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Auction....Gold? Deal or no deal?

PatrickT

Active Member
Yesterday I took part in my first online machinery auction. It was very fast paced, but I ended up walking away with some pretty sweet gear, so I thought I'd share what I got, what I lost, and the overall experience.

There was a ton of stuff, from office sets to hundred piece lots of tooling, mills, grinders and whatnot. Online registration was easy, but the auction process was very new, and sometimes you lose track of the extra fees, like rigging(loading), auction house 19%, and the fact that it was in USD.

At the end of the day, I spent $1600 all in, after most of the loading fees were waived as I'm picking it up in person. Anything plugged in or bolted down generally had a $150-200 rigging fee, and while a 100 lb band saw was neither, it was a $200 fee on top of the $50 winning bid.

I lost:
Lillian 3VH mill, sold for $1200 plus 200 rigging. Didn't hold the bid button long enough.
2X Kurt 6" Vises, sold for $100 each ish. Was making a coffe when the timer ended.
200+ gauge block set, sold for $15 whilst I was on a work zoom call, OMG.
600 pc end mill set, new old stock, $800. Didn't realize it was the whole cabinet in the background, not just the box in the picture.

I won:
King KV1202FX bandsaw $95
Table saw, $30
REID Bros 618H Surface Grinder in 9+ condition with transformer and dozens of new wheels and a mag plate $50(yest, FIFTY).
2X Mag plates $100
Two radius dressers and a Grinding wheel balancer $55
24X36X6" AA Grade Mitutoyo Surface plate on stand with cover, $100 + $200 rigging fee.
Misawa Seki Rockwell hardness tester with certification, mint, $95
Starret 98Z-18, Starret 199Z master levels with certifications, with a set of Mit calipers and some setup plates, $75
Ten boxes of metric and imp pin gauges, $110.
Older but certified Mit 18" height gauge, $95

So the shop is coming along splendidly, and the folks at U-haul are my new best friends.

I would say the experience was very positive, I went in with a want list, well researched and with max bids written down, then proceeded to enjoy two hours of frantic asset liquidation while enjoying a coffee in my kitchen. It's hit or miss, I think I got lucky that most of the buyers weren't looking for CMM stuff. Some of the big hydraulic presses and CNC mills sold for 10% of their $500,000 street values, while they couldn't give away the 40+ steel work tables or any of the office stuff. A Nice FORD F550 stake truck sold for $25K, and someone grabbed a riding mower for $20, lol.

Of note, the Lillian mill that I missed, that sold for around $2k CAD all in, is already for sale in Milton on FB marketplace, at $3950.

So next week I'll rent a U-Haul 6X12 in Windsor, and do a one way drop to Barrie for $40 plus a tank of gas. I think I did okay, what say the great minds here? Deal or no deal?

P
 

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Of note, the Lillian mill that I missed, that sold for around $2k CAD all in, is already for sale in Milton on FB marketplace, at $3950.
That’s very frustrating, I’d be quite disappointed that a reseller is adding such a huge markup.

Looks like you got a great deal on some things. The surface plate sound very cheap to me.

I wonder if there are ever auctions like this in Winnipeg…
 
That’s very frustrating, I’d be quite disappointed that a reseller is adding such a huge markup.

Looks like you got a great deal on some things. The surface plate sound very cheap to me.

I wonder if there are ever auctions like this in Winnipeg…
I think there are. Try HiBid and search for auctions from tooling companies and other precision types, like molding, prototyping and auto parts design
 
You got a few nice deals in that haul. I can't bring myself to even bid on stuff anymore due to the buyers premium, riggers fees, and lastly the auction being held by a Canadian company selling the contents of another Canadian company, on Canadian soil being held in USD. That last one just pisses me off and makes me close the listing before I even scroll through anything. I miss the old days, I haven't been to an auction in a while.
 
Well done!

I looked at the auction and bailed for the same reason that @Dan Dubeau did.

But that granite plate and the surface grinder still went for well within what I'd call a good deal.

If you need a break, drop by on your way through. I'm south of a Chatham a few minutes off the 401.

You-Suck.webp
 
Any auction that I will particpate in has to have 'set max bid' so that I can walk away from the screen if I have to. Also works in your favour when things are closing in rapid succession, esp. on HiBid sites. And in many cases it prevents you from getting caught up in a bidding frenzy :-)
 
You got a few nice deals in that haul. I can't bring myself to even bid on stuff anymore due to the buyers premium, riggers fees, and lastly the auction being held by a Canadian company selling the contents of another Canadian company, on Canadian soil being held in USD. That last one just pisses me off and makes me close the listing before I even scroll through anything. I miss the old days, I haven't been to an auction in a while.
I hear you, I loved going to farm auctions. I'd spend the whole day. Sometimes I would buy, other times just watch.
I'm not sure why they are in USD either. That being said, good deals are still available. For my business. We bid on the PGM rail Auction in Niagara Falls and bought a E450 -16' cube van with 42K on the odometer for $5000.00 USD plus 19% premium plus tax so $ 9211.19 Canadian all in. I couldn't find a decent one with low K for under $29 thousand and this one is like new. So, about a third of buying off Auto Trader. Yeah, you take a chance, but we went and inspected the vans before bidding. They give you an affidavit that you payed the tax, so you don't have to do it at the license bureau. It only needed a set of flares and fire extinguisher to get a safety inspection.
 
Yesterday I took part in my first online machinery auction. It was very fast paced, but I ended up walking away with some pretty sweet gear, so I thought I'd share what I got, what I lost, and the overall experience.

