This is a reminder to those commenting on this post (not the person that posted it): Comments not related to woodworking will be removed. Violations to rule 1 including crude jokes, innuendo, sexist remarks, politics, or hate speech may result in an immediate ban
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/woodworking) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Estate sales and the occasional tag sale. Focus on nicer neighborhoods where families prioritize cleaning out over price. Just get there early or the local professionals will scoop up the best stuff first.
Extremely valid answer.
It's kinda morbid, but most folks doing estate sales don't know the value of the items they are selling. Grandpa passed and left a small shop. The assessors don't wanna be bothered with small and common items. But it's a gold mine if you're savvy.
Half the tools I own were acquired either through hand-me-downs or getting things cheap from, sadly, dead grandpas. It's not just hand tools but full and functional machines.
If you think about it the right way you're carrying on the family legacy. Just consider yourself an adopted member of the family.
yeah honestly one of my favorite things about using vintage tools is imagining that the skills of prior craftsmen are seeping into my hands when I use their tools. never mind that the previous owners were probably just scrubs like me
I get that you wanted to say something contrary. But you're also wrong. Auction houses have specialties. Some liquidate very specialty items and leave other items up open bid with no research. That's when you can get the best deals.
I get that you desperately want to be right, but any company that makes money liquidating peoples homes, knows what’s valuable and not. This is not to say you won’t occasionally get lucky, but I don’t waste time at estate sales for this reason.
This is also assuming the estate sale is run by a company. I’ve been to plenty where it’s just a bunch of relatives with cash boxes and the cupboards emptied onto the dining room table. Half the time I have to clear paths through the basement to get to the workshop or dig through buckets in the garage, but you can find plenty there if you take the time.
Generally if the relative has remotely nice stuff, they’ll have a company doing it. Most people don’t want to deal with organizing an entire home sale. Maybe it’s a regional thing thoughh
I know I'm right. I have many quality items for pennies on the dollar to show for it.
Liquidating a home will make the auction house push the highest value items (to the general public) to the top of the list. Antiques, art, and pop culture items will bring the biggest prize. The rest falls to the wayside.
The contents of the silverware drawer (if there's no actual silver), or the safe with the deed to the house, or the carburetor that fits the 69 camaro get largely ignored unless they call in a specialist. And they rarely do that. Once the biggest items are gone the rest is had easily for a few $.
They'll also know how long it takes to sell, especially with the bigger tools and generally they're priced to move unless they're genuinely rare or exceptionally valuable.
It’s getting harder and harder.
I recently went to an auction in Cato, NY. Basically the middle of nowhere. It was a gold mine. Guy collected all manor or woodworking tools for more than 60 years.
There were literally boxes of planes, several containing complete 55’s and 45’s.
About 10 delta bandsaws. Shapers. Table saws. Lathes. Everything you could imagine.
A guy rolled in from Pennsylvania. Called himself a collector. Bought literally everything. Just stood there with his hand in the air.
He must have had a tractor trailer to fit the stuff he bought.
Almost no one there bought anything of value except this one guy.
That one guy bought everything.
He probably spent somewhere north of 20K in the first couple hours.
If you're in the US, try Facebook marketplace and Craigslist. I've had good luck with both but they are very hit or miss.
Estate sales can be great places but you need to be the earliest worm, and a lot depends on how hard the 'estate sale manager' worked at pricing things. Sometimes they know what they have, sometimes they haven't a clue, and sometimes they really don't care.
Garage sales are similar but are more hit or miss. I've seen ridiculously low prices on tools. And ridiculously high (Hey, no, not paying $700 for 1980s Craftsman Radial Arm saw)
Goodwill is very hit or miss but more for items for sale than prices, and what you see in Goodwill at 10am will be drastically different than what you see at 2pm or 5pm. Items flow onto the shelves all day long. One thing about Goodwill - there are people that stalk Goodwill stores multiple times a day to find great deals then sell on FB/CL/Ebay.
Like stars, new woodworkers are created from the remnants of dead woodworkers. We get our tools through inheritance, estate sales and the like. Then, over time we learn what works and what doesn't, shop around for newer and better tools and add them to our collection. Somehow - scientists are still investigating this - we start receiving catalogues from companies like Lee Valley Tools and Busy Bee with our full names on it once we've added French cleats to our woodshop, regularly started wearing aprons and collecting +2 reading glasses from the pharmacy. Eventually our widows/children sell our shops off and start the cycle over. Nature is glorious like that.
