the tools of dead men

[blainenbecky]

hi every one
my name is blaine
I came to this board looking to identify a mystery tool I found at a yard sale
and found this board very cool with a lot of great ideas and thought it cool the things folks share here
and wanted to share something of my own of what I know and do for a living,
we sale on ebay ,have been for many years.
its a hoot most of the time with never a dull day searching for treasurers at yard sales and Estate sales and auctions and the like.
I have barns filed with all kinds of tools that I have found over the years
and I have never hit a yard sale of a dead guys tools when I wasn't tore between
"the excitement of the hunt" and a "strange sadness" of knowing these poor wives and family members have know idea what these tools are worth that they find them self's having to sale to make ends meet .
I all so know that it will be my tools the vultures of the trade (such as I am) will be looking threw some day,
as we all hit pay dirt sooner or later so to speak.
I see a lot of you guys have quite a lot invested in some really great collections.
that being said let me just say this
your wives and family's most likely have no idea what tool is worth a buck
and what tool is worth 500 bucks if ( GOD forbid ) something should happen to you ,
we all like to think we will have time to know of our demise and will get our house in order but I find that is not usually the case
so some food for thought is maybe a list on the wall of your shop or in a tool box of not all
but just the items that are worth the big bucks
as most wives and family members have no clue of one tools value from another ,
I am sure many of you guys have already thought of this kind of thing and took care of it but my experience shows many more have not
most of my best tools came from dead guys for a buck or so.
just something to think about, even though its an unpleasant thought

 

[FunkyfullWidth]

Where do you live... and how old are you (how long do we have to wait)?

 

[3xpendable]

Where do you live... and how old are you (how long do we have to wait)?

 

[3xpendable]

If we all made that list and our wives found it you would be buying them cheap a lot sooner!

 

[hifi_hokie]

The corollary to this is, get to know the young guys now, because we'll get all your tools later

 

[Dustin Echoes]

My wife is under instructions to never sell my tools for less than double what I told her I paid for them...

 

[FlatHeads_Suck]

Tools, like guns, are items my wife knows to ask my brothers, my dad, or eBay about before selling. Also, just because I didn't pay much for something, does not mean its worth what i paid. I am a deal hunter. She should have enough in assets alone to cover getting me in the ground.

 

[zakmartin]

This is actually an interesting topic. I recently spent several hours with my wife in the garage going over the tools, appraising their worth and instructing her on how to sell the items if the worst were to happen. I told her to never sell all my tools as a single set since she'd get less than half of what she would get if she parted everything into categories and sold them that way. I think in many situations, significant others are completely unaware of how the sale of items like tools should be handled. Up until our conversation, my wife only knew that I had a lot of tools, they cost a lot of money and she would prefer that they get sold instead of being given away because they'd be good for about a years' worth of mortgage payments. The last thing either of us would want is for someone like the OP to walk off with them for pennies on the dollar (no offense, OP).

 

[SlappyWhite]

Well there is a solid word of warning here.

My friends neighbour was moving out (sold the house). It was originally her mother's and father's (who used to be a mechanic) house, he died maybe 10 years ago the mother recently. She at one point (about a year ago) asked my buddy if he wanted to buy her fathers tools, he said yes but in the mean time had a little falling out over his renovations and he never went to see the tools.

Fast forward to her yard sale. Some guy buys the tool chests and tools from the garage for $40, she said he really talked her down on price telling her it was ****, he was doing her a favour by hauling it away. She said to us the tools and chest all said snap-on, I thought rrrriiiiggggghhhhhtttt....

She then offers my buddy to buy the stuff in the basement workshop (he paid 300) they did not bother to bring up for the sale. The wood working stuff was pretty low end BUT there were still a couple of boxes with mechanics stuff in it, all odds and ends, it was pretty much all Gray and Snap-On!

Some ***-hat really ripped her off, she had no idea what it was.

Worst part was, she was moving because she was out of work and could no longer afford to keep the house--taxes and utilities (which was paid off). She needed the money.

 

[RCStocker]

I have been buying and selling for 50 years. You make your money when you buy not when you sell. It is what you know that makes you money. I have bought paintings for $100 that I have sold for over $18,000. I have had people ask me if I was going to go back and give the person more money. I said no. I have had a lot of dirty looks because people though I was ripping people off. Both times I bougth the expensive paintings the party had called in a dozen antique dealers that picked off all the good stuff so they though. I bought what was left and paid the asking price.

If you have something to sell you should not sell it untill you learn something about what you have for sale. With the internet evey one can find the value. It is no dark secret. Art work and fine antiques are a different matter. Most collectables and low end antiques have dropped 80% in price in this past depression. I am selling things for less than I paid 30 years ago to resell them.

