Selling Shopsmith Shop

[ABSchroed0311]

My husband of 53 years took his last breath on February 27, 2022. On the 1st anniversary I will be gathering information about how to sell his enviable woodworking shop.
An inventory has been completed. Does anyone have suggestions as to the best way to liquidate 4 Mark V Shopsmiths with jointer, planer, bandsaw, jigsaw, 2 power stations, a dust collection system, Delta Unisaw and many other large and small pieces of equipment and tools?
Could be a good deal for someone in the San Antonio area if they are interested.

[chapmanruss]

ABSchroed0311,

Sorry for your loss. I am sure your husband would be happy to know you are looking to get his tools into the hands of people that will appreciate them.

Large tools are best sold locally since shipping can add a lot to the price. With so many tools selling them individually would likely be faster than selling them all together. It would bring a higher total price too. Most people looking for tools are not usually looking for a whole shop full of tools at once. I buy and sell the Shopsmith's I restore mostly on craigslist. It and Facebook (Facebook has a following for Shopsmith tools) or any other local ad services are a good way to get them in front of possible buyers. As for the value of the tools that can vary by a number of factors. There are different models of the Shopsmith Mark V which include the original aka 500, followed by the 505, 510 and 520. It is the Table/Fence system that is the difference between these models and the value generally increases as you go up in the model numbers. Other factors include condition, completeness, extra items included and even location. Looking at the online ad sites in your area, you are likely to see prices all over the place. The price shown is not always the price paid by the buyer. Look at the prices for comparable tools to see what, in your market area, they are going for. Also check the length the ad has been up which is an indication of a price being too high if it has been for sale for a long time.

Something I do when selling one of my restorations on craigslist is I have the first contact made via their email service. This helps avoid some scammers as it keeps my direct contact information from being out there for anyone to see.

Although this forum is not the place to sell your husband's tools we can help you with any question about his tools you may have.

[edma194]

My condolences for your loss also. I think those tools will sell faster, and for more money one at a time. Craig's List is a good way to sell that kind of equipment around here, don't know if you have other local places to advertise. Shopsmiths and other tools are sold on Facebook also, but I don't go on there so can't tell you about it. You should know that used tools usually don't have great resale value. You can get a better idea of what some of them are worth looking at eBay, Craig's List advertisers often don't get as much as they are asking for tools. Hopefully some members of the forum in your area could help you out evaluating what you have. And while this forum is not for advertising private sales, you could post some pictures of your husbands workshop and tools here just for us to see them. I'll bet he would have enjoyed showing them to us.

[ABSchroed0311]

Thank you so much for the information you folks sent. It gives me a direction to go to get the word out. I will have to find some in the area who can tell me the specifics about the different upgrades. My husband inherited his dad’s vintage SS which he upgraded. And I know he upgraded his own much newer model.
About 20 years ago my husband traveled from San Antonio to Maryland to pack up and bring back a $30,000 shop for $10,000. He did his homework, and by the time he sold the things he didn’t want or need, he probably paid next to nothing for the shop. Plus the enjoyment of the trip and incorporating tools into his own shop was priceless.
Of course I would like to get top dollar for everything, but I know I won’t. My goal is to distribute the tools to people who will appreciate them plus empty the shop with the least amount of effort and energy as possible. That inevitably will mean taking less for the tools. If that means selling the entire shop, it might be worth considering.

[HopefulSSer]

You might already be aware but there is a common scam that occurs, especially on Craigslist. You'll list something for sale and someone will respond and offer you full price plus some additional to hold it. They say they'll send a cashier's check and send someone to pick up the item for them because they're out of town. The check will be for an even greater amount and they'll ask you to give the difference to the person picking up the item. The cashier's check will turn out to be fake but by the time it bounces you'll be out the goods plus the money you gave the pickup person.

So if anyone offers you a cashier's check, tell them no!

[db5]

Cash only and don't accept anything larger than $20 bills. Find out where the nearest bank is and tell buyers with larger bills where it is, how to get there and to bring back $20 bills. Some won't ever be back. This is also a Craigslist scam for passing counterfeit. Or buy one of those pens that checks for counterfeit that you just mark on the bill.

[ABSchroed0311]

Thanks for the info on scams and other ways people take advantage of unknowing people like me.
I’ve already had a “trusted" caregiver make off with items from my home and the shop worth well over $5,000. That’s only the items I know about. I’d rather not go there again. The only thing I can hope is that she and they pay in the end.