Ex-Factory?

[Jeff Raymond]

Want to make sure to comply with the rules here, but has anyone had experience with ex-factory.com? They seem to have a very nice inventory of used vintage equipment.

Thanks in advance.

[Matt Meiser]

I contacted them once about a piece of equipment. They were kind of evasive to my questions regarding its condition, like they didn't know the answers. They just wanted me to call to discuss it. The whole thing reminded me of a bad used car deal and I walked away.

[Lloyd McKinlay]

I watched their site for a couple months prior to buying my jointer. Like Matt I was not impressed with either their offerings or service. My understanding is they don't actually have the items listed but simply acted as a broker. I got one freight quote through them--very expensive.

They may be great for a big professional shop but I don't even look at their site now.

[Rick Lizek]

It's been a few years but I've sold stuff through them with no problem. They are brokers so they aren't going to know anything about the machines. It's free to list stuff. There's also www.woodquip.com (http://www.woodquip.com) One shouldn't buy from such sources unless you know a lot about machinery. Prices can be all over the place. Basically the owner of the machine sets the price.

[Phil Ashley]

Hey guys! I work for EX-FACTORY. A friend of mine who visits this site regularly told me about your thread.

We do broker a lot of equipment, but we also have a 60,000 sq ft warehouse of equipment in Zeeland, MI.

http://www.exfactory.com/PromoPages/Zeeland.asp

We typically deal in larger industrial equipment, so smaller items like I have in my shop is tough to deal with the freight. It costs the same to ship a $ 25,000 item as a $ 1,000.

If you ever need anything, I'd be glad to help you guys out. You can email me at phil@exfactory.com or through the board here. I'm not on much though.

As for the used car comment, well used equipment is a lot like buying a used car. There's a certain inherent risk in buying anything used, so as the other guy advised be sure to ask the right questions & know going in that the piece is used and will likely have some type of issue no matter what.

Phil

[Matt Meiser]

As for the used car comment, well used equipment is a lot like buying a used car. There's a certain inherent risk in buying anything used, so as the other guy advised be sure to ask the right questions & know going in that the piece is used and will likely have some type of issue no matter what.

The comment referred to the fact that the person who responded to my email didn't answer any of my questions and wanted me to call so that "we could work out a deal" or something to that effect so I'll stand by my comment.

[Az Fred]

The comment about used cars is a good one. Would you buy a used car without a test drive? Probably not, and a pro shop owner won't buy a pig in a poke either. Ex-Factory also doesn't have the machinery on their "lot" as a used car dealer does with cars. There is no new car warrantee.

The condition listed is usually provided by the seller.

Put it all in perspective and you see that Ex-Factory does a pretty good job. The Ex-Factory broker will negotiate a buyers position with the seller and try to make a deal. To effect a deal a seller and a buyer must AGREE on a price and terms of sale. But the buyer must inspect the goods, or otherwise determine the value, before he lays down the bucks to have any chance for satisfaction.

[J.R. Rutter]

I just did my first transaction with Ex-Factory.

There are definitely pros and cons. They do offer a big selection of equipment, since they are mostly a broker. But as a broker, they have to depend on the seller for all information as well as actually getting the thing on the truck. They are a great resource for literature for old machinery. Be aware that in some cases, the seller of the machine might not even know that it is listed at Ex-Factory, which could make getting information a bit dicey.

The asking prices are typically 20% (or more) higher than private sale prices. Buyer and seller each pay a fee of 10% of the final agreed to price (based on my one experience). If you can't find it anywhere else this seems fair, but it is certainly part of the price.

No offence to Phil, I've never talked to him that I remember, but I had to make MANY calls to a particular listing agent before I got anywhere. Often didn't get a call back from him. He did set up a conference call where I talked directly to the owner to get questions answered - ideal! If you're going for that $1000 item, though, don't expect much service.

[Jeff Raymond]

If you're going for that $1000 item, though, don't expect much service.


