Overwhelmed by Task of Selling Off Old Craft Hobby Tools

March 25, 2022 4:05 AM

I'm overwhelmed by the huge task of selling off my old niche hobby equipment.

I used to be very active in practicing certain niche crafts and bought a great deal of expensive, well-made( some of them custom/handmade) tools for them. However, I had to stop because my financial circumstances changed and the raw materials were just too expensive to buy.

I have been keeping the tools carefully in storage thinking that I might go back to them someday when things improved financially. Then Covid happened, my finances cratered and I have decided to give up all crafting permanently and switch to hobbies that don't clutter up my limited space.

I now wish to sell off all my tools because I need the money and would appreciate the space. I have never sold secondhand stuff of mine before. It would have to be online because my local hobby communities for these niche crafts are very small.

I am overwhelmed because I have a lot of stuff, it's in storage and I've forgotten when I even own. They were bought years ago and I don't think I have the receipts for them anymore so I would have to search for prices online. I don't know how much to discount for secondhand tools in excellent condition. I would like to find good homes for the custom and handmade items. Some of the items are large and difficult/expensive to ship. I would have to take good photos and upload them somewhere and write the descriptions. Maybe buy packaging material.

I am out of touch with the communities because I stopped a few years ago and would have to find places to list them that aren't too troublesome. I found some suitable forums but they all have different rules specific to selling such as members not allowed to start more than one thread selling, not bumping threads too often etc. I am anxious I will do something wrong because I have so much stuff to sell, I'm not sure how best to do the selling while adhering to all the different rules.

Can anyone provide a roadmap for getting my stuff sold and money in my pocket? I am quite busy and it's just overwhelming to have to deal with this on top of daily responsibilities so small steps that I can do daily would be helpful.

posted by whitelotus to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (22 answers total)

certain niche crafts

It seems you've taken a bit of effort in the writing of this Ask to avoid explaining what these niche crafts are. It would, thus, certainly be gauche to ask what exactly they are. So: may I ask why you are avoiding describing them?
posted by pompomtom at 4:19 AM on March 25, 2022 [6 favorites]

It seems that this is overwhelming for you for a variety of reasons, so it might be easier emotionally/mentally to sell it all off at once for a bulk price. If you can wrap your head around a figure that you would let it all go for and offer that instead? I understand the desire to want things to go to a good home, but I think you should let that go. Who cares where it ends up if they pay you what you want. You have an emotional connection to this craft and these things that is going to get in the way.

Without knowing what specific craft you are referring to, it seems like first need to inventory what you have to know exactly what you are selling, and this can be done in chunks. I don't think you should worry about things like receipts. Fellow crafters will know the value of the tools/equipment and either will pay your price or not.

Depending on how you feel about this and where you live, etc. can you allow people to come and look through your stuff and make offers?

How about any local artisans that might be connected to studios that might know folks who need tools?
posted by archimago at 4:22 AM on March 25, 2022 [4 favorites]

Best answer: Hi, I have been selling a lot of things online and yes, it is difficult and kind of painful! The good thing, though, is that you don't have to do it all at once. Start small!

Can you think of one or two things that are 1) probably high value and 2) easy to ship (i.e. small and/or lightweight)? Start with them! (An alternate place to start might be things that are 1) low value and 2) taking up a lot of space.)

General tips for selling stuff online:

You don't *always* need good photos, although it never hurts. Especially for things that are, like, "commodity" products (i.e. made by a known manufacturer, with a product number, etc.) the buyer mostly cares about 1) what the product is and 2) whether it is in proper working order. If there are big dings and scratches, make sure those are visible in the photo and called out in the description. But, like, if you're selling audio equipment, the photos don't need to be particularly artistic.

Maybe save the unique stuff that will be hard to ship and/or difficult to photograph correctly until you've got a few quicker wins under your belt.

I use the eBay "sold listings" search as a sort of benchmark for how to price things (even if I'm actually selling them on Facebook or Etsy or a hobby-specific forum).
posted by mskyle at 4:48 AM on March 25, 2022 [10 favorites]

I’m sure eBay will come up here soon. If you are feeling overwhelmed I will NOT suggest you try and sell items one by one on eBay. It is incredibly time consuming and I find it takes a lot of emotional energy. If your tools are too heavy to ship this won’t be relevant.

eBay can be really useful in a couple of ways:

- price research, if you do an advanced search on eBay and filter results to show only sold listings, you will get good information of what buyers have been willing to pay in actual money for the items. This can give you a rough idea of what the maximum value of the tools are, and you can decide if your time is worth investing to try and sell it. You can also see inventory and order flow. If there are one hundred of the same tool listed for sale now, but the last sold listing was six months ago for very low price, you have just learned the market is full of sellers but no buyers.

