How do I value my old SS to sell it?

teamtj · Post by **teamtj** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 10:31 am

I will be traveling to Des Moines this weekend to order a new Mark 7 at the Lowe's demo. It's a gift from my mother who long ago promised me the ShopSmith my Step-father had once he didn't need/want it anymore.

He passed a few years ago and my Brother in law got the SS (I lived too far to pick up in a timely manner) and then he passed it on to me, but it is missing parts and I'm not sure what it would take to get running like new.

In the end, we decided just to get a new one. Yeah me!

Now, how do I know what to ask for the old one if I sell it on Craigslist or similar?

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 10:34 am

teamtj wrote:I will be traveling to Des Moines this weekend to order a new Mark 7 at the Lowe's demo. It's a gift from my mother who long ago promised me the ShopSmith my Step-father had once he didn't need/want it anymore.

He passed a few years ago and my Brother in law got the SS (I lived too far to pick up in a timely manner) and then he passed it on to me, but it is missing parts and I'm not sure what it would take to get running like new.

In the end, we decided just to get a new one. Yeah me!

Now, how do I know what to ask for the old one if I sell it on Craigslist or similar?

I would suggest that you seriously consider hanging onto it. Owners have a way of finding two is better than one.

donalexander · Post by **donalexander** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 11:56 am

Well, Dusty is right, two are often better than one. He did forget to mention the joy of restoring an older SS to its former glory. But to answer your question, it depends. It depends on a lot of information I didn't see in your post. What model is it? 500, 510, 520? Single quill or double? What parts is it missing? What is the condition of what's there? Rusty? Abused? Clean and maintained?

I'd suggest watching Craigslist in your area to get an idea of what they're SELLING for. There's a Model 500 here with all the basic equipment and maybe a little more and the guy wants $650. It's been listed for months. I recently got a Model 510 and a bandsaw for $500. The original asking price was $950 as I recall. It worked but needed a lot of TLC to get it looking nice plus it was missing about $75 worth of "stuff". When I look at other areas, it seems like the prices vary a bit.

If you watch eBay (and some CL ads) you'll see folks trying to sell their Mark V with several special purpose tools for over $2,000, and noting that new, the equipment would cost 2 or 3 times that much. I don't know that I've ever seen one of those sell, but I'm sure they do, occasionally. For whatever reason, the SS line doesn't seem to hold its original value well. That's a mixed blessing - it means there are some great values to be had on Craigslist from time to time.

Don

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 1:03 pm

Agreed!

Implied but not said outright is that by working with the older model you will gain much knowledge of the beast. Also a greater appreciation of the improvements in the new model.

I do not know how much of a sentimental attachment you might have(or come to have), but that is priceless!

And yes two is greater than the sum of the pair.

Can you tell I am in favor of your keeping it? You can always disperse it later - once gone tis gone!

terrydowning · Post by **terrydowning** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 5:36 pm

JPG40504 wrote:Agreed!
I do not know how much of a sentimental attachment you might have(or come to have), but that is priceless!

Which is why I still have my 1955. I may get another (eventually) but I will not replace that particular one.