I have been watching Shopsmith items on e-Bay for a few months now. I recently purchased in that same time frame two Shopsmith Mark V 500's of which I found on Craigslist. I replaced bearings and quill as needed to bring them up to almost like new condition.
I listed one for sale on Craigslist in my area for $250 and got no response. I see on e-Bay the mark V 500 is being listed for anywhere from $300 to $1800. I did sell a Shopsmith jointer and band saw on e-Bay last month and was very satisfied with the bid amounts.
I would like to sell one of my base Mk V 500's as I don't really need it. It will basically be the frame and tubes with power head stock. Will include sanding disk, lower saw guard, lathe tail stock, (no lathe tool rest), 10" blade and arbor, and drill press chuck.
My original thought was to shorten the tubes and make a permanent power stand for my band saw out of the extra unit, but I just don't have the room.
Would you list the unit on e-Bay, and what should I start the bidding at? How far will a prospective buyer drive to pick it up?
Thanks
Selling Shopsmith on e-Bay
Moderators: HopefulSSer, admin
Selling Shopsmith on e-Bay
Jerry
Harrison, AR
Shopsmith Mk V 520
SPT's: jointer, band saw
Harrison, AR
Shopsmith Mk V 520
SPT's: jointer, band saw
-
dusty
- Platinum Member
- Posts: 21371
- Joined: Wed Nov 22, 2006 6:52 am
- Location: Tucson (Wildcat Country), Arizona
You asked!
I would not get rid of it. I would use it as a Power Station or as a Vertical Drill Press.
It is very hard to say how much you might get for it. This depends a great deal on where you are located (something that you have not put in your personal profile).
The nice thing about eBay is that you can declare a minimum and if it does not sell, you lose nothing (other than the listing fee). Who knows, it might go for a lot more than it is worth. Many items do that on eBay. If you do not list a minimum (starting bid), it may go for next to nothing. Many items do that on eBay also.
Pictures would be great.
Good luck, whatever you decide.
I would not get rid of it. I would use it as a Power Station or as a Vertical Drill Press.
It is very hard to say how much you might get for it. This depends a great deal on where you are located (something that you have not put in your personal profile).
The nice thing about eBay is that you can declare a minimum and if it does not sell, you lose nothing (other than the listing fee). Who knows, it might go for a lot more than it is worth. Many items do that on eBay. If you do not list a minimum (starting bid), it may go for next to nothing. Many items do that on eBay also.
Pictures would be great.
Good luck, whatever you decide.
"Making Sawdust Safely"
Dusty
Sent from my Dell XPS using Firefox.
Dusty
Sent from my Dell XPS using Firefox.
Last night a bandsaw that was a few hours from me went for $21.00.
It was a nice looking grey unit. I didn't need a 3rd, so I let it be.
It was a nice looking grey unit. I didn't need a 3rd, so I let it be.
www.wirewerkes.com
Hiding in a Joshua Tree.
Hiding in a Joshua Tree.
-
trainguytom
- Gold Member
- Posts: 324
- Joined: Sat Feb 10, 2007 7:22 pm
- Location: Central WI
I have sold SS parts on ebay & always get fair prices & usually start the bidding at $.99. It gets folks bidding. I've never been disappointed in the final price. With as large a marketplace as ebay is, there will always be enough people to drive prices to where they represent the real current value. (I sell all the complete Smith's I've re-done through word of mouth. Lots of times I invite a guy to my shop, he sees them work & wants one)
That said, there are several factors that also affect selling price.
Location is huge for a complete machine. Since they usually aren't shipped, local pickup is the only option. In my area, (central WI) I won't sell a complete machine because there just isn't a population base to give me a lot of bidders.
I think when you go beyond a one hour drive to pick up a machine, you limit enthusiasm to bid. If you're in a large metro area, you will probably do better.
Part of the problem with selling something is to confuse what the seller THINKS an item is worth & what it will sell for in a large open marketplace. (what it's actually worth) Ebay is a good example of such a large open marketplace. If you think your Shopsmith has a given value, you can use that as a starting bid on Ebay. If others agree, it will get bids, if your local market won't support that price, it won't.
Or you could be brave & start at $.99 & let the bidding go where it will, letting the market set the value. If you're in a large metro area, that will get you what a willing buyer will spend, from a fairly large bidding pool.
