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Went to an estate sale today that was 90% tools. All name brand. There was a shopsmith on it that was I think a 520. By the second bid it was over a 1000.00 and ended up selling for just under 2000.00. It had nothing with it other than what came with when new. Everything went very high.

sawmill wrote:Went to an estate sale today that was 90% tools. All name brand. There was a shopsmith on it that was I think a 520. By the second bid it was over a 1000.00 and ended up selling for just under 2000.00. It had nothing with it other than what came with when new. Everything went very high.

Auctions remind me of casinos...some people can't control themselves and use common sense to know when to bow out. There's an auction this coming week at the local auction house that is emphasizing woodworking tools...I'll likely go to the preview the day before just to see what's there but I doubt I'll attend, much less bid. If I do, I'll set my price(s) ahead of time and stick to them.

Well, at least the widow(er) / heirs made out well

joshh wrote:Well, at least the widow(er) / heirs made out well

And the auctioneer!

I would have died for the shop that this guy had. It was a three stall garage and had thick insulated walls which are needed in northern Mich. The whole property was on a hill and the only flat spots that was there had a building on them. When I got home it felt like I had one leg longer than the other:D

sawmill wrote:I would have died for the shop that this guy had. It was a three stall garage and had thick insulated walls which are needed in northern Mich. The whole property was on a hill and the only flat spots that was there had a building on them. When I got home it felt like I had one leg longer than the other:D

Look at the 'bright' side!:)















Yer still walking!;)

sawmill wrote:Went to an estate sale today that was 90% tools. All name brand. There was a shopsmith on it that was I think a 520. By the second bid it was over a 1000.00 and ended up selling for just under 2000.00. It had nothing with it other than what came with when new. Everything went very high.

Do you go to many auctions? The ones in my area never have realistic prices. First you've got the hoarders that want as much stuff as possible whether they will use it or not. Then you've got the resellers. Then (in my area at least) you've got people that know the widow and are driving the bids up.

frank81 wrote:Do you go to many auctions? The ones in my area never have realistic prices. First you've got the hoarders that want as much stuff as possible whether they will use it or not. Then you've got the resellers. Then (in my area at least) you've got people that know the widow and are driving the bids up.

I go to a few a year if there is something I am interested in. I have talked to people that just go to buy anything aluminum to sell as scrap. I to think the hoarders programs are causing the prices to be driven up at the auctions. I usually set a price of half the cost of new and if it goes for more so be it. Then you get these people that have to have it whatever they have to pay so they end up paying more than new.

sawmill wrote:I go to a few a year if there is something I am interested in. I have talked to people that just go to buy anything aluminum to sell as scrap. I to think the hoarders programs are causing the prices to be driven up at the auctions. I usually set a price of half the cost of new and if it goes for more so be it. Then you get these people that have to have it whatever they have to pay so they end up paying more than new.

I don't think the TV shows are to blame, there have always been hoarders and auctions are where they do a lot of their buying. I was doing the same as you, going to ones that had things I was interested in buying. But you show up and see the exact same people at every auction, with a big trailer in tow and paying way too much. I got fed it up because its a lot of driving and half a day burned for certain frustration. I could sleep in and save the gas money instead.

I go to a lot of auctions, enough quite a few of the auctioneers know me by at least my first name, and feel like I get pretty good deals. The best deals are usually on things that are heavy during the week(I rarely get to go to weekday auctions, but when i do it is worth the hassle).