Some Thoughts On Selling A Used Lathe
Hello crew. I thought I'd chime in on this subject for sake of discussion and to pass along an idea.
No, I have zero experience in selling used machinery, and I don't mean to sound like I'm preaching.
I have actually wondered why we don't see more restored 9" SB lathes on eBay or Craigslist as opposed
to hunks of junk on a pallet. Sure, everybody is looking for a bargain, incl me.
Clearly, there are lots of people who have nice examples since they are easy to restore; tons of parts too.
Perhaps maybe the money is in parting out these machines, not selling restored ones? Are people just
holding onto them? I frankly don't know. Clearly, asking 3-4 grand for a vintage machine might be quite
a leap, considering that new ones go for a third of the cost. Anyway, I digress.
Perhaps a thread for another day.
I believe that selling something as highly "specialized" and potentially heavy as a metal lathe is going to be
a tall task. More than likely, the buyer is going to have to be nearby, not only to visually see the machine, but to haul it away. No one from California is driving to Texas to buy a vintage (or large) lathe. Shipping costs are
over the top and makes that option unlikely.
So what is it going to take to sell a machine? It's going to take LOTS of pictures and lots of information.
You will not be able to post a ton of photos on a site such as this one or even Craigslist. eBay perhaps.
So you need to have a way to get these pictures and info to potential buyers. The way to do that is to provide
a LINK to a site that contains all the photos and machine description/facts you want to convey. (For me,
PhotoBucket is NOT an option).
It has been my experience that you should create a website expressly for the lathe you want to sell. One such place
is Wordpress.com The sites are FREE and the templates are free. And you can load in as many photos as you want.
It's not hard at all frankly....if I can do it, anyone can. But yes, it helps to be somewhat computer savvy. If you
can load pictures correctly here on PM, then I'd say you can probably do it. (Or maybe a younger relative
for 50 bucks...don't get cheap :-)
The point is, you can have a somewhat short website address (LINK) to include in newspapers, Craigslist, PM, eBay or any
marketing media. When you sell it, just delete the site and its over and done. The website doesn't have to be complicated with a bunch of special effects or smoke and mirrors. Just photos, text, and your contact info.
(I have sold a couple of cars this exact same way.)
Here are a couple of basic Wordpress.com sites I currently have (yes, there are some annoying ads in them). Also
note that most photos will enlarge if you click on them.
Sony PMW 350K Viewfinder Adjustment Bracket
The Fabulous Venus!
The StreamLiner Cinema Dolly System
Yes, a couple of these are a bit more complicated than you would need. But again, the point is, if you take a little
time and effort, you can provide much better information about your lathe than is usually possible elsewhere.
By "time and effort" I mean take a bunch of clear photos from all angles including close-ups. And use a tons of
light too. A floodlight or two directly above the machine, and floodlights on both corners, minimum. Daylight even better. (You're lucky we're in the day and age of Smart phones and not 35mm film cameras!). Avoid really wide shots; just fill the frame with the lathe. No one wants to see your truck or patio chairs in the background.
If you happened to see the VonDutch auction link, you will see poorly composed and out-of-focus closeups.
This is NOT what you want. Lazy will get you nowhere!
Take some time to clean up the machine the best you can beforehand. It takes little effort to wipe it down
with some solvent or oil. If it looks like a POS in the photos, then don't expect much interest in your machine.
Arrange the available tools on a drop cloth or assemble them on the lathe; don't just show a box full of crap.
Open the gear covers. Include all plaques on the lathe and GB; and the serial number for sure. And be sure to
include what's wrong with the machine as well as what's right! Perception of value is what you are after.
You can even shoot a short video of the lathe actually running and going through the different power feeds.
Then, post the video on YouTube; copy the link, and include it in the text portion of your site. Unless
you have a good speaking voice, stay away from narrating the video. If you do however, make sure you use a microphone!
Nothing worse than listening to some yahoo that sounds like he's talking from across the room. And walk completely
around it. Clear off (or cover) anything in the background like a jumbled and messy workbench piled high with crap.
If you need to, just hang some tarps to isolate the machine from the rest of your shop (or the washer/dryer on your
front porch :-) You know what I mean...try to be a semi-pro about it, but no need to shoot "Gone With The Wind".
Once you have all the photos and all of your text pre-written in advance, its a simple task to just cut and paste.
Put all of the photos in a separate folder on your computer "desktop" for easy access. (You may have to experiment
with photos sizes tho). Remember, you can always edit it.
So to wrap this up, give the Wordpress.com site a look....it's quite easy. And did I mention FREE?!
Just as you like to hold a close tolerance with your machining project, do the same with your media and the message.
It's an incredibly narrow market segment, so you've got to try to do your best.
Good Luck!
PMc
PS: Sorry for making this too long. I was going to include a few examples of photos what NOT to show, but figured
I'd hurt someone's feelings so left them off.