I have a real issue...and it isnt healthy!

[clovis97]

I have a real issue...and it isn't healthy!

I've been actively buying and selling for the past 10 years, and have focused heavily on tools when I can get them bought.

The beauty of buying and selling tools is that I generally keep any tool that I don't already have. And, generally speaking, most of what I buy at estate sales is old stuff, often run of the mill, with nothing spectacular, but it has been fun to buy a box of tools and keep a healthy handful for my own boxes.

The upside is that I own more hand tools than you could use in a lifetime. Need a file? I've probably got 40 of them, all top names, in all cuts, sizes and shapes. Need a clamp? I've got those too, at least 35 of them. Deep or shallow? Armstrong, Williams or Craftsman? Furniture clamps? Banded, or pipe? Wood? Got those too. The drawer that I keep adjustable wrenches in is getting so full that I can't hardly close it. Name a good brand, it is in there, except Snap-On, and name your size too. I've got it.

Punches? Chisels? Check. Screwdrivers? Check. Torx? Check. Wrenches? Check, and crazy amounts too.

In fact, I have two roll around boxes, both of them large, with bottom cabinets, and large top boxes. One has an intermediate box. I also have a giant top box. It is as full as the others. Then I've got totes. Yes, plastic totes full of antique wrenches that I thought were cool. Those are semi-hidden from the wife.

Then, last week, I bought two more boxes at an estate sale for $25 each. Both are nice totes, and brimming to the top with Craftsman tools. I bought them with the exclusive thought of reselling them at one of our various flea market or antique mall booths.

I already own multiples of these tools, but cannot bring myself to sell them. Even though I think I could piece out the two boxes for a $150 to $200 profit, I just want to carry them to my shop and find places for them in my already-full boxes.

I make my living buying and selling, but I am out of control with the tools. Cheap stuff gets sold at a bat of the eye, but anything nice, Craftsman or better...I just can't let it go.

I'm afraid that some camera crews are going to show up someday wanting to feature me and my tools on a hoarder show.

Who else is like me? What do you keep? Do you ever look at those crazy hoarders on American Pickers and completely understand where they are coming from?

 

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[pat-tekker-cat]

Sounds like you got a monkey-wrench on your back!

 

[duffytrash]

i think youll be ok...make some sculpltures out of em.....the needle nose could be the beak...sockets for eyes....crescent wrench boidies....you could be the next big thing!!!

 

[Peyton Manning]

I'm the same way with supermodels, just cannot seem to let them go

 

[cyberdan]

Do you ever look at those crazy hoarders on American Pickers and completely understand where they are coming from?

My daughter accuses me of being a hoarder but i can sell anything I have without a 2nd thought. But then My stuff won't fill a small horse trailer.

Clovis you would have gone crazy if you hit the same yard sale I did a few months ago. tables and tables and big plastic bins of very old bit braces. I think that was all the old man collected. If I knew anything about them I would have tried to buy some.

 

[clovis97]

Clovis you would have gone crazy if you hit the same yard sale I did a few months ago. tables and tables and big plastic bins of very old bit braces. I think that was all the old man collected. If I knew anything about them I would have tried to buy some.

The standard variety of steel braces are a dime a dozen. I sold 8 braces a few months ago for $3 each, just to get them gone.

Wood and brass braces are a whole 'nother story. Some of those can bring $$$.

If you ever see super clean sets of bits, especially if they are bright nickel or chrome nickel, snatch them up. Irwin and Craftsman are two names you see often. Shiny bit sets can bring a small fortune on ebay, or at least they used to.

And yes, even though I probably own 100 bits, I stumbled into a nice, bright shiny set of Irwin bits over the summer, neatly stored in an oil soaked tool roll. I still reach for my tarnished and rusty bits, but that roll of bits found a new home in my box.

 

[Iron Patch]

I started to go down that road a little but found myself buying more of what I liked and not necessarily the best things to flip, so I decided to only do it for the money. Fast forward to today and I think of my inventory as my collection, but I'm not really interested in any particular piece, it's more about just trying to build it bigger. That's the fun I have, and doesn't affect me in a negative way. Luckily everything is quite small so storage space is not an issue.

 

[Baltimore]

I'm definitely guilty of buying things that I like and then keeping them instead of selling. The problem is I like to research the things that I like, so I know a lot about the stuff I like and not much about the stuff I don't care about. Wish I knew more about random stuff, then I might actually make more cash instead of just throwing it on the pile!