- consignment sellers: there are people who sell items on eBay all the time and you can pay them to do it. Here is one example: https://www.waylandpackandship.com/shop
If you call around to antique stores and consignment shops in your local area, you may find one. I would not be dissuaded if the shop does not specialize in the kind of thing you have to sell, if they do eBay consignment they will be able to sell anything and will quickly know if it is worth their time.

Lastly, donate or junk it. I have a great junk hauler that I hire, found on Angie’s List. He can magically make anything disappear for $150-500 per truck load. He properly disposes of toxic items, and his family owners a consignment shop that gets fed items he picks up. Someday will he turn a greater profit selling something that I tossed, that I was too ignorant or busy to appraise? Probably, and I’m just fine with that.
posted by sol at 4:50 AM on March 25, 2022 [3 favorites]

I'd consider selling supplies in lots on eBay or (if you live in/near a U.S. metro area) Craigslist.

Selling niche items can be hard. Particularly if the craft has changed since you were practicing it. "We all use Goldsmith's Puckdoodle now, not that cruddy old Silversmith's Puckdoodle everyone was using three years ago" sort of thing. I have previously sold items that fall into that area, as well as more timeless stuff, in garage sales. It's sad and annoying in various ways, but it can be a relief to have the stuff out of your life.

In those circumstances, I have asked myself questions like "what is the likelihood that I can find anyone in a timely fashion who will buy my expensive, hand-crafted replica Bronze Age weaving tools?" I'm being facetious, but if you're talking about a small enough niche, your only hope may wind up being supplies for someone just getting into that niche, or another practitioner who sees a possible deal and is buying backup. Like, if you're a cartoonist and you need X nib, a la Charles M. Schulz, you buy every nib of that type you can find.

Good luck.
posted by cupcakeninja at 5:10 AM on March 25, 2022 [2 favorites]

Are there any Facebook groups about your hobby? That would be a good place to list things if the group allows. I'm in a few Facebook groups for outdoor hobbies and people are always posting listings for used gear.
posted by carlypennylane at 5:11 AM on March 25, 2022

Response by poster: pompomtom: Old-timers in these hobby communities know my real-life identity from my active days, and I don't really want anyone to figure out this is my mefi profile because I'm pretty sure there's some overlap member-wise. Don't worry, I'm not selling anything scandalous.

archimago: A lot of the stuff is custom-made to my specifications, handmade or unique so can't really be sold in bulk.

I have looked on the local equivalent of ebay (I am not in the U.S.) and no one is listing similar items so I have to try Facebook groups, hobby forums. There are not enough local buyers to do pickup though I have no choice but to try to sell the big items this way because shipping would be too difficult and expensive. I'm in a difficult position because the big items are worth too much to junk but if no one local is willing to buy and pick up, I'll be stuck. Buyers would need to arrange some form of transport to truck them home.
posted by whitelotus at 5:29 AM on March 25, 2022 [1 favorite]

Your response came up on preview, so this may not be as helpful as I'd hoped….

Not niche items, but I've sold off a fair number of woodworking hand tools on my local Craigslist alternative due to an involuntary downsizing. I found that the best way to get decent value on highly desirable tools (rare antiques or discontinued tools by good makers) is to salt them into batches of more run-of-the-mill tools and stand firm of selling them as lots. You must have an idea of which tools would be hardest to replace, so check the sold auctions on eBay and divvy up the generic stuff accordingly.

That said, fire sale prices are what move the bulk of more generic things out the door. When I took into account how much the storage of the tools was hobbling other aspects of my hobby and life, it was easier to let go of the generic items for far less than I'd originally paid. It was also kind of nice to see people who were new to the hobby getting deals on the stuff.

I was surprised by how far a few people were willing to travel to pick up items. Also, I am continually amazed by how people will happily waste my time, so if you're not able to accommodate any sort of delivery, state clearly that you WON'T RESPOND TO INQUIRIES ABOUT SHIPPING, OR MEETING YOU HALF WAY, OR ANYTHING ELSE.

Sorry that circumstances are forcing your hand on this.
posted by brachiopod at 5:37 AM on March 25, 2022 [5 favorites]

Seconding brachiopod's comment about people being willing to waste your time. The number of emails I've fielded to sell old furniture, exercise equipment, etc. that led to nothing...! Facebook Marketplace has added a layer to this (in my and friends' experience) of personal harassment, rising sometimes to alarming levels for female sellers.

