[TheForge] Old tools

[peter fels & phoebe palmer]

On 10/13/2010 12:19 PM, Jason Nass wrote:
> That's a great guy there, we have one guy in our club that works on a
> similar basis, always buying stuff someone in the club might want and adding
> a few bucks for his trouble of hauling it. I don't begrudge him that few
> bucks at all. If you are a tool dealer and that is how you make your $$$,
> that I can kinda understand, but to make a 500% profit off of people who are
> supposed to be friends or collegues is just crass.
The moral violation was not paying the seller what  it's worth to begin 
with.
Reselling at what the market will bear, is old time, core American 
capitalism.
Do you pay extra when you know you are getting a very good deal?
Not infrequently, my customers pay more than i ask.
> There is sometimes a fine line between a fair profit and excessive, as a
> general rule of thumb, I sell stuff for what I pay for it, but that is just
> the way I am.
And you are loosing money at the rate of inflation plus the appreciation 
in the tool value.
>   Now if it is something I made, that's a little different
> story. I make my $$$ from my time, not reselling stuff that I happened to get a great deal on.
What's the moral difference? Is your time more valuable that other 
people's?. Do your young  iron work customers get a much better deal?
You seem to be laying down values in an extremely  personal and 
arbitrary arena... and they do appear to benefit your personal situation 
selectively.

I could persuasively argue that you young guys have a profound  
traditional obligation to slavishly support, revere, and assist  us old 
guys; who have suffered , labored and more than paid our dues to 
establish the market you enjoy and exploit, as well as  painfully 
accumulated a lifetime of invaluable,specialized knowledge at the cost 
of a thousand mistakes and more hours

Everyone argues their own interest. To condemn others for doing the same 
is inane..
The high moral ground is quicksand.
> Jason Nass - MacTalis Ironworks
> me at wargoth.com
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
> [mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Bob Ehrenberger
> Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2010 2:40 PM
> To: theforge
> Subject: [TheForge] Old tools
>
> I have never seen a $20 anvil, but I came close.  I got my main anvil, a 170
> lb HB, for $75 from a friend who got it for $25 the day before.  He fell
> into a great deal and so did I. That was 13 years ago.  I sometimes see old
> beat up anvils at flea markets for under $200, but given the condition, they
> aren't really that good of a deal. If you keep your eyes open, and have some
> cash in your pocket you can still find an ocational deal, but they are
> getting fewer and fewer.  I like making tools so it doesn't bother me to
> spend time on tools, even if it ends up costing me more in time than it
> would have to just buy it.
>
> In BAM we have some members that like to go to auctions, they frequently by
> stuff just to bring to meetings and resell. They make a little profit, and
> the members that don't have time for auctions get some tools at a reasonable
> price. Like the kick press I got this summer, a friend got it at auction
> just about for free, and I traded something for it that I just had lying
> around, that my friend needed.
>
> It's not gouging to make a profit. If the price is too high it won't sell.
>
> PS: I do remember when I would see anvils in the hardware store along with
> the other shop tools, it's been a while.
>
> Robert Ehrenberger
> Shelbyville, Mo.
> eforge at centurytel.net
>
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