Re: Just had to share

Posted by Wayne on February 26, 2004 at 21:08:24 from (205.188.208.73):

In Reply to: Just had to share posted by Ferguson65 on February 26, 2004 at 19:05:09:

Man I know what you mean about seeing the old stuff going to scrap. I'm 36 and work on heavy equipment for a living. Doing this kind of work I see old stuff setting around everywhere. I've posted on here and several other places in the past when I'd find something just to see if their was any interest before I approched the owner about the stuff. I always got several emails about just about every piece I would see but never have had any luck getting the stuff. I found some equipment that has been setting for at least 30 years, and is now walled in with trees, that belonges to a company who's office is now several hours from here. Their response when I called was, "We know it's there and one of these days I guess we're gonna have to do something with it........SOMETIME.......". Sad thing is that's after you tell them that your willing to pay a fair price for the stuff and arrange everything to get it moved, etc and all they need to do is come up with a price. The last go around the stuff was actually setting in a scrap yard and had been there for years and years. The owner of the yard was cleaning up and wanting to get rid of the stuff so I told him I'd check the interest and to work me up some prices on the stuff. Like you said he wanted an arm and a leg for everything, even after I told him nobody was gonna go for his prices. An old subsoiler he might get $5 for as scrap, if he's lucky, he was wanting like $1000 for after, I found out later, he had just told the yard guy he could have it. For a beat up, rusted up old Oliver crawler not running, with no sheet metal he wanted $850. I think he was prone to the same thing alot of these people are when it comes to old equipment. They can't understand that it's just an old piece of equipment and not some priceless antique. True it's old and they don't make it anymore, but for most people messing with them it is a hobby they spend a little bit on here and there and that's all. They can't afford to pay new ("antique value") price for a machine that isn't running and still have to put several thousand in it to make it more than a pretty yard ornament. What really makes me sick is somebody like the scrap guy who would rather get nothing or $5 dollars out of something that should have fetched maybe $200 all because nobody wanted to pay $1000.
How to approach people,now that's a good question. I would say go about it just like you would about anything else your looking to buy. That works 90% of the time. The other 10% you just have to play it by ear and remember no matter what they price it at or what it's really worth, You can't put the value on the other mans stuff. Sometimes it's best to drop hints and not show much interest at first. This can be really hard to do sometimes, but interest is what "makes it an antique" and drives up the price. Other times after you first talk to the person you kinda know that it's best to just not ask about selling because it belonged to a grandfather, etc and is a family "heirloom" now. Like I said you just have to play each situation by ear and do what feels right and if it doesn't work out then don't sweat it and move on to the next thing. Like I said we can't place a value on somebody elses stuff so no matter how much we wish it could happen we're never gonna be able to save everything that deserves to be saved. There are just too many people nowdays that don't care about or appreciate the way things were so preserving anything from the past is the furtherest thing from their mind. I know this might not be exactly what you wanted to hear and I don't much like it either, but I've learned the hard way......Just my .02

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