When did Cman USA go ballistic $$ wise?

[inline five]

I have a bunch of Cman USA I bought about a decade ago. Haven't been doing much lately and thinking about down sizing and casually looked on eBay for some of my (mostly unused) sets to clear it out.

Came across this boxed wrench set which I have and have also hardly used...$420...is this for real? That was the sale price.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/274464924296

I think I bought the set for $70 IIRC.

I also have the Cman industrial polished (same as pro) in regular open/closed wrenches with some extra flat panels thrown in for good measure, they look like they'd go for $350 or so.

Plus all my sockets...

Have prices peaked? I'm seriously considering dumping it before rust starts to hit and take hold.

 

[WNYflyer]

Looks like they were willing to ship overseas which is probably why the selling price is so high. Personally I rarely bid on anything that the seller is willing to ship overseas because I have found it a waste of time due the high final selling prices.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I have been looking for some Craftsman DBE (preferably long pattern) metric wrench on and off for over a year. Prices, even on singles, are crazy.

I have a spare, unopened set of imported SAE combination wrenches. Maybe I should sell off my old Made in USA ones and make some extra cash !

 

[Bretny]

Link dosnt work...either way asking and selling price on ebay are very dif things.

 

[inline five]

Link dosnt work...either way asking and selling price on ebay are very dif things.

Opens on my iPad.

It was a sold price. Not asking.

 

[inline five]

Looks like they were willing to ship overseas which is probably why the selling price is so high. Personally I rarely bid on anything that the seller is willing to ship overseas because I have found it a waste of time due the high final selling prices.

Ah that makes sense. I wonder what sort of risk there is selling something like that overseas, ie fraud and such. I get nervous selling a $15 item on eBay, you never know what people will do.

 

[Rickster]

The polished chrome sets are much harder to come by.

 

[bczygan]

I have a bunch of Cman USA I bought about a decade ago. Haven't been doing much lately and thinking about down sizing and casually looked on eBay for some of my (mostly unused) sets to clear it out.

Came across this boxed wrench set which I have and have also hardly used...$420...is this for real? That was the sale price.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/274464924296

I think I bought the set for $70 IIRC.

I also have the Cman industrial polished (same as pro) in regular open/closed wrenches with some extra flat panels thrown in for good measure, they look like they'd go for $350 or so.

Plus all my sockets...

Have prices peaked? I'm seriously considering dumping it before rust starts to hit and take hold.

When they quit making it in the USA.

Bill

 

[purplezr2]

Ah that makes sense. I wonder what sort of risk there is selling something like that overseas, ie fraud and such. I get nervous selling a $15 item on eBay, you never know what people will do.

Never had an issue selling overseas, most of my issues were with domestic sales.

You can get almost retail on clean used snap on when it goes over seas.


Seems I sold a lot to Japan, so a bunch of Milwaukee tools to Germany also.

 

[bds1984]

The polished chrome sets are much harder to come by.

Any of the polished chrome USA wrenches are going for crazy. Look at their professional flare nut wrench sets. I needed one wrench for a job and wanted it to be a USA made piece to add to my set. I'm sorry, for as much as I love my USA made set, I am not spending $30 for one wrench. I bought a Great Star made Craftsman single wrench from Sears for $8 and completed the job. Sitting there it looks just like my others that are USA made but bugs me slightly that it isn't a complete set. Oh well.
Another thing I cannot believe is what some of the more common C3 tools are beginning to go for! The real rare models I get, but the string trimmers and leaf blowers? $80-140 a piece?! 1/2" impact driver kit for $300+!

 

[dogdog]

probably some people think it's a collector's item because of "Forged In U.S.A."
I should go dig up all the Craftsman wrench that have made in the USA on them and see how much I get for them.

 

[zendriver]

Some people pay over $20 grand for a certain beanie baby

Why?

Because they want them and they have the money.

If CM tools are selling might be a better time to sell them buy

Will The next generation of $13 an hour factory job want to pay even more for them when we die?

I’m skeptical


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[logical]

Selling to international buyers has been made super easy by Ebay. I think its called the Global Shipping Service. You ship to a forwarding service near you and they do the rest. I am in mich and ship to an address in Ohio. The buyer pays freight, customs and any ither cost from Ohio.

Keep in mind, asking $400 and getting $400 are two entirely different things. Yes, USA Craftsman is not the bargain it used to be but there are still deals to be had if you are patient.

Sent from my garage.

