buying used saws....which? profit or not?

[MartDalb]

Hi folks

Been thinking about something.

Buying used saws, rebuilding and reselling. (in a minor scale, hobby wise)

Is it possible? pro's and con's?
What to buy, what to stay off?

Been lurking around the market for some time now, (In Denmark, small country in Europe )

I managed to pick up a Stihl 180C for 70$, cleaned it out spend only a few $ on gaskets, and sold it for 270$.


So, my observations, Stihl instantly has the attention of MANY people around the "used chainsaw" market.
Husqvarna, Jonsered saws don't draw anywhere near that attention, and MCculloch, Partner, Echo, Makita/Dolmar don't get much (if any) attention on the used market.

Please comment, if you like. What us your experience on this topic?
Any comments are welcomed!


/Mj


(in before @Mattyo says, "this is also in my videos", mostly because I know he talks about it )

 

[pioneerguy600]

Of all the saws I have sold, Stihl saws sell themselves, especially used ones. Your area may be different but around these parts a used Stihl with a new bar and chain sells easily but all the other makes sit and languish even though they may look like new they garner very little attention.

 

[MartDalb]

interesting, so it seems Stihl just has higher attention and market value than ANY other brand out there.

 

[user 122190]

Lots of firewood burners here. Nearly 1/2 are Stihl owner, the other 1/2 Husqvarna.

Finding deals on saws (here) is a slow process. Most people (here) have an inflated sense of what anything is worth anymore. I'd guess that some place like California where 'money falls from the sky', and people buy like 'money falls from the sky' would part with something (hardly or never used) just to move the 'junk' their elder parent bought to fulfill some fantasy.

interesting, so it seems Stihl just has higher attention and market value than ANY other brand out there.

 

[rupedoggy]

You bought a 180 for $70 and sold it for $270? You don't need our help.

 

[sunfish]

You bought a 180 for $70 and sold it for $270? You don't need our help.

There's your answer!

 

[JonCraig]

Same here. If it's orange & white, I know I can sell it. As for how profitable, as long as you avoid money pits, I bought my truck in cash with my "saw money".

 

[rupedoggy]

Same here. If it's orange & white, I know I can sell it. As for how profitable, as long as you avoid money pits, I bought my truck in cash with my "saw money".

Yea but 1985 Chevy Luvs aren't that much! LOL Mike

 

[Mattyo]

How much do they go for new ?

 

[Deleted member 149229]

Yea but 1985 Chevy Luvs aren't that much! LOL Mike

At least it's better than a Dodge Rampage or a Subaru Brat.

 

[pioneerguy600]

Stihl just seems to have that recognizable color and quality image over all the other chainsaws, I quit buying or trading any other brands because I couldn`t make a cent off them and in some cases had to give them away to get them out of the shop/storage buildings. I tried explaining these saws were just as good and in some cases they were newer with less hours on them but no deal. They take a Stihl with much higher hours over a near new Husqvarna or Dolmar.

 

[Sportfury70]

MS180Cs go for around $250 new here. How on earth did you manage to get $20 OVER msrp for a USED saw?? You need to go into real estate, STAT!

 

[RandyMac]

I paid $25 for an old Pioneer, sold it for $450.
You need to know your market, what to buy and what to leave behind.

 

[Sportfury70]

Wait, just noticed your in Denmark, whats the conversion there?

 

[Mattyo]

buying saws for use vs flipping is different..

if you are intentional on coming out ahead, first know what the saw is worth in good mechanical shape....

subtract what the seller wants... = your wiggle room

wiggle room may or may not include time spent on a project, but it does include parts. oem or am... etc.

in order to figure out what a saw will need, you either need to be really good at the eval, or super lucky.

very few things bring prices up (fresh rebuild from reputable source?), LOTS of things bring the price of saws down...

most sellers think they are sitting on a pile of gold. ...walk away from the delusional ones

get used saws cheap ... the cheaper the better, and the cheaper you get it the more likely you are to come out ahead



now, if you are a pro tree guy and just need a saw to cut, likely best to either have a PILE of used saws where you can just grab another one, OR sell your soul to the dealer and buy new every year....with warrantee. its not worth a pro's time to be jerking around with used stuff that has issues...

imho

 

[crotchclimber]

Yes Stihl holds their value the best. Kinda like Toyotas here.

 

[MartDalb]

You bought a 180 for $70 and sold it for $270? You don't need our help.

It was a VERY VERY profitable buy/sale, I will never be that lucky again. Guy who sold it had starting issues with it, had it put away for 8 years, the saw was from 2004, but....more or less unused. I more or less cleaned it, took it apart etc. Ran it 2 hours later, cylinder, piston etc. in perfect condition.


Anyways, a new 180C costs around 340$ In Denmark.

Very nice informative replies, thanks folks!

 

[a. palmer jr.]

We have a lot of competition here in the states with lots of people in on the flipping business. I used to sell a few saws on ebay but that turned out to be a buyers' market with little upside to the seller. Local sales kinda slow also around here and I'm not much into the storage business so after all mine are gone I'll probably just keep 3 or 4 for my own use...

 

[bulletpruf]

You can also make some $ selling online. I buy most of my saws from fellow collectors in Europe. If you run across any vintage saws (esp. Stihl pro saws, Jonsereds, etc), please send me a message. I have difficulty passing them up!

 

[Conquistador3]

These days everybody seems to be making crazy money flipping chainsaws and there are apparently dozens of buyers patiently lining up with big wands of cash in their hands to buy such collectibles as MS180's and Chicom Hitachi's.

You have to tell me your secret because it took me four months to sell an MS290 last year and in the end I sold it at a small loss: I had to throw in a used chain in good shape to sell the saw at cost (what I paid for it plus parts), otherwise I'd still have that damn thing.
You also have to tell me how you pay so little for saws, even seized ones, because here every seller is apparently holding to a treasure of the greatest rarity and won't knock off one penny.