Are any of these tools real?

[Pete Bradley]

I regularly see ads for tools on Craigslist along the lines of "Bosch orbital jigsaw NEW! - $35". The brands may be DeWalt, Snap-On, Makita, etc, but the picture always looks new and the price is unreasonably low. I suspect a lot of these are counterfeits, not sure. Anyone know how common counterfeits are?

Pete

[Mark Rios]

More likely they ARE new but stolen.

[Travis Gauger]

Sometimes good deals come along, usually it's a different story. I use craigslist quite a bit, and I see the great deals on tools too. I have called on a few of them and they seemed legitamate. I think that there will always be people that will find ways to abuse things like craigslist, you just have to be smart about how you proceed into these things. I always go see the product I'm interested in before any exchange of money. I also always tell the person selling the item taht I will expect a receipt with their information on it before I purchase. If the item is legally theirs, then they shouldn't have an issue.

[Rick Gifford]

More likely they ARE new but stolen.

Thats what I think too. Sometimes someone may be trying to just get rid of something, but seriously... selling a $500 tool for $50 bucks makes you question it.

[Toney Robertson]

A receipt? Do you keep all your receipts? If you do I think that you are in the minority.

Once a tool or anything else I have is out of warranty the receipt is history, if I even have it by that time.

[George Summers]

A receipt? Do you keep all your receipts? If you do I think that you are in the minority.

Once a tool or anything else I have is out of warranty the receipt is history, if I even have it by that time.


I don't think the receipt is for anything other than ligetimacy of the transaction. Just in case the cops come around in a few days.

George

[Ben Martin]

I have seen these here in the Chicago area, sent an e-mail to the seller and gotten a response. Send another e-mail with some question and I ask where they got the tools, I never hear anything back...

IIRC, buying stolen goods leaves you with the same liability as stealing them yourself...

[Walt Nicholson]

We had a guy in our area that was buying pallet loads of tools from liquidation.com that were factory returns. I guess once someone returns something the factory can't sell it as new again. He said about 90% of them worked great and a lot of the others had minor, fixable things. He was making pretty good money at it selling off of craigslist and newspaper until gas went up and the freight went out of sight. He listed them as "new in the box" which was stretching it a little but he said he never had any come back as bad. I bought a Makita drill from him for cheap and 6 months now still happy. On the other hand, we had some guys busted recently for selling tools on cl that they has lifted from a contractor's storage unit. The receipt thing and a peek at the guy's driver's lic. is not a bad idea just to cover your butt. If they won't give it, you know something's up.

[Richard McComas]

A receipt? Do you keep all your receipts? If you do I think that you are in the minority.

Once a tool or anything else I have is out of warranty the receipt is history, if I even have it by that time.I keep receipts for tools and other things forever. Never know when you might need them to prove to your insurance you purchased an item. I think it's a good idea.

[Greg Peterson]

I got a fair deal on a set of drill bits and a dovetail saw off CL. And I've managed to sell an item or two also on CL.

But success as a buyer or seller has been very limited.I can't recall the last time I even looked at CL.

I just assume many of the tools are stolen. It's rare to find someone that has a tool for sale that I want/need for a reasonable price and that doesn't scream "Stolen". I suspect some or many of these tools are imported from a city far away. Rob a job site/business/home, ship/trade the goods via UPS to a connection in another region, list stolen items on CL.

Given the relatively low savings of buying on CL versus the amount of work required to get a sellers attention and arrange the meeting, I prefer just waiting for a good sale price online or local retailer.

[Kent Cartwright]

I have always been a bit wary of purchasing off of CL for tools, but I am now on the other side of the fence. I am trying to sell off my dad's workshop, and while I have had some success by listing on the WW messageboards, the biggest problem is with the shipping. Trying to package and ship a 6" jointer or RAS is a royal pain and is not cheap! There is a lot of motivation to sell the machines locally, just so you don't have to ship. I am also finding myself in the situation where some great tools are being offered at dirt cheap prices, just in an effort to move them. I can't be the only family member caught in this situation. I am guessing that many a non-woodworking family member has listed great tools at low prices on CL, simply because they did not know of the other places folks like us hang out!

