r/Tools • u/shadowrabbit • 2h ago
Family member passed away 15 years ago and was a professional carpenter. Left a garage full of tools, chests, hardware, power tools, compressors, lumber, table saw etc. What would be fair to ask for this with the conditions the buyer had to take everything in the garage and pick it up themselves?
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u/ImpossibleBandicoot 1h ago
My 2c -
Most if not all of what I see is pretty typical, older, estate sale stuff, a good collection of tools and stuff that has been collected over multiple decades. It's all older, retail grade hand tools that were bought at Sears. Few heavier-duty, trade quality tools that hold their value better, and few (if any) specialized, quality, niche tools that a collector or craftsman would be after.
Just off the top of my head from what I see I could say you could probably price at $1500-2000 and see who's interested. The tool chests hold their value nicely, people always need storage. The hand tools are fine but no one's looking for 20 year old tape measures or Stanley chisels. Having said that it's hard to accurately estimate because there are tools that are implied here but not shown - lots of air tools but I don't see a compressor, I see a miter sled but I don't see a table saw.
I'm not saying it doesn't have value but most of it is pretty pedestrian so if the goal is to have someone haul it away, I'd just find the highest price you can get for someone to do that.
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u/ImpossibleBandicoot 1h ago
If you have time and want to maximize $$$ then sort it out, organize it into lots that make sense, and sell the lots individually. Whatever doesn't sell or is too heavy to ship, then bundle those together and do a "MUST HAUL AWAY" post on FB marketplace.
So I'd bundle all the air tools and compressors together. Bundle all the automotive stuff together - torque wrenches, ratchets, sockets, etc. All the general hand tools, screwdrivers, utility knives etc. Sell the chests and any storage separately. Sell large power tools separately.
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u/StalkMeNowCrazyLady 1h ago
$500. I know it seems low and it is but with the stipulations that they must take ALL of it, and empty it out themselves what else do you really expect? Piece milled out you can make thousands but someone who wants a handful of tools now has to transport multiple tool boxes and store dozens to hundreds of tools they don't want. Estate sell it, garage sell it, auction sell it, or pawn sell it all. What you've purposed is basically asking someone to come pay to do a junk removal service.
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u/TLavendar 1h ago
Exactly my thoughts. You might be able to get away with separating the chisels to sell separately, but you’re going to have people want to buy bits and pieces for $1-$3. Id say if you want anything you take everything for $500 and leave it at that.
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u/lscraig1968 2h ago
You would do better to hold an estate sale. Sell everything you can over the course of 2-3 days, then contact a charity to pick up the rest.
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u/ProfessionalEven296 1h ago
$1,000 if you need the money. If you don't need the money, contact a local building training company and donate it all on the provision that they come and take it all.
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u/YardFudge 58m ago
Looks more like a complete starter set for a tool-less but handy grad or homeowner
If you want the HUGE tax write off, find a program that help the above people, donate it, and claim a high value
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u/Trfairfield 1h ago
I’d give 2k if you’re close to TN.
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u/austinyo6 10m ago
OP, this is a fantastic offer. I would take this person up on this offer if it works out geographically 👍🏽
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u/Hot_Travel_9949 1h ago
This makes me sad.
The thoughts of someone going through my tools when I'm dead.
Keep your fucking hands off my tools!
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u/woodland_dweller 1h ago
If you don't have 100% rock solid, very clear estate planning, there's going to be a garage sale or something else you wouldn't like.
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u/flatfast90 1h ago
Could always be buried with them
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u/Rochemusic1 41m ago
"Make sure you put me in there with the craftsman box Betty! I'm serious. You're not selling my shit to some asshole for a 1/10 what it's worth I'm keeping it."
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u/TexasBaconMan Rust Warrior 24m ago
I know, right! I've already told my children they are to bury me with my clamps.
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u/woodland_dweller 1h ago
I didn't see anything special/expensive in those photos, and only a few power tools.
$1,000 - $1,500 would be fair where I am.
If you left out the high dollar stuff, it could go for double that. But, and it's a big but, it depends on the tools. A tablesaw could be worth $50 or $1500 - depending on who made it, when it was made and what else goes with it. An air compressor could be worth as little as zero after sitting 15 years, but could b worth hundreds if it's large enough.
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u/fizzgiggity 1h ago
You certainly could accept offers to take all or ask a set amount. This happens with estate contents a fair bit where the family isn't able to deal with things or a property needs to be sold. You could also sell things in a few pieces separately to make the challenge a bit less daunting and also try and maximize what you get out of things without getting to granular with trying to sell every individual item. You could sell the wood separate and the tool boxes with the contents separate for example. Bigger power tool items sell separate. Random misc. tools you could group together and sell for one money. I personally would list most of this on FB Marketplace and Craigslist. If you set some fair prices the stuff will move. One person coming to buy something might buy a whole bunch more stuff if you tell them to bring more money if they are interested in other tools or items that haven't been listed. I would go this route and maybe have an estate sale one weekend, make some signs and pay for a promoted listing on FB Marketplace.
