Advice for selling a saw with or without a bar and chain?

[mp5n]

I’m going to be selling my Stihl 056 AV Magnum 2. I’ve done a complete disassembly, cleaning and put in new crank seals, rings, gasket kit, carb kit and rim drum and it runs really well. My question is whether or not to get a new bar & chain or sell the power head alone. If a new bar & chain what length?

Thanks in advance,
MP5N

 

[Bowtie]

I’m going to be selling my Stihl 056 AV Magnum 2. I’ve done a complete disassembly, cleaning and put in new crank seals, rings, gasket kit, carb kit and rim drum and it runs really well. My question is whether or not to get a new bar & chain or sell the power head alone. If a new bar & chain what length?

Thanks in advance,
MP5N

You can sell either way, and adjust price accordingly. Selling PHO doesnt corner the buyer into a certain bar length. Offering options gives them choice, which is always good in a sale. You could offer PHO, or your choice bar and chain for appropriate extra. Just my opinion.

 

[Andyshine77]

Larger saws are easier to sell without a B&C, so it's really up.

 

[Bowtie]

Another thing to consider is that size saw can accept a long bar, which is a PITA to ship. You will have to ship separately.

 

[MEATSAW]

If it were me I would sell it without the b&c. Considering the saw, it will probably end up with someone who is familiar with saws and won't mind fitting it with the b&c he wants or already has. Plus its one less thing to worry about including shipping.

 

[bplust]

I'd definitely say with. Some people are frickin' lazy. And if you're doing it on eBay, definitely with, including a video of it running. I've sold several of multiple saws, and doing it with is always more lucrative beyond the cost of a bar & chain.

You could offer any size, and add to the sale cost accordingly.

 

[Under_Pressure]

As a rule, I've been selling without a B&C lately. I had enough screwing around with trying to find a good way to ship a bar- it was a pain to package and drove up the shipping cost. I'll only include it now if I know it won't be too much trouble to ship (for example a top handle I recently sold w/ a 12" bar).

 

[Guido Salvage]

I have a bow that came with one of my 056's that I could certainly mount on it. I think in a bigger saw I would forgo the cost of a bar and chain and the hassle of shipping and sell it as a power head. Someone buying a saw that size probably is an experienced sawyer and has a specific use in mind and will set it up accordingly.

 

[Brian VT]

Put a 4' bar and chain on it for Ebay. It will bring $200 more than it's worth. LOL
Seriously. I think most of the whacko bidders buy by bar length.

 

[bplust]

Put a 4' bar and chain on it for Ebay. It will bring $200 more than it's worth. LOL
Seriously. I think most of the whacko bidders buy by bar length.

Yes. 100% agree.

I've sold mac 1-70's with 16"-18" bars, and been disappointed with my $$$ received. In my opinion, that's what you want. Have a larger bar kicking around for when you really need it, but an 18" bar will cut a 3' tree. And for bucking, you will get the job done with a 70cc with an 18"er on it. Gravity will do all the work, you won't have time to apply pressure.

 

[procarbine2k1]

I have had better luck selling powerhead only. Especially (as Andre mentioned) with larger saws. Saves me a bit of hassle with UPS, and provides the buyer a little more room to purchase the bar and chain that suits their needs.
If you end up selling quite a few saws, PHO- you will end up with an unreasonable amount of used bars and chains floating around the shop (not always a bad thing).

 

[a. palmer jr.]

I usually include the bar and chain but prefer to not have a bar much longer than 18" because of the larger box required. Shipping is kinda high if you send it in two separate boxes. I usually don't like to sell saws with a case either because the shipping carton would be large and harder to find.

 

[bplust]

I usually include the bar and chain but prefer to not have a bar much longer than 18" because of the larger box required. Shipping is kinda high if you send it in two separate boxes. I usually don't like to sell saws with a case either because the shipping carton would be large and harder to find.

Ship in case. I've done it tons of times, even with two part cases, like Mac cases. Just tape the ####e out of it.

 

[a. palmer jr.]

Ship in case. I've done it tons of times, even with two part cases, like Mac cases. Just tape the ####e out of it.

I guess you'd have to put some padding inside the case to keep the saw from getting banged up in shipping...

 

[Swamp Yankee]

Like everything, it depends

If you're selling locally a serviceable bar and new chain will make it easier to sell to any homeowner / non-CAD infected potential customers. To most people on this site no B&C is an opportunity to use up stuff that's just been hanging around. Someone looking for an affordable alternative to a new saw to clean up storm damage or cut a few cords is most likely looking for a turnkey saw. In these situations. you'll need a B&C for demo purposes anyway.

The few saws I've sold have been local, ftf transactions and always included a nib chain. The chain on the saw is usually more than 1/2 gone but sharp. Learned the hard way 1/2 the people showing up to try the saw don't have a clue and if given the chance, will ruin a new chain and not buy the saw because it cuts lousy.

If you're going to ship, no bar is certainly much easier.

Take Care

 

[a. palmer jr.]

Like everything, it depends

If you're selling locally a serviceable bar and new chain will make it easier to sell to any homeowner / non-CAD infected potential customers. To most people on this site no B&C is an opportunity to use up stuff that's just been hanging around. Someone looking for an affordable alternative to a new saw to clean up storm damage or cut a few cords is most likely looking for a turnkey saw. In these situations. you'll need a B&C for demo purposes anyway.

The few saws I've sold have been local, ftf transactions and always included a nib chain. The chain on the saw is usually more than 1/2 gone but sharp. Learned the hard way 1/2 the people showing up to try the saw don't have a clue and if given the chance, will ruin a new chain and not buy the saw because it cuts lousy.

If you're going to ship, no bar is certainly much easier.

Take Care

I buy and sell saws all the time but I always prefer to have a bar and chain on them. I have accumulated several bars and chains but it seems that every time I buy another saw without a bar or chain I don't have anything that will fit it.