Tool Talk
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Papaw on August 04, 2019, 05:22:44 PM
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Old tools I am trying to sell on Ebay and Facebook Marketplace are not selling ! I want to sell off most of them , but I won't give them away !
I would like to sell some H D Smith tools, and some Bergman tools , but just can't bring myself to post them just to give them away !
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Temporarily at least, I'm not selling on ebay. Maybe Craigslist, depending if I have something in demand (recently sold a Proto top chest for my asking price in two days). The stuff I sold on ebay was no doubt not as collectible as what you're selling Papaw. Most of the time I would price my item to be the lowest price in its category. Often it would be on the bay for months before selling. What I have now will not sell well on ebay, but yesterday at the Curtiss Museum Classic Motorcycle Meet I sold enough to bring home $130 - after paying for my spot and gas to drive 2 hours there and back.
Study the prices of ebay's sold listings as well as current listings and price your items accordingly. Craiglist is free for tool listings and it might be worth a shot, you may connect with another collector. Also look for local events like car and motorbike swap meets.
Al
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Old tools I am trying to sell on Ebay and Facebook Marketplace are not selling ! I want to sell off most of them , but I won't give them away !......
What is your eBay seller name?
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Old tools I am trying to sell on Ebay and Facebook Marketplace are not selling ! I want to sell off most of them , but I won't give them away !......
What is your eBay seller name?
Papawswrench , but I don't have much there right now. I have been in a kinda funk about it lately.
I have sold a few things on Craigslist.
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I have sold a lot of collector tools in the last 10 years.
About 18 months ago the market went away, I don't even try to sell on line , postage puts you out of the market.
I sell a couple times a year at swap meets , maybe 7-8 tools will move for the price I paid or less.
I did a couple bulk sales a few months back , got about $2 a tool.
I suppose they will end up in a dumpster when I'm gone.
Part of the problem I think is Harbor Freight has devalued tools to throw away status.
Not a lot of people care about quality now.
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When I teased my daughter that if she got a certain large tattoo I would take her out of my will. Her snarky response was” Oh darn, I really wanted all of those tools”. Us white beards are dwindling in numbers and few of the next gens are interested.
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Hello, Guys. I haven't been monitoring the ebay market, mostly due to my busy summer work schedule. I hope that for all of us, things will turn around. User quality tools have always been a good seller for me, and I try to (buy) sell only USA made tools. Collectible woodworking tools go to Donnelly's auction. Machinist tools are also a good seller on ebay, whether user or collectible. I am not very knowledgeable regarding collector quality wrenches. I find anything that may appeal to collectors is heavy, so I try to group by maker or category, and use the large flat rate boxes.I have accumulated 1000's of tools to re-sell, everything has been paid for by selling a few items from each group, the remaining items are the potential payback. . Good luck to all, Lou
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ya aint gonna agree,but start a few at .01,of course with the appropriate shipping....yes you might be working for nothing
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ya aint gonna agree,but start a few at .01,of course with the appropriate shipping....yes you might be working for nothing
Done that a few times with little success.
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I've been working it like Lou the past 2-3 years. I buy stuff and keep the few pieces I want, and hopefully sell some items to cover my cost. It has been working so far! People like to look at the old heavy wrenches, but they will buy shiny chrome wrenches, especially if they are a small set. Most of what I sell is at prices way below what similar items sell for on ebay (even not including shipping - just the item price). But all I need is to recover my initial investment. Swap meets are tough when you have to pay for a spot and gas money. Fortunately one swap meet (our own motorcycle club) is free.
Here's a link to my post on Britbike.com about the Curtiss Meet last Saturday:
http://www.britbike.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/780565/a-day-at-the-curtiss-classic-swap-meet#Post780565 (http://www.britbike.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/780565/a-day-at-the-curtiss-classic-swap-meet#Post780565)
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I only sell on e-bay in the winter months, usually starting about the middle of October and until April. Most tools go to guys, and they have other things to do when the weather is okay. I buy a lot of tools at auction, and can get really great buys at times, but at other times high dollar people are there and I just go home. I also have a couple of shelves at a place called "Treasure Gallery" and have been there nearly 10 years. People know I price tools low and I have constant turnover. My shelves cost me $14.00 monthly plus 5% and I figure I have to sell about $50.00 monthly to break even with e-bay charges. I rarely sell less than $100.00 per month and last month I sold just over $300.00. The tools I sell on my shelves are those that will not sell well on e-bay. By now I have figured it out, and can even get rid of China stuff. Actually, its a game for me, to build my collection free and so far I'm probably ahead. My system works for me, but may not work for others.
