QUESTION about posting refurbished axes and hatchets on eBay

Curt Hal

Curt Hal

Joined
Jul 8, 2014
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558
So, I put 5 of my latest refurbished axes and hatchets on eBay. Lots of looks but no bites. Once Plumb boy scout hatchet has been on there 3 times. Again, lots of looks, but no bites. Finally, it occurred to me that the people who scour the axe/hatchet sections of eBay are maybe just like me - looking for something to fix up rather than looking for something that IS fixed up.

So, here's my question: When you all are looking at axes and hatchets on this site, are you looking for something that is finished, or are you looking for something that is not finished? Are you likely to buy a refurbished axe, or are you likely to buy an axe to refurbish?

If my suspicion is correct, do any of you know of sites where people are likely to buy refurbished axes?
 
All of the above are looking, and the right buyer for your item is out there regardless of what it is or what it's condition is. If it is accurately described and priced correctly, it will sell.

If you want, give us an example with pics and what you are asking. I'll give you my opinion anyway.
 
Curt Hal said:
. . . .

So, here's my question: When you all are looking at axes and hatchets on this site, are you looking for something that is finished, or are you looking for something that is not finished? Are you likely to buy a refurbished axe, or are you likely to buy an axe to refurbish?

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Buy to refurbish but I like to keep the patina. So I just skip over the shiney stuff. I skip the re handled ones as well.
 
I personally would not buy a refurbished,shiny axe. Someone else had all the fun that way
 
This is just me, but I won't buy something in great "show" shape or fully refurbished on eBay, just because it usually isn't much of a bargain and i like to do stuff my own way. The few real deals ive gotten were undersold and not cleaned up much, usually sold by someone with good feedback but who doesn't specialize in that type of item, as I figure they just want to sell it and haven't messed with it. Going this way, I've yet to be disappointed in the value of anything received; in fact, I've been blown away by the quality of some items that I thought I was taking a risk on. I doubt that helps you much, but that is how I use ebay to buy tools when I do.

That said, knowing that some of you are eBay sellers, if I know your work is good and its something I need, I would consider it even at a slightly higher price. I think it would take longer to build up a reputation, but I think people will buy whatever you have to sell if its good.
 
The shipping costs of axes with handles makes them no bargain. Plus they're never hung to my satisfaction. So I'd be paying for the labor of installing a handle that I'm going to cut off plus I'm paying extra shipping for that handle.

OTOH, I'll gladly pay the shipping for a tool with a very fine vintage handle. Some of my finest handles have come this way. And sometimes I learn something I didn't know when I receive a vintage tool handle.
 
I'm not saying it's a "good" place but there are refurbished axes for sale on etsy. With that being said, I have an etsy shop and the place is a gold mine. And, there is an axe/outdoor something or another mom and pop on there that seems to do ok with axes.
 
cityofthesouth said:
I'm not saying it's a "good" place but there are refurbished axes for sale on etsy. With that being said, I have an etsy shop and the place is a gold mine. And, there is an axe/outdoor something or another mom and pop on there that seems to do ok with axes.
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Could you elaborate? i have been meaning to test sell there, already created the account and shop but have yet to put any items up. I would love to hear about your experiences and the benefits over ebay for certain types of things. I think that the rusty heads will stay on eBay.
 
So as luck would have it, here is a great test subject. I picked this up on Saturday, a Snow & Nealley 3.5lb axe on a 28" handle. (Side note- the majority of axes that I find are 28-32")

The head is very good with surface rust, no pitting and the original handle is in great shape just needs refinishing. The head was loose, there was no wooden wedge just one small metal one, so easy to take apart.
Here is the question. This is a sought after axe and there are very few on eBay. Also, the axe is intact. This is an example of one that I would clean up, refinish and secure the head with a nice new wedge. I have done this to Plumb's and put them up with a buy it now price of $60 and have them sold in under 12 hours. This one will probably be higher than that.

From the perspective of a Blade Forums buyer who is hands on and likes to do things themselves, I understand that you would want to buy this axe just as it is, and hopefully for a lower bargain price. I would too.
But from a seller's perspective, I would think that this one would want to be presented in as nice a state as possible. As I said, there are almost none of these available on ebay right now. Before I post this I would love to hear different opinions.



 
I'm of the opinion that "users" want a vintage axe entirely' on the cheap' whereas serious collectors don't want them shined-up/re-ground or gussied up at all. Devoting time and money to cleaning up axes is only fruitful if the initial investment is minimal. If you can turn a $3 garage sale/flea market head into a $40 sale you're probably doing well. Myself would consider the 3-4 hours labour (and $10 cost of a decent haft) to be a waste of time under those circumstances if in fact someone might have bought that same quick-wire-brushed vinegar-dipped head for $15-20.
Sort of like the lottery though; if you chance upon a NOS Black Raven or some other prize for $25 then tastefully cleaning it up ought to reap dividends. But heaven forbid your item goes up at auction at the very same time that 1/2 dozen others just like it are also posted.
 