 

[BrandoJames]

I really like the Craftsman Professional (USA) long pattern combo wrenches. I have several in my thrown-together metric combo wrench set. I bought the following long-pattern combo wrenches individually or in pairs via eBay:

Snap-on: 10mm, 15mm
Blue-Point: 13mm
Craftsman Pro (USA): 12mm, 14mm, 17mm, and 19mm.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

I usually don’t pay the hefty eBay price unless it’s something I just can’t find at the pawn shop. I fill my box up full of Craftsman and other brands at the pawn shop for $10. I was looking at the sockets on there the other day and someone wanted $3 for a little 6mm socket. Crazy.


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[Jacobson]

Is that a rare type of wrench set ?

I see other Cman USA wrench sets going for $50.
Even that is crazy

 

[sberry]

I have been looking for some Craftsman DBE (preferably long pattern) metric wrench on and off for over a year. Prices, even on singles, are crazy.

I have a spare, unopened set of imported SAE combination wrenches. Maybe I should sell off my old Made in USA ones and make some extra cash !

The wrenches, the dbe are really tuff. Old or new.

 

[BD1]

I have complete sets of new polished Professional in metric and SAE.
A variety of polished sets of SAE flare, offset box, combo, deep offset, and even polished ratchet wrenches with open end on one side. The polished short stubby set, polished large set from 1 1/16" to
1 1/2" , polished ignition set, the midget 3 piece box set, and even polished crowfoot . Pretty much the entire polished tools available plus 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" polished ratchets.
A huge collection of new Professional Screwdrivers. Those are the red and black handles. Also the Proffessional pry bar set.
I think I'm gonna try selling.
Debating on selling as a complete large set or group sets.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bacon!]

Opens on my iPad.

It was a sold price. Not asking.

Something fishy about that seller to have so, so many sets of NOS or used made in US CMan.

For example here's one where there were 2 available, ended TODAY,

https://www.ebay.com/itm/274414152726

then another new listing for 2 more of same are already up as a new listing but with same exact picture?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/274560048281

That's dubious for scavenged items picked up piecemeal at a pawn shop, or yard sale, or even a burglar robbing peoples' garages.

Smells a little like money laundering to me unless something convoluted happened like he robbed a Sears delivery truck 20 years ago then sat on the merchandise till now.

 

[wtn1271]

Recently, at a local flea market, a vendor wanted $2 per socket. These were G2 marked, 3/8 drive, standard, 6 point, metric. I passed. Found some Wright, SK, & Protofrom another vendor for 50 cents each.

 

[crguy]

Ah that makes sense. I wonder what sort of risk there is selling something like that overseas, ie fraud and such. I get nervous selling a $15 item on eBay, you never know what people will do.

That's hilarious! If you're that paranoid about a $15. item you have no business on Ebay and should probably stay home safe in your basement.

 

[m6z]

Something fishy about that seller to have so, so many sets of NOS or used made in US CMan.

For example here's one where there were 2 available, ended TODAY,

https://www.ebay.com/itm/274414152726

then another new listing for 2 more of same are already up as a new listing but with same exact picture?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/274560048281

That's dubious for scavenged items picked up piecemeal at a pawn shop, or yard sale, or even a burglar robbing peoples' garages.

Smells a little like money laundering to me unless something convoluted happened like he robbed a Sears delivery truck 20 years ago then sat on the merchandise till now.

Not really. Some hoarder probably died and now his family is ebaying his junk to pay for furnal expenses.

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[mikebaker1129]

Recently, at a local flea market, a vendor wanted $2 per socket. These were G2 marked, 3/8 drive, standard, 6 point, metric. I passed. Found some Wright, SK, & Protofrom another vendor for 50 cents each.

A Pawnshop here is asking the same price $2 a pop.
I too passed......
I may go back and dig out the elusive 20mm and pay their price.

 

[Jacobson]

Recently, at a local flea market, a vendor wanted $2 per socket. These were G2 marked, 3/8 drive, standard, 6 point, metric. I passed. Found some Wright, SK, & Protofrom another vendor for 50 cents each.

Flea market? Those still exist? Wow

 

[Bacon!]

Not really. Some hoarder probably died and now his family is ebaying his junk to pay for furnal expenses.

No really, a tool junkie hoarder would want to have every possible tool, not 4+ of the exact same sets, and so many redundant sets, and if this was a family clearance it wouldn't be near exclusively only Craftsman wrenches and sockets, rather ALL the stuff they didn't want.

Look at other sellers with a lot of tools... this one is different.