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Ebay is a weird place. Sometimes you find great deals, other times the sellers are on crack. Many people are knowledgeable about what they're selling - others act like it but don't have a clue. Some priceless gems go for reasonable, but alot of overpriced junk gets sold, too. It's just how that place is.
I check in semi-regularly, and go through my want list just to see what's up. If I see something I want, I try and get it. But I don't lose sleep over misses.
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coolford, the Treasure Gallery sounds like a great idea. There's places like that around here. Can you take a photo of your tools at that place so we can see what it looks like and what kind of stuff you sell? That would be helpful.
I did learn this weekend that at least two people were looking for 10mm and 12 mm wrenches.
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A local antique mall that has a lot of traffic rents a small space with shelves and a counter for $6 a month. Full booths are near $200. Out of my reach, and the few guys there that sell old tools have lots of other antiques to make the booth worthwhile. The old wrenches , etc. seem to hang there forever.
The vendors always seem to think rusty is valuable.
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I will take a couple of pictures the next time I go, but I only go every couple of weeks. Pawpaw it sounds like you need to take advantage of the $6.00 shelf. As an add on, I put a large shipping tag (2 x 4") on each tool with some information on it. I give them an idea of the age of the tool and certainly list USA if it is and how to use it if its something like an old nail puller. I have sold lots of old monkey wrenches that never seem to sell on e-bay.
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I made a mistake ! The price of the shelf space is $60 , not $6 !
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Hello, Coolford. I am going to look into a local vendor that offers shelf space, I like the concept. I agree with the October thru October window, that is when I complete the bulk of my sales on ebay. During that period I try to list original box items. I also list items I can guarantee to the buyer that they are buying gift quality items, so I get the Christmas shoppers that want to buy for someone else. It's a lot of work, the hourly rate sucks, sometimes I even turn a good profit.!!!! Regards, Lou
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I advertised for 2 months on Craig's list for a giant tool sale. 5 people showed up and nobody bought anything because I wouldn't give anything away. One guy got pissed because I wouldn't take $2 for a Snap-on 3/4" torque wrench. Thinking about an auction if I can find the right place.
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Right now I don't have any tools on Ebay. Didn't relist the ones that didn't sell,and I will start again soon with a .99 start.
I have some on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist that have not garnered any interest either.
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been thinking about selling my completed wrench board collections,but dont think i could find a buyer in the 500+ range...........then again ive never seen a similar sold item?
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ya aint gonna agree,but start a few at .01,of course with the appropriate shipping....yes you might be working for nothing
I've started using the filter and only looking at listings that have free shipping.
I had a garage sale and practically gave tools away. I did give a bunch to my friend who sells tools all the time.
He says that lately (this year basically) hand tools like automotive tools haven't been selling.
I'm a buyer, so I like it when I go to auctions and my only competition is resellers. If there is something I'm not likely to see again I'll pay a premium. Sometimes it is crazy though. I've seen stuff (HF stuff) sell for more than new.
Luckily those buyers who pay too much don't recognize Stahlwille, Snapon, Starrett, and other high quality.
Chilly
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Chilly, What is Stahlwille ? I've never seen or heard that name before.
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Chilly, What is Stahlwille ? I've never seen or heard that name before.
1st quality German tool manufacturer. I keep Stahlwille with my Snapon, and some Macs in with them.
Chilly
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Today I sold to a very young kid, via Craigslist, the Duro socket set I picked up a few weeks ago. The kid is starting a Diesel Tech course next week at Alfred State. He said he likes to work on old hit and miss engines and other small engines. He also bought the Greenfield die set. He paid the asking price of $30 for the socket set, and I told him to make an offer on the die set. He said he only had $28 and I said make an offer anyway. Sold for $25. Very glad to have moved both items.
Al
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