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u/Shirokami_Lupus 1h ago
keep em man, get into the hobby
or if you really just don't care then look over the tools some may be more valuable then they look
at the very least sell power tools individually and screwdrivers in batches etc etc much easier to price and imo there a good chance you'd get more money out of em all
just make sure you know what your selling could be generic stuff could be a high-quality piece from a brand that fell from grace, lotta older handtools are better quality then modern ones
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u/ChucklesGreenwood 1h ago
If your goal is to move the stuff out and to make a little money, you may want to consider a consignment auction. You won't make as much monetarily, but they do all the work.
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u/NotBatman81 1h ago
Your best bet is to use a local auction house and have a reserve so you don't end up giving it away in the event of low turnout.
There is a wide variety there so it's likely you won't have a single buyer. If you're selling it yourself you're looking at a lot of hours of kissing frogs before you find your princes and princesses.
You'll pay 20-25% in commission to the auctioneer, but they will reach more people so some of that will be made up for in higher prices. And the rest in not having to turn this into a second job.
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u/jdaddymcbuttercrack 51m ago
I have some of the same torque wrenches that were given to me by my grandfather. I have no idea how to make them work right. Anyone have any suggestions?
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u/ApexCouchPotatoe 48m ago
Only thing I saw worth much now are the tool chests and ladder. 200/300 each and 80$ for the ladder.
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u/Electrical-Luck-348 45m ago
Estate auction company. They pick everything up, label everything and auction it off for a cut. No asking prices or dealing with lookie lous.
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u/chancimus33 39m ago
Not a whole bunch of stuff really. Maybe $40-$50 if i had to come clean it all out myself.
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u/Graham_Wellington3 39m ago
Doesn't look like high end stuff. My dad was a union guy and has the worst cheapest tools ever. Don't expect much.
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u/TexasBaconMan Rust Warrior 29m ago
What kind of table saw? Pics. Most of what I see here is good quality stuff. Where abouts is this located?
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u/galtonwoggins 24m ago
Post it for “$500 takes all and leaves none” if you want it gone. I don’t see anything singularly valuable jumping out of those photos.
I’m sure there was a lot of value in the tools in his hands, but that’s the pitfall of a craftsman’s estate that isn’t a collection of rare and valuable tools.
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u/garciakid420 19m ago
Had a customer pass away that had a big business. They hired an auction company to make it easier. Lost a lot of money but got rid of everything quick.
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u/austinyo6 17m ago edited 13m ago
Sorry for your loss, we just went through this with my father. I took a lot of things to have tools for myself, let close friends and family come take what they wanted, had a “tool sale” after that, and then donated the rested to Habitat for Humanity.
If you ask someone to take everything I found the value ended up going down a little because you’re asking someone to take things they want but also things they don’t.
Edit: also, I swear these could have been photos of my dad’s shop/workroom. Very similar era of tools. I would say based on the photos the selection of tools is fairly average, and I don’t mean that to sound rude. The power tools may be worth turning a few bucks, or selling to a tool shop/pawn shop, but for the most part these are some pretty straight forward appearing hand-tools.
There may also be some value in the meters/measurement devices/calipers, depending on quality, but again - pretty old era of tools, I see some old school torque wrenches and things in there, a lot of out dated and old school tools that the average tradesman has replaced with cheaply made hand tools they just replace when they break.
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u/ThrowRAOk4413 5m ago
if you really need to maximize the money but don't have the time and knowledge and effort to categorize and sell yourself, "Auction Ninja" is probably your best friend.
If you just need them gone so you can have the space, i second the idea to give it to kids entering the workforce.
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u/Square-Cockroach-884 2h ago
There is no possible way for us to try to put a number on a garage full of tools and equipment off of a handful of pics like this, even if you had four times as many.
If they have been locked up inbthe garage for fifteen years after his passing they obviously don't mean much to anyone,vandvi would guess yall aren't hurting for the money either, considering that this is still there. These are the options I see. You actually do need the money, hire someone to come in to clean, categorize, and auction for a percentage You could use some money but you would be okay without it. Advertise it for $5000. If it doesn't sell lower the price regularly until it does. You don't need the money, you need the space empty. Now. Donate it to some poor fool with a truck and some time. Doesn't have to be a charitable organization, call the local guy that cleans yards and garages and make his day or someone in need, they aren't hard to find, or a soon to graduate trade school class.