 

[jerseyben]

I know my wife would disagree but I dont keep much of what I buy. The only stuff I keep is the stuff that I purposefully buy for myself, my wife, or for my household use. I dont "hoard" anything. If I had to make a stretch and say that I "hang on" to anything, currently it would be vinyl records. I am trying to reach "critical mass" so to speak. I want a large inventory because I believe that records are a good investment and are worth hanging on to. I am trying to replace my old Magic card collection with records. Previously, I was absolutely hoarding Magic the Gathering cards. I recently sold about 98% of my collection. I had about 50,000 or more cards and other various accessories. Now I probably only have like 1200 or so (and they are basically just bulk). I will say that, to date, Magic cards have been my bread and butter #1 best investment I ever made. I probably spent around $2500 on cards in my lifetime. The RETAIL value of my collection prior to selling was around $12-14,000. Unfortunately, I did not have the drive to sell them individually on ebay so I sold most of them to dealers at a very deep discount. Thus, I made a substantially smaller profit. EITHER WAY, the return on my investment was pretty sweet and I dont regret a thing.

 

[Iron Patch]

I did not have the drive to sell them individually on ebay so I sold most of them to dealers at a very deep discount. Thus, I made a substantially smaller profit.

A little lazy there my friend?

 

[Silver Searcher]

A little lazy there my friend?

But a quick turn around, none the less, And on to the next one please.

SS

 

[Iron Patch]

But a quick turn around, none the less, And on to the next one please.

SS

It's a little different when you're talking one item compared to an entire collection.

 

[Silver Searcher]

It's a little different when you're talking one item compared to an entire collection.

Depends if you want to sell it as a collection, or one piece at a time.

SS

 

[SoCalBeachScanner]

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Hey clovis97,

Everyone has some sort of issues and you have already passed the first test ... you realize that you may have a problem. I love buying and selling like the next guy, but my goal is to stuff my bank account, not my garage.

If you start listing stuff on Craigslist and the good stuff on eBay, then open a separate banking account for the selling and buying garage/yard sale finds. Your goal can be turn over the items as fast as you can to fatten up that new banking account.
You will get addicted to selling, instead of hoarding, and you will have plenty of cash for new toys.

The last thing you want to do is end up with a barn full of stuff for your family to have deal with when your gone.

 

[Iron Patch]

Depends if you want to sell it as a collection, or one piece at a time.

SS

Yes, but a personal collection is not a quick flip with another waiting.

 

[Iron Patch]

-
Hey clovis97,

Everyone has some sort of issues and you have already passed the first test ... you realize that you may have a problem. I love buying and selling like the next guy, but my goal is to stuff my bank account, not my garage.

If you start listing stuff on Craigslist and the good stuff on eBay, then open a separate banking account for the selling and buying garage/yard sale finds. Your goal can be turn over the items as fast as you can to fatten up that new banking account.
You will get addicting to selling, instead of hoarding, and you will have plenty of cash for new toys.

That's how I see it. Why would I save any of this stuff when I can use the cash to buy anything I want. My detecting finds is what I collect because the price is right.

 

[jerseyben]

A little lazy there my friend?

I can see why you would say that.

But without getting into the details of how I liquidated, it was the "smart" way to do it.

When you have 50,000 or so cards, it is a daunting task to conceive how it could be liquidated without turning it into a full time job. In the end, I still did a LOT of work selling it all but listing each and every card on ebay just was not an option. I passed along the difference to dealers who actually do this for a living. Let them put in the countless hours and headaches to make a few bucks. No problem by me. I took the money I made liquidating and bought a truck AND fixed it all up.

 

[Iron Patch]

I can see why you would say that.

But without getting into the details of how I liquidated, it was the "smart" way to do it.

When you have 50,000 or so cards, it is a daunting task to conceive how it could be liquidated without turning it into a full time job. In the end, I still did a LOT of work selling it all but listing each and every card on ebay just was not an option. I passed along the difference to dealers who actually do this for a living. Let them put in the countless hours and headaches to make a few bucks. No problem by me. I took the money I made liquidating and bought a truck AND fixed it all up.

Just using the opportunity to take a shot.

I agree with you, there's a point where it's not worth putting in the hours to make the last little bit. That's why plenty of people list lots on ebay and plenty by them... and I do both.

 

[jerseyben]

Just using the opportunity to take a shot.

I agree with you, there's a point where it's not worth putting in the hours to make the last little bit. That's why plenty of people list lots on ebay and plenty by them... and I do both.

Totally understand. I hope you know that I look up to you as a respected ebay seller. In no way do I think you are lazy.

 

[Iron Patch]

Totally understand. I hope you know that I look up to you as a respected ebay seller. In no way do I think you are lazy.

All good, and you can think I'm lazy because I've had several extended vacations and was very lazy! But when I'm steady on the E I bet you have no idea how much it takes to keep everything flowing. Today I sort of made a lazy day, but that's because I will fire it up tomorrow... a lazy day, but a day to shop, and of course that's the key part to doing this. It's sort of what the sites are to detecting, the key element in the entire process.