Yes there are some who will screw you over. You don't know how many times I have told friends who sell at the swap meet what there things are worth. I could have had some very nice pieces for pennies on the dollar. I do myself in all the time. I go in a shop or thrift store and tell the people what they missed after I buy it. I have been reamed out by other dealers for doing it. I don't need the money and I get a lot of good will. I have been given first choice on many good items because I have told the people what they have.
I don't tell them first because it is thier store and they put the price on it. If I am asked how to price an item by the shop owner I always tell them the value. The maket value on things really varries around the country and world.

Just be honest with your dealings. I find way more than my share of good deals.
I buy every thing form scrap metal to fine art, even antique glass.
Tools are the only thing that are really holding thier value if not going up.
Wood shop machinery is 10 cents on the dollar and you can't give it away.
Atles lathes have come down in price by as much as 50%

Most of the time when I find a fantastic deal I forget to even ask for a better price.
It is sad that people get ripped off but they only have themsleves to blame.
Most of the time people think they have gold and are trying to rip the off buyer.
The Goodwill here in my town has such high price it is insane and the sad think is that they get it. People just don't know the value of use items. I have seen 9 volt old Mikita drill s sell for $35. It is always a little old lady who buys them. You can't get a battery shipped for under $30 and they are 35 years old and pure ****. The rip off works both way.

We all answer to the same higher power. Your charicter is the only thing you can take with you when you check out

Now for letting the family know. My sons know the value of my tools but no one know the value of all may antique and collectables collections.,
My wife said she is going to bulid a pirmid and burry me with all my junk. LOL

 

[vintagefan]

Well there is a solid word of warning here.

My friends neighbour was moving out (sold the house). It was originally her mother's and father's (who used to be a mechanic) house, he died maybe 10 years ago the mother recently. She at one point (about a year ago) asked my buddy if he wanted to buy her fathers tools, he said yes but in the mean time had a little falling out over his renovations and he never went to see the tools.

Fast forward to her yard sale. Some guy buys the tool chests and tools from the garage for $40, she said he really talked her down on price telling her it was ****, he was doing her a favour by hauling it away. She said to us the tools and chest all said snap-on, I thought rrrriiiiggggghhhhhtttt....

She then offers my buddy to buy the stuff in the basement workshop (he paid 300) they did not bother to bring up for the sale. The wood working stuff was pretty low end BUT there were still a couple of boxes with mechanics stuff in it, all odds and ends, it was pretty much all Gray and Snap-On!

Some ***-hat really ripped her off, she had no idea what it was.

Worst part was, she was moving because she was out of work and could no longer afford to keep the house--taxes and utilities (which was paid off). She needed the money.

That is truly the lowest form of scum. I am a very placid, non-violent person, but that right there almost makes me want to do violence.

 

[Rickster]

You know why some kids in school did really well on their test scores??.... because they DID THEIR F'N HOMEWORK!

 

[SlappyWhite]

That is truly the lowest form of scum. I am a very placid, non-violent person, but that right there almost makes me want to do violence.

Her original offer to my friend was $500 for all the tools, but as noted he/we never got to see them.

She also had an old Canadian Tire Money dollar that was mint in between to pieces of glass with the tools my buddy bought, it was a misprint bill. I told her to keep it, her dad thought it was worth keeping mint and I bet it was worth something (at least a dollar at CT...). Hopefully she looked into it and/or kept it.


Some have noted that the sellers need to do their homework. We also have to realize that some people just have no idea where to start and may also have personal issue (loss of a loved one, financial problems causing them to lose the family home) and just cannot do it or do not have the time to do it. As buyers a good deal is a deal neither party gets ripped off and the buyer can still make a good profit.

 

[Man of Many Vices]

....Some guy buys the tool chests and tools from the garage for $40, she said he really talked her down on price telling her it was ****, he was doing her a favour by hauling it away. She said to us the tools and chest all said snap-on, I thought rrrriiiiggggghhhhhtttt....

.... You make your money when you buy not when you sell. It is what you know that makes you money. I have bought paintings for $100 that I have sold for over $18,000. I have had people ask me if I was going to go back and give the person more money. I said no. I have had a lot of dirty looks because people though I was ripping people off. Both times I bought the expensive paintings the party had called in a dozen antique dealers that picked off all the good stuff so they thought. I bought what was left and paid the asking price.
....
We all answer to the same higher power. Your character is the only thing you can take with you when you check out....

A substantial part of our economy is based on people taking legal (and illegal) advantage of another's vulnerability, weakness and stupidity. The business model of entire industries are based on this concept.

What appears to be a smart buy today, may, in hindsight, be a big mistake. (Real estate bubble; dotcom crash; Bernie Madoff investment programs).

Resources tend to flow to those who value them the most. The lady with the basement full of Snap-on tools preferred the cash. Her tools will probably change hands a hundred times until they have been dispersed among those who were willing to pay the highest price.

The person who sold the $18,000 painting for $100 was glad to get rid of it. Plenty of people, even the "experts," had a chance to buy it, but walked away.

GJ's "You ****" appellation is acknowledgement that someone got a great deal. To those guys who ripped off the desperate woman with the tools trying to save herself from economic collapse, I say, "You Stink."