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Selling a Shopsmith

Posted: Wed May 12, 2021 12:55 pm
by jjbraun50
I am getting old enough to start downsizing. How is the best way to begin selling off my Shopsmith and associated attachments? I have an older Model 500. Would Craigslist, or other social media work best. Or local newspaper? Please advise

Re: Selling a Shopsmith

Posted: Wed May 12, 2021 1:53 pm
by edma194
Craigslist works well around here. There's also a Facebook group but I don't Facebook.

Hard to say what works best, I think look for other ads in your area. Prices around here are pretty low for older 500s. Greenies can be had for as low as $200 so any accessories you have would increase your value. When I see ads on Craigslist I ask for the serial number to see how old it is. Sometimes that's mentioned in the ad, but usually not, and I don't know if it's a good idea to put it there because I'll use it to bargain down the price. Then again some people want to hear that their machine will be taken care of by some who knows what they are doing and I think I'm a reasonable facsimile of someone who knows what they are doing.

Good luck with this.

Re: Selling a Shopsmith

Posted: Thu May 13, 2021 11:27 am
by chapmanruss
I agree with what Ed has already told you which I find true here on the west coast too. I believe many buyers are looking to be first time Shopsmith owners. Go through your Mark V and accessories to make them ready to use for the new buyer. Get them cleaned up and lubricated. Showing them as a ready to work tool for a first time Shopsmith buyer can be a selling point. If you have SPT's to sell also consider advertising them separately. Someone looking to buy a Mark V may not be ready to get a whole shop full of tools at once. Selling a Bandsaw or Jointer, for example, separately gives flexibility for both you and buyers. There is a person near me that regularly sells a Mark V with several SPT's. Currently he has a Mark V 520 with all the original accessories that it came with from the factory plus a Bandsaw on it's own power stand, a Jig Saw, a Jointer, a Belt Sander and Dust Collector for $3750. That is a lot for most buyers to lay out all at once for used tools. Another advantage to selling any SPT's separate from the Mark V is you may be able to sell the individual items for more than if sold as a package. Buyers will be looking for a bargain but will value getting a good working tool with all the needed parts to use it.

All but 1 of the Shopsmith's I have purchased to restore I have found on craigslist. All I have resold have been advertised there too. The closest one I have sold to yours was a 1982 Mark V with the original table system (later known as a Mark V 500). I purchased it and completely went through it, replaced the damaged main table and missing parts. I had no problem selling it for what I believe was a fair price.

Re: Selling a Shopsmith

Posted: Mon May 31, 2021 12:46 am
by Jdwags1
And Russ, he's still out there, Ive been seeing his ad even now..

Jeff
Bothell, WA

Re: Selling a Shopsmith

Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2021 11:06 am
by db5
Get some Barkeepers Friend. I use it with a light oil base to make a paste and remove rust. Rub it on with your fingers (latex gloved) and wipe off with a cloth. I've found that to be the easiest and fastest method. Everything Russ wrote is spot on. Make sure your listing on CL is in Austin, Waco and San Antonio. That will hit the surrounding areas. Good luck.

Re: Selling a Shopsmith

Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2021 2:32 pm
by chapmanruss
Jeff,

The ad I mentioned above was a different set of Shopsmith tools he was selling but currently he has another ad with a a Mark V 520 and a group of SPT's for sale. He has been doing these "sales" from Vancouver WA off and on for a long time.

Re: Selling a Shopsmith

Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2021 11:07 pm
by JEFFinCLE
I just ran across an ad for a "complete Shopsmith shop" for $5,000. I didn't take the time to figure it all out, but I assume it was a reasonable price for the complete set. I just can't see many newbies taking that kind of a leap. I contacted the guy and offered to buy his DC-3300. Nope. All or nothing. I might be wrong, but I would not take that approach. I would offer bundle pricing if someone wanted several tools, but wouldn't demand they take the whole shop or nothing.

Re: Selling a Shopsmith

Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2021 9:43 pm
by JPG
That attitude is a good way to assure "nothing' will happen.