Need help determining value of machines and tools

[finn]

I used to be at that same 50% level. But what I'm seeing now is people asking 80% to 110% of new cost for old on FB Marketplace and eBay. This change has occurred since 2019. Obviously pandemic related, but not seeing it cool down yet.

Easy solution: don’t buy their overpriced ****.

New tools are made every day. No need to support crackheads selling what are likely stolen tools. I am very reluctant to buy anything relatively new that doesn’t have a paper trail to the original retailer, unless I know the seller personally.

Asking and getting are two different things.

 

[Jackfre]

PM sent!

 

[Bettaguy]

The price I'm looking for is the highest a buyer will pay and feel they got a deal; good value. If that price is 5% of retail, so be it. But I do believe the tools left behind have a lot of use left in them. I want to give people a reason to take the time to buy from me without having to be naked to do so! Ha, ha.

I think that is a reasonable approach. I'll start at 25% of something new and go from there. If it is an item someone can get years of good use out of, I may not dicker. But what the hell, if it is the last of it and I want to be done, I'll give it away!

That is my attitude anyway.

 

[FredWanaker]

this is for you or this is for the widow? You keep posting as if YOU are the one with the items for sale.

 

[ecotec]

What does the widow look like… that is the real question.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I used to be at that same 50% level. But what I'm seeing now is people asking 80% to 110% of new cost for old on FB Marketplace and eBay. This change has occurred since 2019. Obviously pandemic related, but not seeing it cool down yet.

Unless it's like how Zeke mentioned, half off or depends on the tool.

Anyone paying 80% of new in the blink of eye. . . A fool and their money are soon parted.

 

[NUTTSGT]

The price I'm looking for is the highest a buyer will pay and feel they got a deal; good value. If that price is 5% of retail, so be it. But I do believe the tools left behind have a lot of use left in them. I want to give people a reason to take the time to buy from me without having to be naked to do so! Ha, ha.

I think that is a reasonable approach. I'll start at 25% of something new and go from there. If it is an item someone can get years of good use out of, I may not dicker. But what the hell, if it is the last of it and I want to be done, I'll give it away!

That is my attitude anyway.

With that attitude, you're sounding fair and reasonable to deal. I hope the widow is understanding and doesn't create an issue. Hopefully, she doesn't try to step in the middle of a dealing.

 

[Bettaguy]

this is for you or this is for the widow? You keep posting as if YOU are the one with the items for sale.

I didn't know I'd set off a discussion with to me was a simple question. This has kind of deteriorated from that. I am selling. On behalf of someone. She will not be dealing with folks, I am. Come on. By the way, someone asked how old is old. The radial saw has a hard cover owners manual copyrighted 1961. I don't think they make hardcover manuals anymore, but maybe I'm in error. 1961 is older than I. But not the widow.

 

[Bettaguy]

With that attitude, you're sounding fair and reasonable to deal. I hope the widow is understanding and doesn't create an issue. Hopefully, she doesn't try to step in the middle of a dealing.

Thank you for your feedback. I look at things such as this as what would I expect in the buyers shoes. But I would like a fair price. Being ignorant, it would be easy for me selling on behalf of a lady who needs help cleaning up her late husbands shop mess to be taken advantage of. It looks like, on the radial saw as an example, folks are selling comparable items from $50 to $80. So I will start at $50. Give someone a reason to purchase from me on behalf of this lady. I was also thinking, before digging further, that perhaps these older tools may be of interest to someone who collects antique items. I received PM's indicating that may be the case with an item or two. This type of feedback was very useful. Forgive the running of mouth (fingers) but I would like to thank a number of people here giving me an idea of what used stuff may be worth and the point of view from a potential buyer who has a shop they enjoy.

 

[finn]

I think you’re on the right track by targeting buyers who may be interested in these items as collectibles, more than daily use tools.

Shop tools from the sixties or thereabouts have few safeties compared to more modern tools, and probably aren’t the wisest purchase for a novice.

 

[FredWanaker]

Cut the cords off those old hand tools. That way you aren't liable if someone gets electrocuted.

 

[HoosierBuddy]

Unless it's like how Zeke mentioned, half off or depends on the tool.

Anyone paying 80% of new in the blink of eye. . . A fool and their money are soon parted.

Are we thinking none of these tools are selling?

Look at this for instance. This saw retails new for $1579. It's the only used one currently on eBay.

SawStop JSS-120A60 15A 120V 60 Hz Jobsite Saw Pro with Mobile Cart Assembly -... 857766003680 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for SawStop JSS-120A60 15A 120V 60 Hz Jobsite Saw Pro with Mobile Cart Assembly -... at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

BIN price is $1560 for a one year old saw.

Auction starts at $1200 which is 76% of new price. Oh...and it's local pickup only.

I've been watching used prices for decades and this is just typical of a new phenomena I'm seeing all the time in the past few years.