There was a ton of stuff, from office sets to hundred piece lots of tooling, mills, grinders and whatnot. Online registration was easy, but the auction process was very new, and sometimes you lose track of the extra fees, like rigging(loading), auction house 19%, and the fact that it was in USD.

At the end of the day, I spent $1600 all in, after most of the loading fees were waived as I'm picking it up in person. Anything plugged in or bolted down generally had a $150-200 rigging fee, and while a 100 lb band saw was neither, it was a $200 fee on top of the $50 winning bid.

I lost:
Lillian 3VH mill, sold for $1200 plus 200 rigging. Didn't hold the bid button long enough.
2X Kurt 6" Vises, sold for $100 each ish. Was making a coffe when the timer ended.
200+ gauge block set, sold for $15 whilst I was on a work zoom call, OMG.
600 pc end mill set, new old stock, $800. Didn't realize it was the whole cabinet in the background, not just the box in the picture.

I won:
King KV1202FX bandsaw $95
Table saw, $30
REID Bros 618H Surface Grinder in 9+ condition with transformer and dozens of new wheels and a mag plate $50(yest, FIFTY).
2X Mag plates $100
Two radius dressers and a Grinding wheel balancer $55
24X36X6" AA Grade Mitutoyo Surface plate on stand with cover, $100 + $200 rigging fee.
Misawa Seki Rockwell hardness tester with certification, mint, $95
Starret 98Z-18, Starret 199Z master levels with certifications, with a set of Mit calipers and some setup plates, $75
Ten boxes of metric and imp pin gauges, $110.
Older but certified Mit 18" height gauge, $95

So the shop is coming along splendidly, and the folks at U-haul are my new best friends.

I would say the experience was very positive, I went in with a want list, well researched and with max bids written down, then proceeded to enjoy two hours of frantic asset liquidation while enjoying a coffee in my kitchen. It's hit or miss, I think I got lucky that most of the buyers weren't looking for CMM stuff. Some of the big hydraulic presses and CNC mills sold for 10% of their $500,000 street values, while they couldn't give away the 40+ steel work tables or any of the office stuff. A Nice FORD F550 stake truck sold for $25K, and someone grabbed a riding mower for $20, lol.

Of note, the Lillian mill that I missed, that sold for around $2k CAD all in, is already for sale in Milton on FB marketplace, at $3950.

So next week I'll rent a U-Haul 6X12 in Windsor, and do a one way drop to Barrie for $40 plus a tank of gas. I think I did okay, what say the great minds here? Deal or no deal?

P
Damn... the Kurt vices... !!!

Also note another Mold shop gone in Windsor. Wonder if there 150 man china shop also went down... ??? ...
 
Damn... the Kurt vices... !!!

Also note another Mold shop gone in Windsor. Wonder if there 150 man china shop also went down... ??? ...
There's an auction in Minnesota in a few months I may try to attend, apparently, they have dozens and dozens of manual mills, lathes, etc with full Kurt/Sandvik and multiquick setups. I'll post the link when I know more.
 
Nice, and all, but, are you ever going to actually use the stuff you bought? Cheap as it was, will you ever see a return on what you spent?

Been a very real part of my more recent decision making process.

I have more than just a few things that I bought because I 'needed' them, but have not yet used in any sort of purpose!

Not sayin' to NOT to stock up for future needs, but if you are gonna spend a hard earned buck on it, at least have an idea of where it fits!

Yeah, I know. Hearsay! LOL!
 
Nice, and all, but, are you ever going to actually use the stuff you bought? Cheap as it was, will you ever see a return on what you spent?

Been a very real part of my more recent decision making process.

I have more than just a few things that I bought because I 'needed' them, but have not yet used in any sort of purpose!

Not sayin' to NOT to stock up for future needs, but if you are gonna spend a hard earned buck on it, at least have an idea of where it fits!

Yeah, I know. Hearsay! LOL
Frankly, I don’t care about returns when it comes to indulging in goodies. But as seeing as these purchases already became the foundation for some great friendships with members here, then they’ve paid more dividends than any investment ever could.
 
I’ll pick up things that are part of that dream project that I may or may not get to and the future use of said tool/equipment. Besides you have to replace the things that go out the door into the phantom zone while someone says ( Thanks your a lifesaver )
 
$U.S. funds in Canada ? For a $ 200 loading fee on everything they better have proof of insurance and a liscensed operator on the fork lift. Did they charge a loading fee on the hardness tester?
 
$U.S. funds in Canada ? For a $ 200 loading fee on everything they better have proof of insurance and a liscensed operator on the fork lift. Did they charge a loading fee on the hardness tester?
"Corporate Assets" are rigging fee pirates. when I showed up to pick up my load, they were two hours late after telling me I needed to be there at 8am, then the forklift ran out of propane while they loaded a bunch of junk in a dumpster. I loaded everything into my truck myself, including the 400lb surface plate, and they still didn't take any fees off the bill. That said, I still made out like a bandit, and have no regrets in bidding on the various stuff. The hardness tester is fabulous; I use it when sorting misc metal finds, which really helps with identification and bit selection for small projects.
 
Frankly, I don’t care about returns when it comes to indulging in goodies. But as seeing as these purchases already became the foundation for some great friendships with members here, then they’ve paid more dividends than any investment ever could.
Well, that is all well and good.

By 'returns' I am speaking of whether the item will actually become useful enough to justify carrying it around for years, or if it will be like so many things that I could afford and bought, that have turned out to be not nearly as used as I felt they would be. Been there, enough times, that it flavors my twitch response when I see something else I figure I 'just gotta have'.
 
Things you might not need?.... Here’s my latest that turned my son into a bobble head.
The last time I worked with cement was back in the 80’s for fence posts for a dog run.

IMG_1331.png
 
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