My experience with etsy has not been axe or blade related and I have had great luck. Their search and tagging system is powerful and it took me no time to begin to generate traffic and sales. I went from never having even shopped at etsy, to my first sale in a few days. With that said, I believe that what I was selling was a heavily searched for product that was directly in line with the etsy market. To me it's clear that etsy doesn't seem like the place for axes or blades but given the interest in axes and "outdoor life style" which I think companies like Best Made catered to, I can see the overlap with the etsy buyer pool. I am a tumblr user and I know there is another tumblr blog which belongs to someone who refurbishes and sells axes on etsy as a mom and pop, and their image, to me, is geared for the same sort of buyers as Best Made. Of course we (refurbishers) may not be interested but I learned an important lesson from using etsy - "you are not your customer" - so just forget thinking like that. If you clean that axe up, regardless of the name (though I would certainly use the name as part of my marketing whether my customer knew anything about axe makers or not) I would start at $150, easy. But etsy is nothing like ebay. When you start an etsy shop, I think it's important that you come off as a store, even a brand. You don't just list and hope for the best. I can only say I THINK that axe shop does ok, I don't have anything to back that up with. They are there and they're selling axes. I'm personally on the fence about it - I think the possibility is there, but I'd say it's not huge. I do think you could sell refurbished axes on ebay in the same way, but again, I think you will need to build an image to get it done and approach it much differently. To get paid, I think you will have to work harder to sell the product, but I don't think it would be hard necessarily - I'm saying, fewer sales but more money for each one.

The handle on that thing is awesome.
 
Sorry to double post but another post came up while I was typing which made good points. I agree that there are "users" or "enthusiasts" .... us. And there are collectors. But there is more than that. There are people who will be happy to pay for the following things; "vintage", "refurbished", "life-style". Vintage provides "the look", refurbished indicates that you are something of an expert and have sought out quality old tools and given them new life as a craftsman, with your hands. Life style is a bonus, because it looks legit - hell it even IS legit. I would leave the head patina, and I would also use that to sell it. I wouldn't try to sell truly collectible heads or if you do, charge twice as much (maybe 3 times - no I'm not joking) and brag up the name and age just short of obnoxiously. They don't care what the handle is (I would brag about that handle all day long and explain the belly and the fawns foot and the grain and everything else) or what the head is, but if you explain to them just how awesome it is, they will gladly give you more coin for it. And here's hoping they don't stumble across this thread.


Ah I missed that it is a Snow & Nealley. Shiny.

Curt - point me toward your ebay store. Visitor message me or ... whatever ... prolly can't post it in the thread.
 
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I've been working on building an Etsy store for a few months and axes have seemed to move pretty slow. I put up two on Ebay and got hits with bidding right off the bat. I'm really trying to do great camera work and show the quality of what I have on offer and it seems like more people are there to spend money. I've spoke with others and I think the experience has been different though. I think City of the South is spot on. Etsy I'm working on creating a brand and for me the value is going to come as I build my business I think. With ebay your items are kind of a commodity. Etsy has a lot of women and hatchets have been really popular. The demographics are just different I think. I'm wondering if my inclination to question my pricing has been counterintuitive and my axes might move better if I raised the price. I've got a Collins with a maple burl haft going for fifty bucks on Etsy and for a month no one has pulled the trigger. I think I could get double for it on ebay and I'm probably going to move it tomorrow.
 
Descriptions of what you are selling helps. On a refurbished axe, point out your superior sharpening and handle hang. Get a good shot of the close fitting of the wedge. Explain a little how your axe is superior to a Swedish import at much less money. Try to only sell axes with full bits. You have to sell to your market. You are trying to sell a user to a person who wants a good axe. Collectors and refurbishers are a different market as stated by others above.
 
Liberatus1 said:
I've been working on building an Etsy store for a few months and axes have seemed to move pretty slow. I put up two on Ebay and got hits with bidding right off the bat. I'm really trying to do great camera work and show the quality of what I have on offer and it seems like more people are there to spend money. I've spoke with others and I think the experience has been different though. I think City of the South is spot on. Etsy I'm working on creating a brand and for me the value is going to come as I build my business I think. With ebay your items are kind of a commodity. Etsy has a lot of women and hatchets have been really popular. The demographics are just different I think. I'm wondering if my inclination to question my pricing has been counterintuitive and my axes might move better if I raised the price. I've got a Collins with a maple burl haft going for fifty bucks on Etsy and for a month no one has pulled the trigger. I think I could get double for it on ebay and I'm probably going to move it tomorrow.
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Yeah, I suspect etsy is a tough place to move axes and I don't think it's worth getting into cutesie gimmicks (paint for instance) to sell something that you are personally interested in as an enthusiast. I think with some smart marketing you could make it happen with ebay instead. I would combine it with something else like g+ or tumblr where the crowds are and treat ebay as nothing more than your store. I think a key here, when it comes to pricing is, you DO believe that they are better than Gransfors or current US production axes sold today. Price them accordingly and tell your customers just exactly why they are better. On the other hand, it's easier said than done and I suppose it will have an effect on availability and pricing for us if it does work out. I think there are a number of people trying it from what I've seen, and places like Best Made already have the gimmicks and the branding to cover a good share of the people you guys would be looking to sell to. As we saw in another recent thread, yet another rebranded Council Tool company came and went, or apparently did, and I think that says something. There is only so much space right now.

