no easy money:

1. To maximize your dollar return, auction the smaller, more collectables on eBay, put the larger stuff on craigslist and get rid of the rest at a best-offer yard sale. It is all a lot of work, but that's where you make your money on your stuff.

2. Using an auctioneer is just like giving it away. You are saying you don't want to invest any of your time and labor, so you'll take pennies on the dollar. Even then, your sale is at the mercy of the auctioneer's expertise, the weather and competing events.

3. A consignment shop is nearly as bad a loss as an auctioneer, except you've got a lot of work hauling it there and back and a lot of record-keeping. If you're lucky, you'll net fifty cents on the dollar.

4. A new wrinkle is an eBay consignment shop. Again, you'd have to haul the stuff down there and they only want the very best of your junk. I checked out a local franchise. When all of their fees are added up, your net is half of the selling price.

5. A "living estate sale" put on by professionals is a way to move everything in a weekend, but again, by the time they take their cut, you won't see half the selling price and they keep dropping the asking prices until it is all gone by Sunday afternoon.

Your junk, your labor, your money, your decision.

jack vines

 

[W-Cummins]

What is it you have to sell?? A box with a few great neck screw drivers and a pair of robogrip pliers? Or a tool collection like Old car guy has?? This makes a HUGE diffrence on how to sell it. Also (at least my rule is) NOTHING used is worth more than 50% of new price.

William....

Ps. if you do have a collection like the ole car guy, please remember to call as I too live in Iowa

 

[Jackfre]

We just sold the house and closed 2/28/11. We had been there for 19 yrs and I had stuff. I say stuff because it is amazing to realise that your treasures turn into "stuff" when it is time to turn it into dollars. I spent about 6 mos selling and closing up the house. If you are planning a fall move...you better shake a leg or you will do what I did. In some cases, rather than let something good go for nothing I'd find a friend and say come "and get it". That was better for me than selling it for short money. Anyway, good luck with your move, but get started!

 

[eborcim]

List some of your stuff on garage journal!

 

[dodgeramsst2003]

Also realize that if you sell it on fleebay yourself that after all of the fees for their site and what paypal will take you will lose about 30% depending on the category and final price. So if you sell something for 50% of retail after you get all done you will end up with 20%. I used to run a small business buying excess inventory and selling it on fleebay, when they raised their fees I had to quit since my margins were not all that great to begin with it just didn't make sense anymore. I now use craigslist regularly and have decent success.

 

[Zeke]

Also realize that if you sell it on fleebay yourself that after all of the fees for their site and what paypal will take you will lose about 30% depending on the category and final price. So if you sell something for 50% of retail after you get all done you will end up with 20%. I used to run a small business buying excess inventory and selling it on fleebay, when they raised their fees I had to quit since my margins were not all that great to begin with it just didn't make sense anymore. I now use craigslist regularly and have decent success.

Your math ain't too good. 30% (if that's even true) off half price does not leave only 20% net. Your statement should say that the seller will end up with 35% of the retail price he paid.

 

[LawnDart79]

I also wonder what you have to sell. ...do tell!

 

[ForceFed70]

My advice:

- List the big items seperately
- Lump the smaller stuff together (but mention each item and an asking price)
- Have a garage sale or 2
- When you run out of time/patience, THEN bring your remaining stuff to auction knowing you will be lucky to get 1/2 of what you are hoping to get.