Greetings Folks. Mick here from the New Orleans area. I am at a point where I need to liquidate all or most of my projects, parts pieces etc. I am not in dump mode, just time to move along stuff. I was considering someone like the Iron Trap Guys who will make a total buyout. I do realize top prices are not going to happen. Fair is what I seek. Have some of you HAMB guys done something similar? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.
Get in touch with Matt at Iron Trap and tell him what you have, or pictures. He will definitely then decide if he is interested.
I'll bet that convenience in going with someone like Irontrap will cost you significantly, and you'll have to clean up the stuff they deem not worth their while. Are there any car clubs local to you that would have members interested in your collection that you might be able to spread the word through? If there's a large quantity of projects and pieces that may not appeal to one buyers, sometimes an auction is the best way to go.
There comes a time when we all have to think about culling the herd down to size. That some times puts a few coins in the jar for those things we have been putting off getting for the life time keeper too.
They way we do it,(Seattle Speed shop) is every piece of car you want gone. We'll get off the property. And while yes, you're essentially "paying" for this service. Negotiatable in the final price. I assure you that we(myself, iron trap, and others) earn our worth. Liquidation of large automotive estates is a lot more work than it looks like on youtube.
Liquidation = work. A friend of mine does that. Loads up everything the owners doesn’t want. Pays pennys on the dollar of what the owner thinks it’s worth. The value of the part being loaded is also in the labor of hauling it off. owner “this will bring $100 on e-bay” Buyer “that’s why I’m paying you $20 for it these liquidators gotta load fast and sell fast like a mobile pawn shop and clean up crew
What about having someone do an online auction ? Or a hybrid with some stuff in person and some stuff online. I am considering that type of arrangement and am going to be talking to an auctioneer soon.
Age old question. It's going to take time and effort. How much can you spend of each? Less time = less money. Less effort = less money. I'd also like to clear out stuff. Haven't had much success. Sold a pair of wheels that have been listed for almost a year last week.
Most auctioneers are not well versed in the knowledge required to sell automotive estates for top dollar. I see a lot of stuff poorly listed and sold for pennies on the dollar because the auctioneer doesn't know or care what he's looking at. They're in it to move volume.
I just don't feel like online auctions work well for treasured (or rare) car parts. I think most of us car guys are touch-y, feel-y and need to see most stuff in person.
You could try the classifieds here. A couple of years ago I cleared out my lock up, I split it into a few lots, took a photo of each lot and advertised them. Took about a month for everything to go.
Yeah, why not start posting here in the classifieds? I’m already curious about what you may have. Move it a little at a time.
Your time/effort post reminded me of this: I was at a swap meet last weekend and there was a guy there I've met before who deals in a lot of A and T parts and cars. I have a set of 26-27 T roadster/pickup fenders that I need to sell but don't know how to price. Someone else told me they're worth a bit, asked this guy his thoughts, his idea was exactly a tenth of what the last guy told me, but you could tell he was very interested and wanted them at he price he suggested, so I didn't quite trust his valuation as a sale price (also nothing in his 2 large booths was priced) as he was telling me about the "practically worthless" T fenders he just got from a guy that he was trying to sell for obviously more than he paid. I don't want to give my stuff away, but I'd like to get it in the hands of someone that needs it for a fair buck.
It's Funny when I look around my garage and sheds of items I've collected for decades that it probably will take more decades than I have on this earth to go through or sell.
Was at that point quite a while back-sold two cars, did two swap meets (both expensive to enter and still brought a bunch home) and as we talk still have a small storage bldg. with bunch of stuff. Just no young ones to give the stuff to, which I would. I get rid of a piece here and there, not the best route but anything helps. IMO the hobby has shrunk considerably, very few young ones build anything today so they don't need the stuff. Too bad there's no rod Goodwill centers for donations.