I think halfaxe brings up more good points. In order to sell on every positive point of your product, to a high end consumer, then you will in fact have to be offering a high end product. I think that means the sharpening better be spot on, the hang, the wedge, all of it. Cameras, sharpening systems, marketing, your time starts to get dumped in and you end up being all in, so to speak.

jb, are we seeing flashing/drop forging marks on that S&N?
 
There are a few of us on here that are hanging quality axes, hatchets and hammers on Etsy. None of us are going for the Nautica color schemes thank goodness. Y'all have seen some of mine of posted. They're usually straight BLO or flamed with some red oil stain, about the same color as an older Plumb, newer ones are painted so not those. I've been messing with beeswax a bit too. Pretty much going for a 50s hardware store vibe.

It's a hobby that I want to keep getting better at, both restoring and selling. I think both City of the South and Halfaxe make points I need to consider more deeply. Who my target audience is and what value am I bringing to them, this includes how I'm communicating with them. The pics are good but that is to show the quality. You can look it up by googling MurraySparksville, all one word. The community on instagram is strong but in a way I'm not sure the community is my demo. I think I'm selling to people that buy Kitchenaid mixers, Barbour or Filson jackets and shrink to fit button fly Levi's. Buy it for life types. Which I think needs some more care and feeding on my end.
 
Liberatus1 said:
There are a few of us on here that are hanging quality axes, hatchets and hammers on Etsy. None of us are going for the Nautica color schemes thank goodness. Y'all have seen some of mine of posted. They're usually straight BLO or flamed with some red oil stain, about the same color as an older Plumb, newer ones are painted so not those. I've been messing with beeswax a bit too. Pretty much going for a 50s hardware store vibe.

It's a hobby that I want to keep getting better at, both restoring and selling. I think both City of the South and Halfaxe make points I need to consider more deeply. Who my target audience is and what value am I bringing to them, this includes how I'm communicating with them. The pics are good but that is to show the quality. You can look it up by googling MurraySparksville, all one word. The community on instagram is strong but in a way I'm not sure the community is my demo. I think I'm selling to people that buy Kitchenaid mixers, Barbour or Filson jackets and shrink to fit button fly Levi's. Buy it for life types. Which I think needs some more care and feeding on my end.
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That's cool, I actually saw that store a few days ago while looking around to see what others were doing and charging. What you are doing is what I'm going for. I'm not out to make the next boutique axe (not that I could), my goals are to find and refurbish good honest vintage tools that may have some history, find them new homes with people who will respect them, and make some money on the side. As 300Six said, it's a labor of love- if it was all about the money I would be selling Beanie Babies or whatever cheap thing is popular now. I'm finding that I just love a piece of wood in one hand and a sharp knife in the other and making it find it's correct form. If all I could do is create a pile of newly handled hammers and axes and never sell one, I'd probably still do it.
 
Ebay is full of "refurbished" collectors items of all types and genres, and they certainly do not sell as well as untouched originals in price or frequency. Smart and knowledgeable collectors of anything always look for originality. All anyone has to do is watch a few episodes of Antiques Road Show or look at any finished auction lists to see that refurbished and re-manufactured collectibles are the bottom of the barrel.

I have been around old British motorcycles since the early 60s when they were new and competitive and I saw the collectors market for them begin and develop first-hand. In it's infancy a lot of people destroyed a lot of history and nice original old bikes and parts with bead-blasters, clear-coating and poor but shiny replacement parts. Now that the hobby has matured a bit the most valued vintage motorcycles are similar to the most valued antique furniture pieces, they are the ones that have never had a thing done to them since they were manufactured, aside from maybe some very conservative maintenance to keep them in operating condition. History and provenance is also paramount, so how many of you are recording the personal histories of your knives and axes if and when possible?, Probably close to zero-percent. In the end the over-restored collectibles are for the ignorant and the suckers to spend their money on, those with little knowledge of what they have just paid for and who will nail it to the wall of a restaurant or wealthy-mans den as a bit of kitsch......
 
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