Any ideas of how to liquidate my dad's lawnmower and parts collection. 2 car garage full, there is a lot of other stuff in the garage also but most of it seems to be mowers, parts, weed eaters, blowers, pressure washers... Anyone in Houston?
Liquidating mower and parts collection in Houston
- Thread starter sbklf
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bertsmobile1
Lawn Royalty
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Sorry to hear about your dad
What you do will depend upon your time line
If you need it gone quick then with that much stock it is best to auction it off using one of the auction houses that specailise in collectables ,
They should be hooked into the collector clubs and most serious collectors check these web sites daily .
This will require a lot of work to drag everything out, photograph & tag each lot , but once done it all goes very quickly.
If money is needed then look to getting an estate ( not real estate ) clearance sale happening.
Some will but the entire lot, move it to their yard then sell it off .
Least amount of work , lowest financial return but again happens quick and is paid for quick if the family funds are short .
Slowest & highest returns come from dropping them on ebay .
Sell them in small lots and note in the description that they are from a large collection of a deceased estate .
This will also get a lot of vendors contacting you who will take the lot or sell the lot on commission.
Do not allow any on site inspection for things listed on ebay . And if possible get them picked up from a different address.
If this is not possible roll them around to the front yard on collection day .
You word your add along the lines of
"These are the frist sales from my deceased fathers collection of around ( 50 tons / 100 cu yards , 2 garages etc ) .
As time allows more will be added " .
Finally if he was part of a group or two ask if the group would like to organize the sale of them.
They will know what each bit is and what it is worth and weather there is any demand for them .
I see people trying to see old loacl mowers on ebay for sillyprices when I can still go to tip / dump resale yards & buy then for $ 10 by the truck load.
What you do will depend upon your time line
If you need it gone quick then with that much stock it is best to auction it off using one of the auction houses that specailise in collectables ,
They should be hooked into the collector clubs and most serious collectors check these web sites daily .
This will require a lot of work to drag everything out, photograph & tag each lot , but once done it all goes very quickly.
If money is needed then look to getting an estate ( not real estate ) clearance sale happening.
Some will but the entire lot, move it to their yard then sell it off .
Least amount of work , lowest financial return but again happens quick and is paid for quick if the family funds are short .
Slowest & highest returns come from dropping them on ebay .
Sell them in small lots and note in the description that they are from a large collection of a deceased estate .
This will also get a lot of vendors contacting you who will take the lot or sell the lot on commission.
Do not allow any on site inspection for things listed on ebay . And if possible get them picked up from a different address.
If this is not possible roll them around to the front yard on collection day .
You word your add along the lines of
"These are the frist sales from my deceased fathers collection of around ( 50 tons / 100 cu yards , 2 garages etc ) .
As time allows more will be added " .
Finally if he was part of a group or two ask if the group would like to organize the sale of them.
They will know what each bit is and what it is worth and weather there is any demand for them .
I see people trying to see old loacl mowers on ebay for sillyprices when I can still go to tip / dump resale yards & buy then for $ 10 by the truck load.
tom3
Lawn Addict
- Joined
- Apr 9, 2018
- Threads
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- 1,579
New in box smaller stuff sells pretty good on Ebay, if you have the time to list, pack, and ship. But shipping costs can be a big factor too. Facebook marketplace is pretty popular these days. Figuring out what stuff actually is can be the hard part maybe. Up here this is an ideal time for an auction, not sure down your way.
Thanks for the replies. No new in box items. I will try an online site for the big items. For the small items, unless it is vintage or has value for any other reason, they will likely be sold for scrap.
Its a murderous job. Just recently helped my wife with her mom and dad's estate. Had pickers come in, had yard/estate sales and put some items on ebay. For example, sold a '90s Troy-Bilt 'Horse' tiller in like-new shape, running and new battery for $450 but it was worth much more - just couldn't get any good offers.
After this, we came to the mutual decision that starting now we will reduce clutter so our survivors will not have to wade through tons of JUNK that nobody wants. Keeping china and silverware for the grandkids? Get a clue - nobody wants your old stuff, your parents' stuff and your grandparents' stuff! Yes, legitimate antiques in excellent condition with provenance can raise money, along with any Sterling silver, real jewelry, etc., but the run-of-the-mill 'keepsakes', like depression glass, are simply not worth trying to sell. We took $1000 for a 130 yr old 'Persian' rug that was cleaned, treated and rolled in TYVEK and came with an appraisal of $10,000, and felt lucky to get that.
Tools, equipment, new spare parts, etc., are in a different category but be prepared to take junk prices for it. Right now, the biggest problem is COVID because you really can't have a yard sale in most areas. You may be stuck with it for a few months. If you have one of those outdoor 'permanent flea markets' in your area where you rent tables, and you have the time for it, you might consider taking a truckload of stuff up there every weekend until you get down to what you're going to take to the dump. Its one of the best ways to go because in normal times you have thousands of people walking past your table, and nothing sells like setting eyes on the stuff. Its just a ton of work, and if you are over 60 it can get old real fast.
After this, we came to the mutual decision that starting now we will reduce clutter so our survivors will not have to wade through tons of JUNK that nobody wants. Keeping china and silverware for the grandkids? Get a clue - nobody wants your old stuff, your parents' stuff and your grandparents' stuff! Yes, legitimate antiques in excellent condition with provenance can raise money, along with any Sterling silver, real jewelry, etc., but the run-of-the-mill 'keepsakes', like depression glass, are simply not worth trying to sell. We took $1000 for a 130 yr old 'Persian' rug that was cleaned, treated and rolled in TYVEK and came with an appraisal of $10,000, and felt lucky to get that.
Tools, equipment, new spare parts, etc., are in a different category but be prepared to take junk prices for it. Right now, the biggest problem is COVID because you really can't have a yard sale in most areas. You may be stuck with it for a few months. If you have one of those outdoor 'permanent flea markets' in your area where you rent tables, and you have the time for it, you might consider taking a truckload of stuff up there every weekend until you get down to what you're going to take to the dump. Its one of the best ways to go because in normal times you have thousands of people walking past your table, and nothing sells like setting eyes on the stuff. Its just a ton of work, and if you are over 60 it can get old real fast.