"Backyarders" and where to buy used equipment

GearHead36 said:
Do you think a 5 yr old mower that's for sale has been maintained well enough to last another 5 yrs? I wouldn't. If it were good for another 5 yrs, why is it for sale?
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I agree GearHead36,

Most are built these days to barely make it 5 yr. with even good service.

The "Green Power" lobbyists are trying their best to abolish gas- and diesel-powered equipment as fast as they can.

Apparently, they are ignoring where all the high-tech battery waste is going to go because they are nothing like the conventional lead acid batteries that people think they are. Lead acid batteries can be economically recycled right down to their basic components and chemicals.
 
Auto Doc's said:
I agree GearHead36,

Most are built these days to barely make it 5 yr. with even good service.

The "Green Power" lobbyists are trying their best to abolish gas- and diesel-powered equipment as fast as they can.

Apparently, they are ignoring where all the high-tech battery waste is going to go because they are nothing like the conventional lead acid batteries that people think they are. Lead acid batteries can be economically recycled right down to their basic components and chemicals.
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From what you read online, today’s riding mower is designed to last about 10 years. Most outdoor power equipment has a bottom on pricing. In other words, a 20 year old mower basically sells for the same as a 10 year old mower.

I rarely have customers ask about any kind of warranty. And when they do, I half jokingly say, “30 feet or 30 seconds, whichever one comes first.” There is little gross profit in flipping riding mowers, self-propelled mowers, handheld equipment, etc. By the time you do a full tune up, replace any needed parts, the hours it takes, that is what you are left with.

I primarily service and repair equipment. About 5% of my business is sales. I flip stuff because it is a good savings for the customer, I enjoy doing it, and it keeps it running and working instead of scrap.

It is cash only, period. No trades, no checks, no PayPal, etc. If something breaks in a short time, and the customer is reasonable, I will take it back, fix it, and sell it to someone else.
 
Tiger Small Engine said:
From what you read online, today’s riding mower is designed to last about 10 years. Most outdoor power equipment has a bottom on pricing. In other words, a 20 year old mower basically sells for the same as a 10 year old mower.

I rarely have customers ask about any kind of warranty. And when they do, I half jokingly say, “30 feet or 30 seconds, whichever one comes first.” There is little gross profit in flipping riding mowers, self-propelled mowers, handheld equipment, etc. By the time you do a full tune up, replace any needed parts, the hours it takes, that is what you are left with.

I primarily service and repair equipment. About 5% of my business is sales. I flip stuff because it is a good savings for the customer, I enjoy doing it, and it keeps it running and working instead of scrap.

It is cash only, period. No trades, no checks, no PayPal, etc. If something breaks in a short time, and the customer is reasonable, I will take it back, fix it, and sell it to someone else.
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Actually Tiger most ride on mowers are replaced every 4.5 years, and due to that fact most are now designed for a 5 year lifespan.
 
Skippydiesel said:
I don't know if I fit the characterisation of a "flipper".
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I don't know if you're a flipper or not, but you definitely don't fit the description of a flipper who does just enough repairs to sell the machine. The point of the original post was that I was surprised that there are flippers who do that. There are plenty of YT channels with "backyarders" who do good jobs of repairing neglected machines. I see the problem from both sides. Buyers want refunds after they do something stupid. And unscrupulous flippers do crappy repair jobs, and want top dollar for junk. I thought about flipping riding mowers as a hobby, and to make a few dollars in retirement. I've seen too many stories here of buyers wanting refunds after doing something stupid, and buyers not wanting to pay more than $100 for riders in good shape. I remember my time at my dad's gas station in the 70's, and how I hated dealing with stupid customers, and decided to do something else with my time. My memory of some of those customers... my dad must have had the patience of a saint.
 
GearHead36 said:
I Buyers want refunds after they do something stupid. And unscrupulous flippers do crappy repair jobs, and want top dollar for junk. I thought about flipping riding mowers as a hobby, and to make a few dollars in retirement. I've seen too many stories here of buyers wanting refunds after doing something stupid,
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I blame part of that on the box stores. Customers will purchase a new mower and not put oil in it, and then after it locks up go get their money back. Or years ago people would purchase a new rider in March at Walmart, and then October would return it with the claim they didn't like it.
 
GearHead36 said:
I learned something from Taryl today. In a recent video, he had a riding mower from a customer who bought it from a "backyarder" as he called them. Which is, someone who flips mowers in their back yard. That mower was a basket case. It needed a LOT of work. It looked like it had been fixed just enough to get it to run just long enough to sell it. I really thought that "backyarders" were a good place to get a used mower, and I've directed buyers toward places like this. Taryl had another mower that came from an auction, and it needed a lot of work, too. I have no delusions about auction machinery, though. My Pro Z came from an auction, and I knew it was a basket case when I bought it.

I won't be sending buyers to "backyarders" any more. I'm not a big fan of OPE dealerships either. I've been burned by them, too. I'm able to fix up machinery, so I don't get burned by hidden problems on OPE. But for people who don't know how to repair OPE, and are looking for a good used machine, where do you guys send them?
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What is OPE? Other Peoples Equipment?
 
Some actually don't flip for profit. I find unwanted mowers, pressure washers, and the like, spend a bit to repair them, and flip them for pretty much the parts money I put into them. I just like working on them. If I find its gonna be a buch of money to fix, I abandon he idea and take it to the metal bin at my work.
 
Propflux01 said:
Some actually don't flip for profit. I find unwanted mowers, pressure washers, and the like, spend a bit to repair them, and flip them for pretty much the parts money I put into them. I just like working on them. If I find its gonna be a buch of money to fix, I abandon he idea and take it to the metal bin at my work.
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Bought a gas powered 4 stroke edger for $5.....guy said it wouldn't cut any more. The blade was 3 inches shorter than the normal blade on each side, wouldn't start because the primer bulb was cracked and you couldn't prime it. All of $4.50 to fix. Starts second pull every time with ten shots of the new bulb.
 
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