- Joined
- Feb 9, 2017
- Messages
- 5,231
Today we have many choices . Different dealers , different qualities in tools , up and down prices , Ebay , Facebook , craigslist , yard sales etc . The internet has changed the game . It's simple to purchase what you want these days , it's a world wide market place . Back in the late 70s and thru the 80s , my choices were limited . Myself being a job shop owner , I had the choice between MSC , Borroughs and Walt Chapman's down on Harford Rd . I guarenteed same day or 1 day turn around on jobs . MSC had red label shipping for 7 bucks that guaranteed my tool would be at my door by 9am the next day , or I had to truck it to Walts . The influx of Chinese tools and their suppliers is filling the gap that society has created as tool purchasers .
As a seller of tools these days , Ebay is by far the easiest way to sell items no longer needed . Load the pictures and sit back , either as an Auction or as a Buy it Now format .
I have a place right up the road from me that wants to sell my tooling , and take 50% . Right . I am perfectly able to list it on Ebay myself and save their fee .
Very good on you. It seems I can only accumulate, not dissipate. Certainly ebay has made it so hobbyists like myself have a chance at nice older stuff for an affordable price. It's a two edged sword in that some old machine tools are worth more in pieces than together. So its nice to see parts for long ago discontinued machines but meanwhile I keep seeing machines with crucial parts missing. So how many machines were parted out because the person didn't know the parts that fetch so much(like the original Atlas 7b vise, tool holder, ratchet box and belt guards)? And the advent of folks who seem to be making a living hocking stuff they have no clue about on ebay. Often they misspell or miss label something which makes it impossible to find as a buyer. But sometimes when you stumble across it, it can be a bargain. You are right, the net has changed everything.