The Cult of Lie Nielsen..

[Lewis Moon]

I had a great Ebay session last night and I'm about to join the Cult of Lie Nielsen (I identify it as a cult when I see folks paying more for a used plane on Ebay than they could get it new/retail...true story :rolleyes:)
Anyone want to talk me down? I'm going for the #164 with an extra blade which I'll hone at 45 degrees.

[Mike Cutler]

I had a great Ebay session last night and I'm about to join the Cult of Lie Nielsen (I identify it as a cult when I see folks paying more for a used plane on Ebay than they could get it new/retail...true story :rolleyes:)
Anyone want to talk me down? I'm going for the #164 with an extra blade which I'll hone at 45 degrees.

I'm not going to talk ya' down. I made a pretty serious investment in Lie- Nielsen tools last winter. I don't regret it at all.
I have the ability and the machinery at my disposal to rehab any plane, but I still got the LN's.

[Wilbur Pan]

Actually, one reason that used Lie-Nielsen planes go on eBay for more than retail is that an international buyer might find it cheaper to pay above U.S. retail for a used plane than to buy a new one in their home country, especially with what the dollar is doing against foreign currencies these days.

For example, a bronze Lie-Nielsen #4 lists for $300. In the U.K., the same plane goes for the discounted price of £202.79 (www.axminster.co.uk, 10% off), which is $416.27 in U.S. dollars as of today, 11/19/07.

For someone in the U.K., finding one on eBay for a little above $300 would be 75% of the price of one purchased new over there. If I found a used Lie-Nielsen for sale locally, 75% of list seems fair to me.

Since eBay can give you access to international buyers, it's probably not so strange that you can sell a used Lie-Nielsen on eBay for more than you bought it for. It would be harder to do that on Craigslist.

[Above highlight color chosen in memory of the brief life of the SMC theme revision.]

[Lewis Moon]

Actually, one reason that used Lie-Nielsen planes go on eBay for more than retail is that an international buyer might find it cheaper to pay above U.S. retail for a used plane than to buy a new one in their home country, especially with what the dollar is doing against foreign currencies these days.

For example, a bronze Lie-Nielsen #4 lists for $300. In the U.K., the same plane goes for the discounted price of £202.79 (www.axminster.co.uk (http://www.axminster.co.uk), 10% off), which is $416.27 in U.S. dollars as of today, 11/19/07.

For someone in the U.K., finding one on eBay for a little above $300 would be 75% of the price of one purchased new over there. If I found a used Lie-Nielsen for sale locally, 75% of list seems fair to me.

Since eBay can give you access to international buyers, it's probably not so strange that you can sell a used Lie-Nielsen on eBay for more than you bought it for. It would be harder to do that on Craigslist.

[Above highlight color chosen in memory of the brief life of the SMC theme revision.]
I don't want to go too far off topic but doesn't said European have the same access to US retail?.... or does the VAT or import tax wipe out any advantage there? I also know that I wasn't allowed to "re-import" US climbing gear from Canada at a lower price during the period of the strong US dollar.:mad:

[Wilbur Pan]

To my knowledge, said European does not have the same access to U.S. retail. What you describe with VAT/import tax is pretty much what happens. Your experience with trying to reimport climbing gear from Canada is what the folks over in Europe, and Canada, for that matter, are going through now with the weak dollar. Probably the only other option is to take a trip to the U.S. and do some shopping, and try to get the tools back through customs, much like if we were to go on vacation and buy stuff in Europe. There's a limit as to how much you can bring back, though, which probably would limit you to one Lie-Nielsen plane per trip.

By the way, if you want the #164, go for it. Myself, I like bevel down planes, but you'll get good results either way. Any high quality smoothing plane is better than no smoothing plane.

[Mike Cutler]

I don't want to go too far off topic but doesn't said European have the same access to US retail?.... or does the VAT or import tax wipe out any advantage there? I also know that I wasn't allowed to "re-import" US climbing gear from Canada at a lower price during the period of the strong US dollar.:mad:

Only because I happen to be having a little trouble with the taxman on this issue, I might have a little insight here. I purchased something from England though. Sorta reversed.

Ebay sales are considered "casual sales", and "apparently" are excluded from certain taxes AS LONG as the seller is not a "retail distributor"( This is the sticking point for me right now). Ergo, I'm assuming our friends on the other side of the pond have a similar set of rules which allows them to purchase internationally from a private seller, and possibly exclude some of the taxes.

[Don C Peterson]

I had a great Ebay session last night and I'm about to join the Cult of Lie Nielsen (I identify it as a cult when I see folks paying more for a used plane on Ebay than they could get it new/retail...true story :rolleyes:)
Anyone want to talk me down? I'm going for the #164 with an extra blade which I'll hone at 45 degrees.

Rather than talk you down, I'll cheer you on. I have the 164 and love it. I just recently got the 90 degree blade for it and now it pulls duty as a scraping plane. I'm waiting for the Hot Dog attachment to be available, which should make shooting with it even better.

[Lewis Moon]

Rather than talk you down, I'll cheer you on. I have the 164 and love it. I just recently got the 90 degree blade for it and now it pulls duty as a scraping plane. I'm waiting for the Hot Dog attachment to be available, which should make shooting with it even better.
Hot Dog attachment? :confused:

[Don C Peterson]

I have confirmation from LN that they are introducing a Hot Dog attachment for the low angle Jack soon. It's basically a handle designed to give you a better place to grip the plane when it's used on its side for shooting. The #9 comes with one. Here's a picture: http://www.lie-nielsen.com/viewimage.php?product_id=10262&layout=blank

However, now I realize that I'm mistaken. I have the 62, not the 164. (low angle jack instead of the low angle smoother) Sorry for the confusion...