A couple of other misc. points. Shopsmith owners know how well built & versatile the machines are & get ideas in their heads as to what they think they ought to be worth, sometimes because they've bought them new & paid big dollars for them, and therefore think selling it should bring a price that's related somehow to the original price. That's simply not true. It's not like blue book value on a car. Selling price is dictated by what a buyer is willing pay, nothing more.
As to the twenty something dollar bandsaw, I didn't see it, but I'll bet it was a "pick up only" item not close to many buyers, or the shipping was very high. If not, it was definitely a HUGE fluke. I've been watching Ebay pretty religiously for years & haven't seen one like that. Still, anything's possible. If you can't take the heat, don't go near the fire.
That said, there are several factors that also affect selling price.
Location is huge for a complete machine. Since they usually aren't shipped, local pickup is the only option. In my area, (central WI) I won't sell a complete machine because there just isn't a population base to give me a lot of bidders.
I think when you go beyond a one hour drive to pick up a machine, you limit enthusiasm to bid. If you're in a large metro area, you will probably do better.
Part of the problem with selling something is to confuse what the seller THINKS an item is worth & what it will sell for in a large open marketplace. (what it's actually worth) Ebay is a good example of such a large open marketplace. If you think your Shopsmith has a given value, you can use that as a starting bid on Ebay. If others agree, it will get bids, if your local market won't support that price, it won't.
Or you could be brave & start at $.99 & let the bidding go where it will, letting the market set the value. If you're in a large metro area, that will get you what a willing buyer will spend, from a fairly large bidding pool.
A couple of other misc. points. Shopsmith owners know how well built & versatile the machines are & get ideas in their heads as to what they think they ought to be worth, sometimes because they've bought them new & paid big dollars for them, and therefore think selling it should bring a price that's related somehow to the original price. That's simply not true. It's not like blue book value on a car. Selling price is dictated by what a buyer is willing pay, nothing more.
As to the twenty something dollar bandsaw, I didn't see it, but I'll bet it was a "pick up only" item not close to many buyers, or the shipping was very high. If not, it was definitely a HUGE fluke. I've been watching Ebay pretty religiously for years & haven't seen one like that. Still, anything's possible. If you can't take the heat, don't go near the fire.
My dad's 1951 10er, 2 more 10er's, same vintage, a Goldie MK5, a 510 shortie with 34inch tubes, bandsaw, jointer, jigsaw, belt sander, a ton of small SS goodies and still looking...you just can't have enough Shopsmith stuff
You might want to sell it in pieces. Parted out it can be worth much more and the shipping costs become reasonable. Of course, the time investment is greater. I have several things listed here with only one interested response (because there is no For Sale section, making it easy for people to find something.) I've sold two things, one from here and one on Craigslist (from a member here who did a national Craigslist search). I plan on listing more parts in October on eBay.
I think eBay is the way to go because you have a national exposure and people can see that others are interested and will bid. With Craigslist it is a Buy Now price with everyone offering less and if you say no they never check back. Craigslist is free but is very limited.
Unless you are located in a large metro area you need to calculate shipping from farthest destination; e.g., California to NY or if in the mid-west from either coast. You need an accurate weight and how you are going to ship. Whole machines don't seem to do well because of the "pick up only" or the shipping cost.
Here's another thought. If you are not in a metro area but in the boonies you will not have any or few interested. A neighbor bought a 510 in great condition listed on Craigslist at $550 but it was located more than 100 miles from where he is. He emailed the seller, told him that it would cost more than $100 in time and gas to see it and that he MIGHT offer $400 if it was really clean. Upon arrival, he checked it asked about maintenance and when the dude said, "Huh?" he then took off the belt cover, and asked, "When was the last time you did maintenance on this?" With another, "Huh?" he said, "There is a lot of stuff that needs to be done to this. I'll give you $250 and that's all. It will cost me too much to fix this and I have already spent $100. $250 and that's it." He bought it.
That's the position you are in if you are not in a metro area.
I think eBay is the way to go because you have a national exposure and people can see that others are interested and will bid. With Craigslist it is a Buy Now price with everyone offering less and if you say no they never check back. Craigslist is free but is very limited.
