The internet has ruined the last best place

My wife's family is from the Flathead Valley area of Montana. We have been visiting Kalispell three-four times a year for forty years. There are several antique stores there and one of the best used tool stores in the northwest, maybe anywhere.

It was started and run for years by a guy who went by "Old George." He loved auctions and was always buying the odd-lots which no one else wanted. He amassed enough "stuff" to open a junk shop specializing in tools. Old George was better at buying than organizing or pricing. It was a real rat-hole. If a customer dug through enough junk, sometimes a keeper could be found and the price was affordable.

A couple-three years ago, someone did in Old George and I believe was convicted and sentenced. IIRC, it was about money and not the tool stash. Anyway, relatives ran the shop for a while and sold it to the current owner.

The good news is the new owner has cleaned, organized better, tripled the stock and there are choice old tools - Barcalo-Buffalo, Plomb, Proto Los Angeles, S-K, P&C, Williams, Bonney, Stanley, Armstrong, on and on. The bad news is his prices are now the highest I've seen anywhere in the country.

I spent more than two hours there, dug deep and dirty and came away with one $2.00 open end. Every time I would find something for one of you guys, the price seemed too high. First nearly complete set of Plomb 1/2"dr sockets I've seen in a used tool shop, but he wanted $50. Really rusty Plomb wrenches were $3.00 and a 3/8" Plomb breaker bar was $10. Now, if I were collecting for myself, I might have taken home a few, but I never know what it is you Plomb guys are needing or what you want to pay. A Proto Los Angeles 1"x1-1/16" open end was painted, maybe no chrome under there and he wanted $13 and then down to $10.

Anyway, I was thinking about my GJ friends, but couldn't make any deals. In the end, he said, "You aren't going to get yard sale prices in a retail store. This is what they sell for on eBay." Correct, but I thought to myself, retail/eBay implies cleaning, sorting and describing the tools to add that much value. If I'm gonna dig through the rusty ****, sort it myself and have to ask how much on everything, then I've invested some sweat equity. We parted friends without much money changing hands. I'll always go back to look, but am not saving up for the visit.

thnx, jack vines

Packard V8 said:

area

Anyway, I was thinking about my GJ friends, but couldn't make any deals. In the end, he said, "You aren't going to get yard sale prices in a retail store. This is what they sell for on eBay." Correct, but I thought to myself, retail/eBay implies cleaning, sorting and describing the tools to add that much value. If I'm gonna dig through the rusty ****, sort it myself and have to ask how much on everything, then I've invested some sweat equity. We parted friends without much money changing hands. I'll always go back to look, but am not saving up for the visit.

thnx, jack vines

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I would have told him Ebay has buyers from all over the country. He is local and cant expect what Ebay might bring in. Nor is he having to pay ebay/paypal fees and deal with boxing up and shipping.

I woulda told him he should've opened an ebay store then and not a junk store! haha...

Maybe if he were in a more populous area or somewhere with alot more exposure... however I can't imagine that he's got alot of heavy traffic? If he does with dumb pricing I doubt he'll keep it very long. Then again if the guy paid the family a chunk of change for it he's already in the hole and looking to recoup his investment asap so on some levels I can understand.. on others I'd say its probably just some antiques dealer who knows that he can sell stuff to tourists who come antiquing and isn't really worried about what real "market" value is. I've found alot of those side of the road fleatique traps are full of overpriced **** for rich people in their BMW's to stop and let their wives buy something they think gives them some sense of history, etc.

Personally I was raised in a house full of antiques and really as a child the only "new" pieces of furniture I recall were couches and tv's. I spent many weekends at craft shows, antique malls and out of the way little towns looking through oddball shops. So I learned that just because someone prices something as an "antique" doesn't mean its worth the asking price!

Im sorry to hear this

Better luck next time i hope!

Yep. Oh well. Nice to hear of a well stocked store, however - are they online as well?

You need to take the shine off ebay for those who don't know it. Listing fees, arbitrary rules that can force vendors to make refunds, taking pictures, answering emails, and shipping at least three times a week.

Not on line. Since he had so few S-o, maybe he lists them on eBay

if he can get his price , but e bay sales are way more stressful than just sitting there

He was right...A retail store who has to make a living can't compete with what billy-bob is randomly selling something out of his shed for. It's more that the internet has ruined the consumer. And wrongly thinking selling fees only apply to ebay, a business has to pay land taxes, utilites, rent if they don't own it, employees, and deal with the sue-happy public and people who make seizure faces when they think everything's free on ebay then insult the guy who's been running his business forever by telling him how to run his own place.

i think the internet is the best thing that ever happened to retailing. not having to drive to multiple stores and deal with unknowledgeable sales people is very much worth the shipping & handling charges.


oh; and $50 isn't what it used to be.

justinmc said:

So I learned that just because someone prices something as an "antique" doesn't mean its worth the asking price!

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+1

Sometimes old, is just old.

This thread reminds me of the pawnshop guy in town.. asking retail prices for impact socket sets. If I want to pay retail, I'll go pay retail, get a receipt and by extension, a warranty. He can keep his precious impacts. I'm tempted to wander in just to see if they're still there (2mo after I put them down).

best cherries around.

Retail earns its money. eBay shows what an individual is willing to pay on a given day. In this place, neither really applies. It is just disappointing to see one of my favorite stops go sideways on me.

thnx, jack vines

babzog said:

+1

Sometimes old, is just old.

This thread reminds me of the pawnshop guy in town.. asking retail prices for impact socket sets. If I want to pay retail, I'll go pay retail, get a receipt and by extension, a warranty. He can keep his precious impacts. I'm tempted to wander in just to see if they're still there (2mo after I put them down).

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My pawn shops in town sell tools cheap I think but metal is expensive. I was looking at 100 oz bar of silver and he wanted like $10 over spot an oz.. lmao.
I told him he was crazy.