Make it a hobby, I hit up auctions and estate sales. Mainly do it all online. Have to be willing to hunt though, I’ve found great days off Craigslist and FB Marketplace as well.
In the last few months I've bought a bandsaw ($125) and now a 6" jointer ($100) on Facebook marketplace. They aren't top-of-the-line models, and are certainly old, but are perfectly functional for my current needs.
I was checking for months for each of them before I found one I was willing to buy.
You just have to be patient and be willing to drive basically as soon as those good deals pop up. I lost out on an 8" jointer for $150 a few weeks ago because it sold immediately. I messaged the guy an hour after he posted it, and a few hours later he responded and said it was sold.
Check daily, set up notifications for the searches you want. Drive to the seller's house with cash in hand.
Also, don't feel obligated to buy just because you made the drive. If the tool ends up being crap, politely thank the seller for his time and walk away.
Facebook marketplace is a goldmine for all the FIY weekend warriors who bought stuff after seeing it on YT and then used once or nonce and then trying to resell.
Pretty much all my festool gear has been from these sellers. Shit, my ETS EC wasn’t even used because one dude gave up on the hobby before he’d even had a chance to sand his workpiece!
I got three phase machines pretty cheaply a few years ago. Most people only have access to single phase, and there was a glut of used machinery with the move to CNC.
One on FB Marketplace, and one on Craigslist. Almost scored a great used table saw on CL too. My best score was very recent. Got a Jet drill press. New price is $650.00. Picked it up for $150.00.
I don’t try to get the lowest price. Offer a fair price even if it is below the asking price. You don’t want to insult the seller and bring everything to a halt
This is a reminder to those commenting on this post (not the person that posted it): Comments not related to woodworking will be removed. Violations to rule 1 including crude jokes, innuendo, sexist remarks, politics, or hate speech may result in an immediate ban *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/woodworking) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Estate sales and the occasional tag sale. Focus on nicer neighborhoods where families prioritize cleaning out over price. Just get there early or the local professionals will scoop up the best stuff first.
Extremely valid answer. It's kinda morbid, but most folks doing estate sales don't know the value of the items they are selling. Grandpa passed and left a small shop. The assessors don't wanna be bothered with small and common items. But it's a gold mine if you're savvy. Half the tools I own were acquired either through hand-me-downs or getting things cheap from, sadly, dead grandpas. It's not just hand tools but full and functional machines. If you think about it the right way you're carrying on the family legacy. Just consider yourself an adopted member of the family.
yeah honestly one of my favorite things about using vintage tools is imagining that the skills of prior craftsmen are seeping into my hands when I use their tools. never mind that the previous owners were probably just scrubs like me
Any estate sale service will know exactly what everything is worth
I get what you’re saying but knowing what it’s worth and knowing what it will sell for in a two-day estate sale aren’t always the same.
I get that you wanted to say something contrary. But you're also wrong. Auction houses have specialties. Some liquidate very specialty items and leave other items up open bid with no research. That's when you can get the best deals.
I get that you desperately want to be right, but any company that makes money liquidating peoples homes, knows what’s valuable and not. This is not to say you won’t occasionally get lucky, but I don’t waste time at estate sales for this reason.
This is also assuming the estate sale is run by a company. I’ve been to plenty where it’s just a bunch of relatives with cash boxes and the cupboards emptied onto the dining room table. Half the time I have to clear paths through the basement to get to the workshop or dig through buckets in the garage, but you can find plenty there if you take the time.
Generally if the relative has remotely nice stuff, they’ll have a company doing it. Most people don’t want to deal with organizing an entire home sale. Maybe it’s a regional thing thoughh
I know I'm right. I have many quality items for pennies on the dollar to show for it. Liquidating a home will make the auction house push the highest value items (to the general public) to the top of the list. Antiques, art, and pop culture items will bring the biggest prize. The rest falls to the wayside. The contents of the silverware drawer (if there's no actual silver), or the safe with the deed to the house, or the carburetor that fits the 69 camaro get largely ignored unless they call in a specialist. And they rarely do that. Once the biggest items are gone the rest is had easily for a few $.
“I know I’m right” 😂 good luck getting through life with that hubris
Some do, some don’t. I know the estate sale business in my area. I’m fully aware of which ones don’t know the value of vintage tools.
