It could reduce a grown man to tears

[Gordon R]

I ended up in Wigan tonight, buying a MAC Tools top box full of mediocre tools. I find the obsession to acquire even more tools almost impossible to resist. 80% of them - at least - will be going to a charity, which one of the clay shooters at Rishton is involved in. Few decent Snap On bits.

I was stood talking to the lad - his father had died recently and he was clearing his house and garage. He mentioned he was having trouble shifting all the contents - he said his father restored old bikes. They turned out to be British motorcycles up to 1970ish. He said a local dealer had kindly cleared the garage of all bikes, without charging him a penny. I said that was very kind of him. He replied that the dealer had actually given him £1k for a bike that was in bits. He wasn't boasting, but he seemed quite pleased about his business acumen. After several more questions the bike turned out to be a Vincent Black Shadow - probably worth at least 50 times what he got.

I felt sick. I have always promised myself a Vincent Black Lightning if I win the lottery, but this was close. Got home, Googled away and felt worse. The only way I could have felt worse was if I had been the one who let it go for a grand.

 

[Retsdon]

6 hours ago, Gordon R said:

I ended up in Wigan tonight, buying a MAC Tools top box full of mediocre tools. I find the obsession to acquire even more tools almost impossible to resist. 80% of them - at least - will be going to a charity, which one of the clay shooters at Rishton is involved in. Few decent Snap On bits.

I was stood talking to the lad - his father had died recently and he was clearing his house and garage. He mentioned he was having trouble shifting all the contents - he said his father restored old bikes. They turned out to be British motorcycles up to 1970ish. He said a local dealer had kindly cleared the garage of all bikes, without charging him a penny. I said that was very kind of him. He replied that the dealer had actually given him £1k for a bike that was in bits. He wasn't boasting, but he seemed quite pleased about his business acumen. After several more questions the bike turned out to be a Vincent Black Shadow - probably worth at least 50 times what he got.

I felt sick. I have always promised myself a Vincent Black Lightning if I win the lottery, but this was close. Got home, Googled away and felt worse. The only way I could have felt worse was if I had been the one who let it go for a grand.

 

There's something very unwholesome about taking advantage of innocent people like that dealer did. The bloke's lost his father; he has a load of things on his plate; and the dealer tucks him up to the tune of what for many people would be a life-changing sum. It leaves a nasty taste in the mouth. incidentally, I hope you didn't tell the lad he'd been made a fool of. He'd probably be blaming himself not just for the financial loss, but also for somehow letting down his late father. On occasion, ignorance is bliss.

Incidentally, my neighbour across the road who used to help me fix my BSA C15 when I was a teenager had a Vincent Comet. He also had a Fasier Nash two seater and a Morgan 3 wheeler. All worth an absolute fortune these days.

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Gordon, unfortunately that is how some people operate, I hope you didn't tell the poor sod what it was worth.

[lksopener]

Very unscrupulous individual to take advantage of someone without a deal of knowledge after a bereavement. 

At lease the lad feels like he’s not been hard done to. 

[Scully]

There really are some very unpleasant folk out there, without morals or scruples. 

[lord_seagrave]

I’m on the fence here. The dealer got a bargain, and the lad got shot of a whole load of stuff he didn’t want or need (and a grand in his pocket).

Is it any different to buying that thing on eBay for a song because the clueless seller has misspelled a vital word or put it in the wrong category?  Didn’t Mungler find a classic Merc for next to nothing in a similar situation?

I can’t recall anyone on here clamouring for him to have offered the seller the full market rate?

LS

 

[marsh man]

I am not defending the dealer in any way , but if he was a general dealer , would he have known the true value of the bike parts he was buying ? , or did he just strike lucky on the day .

How many people that seem perfectly decent folk goes to a car boot , find something that is worth a few bob and still try and get it a bit cheaper than the seller is asking ? , no different from the dealer offering peanuts for a valued item .