Also....to the OP

Radial Arm Saws have been replaced in the pantheon of tools by the compound sliding miter saw. I hope the rest of the tools your friend has you checking into will be more marketable.

 

[Shiftless]

Cut the cords off those old hand tools. That way you aren't liable if someone gets electrocuted.

IMHO, that is not the best advice. If somebody is worried about responsibility for an old electric drill, or ???, instead of ruining it, just take it to a recycling center or donate to Habitat.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Are we thinking none of these tools are selling?

Look at this for instance. This saw retails new for $1579. It's the only used one currently on eBay.

SawStop JSS-120A60 15A 120V 60 Hz Jobsite Saw Pro with Mobile Cart Assembly -... 857766003680 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for SawStop JSS-120A60 15A 120V 60 Hz Jobsite Saw Pro with Mobile Cart Assembly -... at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

BIN price is $1560 for a one year old saw.

Auction starts at $1200 which is 76% of new price. Oh...and it's local pickup only.

I've been watching used prices for decades and this is just typical of a new phenomena I'm seeing all the time in the past few years.

Also....to the OP

Radial Arm Saws have been replaced in the pantheon of tools by the compound sliding miter saw. I hope the rest of the tools your friend has you checking into will be more marketable.

New phenomenon... People buying stuff on plastic will buy anything that they can make payments on.... The new rage is Venmo.. aka PayPal. Link it to a credit card...never physically see the cash leaving your hand.

 

[Garcky]

New phenomenon... People buying stuff on plastic will buy anything that they can make payments on.... The new rage is Venmo.. aka PayPal. Link it to a credit card...never physically see the cash leaving your hand.

And, it has zero bids, which is more telling than anything else.

 

[finn]

Are we thinking none of these tools are selling?

Look at this for instance. This saw retails new for $1579. It's the only used one currently on eBay.

SawStop JSS-120A60 15A 120V 60 Hz Jobsite Saw Pro with Mobile Cart Assembly -... 857766003680 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for SawStop JSS-120A60 15A 120V 60 Hz Jobsite Saw Pro with Mobile Cart Assembly -... at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

BIN price is $1560 for a one year old saw.

Auction starts at $1200 which is 76% of new price. Oh...and it's local pickup only.

I've been watching used prices for decades and this is just typical of a new phenomena I'm seeing all the time in the past few years.

Also....to the OP

Radial Arm Saws have been replaced in the pantheon of tools by the compound sliding miter saw. I hope the rest of the tools your friend has you checking into will be more marketable.

Zero bids with 7 hours and 8 minutes to go in the auction.

I hope someone buys it, but I suspect it will have to be relisted, probably at a lower price.

What type of warranty goes with the saw…none?, and how would you collect on it if the saw was never registered in your name?

Local pickup only? That puts 99% of potential buyers out of the market.

 

[walta]

If you must get top dollar an item it will take months for that buyer to appear.

I cleaned out a shop full on a 30-day deadline.

My strategic was to find the price of the most similar new item I could find cut it in half put it in Craigs list. That price will make the phone rink. Do not let anyone talk you down even a dime. If they need a lower price tell them to read next weeks ad that is when you will cut the price not a day sooner. After a week cut the price 20% and repeat.

Let’s talk about the radial arm saw. If it is a Sears model it is likely under a recall. They pay you cash to make it unusable. Note it is illegal the sell any item under a recall. If it is not on the recall list $75 is about top of my market.

Walta

 

[Bettaguy]

If you must get top dollar an item it will take months for that buyer to appear.

I cleaned out a shop full on a 30-day deadline.

My strategic was to find the price of the most similar new item I could find cut it in half put it in Craigs list. That price will make the phone rink. Do not let anyone talk you down even a dime. If they need a lower price tell them to read next weeks ad that is when you will cut the price not a day sooner. After a week cut the price 20% and repeat.

Let’s talk about the radial arm saw. If it is a Sears model it is likely under a recall. They pay you cash to make it unusable. Note it is illegal the sell any item under a recall. If it is not on the recall list $75 is about top of my market.

Walta

Great feedback! The radial saw is a Craftsman. From 1961. I'll contact Sears. Thanks a million.

 

[mogandave]

You really should post some pictures if you want an idea of what stuff is worth.

This sold. Part prices are worth looking at as well.

 

[Bettaguy]

You really should post some pictures if you want an idea of what stuff is worth.

This sold. Part prices are worth looking at as well.

 

[DocsMachine]

This. Also, Usually some local "friend/expert" comes by and states a bunch of high values for this and that etc, Then the family has that stuck in their head and is very reluctant to sell for 1/2 to 1/4 of that. I am also going thru this right now.

-I just saw a video the other day, of one of those "urban explorers", checking out an abandoned foundry/machine shop. Small-town blackmithy/repair shop type of thing. Could nice anvils, a ton of tongs, a power hammer, a couple of lineshaft-era lathes, an old shaper, etc. Neat little time capsule.