my wife waves her finger at me and says 'don't you dare die first' I tell her, she has been trying to give away my stuff for years and all she needs to do is load trash in the good stuff and give it away...I won't know any better
You are far better off selling your parts and treasures by yourself and by doing this you keep control of your own dealings and finances. Guys like Iron Trap are good people but they are in it to make money and once they are involved you have lost all control and will end up giving a lot of stuff away and end up with probably half of the value of your parts. Once you give away control you can't get it back. Having an auction sale is also a big gamble. The auctioneer will probably charge 25% on all proceeds and likely a buyers premium on top of that. Some auction companies have become very greedy recently after the Covid episode and may put a 25% buyers premium on everything sold. If sales tax is also in play then potential buyers will only spend accordingly and some buyers won't even show up at all when seeing all the payouts involved. Just do everything yourself or with help from friends and family. Listing your parts on the classifieds here in the HAMB classifieds is a good way to start, even just a few at a time. The HAMB classifieds here is the most secure site there is and there are a lot of good and very honest guys on here. Going to swap meets to sell is another good way to sell and if everything is priced to sell then it will be sold. There are other sites and also Ebay that could also be considered as places to sell. Yes it is more work on your part as there are pictures to take, listings to be completed and packages to be wrapped up and sent out, but in the end you will be financially much better off. With swap meets everything has to be loaded up, everything priced with price tags attached and you have to be dealing with people. It all takes a bit of work. Just my thoughts here, and just something for you to consider.
I've been on both ends of this just a little bit...we moved a few years ago, and had a local auction place that does household stuff deal with two big garages of stuff, one was house stuff, the other car stuff. I didn't really have any treasures in either of them, but they still managed to gross close to 15k, and we got 60% of that. They did a lot of work. The "collector parts" sure didn't bring any money. Tools/equipment did ok, but still far from what I paid for most of it. another one...a couple years ago a local widow was just about done cleaning up the stuff her man left her, but there was a shed with a bunch of mostly 60s stuff, lots of poorly cared for NOS muscle car stuff, and a bunch of other things. I bought the contents of the shed for $500, no one else wanted to mess with it, she didn't know enough about things to deal with it herself. I grossed over $10k, but it took a month of full time work to do it. The valuable stuff went on ebay, everything needed to be researched, photographed, and packed, and deal with the general buying public. Lots of work. And this was pretty much all smaller, light weight trim parts, not fenders or blocks or stuff like that, which I didn't get much for at nearby auto swap meet or craigslist/fb marketplace. So if you have a bunch of stuff that has a very limited market, and it's bulky and heavy and rusty looking, you're not gonna get anywhere near what you hope it's worth. 10% is probably being generous. And if you don't want the hassle and disappointment of having to try to get rid of every part yourself, you're far better off just basically giving it all away to the liquidator. Maybe you should start by trying to deal with a few items a week, photo/listing/packing, see what it's like. If you decide it ain't gonna work out, then call in the big guns. good luck, it can be emotionally wrenching.
Thanks, for the replies. I do not have tons of loose items. Well maybe several pick up or trailer loads. I have 3 complete project vehicles and accoutrements. Three early Chrysler Hemis. One 65 model 283 chevy motor. Also, a 65 Chevy 1/2 ton with a bunch of nos gm stuff for the truck, I forgot that one. Several various grills and trim pieces for the 53/56 f100 Fords. A few flathead multicarb manifolds. Not really much for big time buyers. Just more stuff than I have time. I see a good bit of debate on this site regarding the status of the hobby. I firmly believe by observation and experience that there are very few guys actually building hot rods as there once was. All my peers and buddies have all the vehicles they want or need. I know of no younger fellows even interested in the building process. Like Myself the hobby and the hobbyists are simply aging out. I will contact the Iron Trap guys. A lot to ponder. Thanks for the suggestions.
For what it's worth, I have a 67 283 for my roadster pickup. I was given it for free, and I can nab another free one if I want. There are a good amount of young(er) people building rods, they just not be into what you are or in your immediate area. The reproduction parts market has changed demand for used stuff though, definitely.