Unless you are located in a large metro area you need to calculate shipping from farthest destination; e.g., California to NY or if in the mid-west from either coast. You need an accurate weight and how you are going to ship. Whole machines don't seem to do well because of the "pick up only" or the shipping cost.
Here's another thought. If you are not in a metro area but in the boonies you will not have any or few interested. A neighbor bought a 510 in great condition listed on Craigslist at $550 but it was located more than 100 miles from where he is. He emailed the seller, told him that it would cost more than $100 in time and gas to see it and that he MIGHT offer $400 if it was really clean. Upon arrival, he checked it asked about maintenance and when the dude said, "Huh?" he then took off the belt cover, and asked, "When was the last time you did maintenance on this?" With another, "Huh?" he said, "There is a lot of stuff that needs to be done to this. I'll give you $250 and that's all. It will cost me too much to fix this and I have already spent $100. $250 and that's it." He bought it.
That's the position you are in if you are not in a metro area.
Location, location, location...along with a lot of luck. I've seen Mark Vs go for $50 or $550. The lower priced ones are typically, in my experience owned by people who they were passed down to or inherited and the new owner doesn't have room, skills, or want to own it.
Selling a MArk V by itself seems to draw less money than parting it out & selling the pieces. I've seen items on Ebay get into a bidding war & end up selling for more than what Shopsmith was selling the same item for. Go figure.
The last 510 near my home was for a firm $800- period. The owner didn't know how to turn it on. I pulled the belt cover off and if was filled with crud and had never seen any maintenance. The bench tubes were really bad & the way tubes were rusted too. The seller had a DC3300 and didn't even know it was part of the Shopsmith system & asked me if he should include it...dahhh.
I was looking for another bandsaw. I know about sellers who sell cheap and then want almost double for shipping. I ended up getting a scroll saw & driving to pic it up as shipping was ridiculous. Oh, the day after I saw that $800 510, I got that 520, someone here mentioned was in Maryland for a couple hundred less & had a bandsaw too- a brand new looking 520 & a new style bandsaw. The seller limited his advertising to the local area as anyone could of easily driven 45 minutes and gotten a very good system. I got a totally restored 10ER- for only $150 because it was in the middle of no where in Florida. I had a sister nearby who picked it up. Shiny new speed changer and everything was polished. I just have to learn how to say no.
Oh, if you let your friends know, you might land one for free. I got a 1955 Greenie that way. I didn't even want it. The is also another group called Freecycle which is located all over the country. The only requirement is the items are free. The day my nephew showed my, he landed to free tickets to the last game the Yankees played in their old stadium in the Bronx- right behind 3rd plate! I imagine you might find tools that way as well.
It's a combination of a lot of things.
Selling a MArk V by itself seems to draw less money than parting it out & selling the pieces. I've seen items on Ebay get into a bidding war & end up selling for more than what Shopsmith was selling the same item for. Go figure.
The last 510 near my home was for a firm $800- period. The owner didn't know how to turn it on. I pulled the belt cover off and if was filled with crud and had never seen any maintenance. The bench tubes were really bad & the way tubes were rusted too. The seller had a DC3300 and didn't even know it was part of the Shopsmith system & asked me if he should include it...dahhh.
I was looking for another bandsaw. I know about sellers who sell cheap and then want almost double for shipping. I ended up getting a scroll saw & driving to pic it up as shipping was ridiculous. Oh, the day after I saw that $800 510, I got that 520, someone here mentioned was in Maryland for a couple hundred less & had a bandsaw too- a brand new looking 520 & a new style bandsaw. The seller limited his advertising to the local area as anyone could of easily driven 45 minutes and gotten a very good system. I got a totally restored 10ER- for only $150 because it was in the middle of no where in Florida. I had a sister nearby who picked it up. Shiny new speed changer and everything was polished. I just have to learn how to say no.
Oh, if you let your friends know, you might land one for free. I got a 1955 Greenie that way. I didn't even want it. The is also another group called Freecycle which is located all over the country. The only requirement is the items are free. The day my nephew showed my, he landed to free tickets to the last game the Yankees played in their old stadium in the Bronx- right behind 3rd plate! I imagine you might find tools that way as well.
It's a combination of a lot of things.
One Greenie, Two Mark 7s,Three 510s and much more…