I'm in a difficult position because the big items are worth too much to junk

I feel your pain and am commenting again because I have been in this position and constrained by finances, move-out deadlines, etc. That said, as you may or may not know, you are describing a sunk cost. The associated logical fallacy is that something you once paid for ("sunk cost fallacy") is too dear to part with, even though its usefulness has expired. Again, having been in this position, I have sometimes set myself a timeline -- "I will sell this stationary bike in three months or donate it" sort of thing. That has been helpful to me personally in balancing the unquestioned value of decluttering (hard for me) with the potential value to be recouped from reselling.
posted by cupcakeninja at 6:01 AM on March 25, 2022 [7 favorites]

> Old-timers in these hobby communities know my real-life identity from my active days

Could you bear to re-engage with those communities just sufficiently to ask for help in getting rid of your gear? If anyone there knows you - even by reputation - you might get a bite if you sign back up to one of the forums and post something like: "Hi, it's whitelotus here from the Old Days, sorry I've not been around for ages but I've pretty much dropped out of the hobby - in fact, I'm trying to get rid of all my old tools. Any advice for the best way to go about it?"

I feel like you'll get more of a sympathetic hearing if you go direct to a knowledgeable community - any reselling site like ebay becomes a race to the bottom on price, and brings you into contact with too many timewasters. On sunk cost grounds, I guess you could be flexible on price if you get any interest from a forum post - which would save a world of research & haggling. I get that every forum has its rules on For Sale posts - but, maybe pick just one forum with reasonable traffic & see if you get anywhere?

I'm fortunate that my own expensive niche hobby has a lively 2nd-hand market for components, and everything is small & light so it's easy to ship.

Good luck!
posted by rd45 at 6:41 AM on March 25, 2022 [11 favorites]

What about directly contact arts studios, arts centers, universities, and other teaching settings to offer this material at a reasonable price in bulk? Alternatively, you could just donate it, which would get it off your docket but not bring you back any cash. As a middle ground, you could offer to donate it for an in-kind return like free class registrations, credit at their shop, or some other thing you want that they have.

At the same time, I agree that there's a sunk cost effect here, something I confront all the time when offloading things I don't want any more but still has value. IF there's no buyer that shares your estimation of the value, the value isn't there, so you might have to weigh how much you want money for this and how much energy you'll need to spend finding that buyer vs. how fast you want it out of your life.
posted by Miko at 7:06 AM on March 25, 2022

Best answer: I think you may be letting the perfect be the enemy of the good here.

The steps I'd propose for you are one of these three:

First method - takes up your time and energy but sells things the way it sounds like you want to which is personally and piece-by-piece.

1. Inventory part of what you have - whatever is most accessible - and create a few lots.

2. Try each lot in a different environment - one on Facebook Marketplace (if you do FB), one on eBay, one on Craigslist, etc. Whichever is easier, then list one or several lots a week until you feel done. For the few things that are impossible to ship, leave 'em until last and then decide if you really need to handle them specially or if you can get rid of them (on the curb etc.) because they are part of "the cost of doing business" and you've already achieved your goal of lowering your ongoing storage/mental/emotional costs.

Second method - online auction

In my area there's an online auction platform (MaxSold) where you can list everything at once, have an auction date, and then you kind of set like three pickup day/times (A, B, C) and as a part of the auction agreement, people come to get the things at that time. You could even coordinate with a friend if you don't want people from your hobby community coming to your house or whatever. Maybe see if that's available in your area?

Third method - traditional

The last method is look for people in your area who manage estate sales/auctions/consignment goods. Outsource the whole thing to them and they will do the legwork for you, obviously at a cost. They can figure out the best way to do it, including if they themselves load trucks up for swap sales or whatever. You'll lost their commission/sell the whole thing to them wholesale and they may not manage the absolute best prices for you, but then it's all done and out in one go.

As the daughter of people who have a really hard time letting go of things, I do encourage you to consider whether wanting to do things "right" is actually your way of not doing it. You've owned the tools and supplies and enjoyed your period of time in this hobby, and (without knowing your financial situation) it is truly okay to have spent that money on yourself and something you loved; you don't have to maximize your financial return for this to have been a positive in your life.
posted by warriorqueen at 7:16 AM on March 25, 2022 [7 favorites]

There are three components in relation here. Which is most important?
Money: how much you can get
Speed: how fast it happens
Time: how much you spend

To maximize money you get, you’ll have to spend the most time and it will likely take the longest.

If you want to do it pretty fast and with minimal time, you’ll need to be willing not to get as much money. A lot less money.

Are there a few things with high value that might be somewhat easy to ship? Maybe start with those. Conversely, is there a possibility someone might do a bulk purchase of many items, even if you had to rent a truck and meet them halfway?