 

[Mechanical Noise]

Something fishy about that seller to have so, so many sets of NOS or used made in US CMan.

For example here's one where there were 2 available, ended TODAY,

https://www.ebay.com/itm/274414152726

then another new listing for 2 more of same are already up as a new listing but with same exact picture?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/274560048281

That's dubious for scavenged items picked up piecemeal at a pawn shop, or yard sale, or even a burglar robbing peoples' garages.

Smells a little like money laundering to me unless something convoluted happened like he robbed a Sears delivery truck 20 years ago then sat on the merchandise till now.

I can't say why anyone (or two) people would bid up Made in USA Craftsman sets but I don't any mystery about the supply side. There were stacks of this stuff in my local Sears outlet store five years or so ago, all selling at the Sears sale price or less.

 

[Bacon!]

^ Why would be to launder money as already stated. Maybe someone more familiar with the Craftsman timeline of moving production to China can help here but I didn't think it was as little as 5 years ago that they were still selling made in US ratchets as their regular SKUs?

Better question is, if you already have 4 sets of something, as I linked, why would you list only two of them then come back and relist another two, right when those sold, and then use the same picture when the picture is supposed to be representative of the actual item when used, and either the seller did take pictures or stole many of someone else's since they are mostly on the same wooden countertop?

I could be wrong but have been on ebay a long time and notice the unusual situation with this seller. Even if Sears was closing them out, how many would someone buy, how many duplicates of same but nothing but sockets and wrenches? Very fishy, but I bet the seller really would let go of a set for the excessive ebay list price.

Look over other tool seller auctions and see if you spot as many oddities as I did. if something doesn't smell right on ebay, it usually isn't.

 

[Mechanical Noise]

^ Why would be to launder money as already stated. Maybe someone more familiar with the Craftsman timeline of moving production to China can help here but I didn't think it was as little as 5 years ago that they were still selling made in US ratchets as their regular SKUs?

I bought some of that stuff around that time period. It was fun seeing just what Eddie Lampert was dumping for quick cash. Like 1/4" to 1 1/4" Craftsman Industrial raised panel wrench set in a canvas tool roll. Under $50, if I recall. There were several "How Can I Resist?" deals back then.

It wouldn't surprise me if Eddie Lampert was making even sweeter deals for buyers who bought by the pallet load.

Better question is, if you already have 4 sets of something, as I linked, why would you list only two of them then come back and relist another two, right when those sold, and then use the same picture when the picture is supposed to be representative of the actual item when used, and either the seller did take pictures or stole many of someone else's since they are mostly on the same wooden countertop?

That need be nothing but the old LIMITED SUPPLY -- BUY NOW!!!! sales tactic.

I could be wrong but have been on ebay a long time and notice the unusual situation with this seller. Even if Sears was closing them out, how many would someone buy, how many duplicates of same but nothing but sockets and wrenches? Very fishy, but I bet the seller really would let go of a set for the excessive ebay list price.

All sorts of surplus gets sold using exactly the same tactics. I see it all the time with such things as military surplus.

Look over other tool seller auctions and see if you spot as many oddities as I did. if something doesn't smell right on ebay, it usually isn't.

Could be an entirely legitimate explanation for all of this. I'm not going to worry about it.

 

[Ed_Hazard]

Something fishy about that seller to have so, so many sets of NOS or used made in US CMan.

For example here's one where there were 2 available, ended TODAY,

https://www.ebay.com/itm/274414152726

then another new listing for 2 more of same are already up as a new listing but with same exact picture?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/274560048281

That's dubious for scavenged items picked up piecemeal at a pawn shop, or yard sale, or even a burglar robbing peoples' garages.

Smells a little like money laundering to me unless something convoluted happened like he robbed a Sears delivery truck 20 years ago then sat on the merchandise till now.

I've bought from GTS in the past. Needed some CM Industrial to fill in my collection. All NOS, some of the individual wrenches still in the plastic bags CM used to package their bigger sets in. Did not get any weird vibes.

If you wanna see crazy CM pricing look for CM Blue Titanium sets. They came out around 2005, promo item that did not sell well in stores. I picked up several complete sets of sockets and wrenches, ratcheting and box cheap. Like $10 for the wood cased wrenches and I thin $35 for the deep socket sets when the stores clearanced them out.

Also scored two sets of the ratcheting wrenches. Supposedly rare. Those go for stupid prices now a days.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Craftsman-...520088?hash=item1cf6e88dd8:g:2c8AAOSwhqNfkbjz