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Just a vague observation from an occasional buyer and a reluctant seller. I have upgraded a couple of planes recently. I got a pair of LN T&G planes to replace the Stanley 48 that I've had for a few years, so it's time to get rid of the old one. Also picked up a LN smoother and decided to get rid of a K5 (Keen Kutter-branded 605) to compensate.
I bought the Stanley 48 about three years ago for about $40. It was in terrible shape, no chrome, lots of rust, and no blades (I had to make my own). The good ones were going for $80-$100. Now the pristine ones are going for ~$65 and there are plenty of complete planes selling for $35.
I bought the K5 around the same time. It was a smoking Buy-It-Now deal that I couldn't pass up at $50. Bid sales were regularly going for $100+. Now the bid sales on these planes go for $50 all the time. I saw one in decent shape go for $35 recently.
I even noticed Tablesaw Tom has had planes hanging around for days or weeks when they used to get snapped up in minutes or hours. (Quick plug- I have a Stanley No. 7 that he worked his magic on. Still my favorite plane, it's amazing.)
Has anyone else noticed the same? It almost seems backwards, given that the general consensus in the woodworking community is that hand tool work is become more popular, not less. Are people just buying more new tools and ignoring the old? Or did previously high prices encourage the dealers to scour the barns and flood the market?
No real point to my post, just wondered if I was seeing a real trend or if it's all my imagination.
"If I had eight hours to cut down a tree, I'd spend six hours sharpening my axe."
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I am of the same opinion on the market for planes. It seems to me that prices have fallen over the last year or so. It's one reason I haven't been selling. A few years ago a decent #4 was bringing $60 or more. Now I see 4's for $30. It seems even worse for Bedrocks. I sold a nice 604 a few years ago for $150. Now, I see them being sold for $75 or less.
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Just like anything else, markets go up and down. eBay is one thing, S&S is another. Quality is important, buying from a known seller who points out apologies is too. Guys who sell here aren't looking for the last dime, and there is some value add in getting a tool that has been given the once over by someone who knows tools and how they are used. That being said, we are at a low point in pricing now, as fudge will spend retail for new tools, when in the past all you had in choices were vintage tools. Vintage chisels are a case in point, as they will be great tools, but fudge tend to spend the extra $$ on new production, but the vintage work just as well. But if you have a tool that works, use it, and frankly vintage offers more bang for the buck than new retail.
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It's not just the bang for the buck, some old chisels are much better designed.
A man of foolish pursuits
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Downwindtracker2 said:
It's not just the bang for the buck, some old chisels are much better designed.
I've given up pretty much on buying vintage chisels, unless they are Swan's or Witherby in a set, 750's (and for the life of me I can't understand that fetish, they weren't even Stanley's best, the #60s actually cost more, and the 720s too), or other makers like PS&W and are in a set and are in fantastic shape (those go for a premium) folks won't buy them at $10 each, they'd rather spend a lot more for new ones. I get it, but again, I don't get it. But it's all good, I keep hunting.
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I'm guessing its just a normal market fluctuation.
For me, when I was looking at the Stanleys on Ebay and a little more $$ for the Woodrivers that Woodcraft sells, I eventually tried a WR and have been very pleased with them. So far I've accumulated a 4, 6, and 7.
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Admiral said:
. eBay is one thing, S&S is another. Quality is important, buying from a known seller who points out apologies is too. Guys who sell here aren't looking for the last dime, and there is some value add in getting a tool that has been given the once over by someone who knows tools and how they are used. That being said, we are at a low point in pricing now, as fudge will spend retail for new tools, when in the past all you had in choices were vintage tools. Vintage chisels are a case in point, as they will be great tools, but fudge tend to spend the extra $$ on new production, but the vintage work just as well. But if you have a tool that works, use it, and frankly vintage offers more bang for the buck than new retail.
Unless you are looking for a Ulmia/ECE plane, in which case you are asked to pay a lot more then ebay. You and the SteveF's of WN are reliable and reasonable.
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It may be a case of supply outstripping demand. Ten years ago, it could be hard to find a plane in good condition online for a fair price, and a lot of antique dealers probably just didn't know what they had. They were either way overpriced or dirt cheap, and you learned to wait for the dirt-cheap ones. Nowadays, there's a lot of information about hand planes available online, and I think people are more likely to view these tools as hot items and list them online. The market will probably swing back in the other direction at some point, as the supply of vintage hand planes runs low (there's a limited supply, after all, though nobody knows what that limit is). Especially if more and more woodworkers decide to add vintage hand planes to their arsenal. But then demand may also level off as the supply does, and the prices will reach some kind of equilibrium. Only time will tell. And Chris Schwarz. If Schwarz or somebody similar does a book or a series of articles on vintage hand planes, you'll see the prices go back up. When the Schwarz sneezes, the rest of the hand tool world catches a cold. Or just gets sprayed with snot. 
Steve S.
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Beanie Babies, Franklin mint, Humrels, etc.
They're TOOLS not Faberge eggs.
These things were cranked out on an industrial scale.
Of course there's a ready supply.
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I think it's a sign of the times. Folks are hanging on to their wallets right now. I see it in my business too. My commercial side is ticking along as usual but there is a recent uptick in competition. My retail side is way off in the last six months or maybe a little more. My competition is saying the same thing so they've started chasing commercial business where I have always done well. It's less profitable but there's more of it. Wages are down, the dollar is down and costs of necessary goods (food, cars, building materials, durable goods etc) is up. I think people are thinking twice about spending on the fun stuff.
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