Hot Rods Selling your stash of parts

Hello hambers. I am starting to sell my stash of parts that I have been collecting for decades. Are any of you gals and guys feeling like you have to take a loss on your original purchase prices just to get parts sold and are you being affected by the cost of shipping?

 

Or are you just keeping your stash ?

 

I think if your parts are still desirable and priced fairly, shipping costs are accepted as a fact of life buy buyers who want or need your parts.

 

I have never made money selling cars or parts.
I avoid shipping when selling,
and I don't keep anything forever.

 

Taking a loss? hmmm....I guess that depends on where the specific part came from. If I bought it as an investment, then I deserve whatever loss is coming to me, because that was a silly reason to buy a car part. If I got it free (like I got a lot of stuff), then everything is fine. If I bought it for a project that I no longer need it for, then it doesn't really matter if I take a loss on it, because, that's life.

Your question seems kind of strange to me, but also describes my life pretty well...I've sold off a bunch of parts, and still have a lot more to get rid of. The problem is that once you get rid of the "gold", you're left with the "chaff", which usually costs more to ship than it's worth, and yet you really can't just bring yourself to scrap it or throw it away, and finding someone local to give it to that could actually use it, is difficult. Used to be you could take a lot of stuff to the old car swap meet and sell some of it cheap, but even that is out now, and it's always been a hassle to do that, anyways.

Good luck!

 

I can't remember ever selling anything for less than I paid. Over the past 40 years, I've given more parts away than I've sold. I don't even want to talk about shipping costs.

 

I know what you mean about "the chaff'. I was in the Datsun parts business for a couple of years. The desirable, hard to find, pristine parts went quickly. The parts that needed a bit of work to refurbish were often passed over. I preferred to sell my parts face to face at swap meets. I want the buyer to examine the parts and if they want to make an offer, to make it in person. I got out of that several years ago and everything lust sat in storage. Even so, after several years I recently decided to go back to selling parts on Craig's List. Yes that is a headache but I'm taking my time and I'm not stressing! Maybe you should sell your best stuff and if you get tired of what's left you can list it for free. I'm thinking of that with my stuff.

 

I think a lot of us are faced with the same decision. With age and physical issues setting in, not to mention, this dreaded virus, many of us feel the need to unload a ton of stuff to save our family from having to deal with it. You spend a lifetime collecting things, because you think You’ll need it down the road, or it was a good deal at the time, or it was just neat shit.
The younger people in my area are not really interested in what I have. It doesn’t have the nostalgic meaning or sentiment that it holds with me. There will probably be a dumpster in my future.

 

I think the trick is not replacing the stuff you sell with different stuff. I used to come home from swapmeets with a truckload of stuff...nowadays I'm pretty picky. It's the old car equivalent of a fishing term, catch and release. I see it, like it...think its a good to awesome deal....but I let somebody else buy it.

 

The desirable stuff usually moves pretty quickly. The question is what to do with the extra flathead heads, intakes, exhaust manifolds, 3 speed transmissions, starters, and generators, that nobody seems to want. Seems a shame to scrap them if they are useable but nobody including me wants to ship that stuff. I know I am not paying to store it much longer as they just went up on the rate for my 10 x 20 unit.

 

This is a hard decision. I have an accumulation of 40 parts that I could sell I think but I can't quite pull the trigger yet as some are no longer available and if I sell thats it-no more. Wrestling with it as we speak.
Helping neighbor now with this issue. He has some excellent nomad 1/4 rear glass and door window frames with glass but too hard to ship-- he is going to haul them to the dumpster soon. Money is not an issue with him--just wants this accumulation gone.

 

During this pandemic. People are getting rid of stuff. It seems me and the wife have accumulated more than usual. You buy when people are selling and sell when people are buying.

 

YES!!!!! Even when I list stuff at rock bottom prices, I get offers, or wanna trades? And then there's the wanting photos, of NEW parts. Sorry, I don't get it. I'll even add things to a deal just to get things sold. And shipping; when shipping is more than what I'm trying to sell, it's almost impossible. Some stuff, I even give away. I think part of it is the "vintage" of the items; with all the LS stuff, turbos and such, that's come on the scene in the last few years, old stuff is just that, old stuff, and the new kids on the block just are't interested. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

I don't have a barn or a metal building or a shop with lots of storage. Everything has to get stuffed in the garage or the attic (no basement) and is in competition with household overflow, yard maintenance and Christmas/seasonal decorations, etc. Floor space and shelf space have just as much value to me as resale potential, maybe more.
Every so often I have to get tough with myself and perform the "3 Pile Winnow": a pile I will be using, a pile I won't be using but should be of interest to someone else, and a pile nobody will be using or has little value. The first pile goes back on the shelf. The second gets offered for sale one time and if it doesn't sell, it gets given away or donated. The third pile goes in the trash or recycle with no second thoughts.

 

I started getting used plastic sheds for parts (garage only work space). Now I have 2 pool boxes full of parts I can't throw away but I can't really sell...I try to find like minded people to give them to. Most of it came off of cars from the past or were given to me also.

Selling is a full time job and I'll show the g/f how and where after we retire (she'll do the online portion while I work on the cars ). I'll be ok with prices as I either bought several to choose the best for myself or got the parts pretty cheap. But then again I don't really have holy grail parts, just regular stuff.

