Delusional Facebook Vise Seller

[Boogerman]

Saw this on local facebook. Nothing like trying to take a $35 Taiwan vise, polish and paint it, and ask triple what a nicely restored Wilton is worth. To be fair, this is an excellent user vise. In the new condition he's restored it to, probably worth $100 as a user.

 

[3baygarage]

Dude…does it at least come with the serenading cactus?

 

[CoogarXR]

LOL, I had a blue vise like that in the 90s, and it was from Homier (you know, the tool tent-sale place that sold pot-metal tools on a random weekend, and then conveniently skipped town). It might as well have been made of chalk. I hit it with a hammer on accident, and a big chunk broke off. I left it bolted to the bench in the basement when I moved.

 

[IndyGarage]

It's got a $1,395 paint job...

 

[Beerhippie]

Wow! I'll have repaint mine, sell it and retire!



My Roughneck is probably at least twice the vise, so I can sell it for three times as much!

 

[Shiftless]

Don’t offer that dude $400 instead of his overly optimistic $1400 if you don’t want the vise.

 

[paulsomlo]

Here's some from my local FB Marketplace:

 

[paulsomlo]

On the right, is your classic "Massive Chinese Dump", complete with repair - back on the market now after failing to sell for over a year.

 

[Beerhippie]

Here's some from my local FB Marketplace:

"Martha! You won't believe this! I was plowing the lower forty and turned up an antiq-yew vise! We're sellin' the farm and movin' to Florida!"

 

[3baygarage]

Here's some from my local FB Marketplace:

Ouch!

 

[Beerhippie]

Sad thing is, a local honey-hole--Lostine Second-Hand Antiques--has vises much like that priced at those prices. I've tried to explain to the owner that she needs to look at SOLD prices, not ASKING prices, but.... The vises and the rusty $150 Coleman 200A lanterns.... You should see the pricing on handplanes!

We're back to calling it the Second-Hand Antique Museum.

 

[4 FN 27]

A new Orange Vise is a better deal.

 

[Beerhippie]

A new Orange Vise is a better deal.

A brand-new $60 Palmgren 6" made-in-Argentina is even a better deal.

 

[neophyte]

Sad thing is, a local honey-hole--Lostine Second-Hand Antiques--has vises much like that priced at those prices. I've tried to explain to the owner that she needs to look at SOLD prices, not ASKING prices, but.... The vises and the rusty $150 Coleman 200A lanterns.... You should see the pricing on handplanes!

We're back to calling it the Second-Hand Antique Museum.

Antique stores aren’t necessarily selling old vises to people who collect vises, or people who use vises. A major market, is people who want an interesting wall hanger or shel display, and older and rustier is sometimes desired.

 

[liliysdad]

Sad thing is, a local honey-hole--Lostine Second-Hand Antiques--has vises much like that priced at those prices. I've tried to explain to the owner that she needs to look at SOLD prices, not ASKING prices, but.... The vises and the rusty $150 Coleman 200A lanterns.... You should see the pricing on handplanes!

We're back to calling it the Second-Hand Antique Museum.

I have an antique booth…and those rusty Coleman lanterns and janky old vises make me quite a bit of money. Dented, beat up, sticker covered Stanley Thermoses are one of my best sellers at $30-50 a piece.

I’m not selling tools, I’m selling decoration, art, and nostalgia.

 

[Beerhippie]

Antique stores aren’t necessarily selling old vises to people who collect vises, or people who use vises. A major market, is people who want an interesting wall hanger or shel display, and older and rustier is sometimes desired.

But when the prices are astronomical, they just stay there... forever. Hence we locals call it a Museum rather than a store.

I have an antique booth…and those rusty Coleman lanterns and janky old vises make me quite a bit of money. Dented, beat up, sticker covered Stanley Thermoses are one of my best sellers at $30-50 a piece.

I’m not selling tools, I’m selling decoration, art, and nostalgia.

$30-50? Sure. $150 is more than I typically sell a fully-restored Coleman 200A for . Like this one:



I'd be tickled pink to get $150 for that and I have four hours of work into it.

Once again, the store now has a nice display of "vintage" Coleman lanterns that will just sit there... forever.

 

[liliysdad]

$30-50 is for beat up old Stanley Thermoses.

I routinely get $99-125 for Coleman lanterns, and i just sold a nickel fount 200 that looked like it had been used as a hammer for $150. If it was in good condition it wouldn’t have sold for that much.

Shiny and new and restored is for collectors. Beat up and rusty is what sells to housewives and home decorators. I’d much rather sell to them.

 

[lardy1]

Have you paid any attention to the absurdities people are willing to buy into these days? These are just people trying to cash in on a little of the ignorance running so rampant.

 

[rust in the eye]

LOL, I had a blue vise like that in the 90s, and it was from Homier (you know, the tool tent-sale place that sold pot-metal tools on a random weekend, and then conveniently skipped town). It might as well have been made of chalk. I hit it with a hammer on accident, and a big chunk broke off. I left it bolted to the bench in the basement when I moved.

I have the same or at least quite similar crudely cast (India?) vise as in the ad being mocked here.
Also missing the mark while hammering away at something in its jaws I knocked a chunk off of mine too, a chunk of Bondo that is. Like a mail order bride they make these pigs up to look a bit prettier than they are.
Mine cost around forty bucks 25 or so years ago. A visiting contractor once made an unsolicited $100 offer for it after seeing it sitting on my shop floor at the time. It remains here serving me well.
The price? I've seen more absurd asks and as a dear departed friend often said " If you don't ask, you won't get." There is no shortage of fools these days.