Yup, seems as if they have to go for the big buck$ to make any money. I suppose if you were buying a big CNC machine and were a loading-dock equipped factory they might give you more time. I had a talk with them last year and got promised the moon (but by a very experienced sales guy) and there was no follow-through.

Of course, they may think woodworking people may be a tad, well, 'different.' 'Course they're wrong about that. Ahem.

[Paul Canaris]

Did a transaction with them about three years ago. Got a very nice brokered price on a Jointer. The shipping which X-Factory arranged was grossly inflated. The seller owed me a blade guard that he did not make good on. X-Factory had no interest in seeing that this was made good on. A real mixed bag.

[Phil Ashley]

Without a doubt our main focus is on larger capital equipment. I regret that you didn't get a detailed response on your inquiry. I can speak from experience when I say that in sales the temptation is to chase the big fish, but the real money is in taking care of your bread & butter sales. Small shops often move up in equipment fast.

I myself will be glad to answer your questions on any equipment we have listed and if needed I will ensure you get a more proper response from our other sales guys!

We aren't in possession of a lot of the equipment we sell, but we do typically have all equipment inspected prior to shipment. I advise customers to inspect the equipment themselves or to pay a small inspection fee $ 150 - 300 which is applied to the purchase if they can't personally take the time to inspect the equipment.

We do rely on information from the seller on equipment and have only succeeded in this business by knowing what questions to ask and the major pitfalls to avoid.

On occasion people do promise things and not deliver like the guard for the jointer that's part of life. We generally work to get a concession from the seller to get the missing equipment, compensate the customer or make it up to the customer in a future transaction.

One thing I would like to note the gentleman with the Edge Sander bought it on our online auction site, which is a different business model, where equipment is bought and sold As-Is, Where-Is. That is the only place a buyer pays a 10% buyers premium. On our standard site you pay only a negotiated price for the equipment. We can make arrangements for freight and delivery, but some customers prefer to save money and make those arrangements on their on.

I would welcome the opportunity to earn some business from you guys, and if it doesn't make a good deal for on a small item I'll be glad to let you know that up front. I regularly point customers to craigslist or ebay for smaller ticket items. I know in Charlotte there is hobby equipment posted regularly.

[Rob Will]

Last summer, I purchased a 24" jointer that was listed with ExFactory and had a very good experience.

It is apparent that most of the machines are at the original location and that ExFactory is serving as the broker, sort of like realtors or any other auction company. Does Ebay own the things they list? No.

Actually, I think keeping machinery at the original location is a good thing......the more you move machinery about, the more damage it incurrs.

I had ExFactory arrange for shipping and insurance. Unfortunately, the freight company did some damage to the machine. The folks at ExFactory really went to bat for me. The damage was promptly fixed and in a few days, a manager from ExFactory called me to make sure everything went well. I was a little bit surprised that they took such an interest in this (under $2000) sale. Not always cheap but VERY VERY professional.

Rob

[J.R. Rutter]

Phil - Thanks for clarifying the auction fee vs regular sale - that helps for my future reference. Since I didn't meet the reserve price in my auction, the sales rep called to negotiate a price we could both live with. So I wasn't aware that it was still considered an auction...

[Jeff Raymond]

I started this thread, not meaning to cause any trouble whatsoever, but to get some opinions from folks as to their experience as we may be talking, for me, some serious bucks. So I apologize if some feathers got ruffled in the process, that was not my intent.

That being said, this forum is an excellent opportunity get a consensus or at least an idea for others of options. Thanks much to all.

[Phil Ashley]

I started this thread, not meaning to cause any trouble whatsoever, but to get some opinions from folks as to their experience as we may be talking, for me, some serious bucks. So I apologize if some feathers got ruffled in the process, that was not my intent.

That being said, this forum is an excellent opportunity get a consensus or at least an idea for others of options. Thanks much to all.

Jeff thanks for starting the thread. You didn't ruffle any feathers on my part. I appreciate your consideration for our company. I think the feedback you've received from other members is accurate and what is out there in the market.

Again I'd appreciate the chance to earn any additional business I can.

Phil