In any case, there’s not an easy way to do something like this without spending time. So think of the value of your time and labor too.
posted by bluedaisy at 7:36 AM on March 25, 2022 [1 favorite]

If you decide to take pictures* and write listings, maybe you could recruit a friend to come spend a day or some hours with you doing that. Or possibly recruit someone from the hobby world, maybe with the promise of giving them first dibs and/or a discount on things that look good to them.

I second contacting any organizations that might be related to your hobby, which might either be interested in buying or might let you put up a physical notice on their premises or send out a post to their community.


* depending on what items you're talking about, a short video showing that they're in good/functional condition might help get higher prices or higher quality bites.
posted by trig at 7:42 AM on March 25, 2022

So you probably bought the stuff somewhere. If any of the “somewheres” is a retail place within driving distance, might they be willing to sell everything for you on consignment? Even if they take 25 percent as a commission it might be well worth it to you.

Good luck, in any event.
posted by Gilgamesh's Chauffeur at 7:55 AM on March 25, 2022

Is there anyone you know still involved in the hobby who you trust enough to approach and ask?

Alternatively, is there a person in the hobby who may be interested in a bulk purchase of your items?

I've also seen people hire estate sales to handle the dismantling of hobby spaces- I generally see one or two workshops up for online auction on hibid.com or estatesales.net per month. For example, a stained glass worker had their whoooole set up sold that way, from their grinders to their jigs, copper, and glass. Another ceramic artist sold their whole studio, from kilns to unused clay to buckets of slip. I'm fairly certain that the estate sale team takes a cut, and while some things did get up to some high prices that seemed in line with market value, some items did go for significantly under. The benefit to this is threefold- They handle everything- pictures of items, setting reserve prices, handling the listing, they take their cut from the bid but can take things like credit cards and loan websites, AND generally they handle pick up or shipping the item at a cost to the seller.
posted by Torosaurus at 7:55 AM on March 25, 2022 [1 favorite]

Could you bear to re-engage with those communities just sufficiently to ask for help in getting rid of your gear?

This is my immediate thought, though I understand how wrenching that might be. Given how niche special-interest communities work, showing up and saying "I'm done" can feel like abandoning the community and your own efforts. But it happens. Stuff changes. I'm sure you got a lot out of it at the time.

So I'd suggest reaching out to admins / moderators in those communities to explain your situation to see if there's a way to accommodate a listing that suits your needs. Well-moderated and maintained special-interest communities also tend to have members who are willing to provide good-faith guidance on prices whether in public or the DMs.
posted by holgate at 9:34 AM on March 25, 2022 [2 favorites]

Is there a growing maker’s group near you that might be willing to purchase equipment?
posted by Comet Bug at 10:55 AM on March 25, 2022

To maximise the balance of money/time consider the 80/20 rule, 80% of the value is typically in the top 20% of items.
If you put all your available time into selling the top 20% and just give away the rest, you will very likely see a greater return than spending the same amount of time trying to sell everything.
posted by Lanark at 12:07 PM on March 25, 2022 [2 favorites]

I was on the other end of this type of situation. A person on the other side of the country posted on a Facebook group that they were selling their entire hobby setup (tools, materials), hopefully the entire thing but would entertain piecing it out. They listed a quick inventory of the major items, "plus a bunch of other stuff".
The price was low enough to be a good deal, but not too low to be suspect of a scam.
We flew across the country the next week, loaded 8000lb of stuff into a moving van, and drove it back home. The seller did not need to lift a finger, they just pointed out what was or wasn't going.
What made the deal work was their willingness to let things go at a price cheaper than they could've gotten by selling items individually, and to not nickle and dime what things were included in the sale.
They were left with 1/3rd of their house emptied of Stuff and a fist full of cash. We were happily jump-started on the hobby. Everyone was happy.
posted by Diddly at 1:10 PM on March 25, 2022 [4 favorites]

My above comment (about salting lots with nice tools) was expressed more succinctly by Lanark. If you concentrate on describing and photographing only the most prized tools, you can just lay out a bunch of accompanying stuff for a quick photo inventory and not get into the nitty-gritty of describing every single item in detail.
posted by brachiopod at 1:49 PM on March 25, 2022

Response by poster: Thank you everyone for the replies!
Cupcakeninja: I do know about the "sunk cost" fallacy, it is true that if no one wants to pay anything for my big items, then they are not worth anything.

warriorqueen: What you said really struck home. I did enjoy my time in the hobbies but I re-evaluated my life in the wake of Covid and decided that I didn't want to spend money and time on crafting anymore. I do feel foolish about my past investments. It's a process of loss actually, finding out that some of the things I valued really did not make sense anymore under changed circumstances and new knowledge.

I'll update once I've tried listing most of my stuff and report back on how the sales went.
posted by whitelotus at 9:06 PM on March 26, 2022 [2 favorites]