Which of you guys above want my beat up old Coleman camp stove?

 

[liliysdad]

Which of you guys above want my beat up old Coleman camp stove?

The stoves don’t bring as much, even though I really like them. I don’t think they work as well for decoration as the lamps do.

I still make decent money on them, just not crazy lantern money.

Vises do pretty well for me at the store. I’ve sold two Wilton 300s without the swivel for $300 each in the last few months. I’ve got a decent but crusty Littlestown 450 up there now that I expect to get $100 for.

 

[kbuhagiar]

The price? I've seen more absurd asks and as a dear departed friend often said " If you don't ask, you won't get." There is no shortage of fools these days.

Exactly.
Read the room, and with any lick of sense you'll figure out if something is priced too high (or sometimes, too low).

 

[Beerhippie]

$30-50 is for beat up old Stanley Thermoses.

I routinely get $99-125 for Coleman lanterns, and i just sold a nickel fount 200 that looked like it had been used as a hammer for $150. If it was in good condition it wouldn’t have sold for that much.

Shiny and new and restored is for collectors. Beat up and rusty is what sells to housewives and home decorators. I’d much rather sell to them.

The US-made nickel fount 200 was only made for three months--11/'50-1/51, with a limited run in 4/'51 for the OCD. They do bring a pretty penny.



That's one from each month of the main run.

I only have two now as someone made me an offer I couldn't refuse.

 

[Sumboodie]

LOL, I had a blue vise like that in the 90s, and it was from Homier (you know, the tool tent-sale place that sold pot-metal tools on a random weekend, and then conveniently skipped town). It might as well have been made of chalk. I hit it with a hammer on accident, and a big chunk broke off. I left it bolted to the bench in the basement when I moved.

We called them the tool gipsyies. My Dad loved going to their "sales"

 

[kbuhagiar]

We called them the tool gipsyies. My Dad loved going to their "sales"

LOL, tool gypsies, love that!

I remember a 'tool gypsy' who would set up at the San Jose Flea Market (San Jose, CA) every weekend, back in the 80s. I loved that vendor, they were my early version of Harbor Freight, lol. Truth be told I bought lots of their stuff, and I still have some of it today.

 

[four.cycle]

I fail to see a problem here.

After reading this, I am considering selling a 6-inch Argentinian-made "Palmgren" for three or four times what I paid for it.

 

[firebirdparts]

cool! I have one of those. got it at Sam's 35 years ago. They're pretty nice. The pipe jaws didn't stay tightly in there, otherwise perfect.

 

[Sumboodie]

LOL, tool gypsies, love that!

I remember a 'tool gypsy' who would set up at the San Jose Flea Market (San Jose, CA) every weekend, back in the 80s. I loved that vendor, they were my early version of Harbor Freight, lol. Truth be told I bought lots of their stuff, and I still have some of it today.

In small town Maine in the 90s, the gypsies showing up was talk of the town for days.

 

[paulsomlo]

Here's another one - it's the "new" Prentiss line, made in China:

 

[senlow]

Here's another one - it's the "new" Prentiss line, made in China:

You better buy it before someone else does!

 

[paulsomlo]

You better buy it before someone else does!

No rush - it's been up for over a year now; at least it's not a case of "I know what I have".

 

[rust in the eye]

The US-made nickel fount 200 was only made for three months--11/'50-1/51, with a limited run in 4/'51 for the OCD. They do bring a pretty penny.



That's one from each month of the main run.

I only have two now as someone made me an offer I couldn't refuse.

Those ARE pretty

 

[zendriver]

I have a super nice Littlestown that I had marked down to $40 and some slob wanted to give me $30 to “make it worth his while “ to make a thirty mile trip.

I’ll toss it the scrap pile first.

Since the OP vise was actually marked up in price, thinking it’s likely a gooof.

 

[i84x]

See it all the time across all categories, i think people like that hope some idiot with too much money will turn up and buy it without question, that or they look at what other people are selling at and just picks the highest one.

 

[zendriver]

Maybe send a “is this still available?” response and see how many seconds it takes to get a reply back

 

[seber]

Here's another vise. Made in USA China for $245. Complete with spray bomb over everything.

 

[liliysdad]

See it all the time across all categories, i think people like that hope some idiot with too much money will turn up and buy it without question, that or they look at what other people are selling at and just picks the highest one.

I'd not call them idiots...but it's a valid tactic. I have items that are priced very high, that I am ok with simply not selling. If the right person comes along, they will pay the exorbitant price, and I will not stop them.

 

[zendriver]

See it all the time across all categories, i think people like that hope some idiot with too much money will turn up and buy it without question, that or they look at what other people are selling at and just picks the highest one.

IMO if someone has $1400 to spend on a bench vise, they will know what they want to buy and it won't be that one.

Facebook and all other "social media" (including here) whatever it takes, users want to attract attention to themselves. Wife list apartments for rent on FBM, getting many responses from who have no interest in the units, other that to say they are decorated ugly or overpriced. Don't they have anything better to do? Probably not.

Case in point there is a discussion board, where people are actually arguing about someone on FBM, listing a repainted Chinese vise, for $1400 . The guy must be out of his mind.

Could almost go "viral"

 

[paulsomlo]

For your Saturday evening entertainment: