What hand tools people are getting rid of...

[BirdMobile]

Hey, all!
Most of my tools (I'd say around 95%) are tools that I bought used at yard sales, thrift stores, and pawn shops. Because of this, I have a pretty good idea of the tools that people are getting rid of. This doesn't necessarily mean they are low quality tools or defective, it probably has a lot more to do with how many tools are out there, reflecting the market sizes, etc.

Anyway, this is the rough percentage of what I see:

55% Cheap Asian and India ****
30% Craftsman
5% Stanley
3% Huskey
2% Kobalt
1% Crescent
1% Irwin
1% Channel Lock
1% "Other" Quality U.S. and Quality Asian
0.5% Snap On
0.3% Mac
0.2% Matco
0% Cornwell
0% Armstrong
0% Williams
0% Wright
0% Hazet and other Quality German Tools

I'm sure all of this varies by geographical region, but that's what I'm seeing around here (Southwest U.S. - Utah, Nevada, Arizona).

 

[wild cowboy]

give us some yard sale, thrift store, and pawn shop tool shopping tips!

 

[BirdMobile]

give us some yard sale, thrift store, and pawn shop tool shopping tips!

1 - Always ask of they have any other tools that aren't on display.
2 - Always haggle. If there's something I want, I typically start my offering about 2/3 of asking price.
3 - Try to "bundle" stuff. Ask if they'll throw this or that in free if you buy these other 3 things.
4 - Try to find the pawn shops or thrift stores that have human beings running the show, people you can build up a relationship with over time and get better deals from because they know you.
5 - Dress down... smile a lot... never come across as rich, a "know it all", or an *******. Be sympathetic and never raise your voice, foster sympathy, not contempt.
6 - Don't be afraid to walk away if they won't work with you. I've had more than one seller say "wait..." as I'm walking away, then make a good deal.
7 - When haggling, have the amount of cash you're willing to part with in one pocket. Pull it out and count it in front of the seller when negotiations stumble, say something like "yep.. this is all I've got left". Often the sight of cash will make the final determination in the seller's mind to maybe accept just a little less than they wanted to.
8 - Play it cool, and a bit stupid. Don't start negotiations with "I've been looking for one of these forever!" or "Nice rare Snap on Ratchet!". Practice disinterest, and always act like you're only marginally interested in the purchase.

 

[wild cowboy]

good advice!!

I already do many of these things, but I can't seem to have any luck with pawn shops, they give next to nothing to the poor saps selling the stuff, yet when they go to sell it, I think they have mistaken themselves for the Snap-On truck, complete with his prices!

 

[woody 73]

55% Asian.
40% craftsman.

And the other 5% of all the other brands you listed above; about your same results as you.

 

[RedneckWelder]

I see some industrial brands (lots of Proto) and some tool truck brands.
Lots of Craftsman for sale, along with some others on that level such as SK.

Most of the better brands I see are beat to ****. Little in the "well cared for" market around. I see more Blue Point than true Snap On.

Lots of HF brand stuff and Cal Hawk is an extremely common cheap **** brand that I see at Pawn Shops and flea markets. I buy my HF stuff new from HF and I don't touch the Cal Hawk or other cheap bargain basement stuff.

 

[BirdMobile]

good advice!!

I already do many of these things, but I can't seem to have any luck with pawn shops, they give next to nothing to the poor saps selling the stuff, yet when they go to sell it, I think they have mistaken themselves for the Snap-On truck, complete with his prices!

Many pawn shop owners think they need a P.H.D. in ******* to be in their business. I avoid those shops. Others will wheel and deal, but you need to break the "human barrier" first and get them to see you as another guy with limited funds just trying to make a living like everyone else. If I suspect this is the case, I'll buy a few cheap things over time from them, get to know them a bit and ******** with them. Then I'll start seriously haggling with them, often I've been surprised at some of the deals I end up with.

 

[RedneckWelder]

I have yet to see actual mechanics tools other than a few odds and ends here and there in the pawn shops around here.

Most have a good selection of worked hard and put up wet carpentry tools and other household tools (mainly drills, sawzalls, circular saws, jig saws, and air nailers) but precious little mechanics tools of any brands.

 

[General Geoff]

95% of stuff I see around here at flea markets, pawn shops, yard sales are either generic made in china, stanley, craftsman or pittsburgh (HF).

 

[RedneckWelder]

95% of stuff I see around here at flea markets, pawn shops, yard sales are either generic made in china, stanley, craftsman or pittsburgh (HF).

Pretty much this.

 

[General Geoff]

Also, about 75% of the tools I see are almost completely rusted to hell. It astonishes me how many flea market vendors try to sell a 60-piece generic chinese 3/8" socket set that's pocked with rust and chrome bits flaking off, for $40 when you can get a more complete set brand new at HF for $30.

 

[G_P]

I primarily see Chinese wrenches and screwdrivers at yard sales. Rarely a complete set either. If it is a complete set its likely they want 2x what it sold for new for it.
Flea markets almost always have that one seller with a table jam packed full of stuff he got for free with coupons at HF and is now reselling for more than the item costs in the store.

 

[RedneckWelder]

I primarily see Chinese wrenches and screwdrivers at yard sales. Rarely a complete set either. If it is a complete set its likely they want 2x what it sold for new for it.
Flea markets almost always have that one seller with a table jam packed full of stuff he got for free with coupons at HF and is now reselling for more than the item costs in the store.

Yeah I ignore that guy.

Sometimes at the Flea market I find one or two sellers with usable stuff that's worth a damn and looking to sell at reasonable prices. The rest of the "tool guys" there are worthless.

 

[zkling]

Lots of craftsman standard sockets, craftsman basic ratchets and wrenches, LOTS of craftsman and stanley screwdrivers (worn out) and misc pliers (not high quality), lots of pipe wrenches and misc home construction tools, small exposed screw vises. Circular saws and basic single speed drills. Boat loads of hex keys.

What I wish I could find.
Metric
Quality ratchets
Quality meters
Auto specialty
Machinist tools
Etc.

 

[wmartin]

Lots of craftsman standard sockets, craftsman basic ratchets and wrenches, LOTS of craftsman and stanley screwdrivers (worn out) and misc pliers (not high quality), lots of pipe wrenches and misc home construction tools, small exposed screw vises. Circular saws and basic single speed drills. Boat loads of hex keys.
.

That's pretty much what I've seen minus any decent looking Craftsman ratchets/sockets/wrenches.

I'm always flat amazed at what crummy hand tools people own.

The occasional (very occasional) decent handtool I see is always grossly overpriced.

 

[Hammer1963]

I have yet to see actual mechanics tools other than a few odds and ends here and there in the pawn shops around here.

Most have a good selection of worked hard and put up wet carpentry tools and other household tools (mainly drills, sawzalls, circular saws, jig saws, and air nailers) but precious little mechanics tools of any brands.

This

 

[Zeke]

1 - Always ask of they have any other tools that aren't on display.
2 - Always haggle. If there's something I want, I typically start my offering about 2/3 of asking price.
3 - Try to "bundle" stuff. Ask if they'll throw this or that in free if you buy these other 3 things.
4 - Try to find the pawn shops or thrift stores that have human beings running the show, people you can build up a relationship with over time and get better deals from because they know you.
5 - Dress down... smile a lot... never come across as rich, a "know it all", or an *******. Be sympathetic and never raise your voice, foster sympathy, not contempt.
6 - Don't be afraid to walk away if they won't work with you. I've had more than one seller say "wait..." as I'm walking away, then make a good deal.
7 - When haggling, have the amount of cash you're willing to part with in one pocket. Pull it out and count it in front of the seller when negotiations stumble, say something like "yep.. this is all I've got left". Often the sight of cash will make the final determination in the seller's mind to maybe accept just a little less than they wanted to.
8 - Play it cool, and a bit stupid. Don't start negotiations with "I've been looking for one of these forever!" or "Nice rare Snap on Ratchet!". Practice disinterest, and always act like you're only marginally interested in the purchase.

Did you learn all of this watching TV? After #2 and on to #3 I'm onto you.

When you pull #7 I'm walking away from you. You can be the one that says. "Wait."

Playing #8 out on me will really piss me off. I've told people that what I'm selling is not for them. Buying and selling deserves a little respect. That's the only 'gimmick' you need.

 

[BirdMobile]

Did you learn all of this watching TV? After #2 and on to #3 I'm onto you.

When you pull #7 I'm walking away from you. You can be the one that says. "Wait."

Playing #8 out on me will really piss me off. I've told people that what I'm selling is not for them. Buying and selling deserves a little respect. That's the only 'gimmick' you need.

Oh... I'm sorry. If I ever buy something from you I'll tell you how badly I want it, what a great deal it is, and ask you if maybe you want to jack the price up a bit before I buy it.

Dude... chill the hell out! It's just a game. If I wanted to pay full retail, I'd go jump on a tool truck or hit my local Sears. Everyone buying and selling at yard sales, thrift stores, and pawn shops knows what's up, they expect some deal making, bundling, cash flash, etc. Nobody is holding a gun to anybody's head, it's all good. I personally try to get the maximum value for my hard earned cash... I presume you just throw your money around and pay the marked price every time? I doubt it...

Oh... by the way... where in my post did I talk about disrespecting anybody? Or are you one of those pawn shop owners with a PHD in being a hardass, prices his stuff like it was new off the Snap On truck, and feels "disrespected" if anyone disagrees with its golden status or tries to bargain?

Finally, I didn't get any of my post watching TV, just making real deals in the real world. I have a large pile of quality tools I've bought for dimes on the dollar, and I didn't disrespect anyone or rip anyone off to get it. If you have a problem with that, or with me telling others how I've played the game, then whatever... hope whatever you are doing works for you.

 

[Gmonkee]

Everything Bird is saying is pretty much the basics of working any market of used stuff. I do most of that myself to try to bring prices back to fair market levels. No need to beat up the seller and no reason to not walk away without it if no bargain can be struck.

I'm not looking for that near-free level, I'm not looking for flipping values or taking pleasure in beating up the seller. If asking price is right, hell, I'll pay that without one more word.
If a seller is always over market prices by a margin I won't even stop to look anymore. He is that proud of his stuff he can keep it a while longer.

I hit two street markets every week, most of the sellers know me and a few by name. Its rare I'll find a gem among the rocks but when I do I try to own it.
But, in case of something merely 'interesting' and slightly overpriced I'll keep checking week after week and if one day it gets into range I'll have that too. Some things I waited almost two years to buy, seems I was the only one that noticed it too. Some sold before I was ready, no big deal.

 

[back2class]

I have to agree. If someone starts counting cash in front of me like I am a desperate junkie..at that point I would no longer be interested in working with them. I buy and sell lots of stuff. My price is my price and always fair. Try working me too hard I see right through it and I promise you will not get as good a deal as the guy who is genuine and skips the BS. In fact, the #1 on the list is a dead giveaway and will get me to shut down the communication faster than anything. But back on topic, yes...20% Craftsman 10% other decent stuff and 70% junk from Asia. It is amazing how much junk people buy...or maybe when people buy good tools they arent as quick to discard them.

 

[wild cowboy]

1 - Always ask of they have any other tools that aren't on display.
2 - Always haggle. If there's something I want, I typically start my offering about 2/3 of asking price.
3 - Try to "bundle" stuff. Ask if they'll throw this or that in free if you buy these other 3 things.
4 - Try to find the pawn shops or thrift stores that have human beings running the show, people you can build up a relationship with over time and get better deals from because they know you.
5 - Dress down... smile a lot... never come across as rich, a "know it all", or an *******. Be sympathetic and never raise your voice, foster sympathy, not contempt.
6 - Don't be afraid to walk away if they won't work with you. I've had more than one seller say "wait..." as I'm walking away, then make a good deal.
7 - When haggling, have the amount of cash you're willing to part with in one pocket. Pull it out and count it in front of the seller when negotiations stumble, say something like "yep.. this is all I've got left". Often the sight of cash will make the final determination in the seller's mind to maybe accept just a little less than they wanted to.
8 - Play it cool, and a bit stupid. Don't start negotiations with "I've been looking for one of these forever!" or "Nice rare Snap on Ratchet!". Practice disinterest, and always act like you're only marginally interested in the purchase.

I actually agree with every single point on this list! - I learned negotiation from my father, he had a certain charm and would come home with brand new stuff from Lowe's for 15 cents on the dollar, that is 85% off! - it was amazing, beautiful $3000 mahogany front doors for $400, or hardwood flooring or windows or ceramic tile or whatever for less than 20% of original price, and they seemed to love him!

and yet strangely enough, when he sells something, he seems to most always get his full asking price! - and they love him too! - go figure

 

[monomach]

20% well-used Chinese/Indian tools at giveaway prices. The Indian tools are all Harbor Freight or Gedore wrenches.

20% new-looking Chinese tools priced like they're a premium brand just because they're shiny

20% Indestro, Duro-Chrome, and other brands made by them...especially rusty industrial finish double open end SAE wrenches stolen from nearby Caterpillar plant from 50s-80s. Seriously, some guys have entire hand boxes full of black open ends like they took one home every day.

20% beat-up US Craftsman priced higher than new old stock

10% Taiwan from the era before Taiwan was decent quality

5% Taiwan from the current era

5% beat-up US Craftsman priced to sell

0.000000001% any other quality industrial or truck brands, usually buried at the bottom of a rusty box owned by some guy who died. This stuff is usually rusty or broken. I buy it and restore it.

That's garage sales only. The pawn shops are different. We have no flea markets.

 

[IndyGarage]

I never go to garage sales, they seem to all be full of baby clothes and clapped out walmart stuff.

I went to a pawn shop recently for the first time. Pretty big place with a lot of sellers and buyers. They had about 10x the tools that I thought they would. 60% of it was used harbor freight level junk, really clapped out consumer level tools or totally worn out pro tools. 30% of it was known good stuff - often priced near or higher than new retail. But there was that last 10% - stuff that was good, and priced reasonably, or not priced at all.

My starting point for buying used tools - if it's exactly what I want and in good shape - is 50% of retail, so I had no interest in the overpriced stuff. It was clear that somebody who priced things there had no idea what they were doing. Harbor Freight toolcarts that are avaialble new for $150 sitting there with $200 price tags because they look nice.

I searched through the junk and found 4 items I took t the sales desk: A Makita all-metal 7 inch grinder - best grinder you can buy - in very nice shape that was marked $49.99; A dirty speedglass auto dark welding helmet with no price tag on it; and 2 norton 7 inch grinder discs for the Makita - no price tag.

I take them up, to the desk, guy says "I'm not sure this Makita is priced right", like I switched the tag or something, however the tag clearly says Makita grinder on it. I thought right then I would walk if they changed that price. After about 10 minutes of standing there, guy comes back and says: We'll honor the price on the grinder, but normally that would be $99.99, the helmet is $60 and the grinding wheels are $10 apiece. I know the retail prices for the Makita is $250, the retail price for the speedglas is $400-500 and the retail price of the grinding discs are about $10.

I tell him I'll take the grinder and the helmet and skip the discs. There was still some risk on my part, I didn't know for sure if the grinder or the helmet worked properly, but those were good prices if they did work and it turns out they did. The speedglas was a screaming deal, the Makita was a good deal, but I'm not sure I would have bought them for more money because I didn't really need either of them.

So my bottom line: It took a lot of time and hassle to buy two items for a decent price at the pawn shop. I'm not sure I could have found 5 other items to buy that would have been worth my time. It was entertaining, but probably not a good use of my time.

 

[Rickster]

Most sales around here you would think the Craftsman tools were made of gold for the prices they ask. I find good tools all the time but you have to willing to sift through a lot of sales. I never pull my money out to count.... I always count it before I leave home and that way I know exactly how much I can offer. Haggling yes, but sometimes I pay the asking price just because the deal is really good. Hell yesterday I had a couple hemming and hawing about not letting me split up a couple of sets to get what I wanted so I offered enough make them jump at it. Now they weren't really "sets", just a couple of tool boxes that had a bunch of junk tools for one price but happened to have a couple pieces of Mac tools in there.

 

[bigmike6970]

Picked these up at the pawn shop. Mostly 3/4 and 1 " drive Napa, snap on and proto. The tag on the bag they were in was labeled pittsburgh tool haha

 

[pauls_workshop]

I find the quality of garage saling is entirely dependent on two things: The local economics and the local culture. When I used to live in Metro Detroit, garage sales were usually not good deals, with poor selection and high prices. Living in Indiana now, the culture is totally different. People like to help their fellow man. And the economics are such that there isn't a lot of money anywhere. People work hard, share what they can, and help others as well. So garage sales around here are more like community service. As such, you can get lots of good deals on stuff without any hard bargaining needed or desired.

Still rare to find those higher quality tools, but sometimes you can find an estate sale where the owner passed on, and can get some good finds at good prices that way. I've found lots of US made older tools that cleaned up nicely for low cost this way. But I'm talking about perhaps a 1 or 2 or 3% hit rate going to sales to find a few good things. I don't go much anymore, but would go maybe two hours on a Saturday morning in the past sometimes and hit like 30 sales in that time. Might find about $100 worth of stuff retail for all of $20 or so on a given day. Its for fun, but also source for most of my good tools I own or pass on to others. - Paul

 

[bonneyman]

......4 - Try to find the pawn shops or thrift stores that have human beings running the show, people you can build up a relationship with over time and get better deals from because they know you.....

This!

 

[zkling]

Picked these up at the pawn shop. Mostly 3/4 and 1 " drive Napa, snap on and proto. The tag on the bag they were in was labeled pittsburgh tool haha

Wow, how much was all that?

Oh... I'm sorry. If I ever buy something from you I'll tell you how badly I want it, what a great deal it is, and ask you if maybe you want to jack the price up a bit before I buy it.

Dude... chill the hell out! It's just a game. If I wanted to pay full retail, I'd go jump on a tool truck or hit my local Sears. Everyone buying and selling at yard sales, thrift stores, and pawn shops knows what's up, they expect some deal making, bundling, cash flash, etc. Nobody is holding a gun to anybody's head, it's all good. I personally try to get the maximum value for my hard earned cash... I presume you just throw your money around and pay the marked price every time? I doubt it...

Oh... by the way... where in my post did I talk about disrespecting anybody? Or are you one of those pawn shop owners with a PHD in being a hardass, prices his stuff like it was new off the Snap On truck, and feels "disrespected" if anyone disagrees with its golden status or tries to bargain?

Finally, I didn't get any of my post watching TV, just making real deals in the real world. I have a large pile of quality tools I've bought for dimes on the dollar, and I didn't disrespect anyone or rip anyone off to get it. If you have a problem with that, or with me telling others how I've played the game, then whatever... hope whatever you are doing works for you.

Dude you chill the hell out, Zeke quite simply expressed his thoughts and then you get very defensive about it. You are a professional estate/garage sale buyer, no shame, just admit it. When people ask or even sometimes demand money off, that is essentially giving someone else free money. Which by the way, can I have $10?

"Wanted to pay full retail" Yes there is over priced which is typically based on condition, but then there are those that are cheap and those that no matter what the price is, it's not cheap enough so they have to work the seller down some*

Example, I was at a garage sale this morning. Some old lady wanted to buy a bird house, real nice glass and all. Seller says $1, lady comes back with "I'll give you 50¢".

The "every body knows whats up" is a real snowball effect, that probably goes way over your head to understand. It's become real evident on craigslist over the past two years or so and now has moved onto garage sales. *For quite a few folks, hardly is it about the money, but more so their ego and power trip. Hell I had one guy negotiate $1 off a $50 item just so he could feel good about himself.

This topic gets battled over and over on this forum and there are always two distinct groups. It's like battling politics, all it creates is friction. It's a moral choice with no set in stone right or wrong.

I have to agree. If someone starts counting cash in front of me like I am a desperate junkie..at that point I would no longer be interested in working with them. I buy and sell lots of stuff. My price is my price and always fair. Try working me too hard I see right through it and I promise you will not get as good a deal as the guy who is genuine and skips the BS. In fact, the #1 on the list is a dead giveaway and will get me to shut down the communication faster than anything. But back on topic, yes...20% Craftsman 10% other decent stuff and 70% junk from Asia. It is amazing how much junk people buy...or maybe when people buy good tools they arent as quick to discard them.

I agree with the counting the cash out, especially since most people that do that, do it in a very patronizing way. But I don't think asking for a specific thing or two is that bad. Especially since it seems like >60% of the sales I go to the first thing the sellers ask as people walk up the driveway is "is there anything in particular you are looking for?". Now I'm not talking about the people that walk up and say "Do you have any guns, or gold?". I might ask for a something I've been looking for, like metric flare nut wrenches. Sometimes I'll get lucky and they will pull something out. Other times it's just a "no", OK thanks.

What I get a bit tired of is the people that don't price their items, which recently seems like >75% of the sales I go to, you just have to pick out what you want and then hope for the best.

 

[BirdMobile]

zkling - well said.
It's all good.

 

[crewchief888]

95% of stuff I see around here at flea markets, pawn shops, yard sales are either generic made in china, stanley, craftsman or pittsburgh (HF).

Pretty much this.

industrial brands, as well as truck brands, show up occasionally in the pawn shops and flea mkts around here.
i've pulled a lot of them out of the $1 bins at the pawn shops

some is nearly new, some are kinda ragged looking....

 

[rusty65]

20% well-used Chinese/Indian tools at giveaway prices. The Indian tools are all Harbor Freight or Gedore wrenches.

20% new-looking Chinese tools priced like they're a premium brand just because they're shiny

20% Indestro, Duro-Chrome, and other brands made by them...especially rusty industrial finish double open end SAE wrenches stolen from nearby Caterpillar plant from 50s-80s. Seriously, some guys have entire hand boxes full of black open ends like they took one home every day.

20% beat-up US Craftsman priced higher than new old stock

10% Taiwan from the era before Taiwan was decent quality

5% Taiwan from the current era

5% beat-up US Craftsman priced to sell

0.000000001% any other quality industrial or truck brands, usually buried at the bottom of a rusty box owned by some guy who died. This stuff is usually rusty or broken. I buy it and restore it.

That's garage sales only. The pawn shops are different. We have no flea markets.

Yeah there are a ton of tools flooting around in central IL from Caterpillar plants. Just about a month ago i ran past a ratchet that still had CTco engraved in it. But to answer the question honestly i run across way more USA made tools to china made HF. If going by brands
1: Craftsman
2: Indestro
3: Armstrong
4: Proto
5: SK
6: Apex
7: Williams
8: Mac
9: Snap On
10: Cornwell

 

[noggs]

The pawn shops where I live are right down from car dealership row, so there are some quality tools in there if you get in before other people buy them.

 

[mrborohachi]

Ive run into great deals on Japanese tools, my most recent buy was a stubby 3/8dr ratchet. At this recycling center that sells tools/fasteners people bring in I found a Lobster air riveter that was ok on the outside but the thing looked brand new internally when i went to lube it up.

I often see a lot of Fuller made by KTC wrenches. They are definitely better than '90+ Cman raised panels.

 

[bigmike6970]

Zkling

I paid 100 for the entire lot. I thought a good price for them, a lot of them look new. Some of them new are like $20 to 30 each. What ***** just a year ago I had to buy a socket to work on a car and I paid 20 for that one and there is one in the bunch I bought at the pawn shop. Grrrr

Oh i was at a garage sale a couple years ago and bought a nice old Columbia vise in good condition for 35. Bought some other stuff. Was chatting with the seller and his wife a bit about the Ford he restored. And he comes over and says you bought some stuff i want you to have this. Handed me a snap on speed wrench/breaker bar. And a box of nice screw drivers. I asked how much he said no charge.