Shopsmith Forums

I can no longer lift and set the attachments on my 510. I want to sell it but not sure what site is best for advertising and whether it is best to sell the separate pieces or the total package. Sad to have reached this stage. The machine is in perfect operating order and has not rust/been kept in workshop for 30 years.
I am located in west central FL.
Cindy B

From what I've seen on CL, if you have major SPTs like the band saw, belt sander or planer, you may do better selling the pieces.

Hello Cindy

Sorry to hear that you're at the point of having to sell tools. I agree with John that you might do best to sell the tools individually, although I have seen tool packages (not just Shopsmith) sell quickly if they are reasonably priced, clean, and presented well in the listings. I have been buying and selling tools on CL and some tool and woodworking forums for a long time and have seen both approaches work.

I just bought a ~29-year-old 510 that is in immaculate condition with numerous SPTs and attachments. The pricing was reasonable, the tools were clean and presented well, and the owner was flexible and sold what I wanted and agreed to leave what I didn't need out of the deal. If he had been hard set on selling as a package I probably wouldn't have gone through with the transaction. And he ended up selling the few things I didn't want quickly so it worked out well for both of us.

Best of luck.

Rob

Cindy B,

Sorry you are at the point you need to sell your tools. One of the easiest, in my opinion, is your local craigslist or something similar. Although it doesn't reach as wide a prospective buyer base as say ebay does I find it easier to sell there. Plus, no expectation of shipping the items. I sell my restored Shopsmith tools on CL and currently have a Bandsaw for sale there.

As for which way to sell the tools is up to you. You can sell it as a package or the Mark V alone with the SPT's sold separately which can work out well and sell for a higher total. Selling it as a package may be more than some buyers are ready to go for in the beginning both in the tools offered and the price. Selling the items separately allows buyers the opportunity to pick which tools they think they need and can afford. Selling them separately still allows you to offer a discount if they buy the entire lot and, in that case, you get them all sold at once.

Lastly the information you can provide in the ads and with the sale can be helpful in making the sale. Good pictures of the tools in the ads help the buyer see what is for sale along with the description. Giving the buyer good information and help when contacted about the tools can go a long way to making the sale. Some prospective buyers may be new to Shopsmith tools. Buyers want to know there is help out there if they have questions about using the tools. When I sell tools, I also refer the buyer here to the Forum and let them know there is always help available from myself and others.

Thank you to all who offered suggestions. They are all helpful. Now i have to work on pricing items. All are in great condition.
Thanks again.

CL was mentioned (I bought my 510 off of CL). The following may work, as well:

www.sawmillcreek.org (You need to be a contributor to post an ad; $6/year)
forums.woodnet.net (the Tool Swap N' Sell page)
https://woodweb.com/cgi-bin/exchanges/machinery.cgi