Suggestions for selling mechanic's tools (2024)

egregore

Having retired and only one car (my own) to worry about, I don't need a lot of them. Although I currently have them still at my old workplace, there are too many people with access to them (1), so I will need to store them.(2) Between the cost of transportation and a storage locker, they are going to become a liability after being an asset for 40 years. I do intend to keep those necessary for my car.

Choices:
*Sell to former co-workers. However, they have expressed little interest.

*Advertise in an ad paper, Craigslist, etc. But that is going to get me a lot of calls/texts, lookie-loos, low-ballers and no-shows and generally be a pain in the ass.

*Sell to a pawn shop. But, besides the fact they pay jack sh*t (but sell them for nearly full price), many tools are for a single specific purpose and are a very "niche-within-a-niche" market. A few are for cars that haven't been made for decades. Also, not many mechanics go to pawn shops, in my experience.

*Sell on the classifieds here. This is a very long shot. There's the "niche market" thing again, plus the cost of shipping.

(1) Many of the tools are unable to be locked up. I ran out of storage space in the boxes long ago, put them on shelves when I was working and was unwilling to spend another $20K on cabinets. I went by the place recently and while nothing was outright missing, I found a plastic storage box broken in half. I had that tool 7 years and never broke it.

(2) I have no room to store them at home (1BR apartment). I think a 5x5-foot locker, if the ceiling is high enough, would hold them, but even those average $60 a month, plus the U-Haul van to get them over there, unless the storage place would lend or rent me something. A 5x10 is about $15 more. Even the ones I don't sell are still going to have to be stored. Selling unneeded ones would at least partly mitigate this.

Bytes

hapevo

It's been a few years since I purged my tools but Craigslist worked very well. Now Facebook Market Place seems the way to go.

braillediver

It would be nice to get the "niche" tools into the peoples hands who would appreciate them. Any car shows / swap meets within driving distance?

Donate them to a school with an Auto Shop?

Pawnshop- Any good ones locally? Trade them for guns / store credit. I've traded at the pawnshop and saved on sales Tax.

Seems it's either taking the time and effort to maximize your return or just sell them in 1 or multiple lots to get rid of them.

coloradohunter44

Maybe an online auction. Check around your area and see what they charge.

egregore

c1steve

Ebay would be the best. There is huge readership on ebay.

-c1steve

bryan11

jimmy123x

If this is like a Snap-on or MAC set, sell them on Facebook marketplace as the entire lot. Meet the people there and etc.

Ebay, you'd have to list, package and ship it all unless you do local pickup only.

iron chef

I always hear about new automotive repair school graduates going into massive debt w/ the tool truck guys when they buy their first professional set of tools, rolling box, etc. Is there a way for you to advertise to a local repair school? I'm sure a new mechanic would love to buy tool truck tools at Craftsman prices.

Try posting at The Garage Journal. It's a forum for tool nuts. You might get lucky and find someone near you.

https://www.garagejournal.com/...orums/classifieds.9/

For professional automotive tools, I think you'd have better luck on Craigslist than FB Marketplace, but you have to be patient.

egregore

Cookster

If you live near a local college and/or HS that offers “mechanic” training that are a match for your tools, maybe reach out to the instructors (their e-mails can often be found on-line on the schools’ website) to see if any of the students would be interested in purchasing your tools.

Perhaps group them together in lots of like task-functionality or something similar.

Maybe offer a progressive discount for the purchase of multiple lots.

This would be a nice way for someone entering the working world after they graduate to build up their tool-chest portfolio beforehand.

__________
"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal labotomy."

wrightd

If you don't want to sell your tools piecemeal via Ebay (a real PITA unless you want to start doing it as a hobby to downsize your life), I recommend you contact this outfit. The owner is a professional auctioneer, very professional, honest, swift transactions and payments.

Forget yard sales and such, you will lose your shirt, esp. if you have good stuff being a professional mechanic. You will recover a TON more money going this route. A neighbor used this outfit twice, after her husband passed. They did an excellent job, they even sold a brand new very expensive car lift to a professional mechanic shop, had it removed and transported etc., and she got a good price for it. I will be using these guys at some point in my own time as well. They have expertise in valuations for all sorts of stuff. The beauty is you don't have to do anything except show them what you want gone, they will inventory it, photograph it, and sell it swiftly and professionally. I even bid on some tools myself that her husband owned, offered solid good money on my bid, and got out-bid by another buyer. I highly recommend them. They will put your stuff for auction online on a national basis, handle all packing and shipping, and you will get true market value for your stuff. You don't do anything except collect a check. Very easy:

https://www.coastaldownsizing.com/

If they don't serve your location, ask them who does, they will probably give you some direction for similar outfits in your area, but in any case, this is the type of business model I would go for if I were in your shoes.

83v45magna

rizzle

Patriot

OR…

Just think of all the great karma you could accumulate right here with massive karma giveaways!!!

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maxxpower

I would use Craigslist.

Put the work in on the front end by taking lots of good pics and creating a reasonably accurate inventory list for the description.

Seems like when I price things very fairly and put effort into making the initial posting very clear, I am able to sell quickly without fielding to many tire kickers.

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TMats

I don’t have any advice, I just want you to know that I feel for you and the difficult position you’re in. There’s something sacred about the tools one assembles in pursuit of any tradecraft, few people recognize the very personal value of something you used to earn a living. They’re effin’ expensive too, and the resale market for about anything is abysmal, almost no one has the money to pay what they’re worth.

I’m sorry about the apartment and the fact that you can’t really store them yourself, and you apparently have no family that would appreciate them. Maybe if you walk into a handful of shops and visit with a few mechanics, you could meet a few young guys that you could help out. You’re in a really tough situation, hope that you find a solution.

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despite them

braillediver

quote:

Originally posted by TMats:
Maybe if you walk into a handful of shops and visit with a few mechanics, you could meet a few young guys that you could help out.

This is a great idea. Or seek out an auto shop teacher to find the kids pursuing a mechanics position.

It's like a legacy and would be worth more getting it into a persons hands who'd appreciate + use it than the mere dollars.

nhtagmember