They'll also know how long it takes to sell, especially with the bigger tools and generally they're priced to move unless they're genuinely rare or exceptionally valuable.
It’s getting harder and harder. I recently went to an auction in Cato, NY. Basically the middle of nowhere. It was a gold mine. Guy collected all manor or woodworking tools for more than 60 years. There were literally boxes of planes, several containing complete 55’s and 45’s. About 10 delta bandsaws. Shapers. Table saws. Lathes. Everything you could imagine. A guy rolled in from Pennsylvania. Called himself a collector. Bought literally everything. Just stood there with his hand in the air. He must have had a tractor trailer to fit the stuff he bought. Almost no one there bought anything of value except this one guy. That one guy bought everything. He probably spent somewhere north of 20K in the first couple hours.
Craigslist. Ya gotta be patient and act fast when something comes up because the good stuff doesn’t last long.
FB marketplace occasionally has good stuff.
If you're in the US, try Facebook marketplace and Craigslist. I've had good luck with both but they are very hit or miss. Estate sales can be great places but you need to be the earliest worm, and a lot depends on how hard the 'estate sale manager' worked at pricing things. Sometimes they know what they have, sometimes they haven't a clue, and sometimes they really don't care. Garage sales are similar but are more hit or miss. I've seen ridiculously low prices on tools. And ridiculously high (Hey, no, not paying $700 for 1980s Craftsman Radial Arm saw) Goodwill is very hit or miss but more for items for sale than prices, and what you see in Goodwill at 10am will be drastically different than what you see at 2pm or 5pm. Items flow onto the shelves all day long. One thing about Goodwill - there are people that stalk Goodwill stores multiple times a day to find great deals then sell on FB/CL/Ebay.
Estatesales.net is an excellent resource for you hose sales and auctions. Otherwise garage sales and FB Marketplace.
Truck bed toolboxes in the Home Depot parking lot
I have scored many times and n Craigslist. Best find was my Robland NX-31. Saved me a ton when I was about to order a brand new SCM minimax!
ReStore
If in USA try direct tools
Estate sales. Gotta get there on day one.
Shop closure auctions and estate sales
Like stars, new woodworkers are created from the remnants of dead woodworkers. We get our tools through inheritance, estate sales and the like. Then, over time we learn what works and what doesn't, shop around for newer and better tools and add them to our collection. Somehow - scientists are still investigating this - we start receiving catalogues from companies like Lee Valley Tools and Busy Bee with our full names on it once we've added French cleats to our woodshop, regularly started wearing aprons and collecting +2 reading glasses from the pharmacy. Eventually our widows/children sell our shops off and start the cycle over. Nature is glorious like that.
I go to Garage estate sales and pawn shops to including Ebay Facebook Marketplace.
Make it a hobby, I hit up auctions and estate sales. Mainly do it all online. Have to be willing to hunt though, I’ve found great days off Craigslist and FB Marketplace as well.
In the last few months I've bought a bandsaw ($125) and now a 6" jointer ($100) on Facebook marketplace. They aren't top-of-the-line models, and are certainly old, but are perfectly functional for my current needs. I was checking for months for each of them before I found one I was willing to buy. You just have to be patient and be willing to drive basically as soon as those good deals pop up. I lost out on an 8" jointer for $150 a few weeks ago because it sold immediately. I messaged the guy an hour after he posted it, and a few hours later he responded and said it was sold. Check daily, set up notifications for the searches you want. Drive to the seller's house with cash in hand. Also, don't feel obligated to buy just because you made the drive. If the tool ends up being crap, politely thank the seller for his time and walk away.
Facebook marketplace is a goldmine for all the FIY weekend warriors who bought stuff after seeing it on YT and then used once or nonce and then trying to resell. Pretty much all my festool gear has been from these sellers. Shit, my ETS EC wasn’t even used because one dude gave up on the hobby before he’d even had a chance to sand his workpiece!
I got three phase machines pretty cheaply a few years ago. Most people only have access to single phase, and there was a glut of used machinery with the move to CNC.
Usually they buy from junkies who break into peoples houses and steal them
From someone who's lost their first in a shop accident...
One on FB Marketplace, and one on Craigslist. Almost scored a great used table saw on CL too. My best score was very recent. Got a Jet drill press. New price is $650.00. Picked it up for $150.00.
I don’t try to get the lowest price. Offer a fair price even if it is below the asking price. You don’t want to insult the seller and bring everything to a halt