This article regarding the tips of buying used woodworking tools will help you to learn smart monetary management techniques. Buying the brand new tools does not always mean buying a good quality tool but that costs more. If you know how to check the functionality of woodworking tools along with the essential buying techniques you will be able to pick products of good functionality at a lower price.
I will show both the techniques of checking the functionality of used woodworking tools along with the necessary market research technique in this article. You can also apply these tips for buying any brand new woodworking tool or any kind of tool for a woodworking project.
Top 8 Essential Tips for Purchasing Second-hand Woodworking Tools
I will request you to read the article thoroughly as every tip has equal importance. Giving less importance to any tip will lessen the possibility of buying the best tool for your project.
- Take a Notepad and a Pen
You can use a normal notepad and a pen or pencil or you can use the notepad of your smartphone or if you want you can write on the Microsoft Word document.
If you make a list of the necessary tools it will help you not to miss any essential product and you can also make a comparison of the same type of products to identify the best of them.
- Finding Out The Market
The first task is to find out the potential market for purchasing the use of woodworking tools. You can choose an online market or you can go to the local market where used woodworking tools are sold.
I would like to give you an idea about the potential market for used woodworking tools. Craigslist, garage sales, flea markets, estate sales, used tool stores, eBay, and auctions are some of the reliable markets from where you can purchase used tools.
If you choose the online market for your purchase I will recommend you to choose a seller who lives in your area. You will get certain benefits from it that I will describe later.
- Give Equal Importance to Quality and Price
We decide to buy the used tool mainly to save the cost. So, when we find out a product of a lower price we become so happy and take 50% decision to buy that product and at this point we sacrifice the quality subconsciously. It will lead you to spend more later after purchasing that product.
So, do not sacrifice the quality for the price. If you get a good quality product that is costlier than 10 to 20 percent of your budget I will recommend you increase your budget.
On the other hand, if you notice that the product is of good quality but the price is lower than its quality I will recommend you not to go further with that product. This irrelevance of the quality with the price indicates the dishonesty of the seller.
- Do a Thorough Inquiry of the Product
Do not hesitate to ask millions of questions to the seller and also spend enough time to read the review of previous customers. It will help you not only to figure out the quality and functionality of the product but also you will get a good idea about the seller.
So, now the question is what kind of question you will ask the seller. Well, here I am giving you an idea of the most important questions that you must ask the seller.
Q1. How is the condition of the Blade?
Most woodworking tools are for cutting, shaving or ripping operation. And for performing these types of operations a sharped blade is essential. So while buying a used woodworking cutting tool you should check the condition of the blade properly.
If the seller is agreed to sell the product at a comparatively cheaper price for a blunt blade calculate the extra expense for sharpening it so that you can get an idea of the total cost.
Q2. How Older the Tool Is?
Since the durability and the efficiency of functionality depends on the age of the parts and accessories of the tools you should not forget to ask the age of the tool.
But if it is a measuring tool like a tape measure, marking equipment, framing square, vernier calipers age is not very important for these tools. If the marking on those tools has not faded and if they are not broken or bend you can buy those measuring tools.
Q3. What is the Brand of the Tool?
Check the brand of the tool. If it is from a reputed brand it will be better to take the tool for consideration.
Q4. Does the Tool Have Warranty Period?
If the warranty period is not crossed then you are very lucky and you can think about continuing the purchasing process. If the warranty period has already crossed do not give up the intention of buying that tool. Rather take warranty value into consideration.
If the tool has given service for a long time even after crossing the warranty period that indicates good functionality of the tool. It is a positive sign.
Q5. Why does the Seller want to Sell the Tool?
Finally, ask the seller why he wants to sell the tool. Most of the time you will get this kind of answer that the seller has bought a new one, so the old one is not coming in his use and that is why he wants to sell it or maybe the owner is shifting to a new place and he is trying to cut off his bag and baggage.
- Ask The Seller for Trying Out the Tool
Finally, to check the condition and service quality of the tool you can ask for trying out the product so that you can understand its working condition very well and take the final decision.
At the second tip, I recommended choosing a seller who lives in your area. If you choose a seller in your area you will easily get the opportunity to try out the product.
- Have an Exit Strategy
If the tools you have checked out are not what you are looking for have an exit strategy so that the seller cannot make chaos and insist you to buy that tool. Thank the seller politely for his/her time and then say something like you have a few tools you want to check out. You will be in touch when you make your decision.
- Negotiating the Price
If the product meets your expectation you can start negotiating the price with the seller. To lower the price you have to show some potential reasons like a dent or blunt blade etc. I mean you have to point out the deficiency of the product.
- Be cautious of the Fraud Seller
There are some fraud sellers whose intention is to robe you when you will go to check out the products. This kind of seller will insist you check out the products personally and will not answer your query properly. If you meet such a seller do not go further.
Some of the fraud sellers work in another way. They will be very polite and will answer all of your questions to convince you to check out the product. It is very difficult to sort out this kind of seller from the real seller. So, the solution is – do not go alone to check out the product rather go with some friends or acquaintances.
Conclusion
If you can master the tips depicted in this article you can make a great arsenal for your woodshop at a comparatively lower price. At the initial stage of researching the market take a look at this article 2 or 3 times so that you do not miss any of the important points so that you can master the techniques.
This is all today, see you next time.