That and the cost of rebuilding those 283s. A cheap kit, plus machine shop work. Then the concern on flat tappet cams. https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=5602872&cc=1321096&pt=5316&jsn=714&_nck=Hsaep13M917FeVwBr9UH6FVwJobQijWxqiCDUUMo3iT7oGCi6vknOH80atx0aiqu8iA24Zrbql21h9Dgc8G141Fx47FtQaRh2Kd9WOMmokYwNJd6VMmBNk9gQltoL+pZ96RvK5h5z9pOAWMcqlV1G46inS668MiNFf41Xn2aFOcLItQMC5NpyEQn8tdsmH1XmFrIEaP5PmShp1WAoFputpSUbkOw3Gdr+vvLzoY817O5ABHMXdEIwYwv7X2ugDbiwhuS7RogYjtiCx/1xNhzhmVFGyvWWwPyf+q82Dik9uOW+HLtzelSs1w/+D1d1Bm6TXVVrq66rNWIkUg4WVlPj7+CaPlivXL4TswHcMnsGb0=
My attitude is that it is about freeing up money. Once I buy something, I don't have that money anymore; it's gone. When I sell something, whether for more or less, that is money in my pocket I didn't have before. Once I have decided to sell something, I want it gone. I don't want to waste time waiting for top dollar; and not selling. eg. treasure easily worth $100.00, I will list for $80.00 to get people to look. If you are standing in front of me with money and want the item, I will likely go lower. If I sell it for $50.00, that is fifty dollars I did not have before, and the item is no longer taking up room in my life.
If you want an example of what can be done with an auctioneer and an online auction, look up the results of the Smith Auction Co. in northern Wisconsin two weeks ago......they did everything from parts to complete cars.....and many on here were buyers. I follow farm auctions......estate auctions.....state/municipal auctions.....and hot rod race car stuff whenever they happen. There is NOTHING like the dynamics of two people flaunting their manhood by bidding on an item. I am 79yrs. old and I have been involved for almost 50yrs. Anything you can do to get two people fighting to be the "winner" will put $$$$ in your pocket. I have bought entire hay wagon contents full of hot rod and race car parts because the auction company and/or family just didn't care.......but there are plenty of auctioneers who know how to do it right and will get serious money. Not sure if your stash would work in that fashion, but all of us on here have watched or participated in well run online auctions ......and in lots of cases paid stupid money.....or watched others do it.
You have to grasp that whoever buys the complete lot of what you have will get a lot of Top Ramen with the T Bone steaks. A $2.00 item requires time and effort just like a $2,000 item. The buyer will have to pay $.10 - $.20 on the $1.00 to make it worth their while on what they see for value of what you have. Lots of stuff will get passed on in packages and lots will get scrapped or trashed in most cases.
One thing you have to consider is that guys like Iron Trap and Jay Lenno get calls every day from people trying to sell them things. If you sound like you have mid to low quality items and want even reasonable money they will not even look at it. You need to have some exceptional stuff and not want top dollar for it. They get so many calls they can be that way. They know the true cost of moving, cleaning, storing and merchandising things. If you sell your items one at a time you get to make that money. The auctioneer is somewhere in between the two.
When I moved 12 years ago, I had a whole truck load of model A parts, I talked to a number of folks in the model A club and finally found someone who would buy it all, I think I got a fair price for it all. Other stuff I sold on Craigslist and several swap meets. I priced stuff to move and it did. Other items that I thought were worth more I held on my price and took reasonable offers on them. If it’s just run of the mill stuff I’d price it to move and let it go. Stuff is only worth what someone is willing to pay. Depends whole quick you want to move it.
" No low ballers, I know what I got" When I moved form So Cal to Idaho, I got rid of , gave away, and trashed so much stuff. I wish i would have kept and hauled north alot of things, material, supplies, parts etc etc. UGH ! When ya got ta go ya got ta go..... I still find my self looking for stuff that I trash canned or the mover lost ..... 4 years ago .
Kinda in the same boat. 82 and had a stroke a while back(6/20/23) that took my right side functions but have gotten maybe 85% back. Cannot build any more cars so I have been slowly selling off parts. I have done well by being patient. Sell on ebay, here and local Hot Rod monthly publication. Gave away a good bit too that I had accumulated. The good stuff still sells even though the early (pre 40) cars demand has decreased. Another factor is the uncertain economy/times.
If you do an online auction with old car stuff in it, please give me a heads up when it starts. I'm not too far away and I like auctions.
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