1. Would not have noticed, if you did not mention.LOL.

2. I donate some smaller items to my locla Mens Shed.

3. Larger items (table saw, jointer, routers, etc)I advertise on local woodwork forum, Gumtree.

 

I see quite a bit on Craigslist.

 

(1) craigslist, fakebook, . . . .
(2) local carving, lathe and other clubs
(3) group (like this) pages for selling equipment

 

Any way to contact local WWing or wood turning clubs? Email a list with prices. When our local WT chapter disbanded, members were given first chances on buying lathes, tools, etc. After that, the remaining items were advertised someway to other chapters and then the public.

 

I just do a search on such things and obtain contact information that way.

 

Location - Location - Location
Here in Central Florida, we are being overpopulated at a tremendous rate. New people, new projects, new hobbies, etc. I have had better success for the "craftsman" type of tools (buying and selling) on Facebook Marketplace than any other social media.
If you REALLY want to get rid of something, list it in as many places you can find with the same price and description. Not just "one" avenue.

 

Thanks John, good advice.

 

Hi all. I can no longer work for any extended time in the shop. Health and breathing issues have grounded my, no more flying high in the shop for me. But I have a lot of lightly used gear and really am not sure how to sell it. Any suggestions. What worked? Anything to watch out for?

This is also a test of the new conversation starter icon on the upper right.

THis icon seems to have slipped of the page?

 

Craigslist is popular for the "older" guys, but a lot of guys are using Facebook.

We have a few auction houses that sell off entire shops, or living estate sales

 

G'day Doug @kp91

Have you swallowed the anchor yet????

 

If I found someone who really wanted to set up a complete shop, I'd take a more modest amount for almost everything. I do want to keep a few tools, mainly hand tools so I can make frames by hand.

 

Sadly, many wouldn't recognize a deal when set out in front of them, and many didn't have the funds.

That aside, I sold a shop a little over thirty years back (divorce stuff). A contractor was interested and made me an offer I didn't much care for. I started selling pieces off and, comically, he panicked and got on board. That old left tilt Unisaw is still going strong.

Interestingly, I started missing some of the tools that went in the deal. I contacted him and he still had one. Didn't find much use for it (24" set up gauge for aligning the table saw, but which was also handy for marking shelf positions on backs and such), so he sold it to me for $20.00.

 

Getting close.... 33 years in the books... Thought I would be done by now!

 

When I moved long-distance from small town in Nebraska, I hired an auction house to sell all of the larger pieces of equipment that I didn't want to move (full size table saw, floor drill press, full-size band saw, jointer, etc.), plus some furniture and a lawn tractor. They got a surprisingly high price for some of the pieces, and a bit low for others. Even after taking their cut, I had a tidy sum left to strategically invest in smaller equipment, like a portable table saw, for my much smaller new shop.

 

This is my first post to this list, so let me begin by thanking everyone for sharing their sage wisdom.

i'm sorry you're having to deal with this, Tom. I fear I may not be too far behind due to back problems. When I moved back to Colorado from a small town in Texas, I used an auction house for some of the larger tools; I wasn't totally satisfied with the results, but as I say, it was a small town and hence a small market,

More recently, as I've tried to streamline things, I've sold some things I wasn't using on Craigslist, and for awhile it worked well, but more recently not so much. Others have encouraged me to try fakebook (I like that name!), which I will be doing soon.

Tom Gray

 

Welcome to the forum @TomGray

 

HI Tom, and welcome. Those are some good suggestions. There are tens of millions of people in our region of So. Cal., so maybe an auction is the best bet. Going to keep enough hand tools to make picture frames, which is about as heavy work as I can handle these days. So I'll likely keep the router table. I love my table saw, so that will be hard to give up. We shall see.

I have thought about moving out of the people's republic of California to Texas, but for some reason, every glass of water I've ever tasted throughout Texas tastes like dirt. And the expense of moving all our stuff is staggering. Oh well. So life goes when you get old.

 

Tom,

Sorry to hear this. I am still using the shop but cannot stay as long as I like. Good luck selling the shop. I had a friend pass away a couple of years ago. I told the widow that I would help sell the shop tools. I found someone that want to set up a shop and they bought about $4000 worth of tools. Since that time I have sold approximately another $6500. I still have around $10,000 left and no buyers. Going to see if and Auction house will sell the rest. It is around a 70/30 split. Better than garage sale price or not selling. This is the second time I had a friend pass and I sold tools. This will be my last time doing this. Takes a lot of time.

Frank

 

I appreciate the suggestions. Going to miss some of the tools.

 

Tom,

I'm in similar position to yours. Although I've never used woodworking as business, I've been an avid woodworker my entire life, started when I was old enough to pick up my dad's tools and still at it in my late 70s. I've also been a tool nut my entire life and had the collection to prove it.

Due to health problems in my family I haven't made a post for at least 2 years and have only worked on very small projects. About 6 months ago I started sorting and selling off larger tools and tools I rarely use. I had very good luck selling on Facebook Market place. I found tools in high demand sell extremely quickly, most of the time in 1 to 2 days. I've had some tools posted that didn't sell for 2 weeks and others that didn't sell. I down now to my Avid CNC Pro 4824 which I hate to sell however I'm just not using it enough for the space it takes up.

Hope you have good luck and get good prices on your equipment.

 

Thanks for the suggestion, I hadn't thought about facebook. It's past time to get on with selling the major tools. I'll keep a few items so I can make frames, but the major tools I so enjoyed getting, have to go. I will likely use the money to support a little more travel. Travel is difficult for me, but possible. Driving is one thing I can handle easily, flying is possible with wheelchair help getting from one terminal to another. Have to ship or carry my liquid food, but it's a minor issue because the airlines have no issue with it. Just scan it for explosives and that's it. I'd really like to get back to Europe one more time, but it's a whole different order of chore to travel that far.

Thanks again and I hope your health holds up.

 

35 years ago ish. My wife and I divorced. (2 stubborn strong willed people butting heads sad to say) Anyway after 2 - 3 years I found that I had no wish to do woodworking. Had not been out in the shop for 6 months. My soul was not doing very well to say the least. When I hit rock bottom and could only look up. I met the Saviour we all know as Jesus and He changed my heart, restored my broken marriage and I sold all my tools in my shop at 50% off to pay for a honey moon in Hawaii. Woodworking was always a contention with my young likes to travel wife.

Yet a few years down the line... I heard from her own lips. Why don't you start doing some woodworking again......

A.......................did I hear you right? Yes she said. So now I have more than I had when I sold it all 30 years ago...besides the larger shop...ha. she had been looking for a different house with a large shop...me I am ok with the double car garage..sure sometimes it would be nice to have room... (OK all the time it would be nice to have room..) but I make do. 99% of all my tools, tables, CNC are on wheels.

I found I got great deals from those that want to pass on the craft. Gifting stuff to those that have a itch is really cool. My son and my son in law have garages full of my upgraded to newer better tools.... well sometimes not as good. I have a drill press that I would like to have back..ha! Another upgraded tool will hit them.