Where did all the deals go?

[Rick Potter]

For the last couple years there have been numerous great deals on Craigs List for big tools. So here I am now actively looking for a good, used but not abused, left tilt Unisaw, and have struck out for the last couple weeks.

There are two really nice ones on CL....for $1500. Wow, that is about what they cost new, on sale. There is also one they want $3500 for, and another brand new one in the box for $2700. I want some of whatever they are smoking. I should have bought that like new left tilt General 350 that was listed for a month, at $1000 last year. Wonder what it sold for?

The deals have really dried up around here. How about other places??

Rick Potter

[Cary Falk]

There would have to be deals here first before they dry up. There is somebody here that wants $600 for a Dewalt 9" 925H Radial arm saw. It's not even restored. Good luck with that.

[Dan Hintz]

The economy has picked up some in the last couple of years... not a ton, but enough to allow people to hang onto their stuff longer.

[Stephen Cherry]

Good deals are random events so they come up randomly. You need to look every day (at least) for a period of time. When you least expect it, your machine will pop up. Also, the high priced machines may be worth an offer, but you may want to let the advertisement age for a while. (they could be scams though, in my area there are the normal scammers offering HF tools at "great" prices).

Don't forget fleabay, and auctionzip.

[Bill Rogers]

There are still plenty of deals for woodworking tools on CL here in south Florida. I was told that the south Florida economy has the biggest upside of anywhere in the country. However, that sounds to me like just another way of saying that our economy has sunken the deepest!

[Paul McGaha]

My prefered source for used tools is actually here on the creek in the classified section. I think it's pretty near a 100% chance you'll be treated fairly. I'm very confident the tools will be in the condition they were described to be in. I've made 3 purchases so far and they all went well. I've made 1 purchase from ebay and none from craigslist.

My kids seem to buy a fair amount from craigslist. My daughter bought a perfect condition Ethan Allen cherry table from Craigslist for $75.

It seems to me that there was a spike at our craigslist at the start of spring. Sort of a spring cleaning I suppose.

PHM

[Julian Tracy]

Thing is - unless you are checking CL on a multi-hour basis, you really have no idea whether deals have been there or not. Good deals don't last long, and most folks take their ads down quickly.

So this supposed lack of deals could simply be the fact that if you are only checking in the am and at night, you may well be passing up some really amazing deals.

I have CLpro on my iPhone and it's very easy to check every so often as it's near instantaneous. Call it my hobby - searching for deals. As a result, not much gets by me.

Remember - what an item sells for has little to do with it's worth and has everything to do with the seller's motivations.

Julian

[Dave Carteret]

Thing is - unless you are checking CL on a multi-hour basis, you really have no idea whether deals have been there or not. Good deals don't last long, and most folks take their ads down quickly.

That seems to be true. Best thing I've done while shopping for anything specific is create a good search in searchtempest and check it multiple times daily.
Go down the list and click the top item in any region, even if you're not interested in it. Reason is to change the color of that link. Then on your next check, it takes mere seconds to scan the list and see if there's a new link since the last time you looked. Hold ctrl while clicking links, they'll open in a new tab, you can close them quickly or look at them as needed. Pretty quick & simple.

[Salvatore Buscemi]

The way it works is, you go buy one for 1500, and when you get home another one will show up for 200. That's how it happens for me anyways.

Sal

[David Kumm]

Unisaws and PM 66's are in big demand. The OWWM guys like them and the recent major increases in new saw prices have driven up that particular market. On the other hand, Delta 12-14, PM 72, Oliver 270, Northfield 4, Tanny's are as cheap as they have ever been. The bigger 3 phase machines are a steal. Find a used vfd and you are in business. Like the used car market, tough economic times sometimes cause a bubble in some used stuff. Used 8" jointers are high relative to 12", etc. Dave

[glenn bradley]

The economy has picked up some in the last couple of years... not a ton, but enough to allow people to hang onto their stuff longer.

I (without any specific research) agree on this. A year ago things seemed to be dropping out of the sky. Not so much now. I have learned to really plan out the things I will need in the future so I can (sometimes) take advantage of deals when they present themselves. "Luck favors the prepared" or something like that. Old sayings are great but, I think sometimes it is just hit and miss.

[Ryan Hellmer]

I too have noticed a decline in deals on CL. I don't know what if anything caused it but I feel pretty confident that I took full advantage of the deals I did find. I think the key is really to know what the market is, for instance, I paid $1600 for a fully loaded woodmaster 718 a couple years ago, upgraded motor, the works. Just a couple weeks ago I found one for my dad, not quite all the accessories with the standard 5hp motor, but only $600. Now I was a bit jealous at first until I realized that $1600 for what I got was a pretty fair price, below market. If you really know what a particular market is sometimes you win, sometimes you win BIG.

Ryan

[Timothy Wolf]

There are still deals here in Colorado, I check most of the state pretty regularly. I have been purchasing tools since November of last year (Sometimes just to resell them and make a little $) and have come up pretty good but things definitely slowed down in the past month or so.

[Joe Federici]

I would agree last fall it seemed there were a bunch of fire sales on CL but for the most part I think to get the most out of it you just need to be actively looking and jump on something when you fine it. It may also be the area your in. I live in NJ just outside of NYC and deals run crazy cheap then way over market.

[Rick Potter]

I agree with all who have said you have to haunt CL. I look twice a day, and am a veteran CL shopper. I am in no rush, and since I want a fairly specific model, left tilt Unisaw, it may take a while. Some of the prices they are asking, like the $2700 one now, are rediculous. Some people just don't know what they have. One lady had a Delta contractors saw, with pictures for $300, but called it a Unisaw, and copied the description of the brand new one for her ad.

All things come to he who waits.....the trick is in not waiting too long.

Rick Potter