 

A fast nickle is better than a slow dime
If recovering initial costs is part of the plan then you could be looking for a slow dime. A fast nickle gets cash in pocket and clears out inventory.
As far as chaff goes, I sell in parts lots with one good part with a bunch of not so valuable parts to make them go away
Shipping is part of the process if going for the dime. The nickle route is a local buyer or sitting at a swap meet.
I buy parts stashes now and then and sellers fall in two categories. Just pay this and get it out of here types and this is all highly valuable and I know it type. Hard to tell those highly valuable guys that what was once valuable is now being repopped and it’s value is highly diminished or that a rare part for a obscure make of car will take time to find a buyer.
Your thinking of selling? Fast nickle or slow dime?
Just my opinion, others may vary.

 

I generally sell off if I no longer have that particular project. At that point I am just putting cash into the next project and it's all good.

Sent from my SM-S727VL using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

an added twist...if you have money in the stock market or similar, and you watch your net worth go up and down by more than all your parts would ever be worth, every day, it makes the "job" of selling your old parts for maximum $$$, seem kind of pointless.

 

I'm selling off some of the "Automobilia" stuff. If an oil can I may have bought for $20.00 is worth hundreds of dollars I sure can't justify walking by it sitting on a shelf hidden behind a box of other crap. Shipping is what it is, heavy stuff is a problem unless the buyer has a clue going into the deal. Empty shelves, full wallet is my new goal. Bob

 

eBay used to be where all my old parts left over from projects went. Ten to fifteen years ago I had a bunch of old parts I had no need for. I was contemplating throwing some of them away. Listed them on eBay everything including the junk sold along with comments like nice condition or better then expected.
Not any more. Ive listed some stuff that was pretty good at reasonable prices and had a bunch of No Bidders. I don't even bother with eBay any more. Its more of a PITA then its worth. Listing prices have gotten to high. Occasionally I list things for sale on the HAMB classifieds and am slowly but not surely reducing my inventory. Even recieved an inquiry today on some 1963 Chevy wiper arms and blades I had listed on the HAMB and recently sold a pair of Pontiac tail lights.

Never knew how hard it was to get rid of stuff until my Mom and Dad passed away and left us a house full of everything you could think of. They never threw anything away. Additionally my Dad before his death said he had money ( never said how much) and a WWll pistol he brought home from the War stashed in the attic so we had to go through everything piece by piece before dumping anything. Initialy my wife and I, my brother and his wife thought we could do it. After a couple of days of removing bags of clothes and filling a couple of dumpsters with junk we realized it wasn't going to happen and it would take at least six months at the rate we were going. We called in a Service specializing clearing out houses. After determining what pieces we wanted, the Service listed a bunch of items on eBay. They then held an estate sale. The remaining items went to their thrift store. We would still be there if it wasn't for them.

After what we went through, we were determined never to have our kids go through what we did and not leave it up them to dispose of all our junk.

Guess what, we haven't done a thing yet to make it easy on our kids. The house, basement and garage is filled with stuff. Its something we and many folks really need to get hot on.

 

My heirs will be getting more than enough real and portable assets to compensate them for the work of dealing with all the junk.

A friend a few years ago was telling me his sob story of having to deal with all the "stuff" in his late parents house he inherited, such house being worth close to a million bucks.

 

Agree with Beanscoot but have seen when someone passes all the heirs want is quick dollars.Sad situation-seen it many times.

 

Seen many squabbles by heirs when it comes to dividing up possessions. It happens in the best of families. A clear cut will helps.

 

Duncan - don't throw out your stash of parts, bring it to the Old Car Parts Swap Meet in Victoria next summer so I can annoy you with some low ball offers!

 

OP question about whether people that have/are selling at prices below purchase price? Also, shipping affecting sales? Yes to both. what ever you put in your pocket after the parts are gone is a plus. have done the heavy duty reduction of my stuff. wife's stuff too. as example, when selling at a swap and have all items priced, early in day someone offers to buy part at reduced price. can either take the deal to just get rid of it, or wait and see if you get a better offer before you load it back into truck and haul home. then do the same process over. stuff that you may think will easily sell doesn't. will have to dumpster some stuff, will have to give some stuff away. shipping of most parts too expensive to bother with.

 

When we moved from Connecticut to Pennsylvania 2 1/2 years ago, after living in the same house for over 40 years. I tore down one small barn, found stuff that I had forgotten about. We filled 4, 40 yard dumpsters to go to the dump. I gave a lot of stuff away, and I still have a full garage, full cellar, and a full 10 x 20 storage garage. I am trying to sell stuff on E-bay, as well as The H.A.M.B. It is slow going, but what else can I do ? At least it is going, and it gave me something to do during the quarantine.

 

I've been getting rid of my "stash" (sh@t) for the past few years. I have also given a lot of stuff away and am looking to donate my race car to a musium. I've lost 5 friends or family since April and this virus is not making me happy. The tools are next or an auction What I get is not relevant it will be gone that is what I am interested in.

Pat

 

I'm still waiting on that single 4bbl tunnel ram, didn't you say i could have it??

 

Please I would beg you to start selling your stuff to at least give us younger guys the oppurtunity to run some of these parts.

 

That’s good advice there .