Thread: tool dealers! getting lower

Happens here as well.

What I really like is you see them purchase items for next to nothing and the following day have 1000% mark up at the local flea market.

Originally Posted by Pat

Happens here as well.

What I really like is you see them purchase items for next to nothing and the following day have 1000% mark up at the local flea market.

Oh yes Pat! I've seen that happen at one of our markets!

Yes this particular bloke works the market! But after the underhanded tactics I'll be sure not to even look at what he has.

My wife is a dealer and we do garage sales often. We don't turn up before the advertised time, and we'll pay fair prices (that we need to then make a profit on). We've been back more than once to pay a seller more when we've worked out that we got a bigger bargain than we knew about at the time. And no, I'm not kidding - we do that regularly. We have also put sellers on to auctioneers for items that we know are valuable and that we don't want to buy.

We are often asked to come and buy from sellers who are intending on having a garage sale for what is left that we don't want. That is because we have a reputation for being fair. So please don't tar all dealers with the same brush.

And yes, we have often encountered dealers who are underhanded and shonky, and we refuse to behave like that.

They assume you don't know they are a dealer.
They buy all the tools for the flea markets,
They buy all the brass and copper for scrap.

If you want an idea if they are dealers, stay at the front gate and see how much is already in their car/trailer.

Even if you say it starts at 8am they give you every excuse under the sun to look at 6am.

I have to be at work at 7am, please.
I need to go to hospital for an operation at 8am.
I'm on my way to give evidence at a royal commission.

And every time I say nope, come back at 8am, and you know what, with all the excuses they still come back at 8am.

A number of years I bought a large quantity of old woodworking planes in a U.k auction.
I did not know the value of them but knew there were somemnice ones in there.

I listed them on ebay, one rather nice one was a mitre plane stamped with the name "Fenn"
Anwway you know the story, someone rings you up about the item and tries to persuade you to remove the listing and sell to them, he persuaded me to accept £120 for it.I cant remember if I made it clear I would not honour the offer if someone had bid on it before I got home to remove the listing.

On arriving home I found that someone had placed a bid so decided it was not fair to end the auction so refunded the money that had been paid to me via Paypal.

Sure enough he rings me up and is not in a very good mood, I explained the situation and he said "good luck with the auction but I doubt it will go well"

When the bidding finished the plane was bid to £540 I was quite flabbergasted and duly packed up the item and posted special delivery.I received notification a couple of days later that the item had not received it.I checked with royal mail and sure enough it had been delivered and signed for by a "mrs Smith".Intried ringing the contact number but no one answered and I couldnt findmany mrs Smith in the area.

It was only when I checked the paypal account used it was the same as for the guy who called me that I realised it was a con.

He had used a different account name and address for the Paypal account.I realised that he would submit a claim with Paypal and get a full refund so he got the plane for Nothing.

Fortunately as I had proof of posting so got my money back after the dispute was settled.

Thank you so much mr Greg Reid Or whatever the hell you call yourself and shame on me for being so gullible.

Originally Posted by Poppa

My wife is a dealer and we do garage sales often. We don't turn up before the advertised time, and we'll pay fair prices (that we need to then make a profit on). We've been back more than once to pay a seller more when we've worked out that we got a bigger bargain than we knew about at the time. And no, I'm not kidding - we do that regularly. We have also put sellers on to auctioneers for items that we know are valuable and that we don't want to buy.

We are often asked to come and buy from sellers who are intending on having a garage sale for what is left that we don't want. That is because we have a reputation for being fair. So please don't tar all dealers with the same brush.

And yes, we have often encountered dealers who are underhanded and shonky, and we refuse to behave like that.

No I'd never categorize anybody, I'm not knocking tool dealers as a whole, it is a job i would love, and I am guilty of selling tools that I don't want. I like the clearing sales, but usually have to bid on a box of goodies just for one item that I do want, then i will move the rest on. This guy does advertise to buy and I have no issue with that at, Its just the turning up at garage sales a day early and before the advertised time.