...or never learned how to.
He was a chainsaw carver. Said he wanted to carve, not sharpen. Didn't like to. Didn't want to. Couldn't find anyone nearby that did a good job. So he would buy chains in quantity to get a discount, then sell them '
used once, never sharpened' through CL. Net cost to him was less than what sharpening cost at the local hardware store. Guys that bought the used chains got a good deal too. Only one who lost out was the guy who sharpened chains at the hardware store.
Another guy was a tree service who said it took too long for his crew members to learn how to sharpen good, and that that cost him money. He wanted them cutting for billable time, not paying overhead for 'down time'. Bought some chains from him off of eBay. The numbers made sense to him.
Third guy is an unknown who buys chains from a local STIHL dealer. He only wants to use new chains, so he worked out some kind of a 'trade in' deal. Periodically, I will see a whole bunch of '
used once, sharpened once' chains in boxes on the counter, at about 30% off new retail prices.
Last group are rental shops. Tired of customers who dip a running chain into dirt, then complain about the
@#$%&*! dull chain they got, a number of them provide a new chain with each rental, show this to the customer, and build it into the rental price. Some places will sell the used chains. Some toss them into the scrap barrel. Some places (like Home Depot) will not let you take the used chains due to 'liability', but maybe because they want to sell you new?
Me? I am happy to adopt and re-home used chains!
Philbert