And in a shop with a clearly leaky roof- the power hammer and shaper were covered in ice from a steady stream of meltwater off the roof, everything in the room was covered in rust, a bunch of what was in there was literal scrap (as in raw bar stock, cut-off sections of bar, etc.) and so on.

Not totally valueless, of course, but everything was in varying states of sad shape, and would need lots of work to get them useable again. (Except maybe the anvils.)

Somebody in the comments declared it a treasure trove, saying the entire contents must surely be worth in excess of $100,000. They're machine tools, first of all, and everyone knows those are extremely valuable, and better still, everything is antique, which makes them more valuable still.

The truth being that if you auctioned it all off in lots, you might get as much as $5K. The anvils were in good shape, as were most of the tongs, and surely some of the other tooling was too. But two-thirds of what was in the shop would go for scrap- as in literal scrap price, of maybe a couple bucks a ton.

BUT... somebody might read that comment, think that their line-shaft-era lathe is in better condition, and is thus worth $5K all by itself.

Doc.

 

[Bettaguy]

These are the photo's I have so far. I did a search on CL and see that a lot of these are only worth $40 to $80. The wood (assumed) lathe I have no clue. The sand blaster I haven't searched for yet; just took the photo today.

 

[Bettaguy]

Don't know what this is. Obviously quite old and possibly collectible. Some type of press?

 

[Norcal]

Great feedback! The radial saw is a Craftsman. From 1961. I'll contact Sears. Thanks a million.

Sears has nothing to do with the bounty on certain RAS' it's the former manufacturer Emerson Electric that is doing it & it used to be a $100, later dropped to $50.

 

[mogandave]

Don't know what this is. Obviously quite old and possibly collectible. Some type of press?

Or maybe some kind of nibbler

More pictures of the drive would help.

 

[Shiftless]

Somebody wants that decent looking disc sander. Is it 10 inch or 12? Delta or ??

 

[WisJim]

I've sold a lot of tools as part of our move into town, into much less space, over the last 3 years. Many were collectible kinds of tools, and I used eBay as a guide to pricing, trying to sell them at a price that someone could resell them on eBay at a reasonable price. This was after I was tired of selling them myself on eBay, and I had already sold some of the really expensive items. But since these were things that I had accumulated myself over the years, I had a good idea of what I had and what the condition was.

 

[bb29510]

i bought a radial arm saw new, 26 years ago, it has never been used, not once

 

[mogandave]

John Deere mower?
Cement mixer?
Spreader?
Clamps?
Roll-cabs?
Chests?
Engine hoist?
Two-post lift?

Seems like a bunch of stuff in there

 

[Bettaguy]

John Deere mower?
Cement mixer?
Spreader?
Clamps?
Roll-cabs?
Chests?
Engine hoist?
Two-post lift?

Seems like a bunch of stuff in there

Yes sir. A lot of stuff

 

[finn]

Don't know what this is. Obviously quite old and possibly collectible. Some type of press?

Rivet setter?

Sandblast cabinet is a common entry level import sold by Harbor Freight, among others. Most of the bench tools are entry level Craftsman. Air compressor isn’t much, either.

The tools are pretty much obsolete, but would be a good start for someone starting out. If you could get $1500 as a lot, I would recommend you take the money and run.

the good news is that it looks clean and well maintained and organized.

 

[Bettaguy]

Somebody wants that decent looking disc sander. Is it 10 inch or 12? Delta or ??

 

[LeeG]

Based on the photos, I'd just call an auction house and try to get it sold as part of a larger auction. I don't think you'd really be leaving much on the table vs trying to sell it all yourself.

Lee

 

[Wolley]

Nothing too crazy in the photos. I'd set up some tables and have a yard sale and take any offer on the big stuff.

 

[bb29510]

just give it to the local high school shop

 

[finn]

just give it to the local high school shop

What’s a High School shop?

Even if there was one locally, they can’t use tools without modern guards and safety equipment. Too much liability at stake.

It’s not 1964 anymore!

 

[zendriver]

Looks like it Might be enough for an auction.

How bad does she need the money and how much time can you invest in selling these items?

 

[ecotec]

The Kar Products Durham style stack looks nice, as does the John Deere. What brands and condition are the toolboxes?

 

[mogandave]

The cement mixer looks new, as does the engine-stand.


What kind of lift is this? It does not look too old:




The lift, tool-chests, engine-hoist, engine-stand and the SG bottle-cart would lead me to think there might be some decent stuff there.

 

[Bettaguy]

Based on the photos, I'd just call an auction house and try to get it sold as part of a larger auction. I don't think you'd really be leaving much on the table vs trying to sell it all yourself.

Lee

That sounds good. I'll check with a few. One problem is I wouldn't want to haul stuff to them if it is a fruitless effort. Thanks for the advice. If not leaving a lot of cash on the table is the case, this would be a great avenue to take I think.