Watching craigslist has finally paid off

[Scott Brandstetter]

I have been watching craigslist for over 3 months. Been on the hunt for a jointer and planer. Really wanted an 8 inch jointer but couldn't pass up the Powermatic 6 inch that was never turned on (a son was selling his dads tools, kind of sad, his dad never got to use a lot of them. I didn't even negotiate, he had them priced very well) Got it for $600 and figured until I find an 8 inch this will work and I shouldn't lose too much on the deal. I also bought his newer used 13 inch Jet planer molder for $700 but as luck would have it, I found a Jet 15 inch planer with the Shelix cutter head this weekend for a $300 more so I sold the 13 inch already. To gloat a little more, sold a couple shotguns that I haven't used in years so I am not out a dime with all the transactions. Feeling pretty good. All I need now is a good buy on a 3hp table saw to complete the shop.

In the process of expanding my shop to 900 sq ft and starting a small business. Focusing on children's furniture.....looking to take out Pottery Barn, LOL

[julian abram]

Congratulations, some very nice wheeling n' dealing on CL. I bought a 6" Jet joiner off CL about 4 years ago, thinking I will need to get an 8" someday but frankly I haven't needed one on any project to date.

[Jay Park]

I've been watching Craigslist for months, finally found someone selling a Tersa head 10" jointer/planer. He wanted $500, I said I'd give $700 and match other offers if he could wait till Saturday ( he was about 1.5 hours away, double that on the weekday LA Traffic).

Come Saturday, I text him, he replies he sold it for higher price.

Arggggg. I was so close.

[Moses Yoder]

I've been watching Craigslist for months, finally found someone selling a Tersa head 10" jointer/planer. He wanted $500, I said I'd give $700 and match other offers if he could wait till Saturday ( he was about 1.5 hours away, double that on the weekday LA Traffic).

Come Saturday, I text him, he replies he sold it for higher price.

Arggggg. I was so close.

That is just wrong. I always hold it for the first guy that calls and says he wants it, basically a commitment to buy if he looks at it and it is as advertised. I have had to listen to some pretty mad people because of that too. I don't take the ad off until I have cash in hand.

[James Nugnes]

That is a tough one Jay. A commitment to hold it for a reasonable length of time and get more money for it should be sufficient to keep that from happening. I mean seriously, how much more could somebody have offered the guy than $700 for a tool he was only asking $500 for in the first place? At some point....sure I guess it would be tough to ask the guy to pass up maybe something like $1,000. That becomes more than just a "bird in the hand" kind of situation then. But short of that....I think he should have held it. At the very least, he should have tried to contact you so you would have known what was happening even if it meant it might make him sound like he was trying to get you to bid against yourself. At least you would have had the option at that point to drop everything and run up to get it for $700. Plus if he had two people willing to pay more than his asking price it should have given him some confidence that it as going to sell and quickly whatever happened and he should have lined his other buyers up behind you.

[Peter Quinn]

.....looking to take out Pottery Barn, LOL

Congrats on the tools, good score, enjoy those. I too got a fair deal on some tools that were never once used from a son selling his fathers shop after a paralyzing illness. Sad, but its something to bring life to them through use. I've done a few built ins and such for people that were considering something from Pottery Barn.....not that hard to beat their pricing, and at a better quality. It helps to have a big jug of Mocha Java stain on hand.....or brownish deck paint! When a potential client starts with "I saw something at Ikea"....them I encourage to keep moving, because their target price is too low for me to turn on the shop lights, usually a short conversation, and thats a quality level to which I personally simply can't stoop. I like to think the small craftsman can stage a revolt against the big boxes, but we have to get the people on our side. People are becoming all about "eat local" with food, maybe that will extend to cabinetry and furniture eventually? Just that its hard to offer a complete hand crafted bedroom set for $499, so I don't try.

[Jim Matthews]

Two kinds of Craigslist buyers;

Those that show up right away with cash,
people that had "other plans".

[Randy Red Bemont]

I can say that I don't blame the guy for selling it and not waiting. I've only sold a couple of tools on CL and every time I get someone who sets up a day and time and they never show. Very frustrating and a waste of my time. So I now say that I will not hold it, you get here first and you can buy it first.

Red

[Bill Orbine]

Two kinds of Craigslist buyers;

Those that show up right away with cash,
people that had "other plans".

That is the deal.

[cody michael]

After looking for a few months I just picked up a unisaw for 350$ 3hp, needs cleaned up but I'm happy.

A fee months ago I bought a grizzly 20 inch planer for 500$ I was super excited about that

[John Conklin]

Congrats on your new purchases, hope they serve you well for years to come. I've had good luck, both for buying and selling. I'm sure Craigslist has its share inconsiderate and dishonest people, but I believe most people are just like me, looking for something for a decent price.

The last thing I sold was my Delta 1440 wood lathe. A young guy that had just started college and had been turning on an old Shopsmith was the first person to come look at it with his dad. He was genuinely excited and the 3 of us stood in my driveway and talked for probably 45 minutes. He offered me the bottom of what I had decided I'd take, but it felt like I was helping promote the pastime so that made up for a little less $.

[James Nugnes]

And that IS the dif. If you are going to agree to hold it then you have a responsibility to hold it. If you say you are going to hold it and you don't well then you are just putting your 1st buyer in your hip pocket as a safety valve happy to know you can negotiate a little harder with every other buyer that sees the ad and calls on it. Frankly, that is sort of dirty pool all the way around. Adhere to your commitments or don't make them and don't use the excuse that most buyers committing don't come through. That is their bad and on them.....don't make it worse.

[Scott Brandstetter]

John, I totally get what you are saying. Over the last couple of years I am finally upgrading all of my tools to higher quality (I started like most people with a lot of Big Box stuff). It makes me feel great to see a young guy or gal come by to look at the tools I am selling. They always get the bottom dollar price and I normally throw in a few other tools that I know they will use and I haven't needed for some time. I even get a few pictures from these younger workers of their new projects.

Congrats on your new purchases, hope they serve you well for years to come. I've had good luck, both for buying and selling. I'm sure Craigslist has its share inconsiderate and dishonest people, but I believe most people are just like me, looking for something for a decent price.

The last thing I sold was my Delta 1440 wood lathe. A young guy that had just started college and had been turning on an old Shopsmith was the first person to come look at it with his dad. He was genuinely excited and the 3 of us stood in my driveway and talked for probably 45 minutes. He offered me the bottom of what I had decided I'd take, but it felt like I was helping promote the pastime so that made up for a little less $.

[ken masoumi]

A while ago I saw a for sale ad for 6 K body Bessey clamps for $70(31" long) I happen to be the first person who responded,and he replied back"can you pick up Tomorrow @11:00 am?) which of course I said yes,when I went to pick them up he said he had 4 or 5 offers for $90 and one for $100 but he told them all the clamps were sold pending pick up.
This seller runs a small shop selling tires,I have already bought a set of winter tires for my son and will soon buy a 4 for myself,I don't know if it's called good karma but I would say his integrity/good deed did not go unpunished.

[John Grace]

Both my wife and I love CL both for buying and selling but like anything else, one must be judicious. I have several rules I try to live by when it comes to buying tools off of CL. First and foremost, what's the tool and what's my expected usage of it? I prefer new for tools that I'll use all the time...unless it's a tool with a long pedigree and likely to have problems. Second, I rarely if ever pay more than half of what the tool would cost new. One of the beauties of CL is that patience will truly pay-off, wait long enough and the right tool and the right price will become available. Third and finally, be fair to both sellers and buyers. Cheers...J