Anyone in Michigan looking for some lovingly cared for tools......(< shameless plug).

[John Thompson]

I can't prove they're stolen.. but if listed as new at a price that would be probably 70% of under what a distributor has to pay the manufacturer, common sense would tell me it is fairly obvious. And I aviod them just with that thought in mind.

I do keep reciepts as I do sell a few tools on forums in classified but not CL. I staple them inside the rear cover of the owners manual that goes into a fire-proof metal file box filed alphabetically along with a quick picture I take of the machine itself

I often pull out those manuals to check something on a tool that I purchased 35 years ago. It is also a reciept for the insurance company along with an actual picture just in case a claim has to be filed..

Sarge..

[Dave MacArthur]

My impression was he meant to get a NEW receipt from the seller. I always do this--I type up a "Receipt for Deposit and Sale" with a description of the item, the seller's name/address/phone, and print it out and take it with me to CL sellers. I've never had anyone have issue with signing it, and I do ask to see their license.

I have had phenomenal success on CL, have never met a bad apple (ok I don't visit wierd sounding folks to start with...). I would say 50% off from new is a reasonable price to expect/get for used items. I have purchased a PM66, DJ20 8" jointer, Delta 14" bandsaw, two DW735 planers, a fully loaded Rockler router station with lift, 20 rockler /bessey long bar clamps, all for < $2000. Sold one DW735 for 400, and various other stuff I got for free from sellers for another 400 (wooden shop carts, DC ducting, roller tables). So all that above for $1200, in virtually perfect condition. I would recommend CL to anyone--you're dealing locally, you meet face to face, and it's not hard to know when a story sounds fishy... if the guy has a woodshop, he's probably on the level.

[frank shic]

i bought two PC 690 routers the other day from a guy whose father buys up old, broken tools from PC, ships them to china to repair and then sells them off on craigslist.org or ebay.com. the total price for both of them? $90!!! :D

[Ron Bontz]

I myself have bought several pallets of liquidated tools. Mostly to get something in particular and then to sell off every thing else in hopes it will pay for what I keep. I haven't had much luck really. I list mine as used but often they are either brand new store returns, shelf pulls or customer returns. It was something I decided to try to slow down the drain on the check book. I often sell them for about 60-50% of retail. People don't seem to be willing to pay more than that and I can't afford to just sit on it. Those pay pal and bay fees can add up. I seem to always break even or perhaps loose a few bucks, (not counting the tool I keep). I have had some difficulty in selling off what I don't want. I can only assume it is because some people think it is stolen or the fact there is rarely a manufacturer warranty. Either way I don't blame them. I do think some people would rather see an item over priced then discounted to fool themselves in thinking they are getting more for their money. It's seems odd to me. I have had some people actually surprised when they have come to pick up a tool I sold to see that it really is new and unused. I actually got my hands on a perfect condition 22-44 jet and a 16-32 jet still packed all pretty in the box as well as numerous other tools. On the other hand I have wound up with tools that were beat up in shipping and damaged. Some superficial damage and some that should have been salvage destined for a land fill some where. You just never know what you are going to get in the lot. The liquidation companies do not allow you to inspect those boxes until you have bought them, first clue. The pictures they take tell you very little as well. They rarely take pictures of the actual items out of the boxes, second clue. Some boxes look good with destroyed contents and some just the opposite.These days people are paying very high prices for those pallets so beware. Ultimately it is a crap shoot. The only people that seem to make money in my opinion is the trucking companies from shipping and the liquidation companies. You and I are rolling the dice. The bottom line on these super deals is "if it sounds to good to be true..." Ask specific questions about the tool. If they can not answer them or don't seem to have a clue what that particular tool does...Hmmm. Best of luck and sorry for the long winded reply.

[John Hixon]

I found a Shopsmith Mark V with lots of attachments that somebody just wanted out of the basement. I was the first one there, seven calls before I got there, and it cleaned up great. I paid $400 and could probably sell it for $1000 now that it looks better.

As usual, there are good deals, but the rip offs abound. Buyer beware.