Going Rate for Used 110v Welders

[bdbecker]

Not trying to count my chickens before they hatch, but tomorrow I'm planning on picking up a barely used Millermatic 135 found through a family friend. Not quite a "you ****" deal, but $300 for the welder, cart, some spare consumables, and a half-full bottle of C25 was just too good of a deal to pass up. Even though the Millermatic isn't much of a capacity upgrade (slightly higher output and duty cycle) over my (now discontinued) Northern Tool MIG 135, the big selling point is the availability of replacement/repair parts.

Since I don't really need two welders, I'll probably sell the Northern Tool unit. The trouble is, I can't figure out what a fair asking price would be because local prices are all over the place for off-brand welders of similar size. A lot of people are asking new, or near new prices for their machines, but I have a hard time believing that anyone is actually selling for what their asking.

Does asking $150-200 for just the weld machine seem too high? Too low? The sale will not include a cart or the gas bottle. The price new was around $300. Its a twin to the Eastwood MIG 135 that currently lists for $350 (currently on sale for $315). Even at $200, it would be the cheapest, non-HF flux core welder posted on my local FB marketplace. I've run maybe 8-10lbs of wire through it. It'll come with a handful of spare consumables and a brand new regulator. I recently replaced the regulator with a Smith unit when the original one crapped out, but I'll probably hold onto the Smith as a spare and get a $20 Chinese one off Amazon to match what it originally came with.

Thoughts?

 

[38Chevy454]

Seems with fairly low use, that $200 is a good price. It also comes down to how fast do you want to sell it? Obviously price low and sell faster. If not in a hurry, ask $225 and assess the demand. Still around $100 less for your lightly used vs buying new.

 

[bdbecker]

...If not in a hurry, ask $225 and assess the demand...

Not a bad idea - I'm not in any hurry to sell.

Just trying to avoid being put on the "Official Craigslist Morons...err wishful thinkers" thread.

 

[Aaron_W]

From a buyer side, unless an expensive item with very little that can go wrong, I pretty much don't even consider something used for more than 50-60% of the new price. The more likely there can be hidden issues the less I want to pay.

If I'm only going to save $50 off a $400 item, even if "practically new" I'll probably just buy a new one and not risk any headaches and where I can return a defective item.

There isn't a lot of room at the $200-300 new range because anything more than 50-60% is only going to save the buyer (me) maybe $100 over buying new.


I'm talking actual selling price, of course for something like Craigslist the seller will have to factor in some negotiating room. Personally I respect "firm" pricing but that also means I keep going right past the ad unless it is close to my thinking above.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

I'd say 300 for a branded welder with a fillable bottle wold be u **** around here.
I would 100% buy and flip.

50% off on used machine if you want to move it.

 

[mmb617]

I'll echo what some others have said in that I usually figure 50% of the new price for a used item in good condition. You could ask a bit more to allow some negotiation room as I've found most buyers feel better if they think they've beat you down a little. You can say firm in your ad and still 90% of the potential buyers will offer less than your asking price. I don't think anybody understands what firm means.

 

[bdbecker]

From a buyer side, unless an expensive item with very little that can go wrong, I pretty much don't even consider something used for more than 50-60% of the new price...

...50% off on used machine if you want to move it.

I'll echo what some others have said in that I usually figure 50% of the new price for a used item in good condition...

Yeah, that's how I originally came up with $150-200 price. Maybe I'll toss in my old auto-darkening helmet, start at $225 and see what happens.

 

[Hop2it]

I sold my Decca mig with co2 tank and horable fright helmet last year for $250 I bought it in 1985 so I got good service out of it I think I paid about $550 for it
Doug

 

[speed bump]

Depends on your market, I would probably start at $200 without throwing anything in. There's always someone who wants to get into welding right nowbiy just might take a few months.

 

[bdbecker]

I picked up the welder last night. Looking it over, you can tell it's a better built machine than the NT.

View media item 89739
I'd say the "few extras" was a bit of an understatement. It came with the 2/3 bottle of gas, two weld hoods, a new 10lb spool of .024 wire, another 7-8lbs of .030 wire loaded on the machine, a pile of contact tips, nozzles, lenses, and other items.

View media item 89740
It's a little bit of a bittersweet deal. The gentleman I bought it from is in stage three of Parkinson's and is selling off everything before moving into assisted living. He has an impressively positive outlook despite his situation. He just wanted to make sure his tools were going to be put to good use. I assured him it would and thanked him.

A good reminder to not take things for granted and to make the most of the days we have.

 

[Arps]

you ****

 

[Verdugo]

you ****

What he said...

 

[bdbecker]

Follow up...

I posted the welder and hood on Facebook marketplace Sunday night for $225, hoping to get $200. Within 24 hours I had over a dozen people contact me, 3-4 of which seemed fairly serious. Ended up selling it for $200 on Monday night. Maybe I could have asked/held out for more given the interest, but on the other hand, I'm pretty happy with how it all went down. Turns out, the guy who bought it went to high school with a couple of my cousins - small world!