A Bring a Trailer for machine shop equipment

[100LL]

Hello all, quick message to gauge interest in a website specific to a manual machine auction listings. For those that like classic cars, think Bring a Trailer but for lathes, mills, accessories, etc suitable to the home shop.

eBay is the big name but the seller only gets about 92% of the sales price when it’s all said and done…and the buyer gets hosed on sales tax for anywhere from nil to maybe 10%. Forums work great, but they have some drawbacks in knowing how to price right. Bring a Trailer has had great success on all these fronts and I thought it would be cool if similar styled sites existed for other markets.

So I put together a site for one of my other interests/hobbies (guitars). While it’s certainly some work, if there’s interest I could port a version of that and make it machine specific with integrated shipping quotes. It’s a hobby for me (lucky to cover my server costs), but it could be fun and would serve our community.

Let me know what you think, I’ll put in the effort if there’s a core group that would like to use it.

 

[FOMOGO]

Couldn't hurt. Who knows you might become the next Jeff Bezos. On second thought maybe not Bezos. I understand he's kind of greedy
d**k, much like his space craft. Mike

 

[100LL]

oh, well, I think the project would be a wild success if it closed a grand of machines per day, which would net the operation about 20 bucks per day. My 18 year old nephew makes that per hour. So I‘m clearly an idiot wasting my time…but “why not” could be fun

 

[pontiac428]

I'd sure like to see a peer-based listing. The best options right now are dealer sites and list sites like machinio that serve liquidators with random pricing and taxable sales.

 

[Mini Cooper S]

Are you talking auction or just listings. I would think just listings for a small fee to cover operating costs and beer would work, maybe even make some money. I also think that auctions would be a PITA to run!

Richard

 

[woodchucker]

Are you talking auction or just listings. I would think just listings for a small fee to cover operating costs and beer would work, maybe even make some money. I also think that auctions would be a PITA to run!

Richard

And you would not have to worry about collecting taxes, etc. stepping on legal issues. You would just be the facilitator.

 

[100LL]

check out bringatrailer.com - that’s my model. And there will be no collecting of taxes. The way bring a trailer works is that the auction just settles the price. Then the website shares seller and buyer contact info so they can do the transaction privately, however they want to.

eBay and etsy and the others actually facilitate the transaction, and thus are bound to collect tax. Bring a trailer runs differently, which if you’re bored can read their terms of service. It’s a good way to go, and working very well and legally for hearst media as they’re closing nearly a million dollars per day in car auctions this way.

 

[RandyWilson]

Are you talking that Bat of old, showing rare or interesting barn finds? Or the Bat of new, an auction site for overpriced over-polished garage queens?


Edit: It appears you answered my question while I was typing it.

 

[Aukai]

MrWhoopee peruses the Ebay, and Craig's list adds, and posts here. It used to be front page, and to me it is educational, especially if people comment on cost, and condition.
This idea is interesting too.

 

[100LL]

MrWhoopee peruses the Ebay, and Craig's list adds, and posts here. It used to be front page, and to me it is educational, especially if people comment on cost, and condition.
This idea is interesting too.

That’s how I plan to start a following as a matter of fact. Doing it in fact on my first effort, which I built for guitars and stood it up 8 days ago, doubledropd.com