[Gordon R]

I have had bargains in the past, but I would not have felt comfortable buying a Vincent at £1k. The lad selling the tools hadn't a clue about tools or bikes. I talked him through what was worth what - some Snap On, Teng, Britool, but most tools were un-named rubbish and rusty at that. I said I didn't want to make an insulting offer, but in all honesty, he had set his tools / box price unrealistically high. The tools were overall rubbish, but the box was MAC Tools and quite good. He still wanted more than I wanted to pay - I suggested he await other offers.

He said he and his wife had struggled to clear quite a lot of his late father's stuff and he had found it hard work. In the end, I bought them. I came away still thinking I had a reasonable buy, but if they had not been his late father's tools, I would and could have haggled him down further or walked away.

I will normally haggle on any item - part of the fun - but when they belonged to a dead relative, it isn't really on.

[TIGHTCHOKE]

42 minutes ago, marsh man said:

I am not defending the dealer in any way , but if he was a general dealer , would he have known the true value of the bike parts he was buying ? , or did he just strike lucky on the day .

How many people that seem perfectly decent folk goes to a car boot , find something that is worth a few bob and still try and get it a bit cheaper than the seller is asking ? , no different from the dealer offering peanuts for a valued item .

A valid point, but this was not a boot fair it was someone clearing out his late fathers effects.

[oldypigeonpopper]

hello, have been interested in antiques and anything vintage mostly british for over 40 years sometimes buying and selling or finding stuff that friends want, i do not think there are many dealers that do not understand values what ever it is they are buying, but i hear so much about boot sales and people selling not doing any research on the items so even those on tv find bargains, today i find local boot sales are full of foreigners and they let in dealers early for double/treble the cost of the general public, only last week my friend a wheeler dealer  bought a mint condition english made vintage fishing rod, split cane, HOW MUCH  !!!!!!! £3 i kid you not. cheers

[loriusgarrulus]

OH told me about some dealers who keep an eye on the Radio Ham obitaries and target the Widows to clear the radio gear. Often offering a fraction of their worth.

[marsh man]

2 hours ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

A valid point, but this was not a boot fair it was someone clearing out his late fathers effects.

I fully understand where your coming from ,  a G P knows a lot about health in general but he or she only know so much , the same with a general dealer , he is buying on the right side of caution as he have got to sell it on and try and make a profit , if he didn't he wont survive as a dealer for very long.

A lot of dealers do house clearance , anything they think is any good goes to auction and the so called rubbish ends up at a car boot , where at times you can pick up a bargain even from a so called dealer .

Nowadays if you are left anything of value it is fairly easy to get a up to date price of what the item is worth from the internet as Gordan R did when he got home on the first post .

[bostonmick]

I would have thought that in their lifetime father and son would have had conversations about motor cycles. And part of that would have involved values. So either they were estranged. Or maybe the father left the son wealthy and as with so many of the younger generation could not be bothered to realise their true value just took the easy route. 

[Gordon R]

The lad seemed close to his dad - he was quite upset about it. The lad worked in the local Hospital and I was surprised at his lack of knowledge about his dad's bikes or tools for that matter.

[stumfelter]

Sounds like the dealers lucky day.

[Mice!]

It does seem strange that the lad had no idea about what the bikes where worth, but the dealer has done him a favour taking the bikes away, its always difficult clearing things after a loved one has died.

would you not have bought the bike Gordon if it had still been there? Guessing you would, but wouldn't have cleared the rest.

[Old farrier]

Hi 

difficult to look at this 

first the dealer bought a bike in bits that may or may not have all been there possibly without any paperwork 

now he has to put it together or pay someone else to do it or move it on to someone who is prepared to do the work so a gamble really 

we all know they have to be well restored and running to fetch the best money 

the son /family had obviously not taken any interest in the fathers hobbies passion or collection of old bike parts 

the son got a grand and was happy not to have to throw it all into a skip

the dealer got a load of work and maybe he’ll make a profit 

its sad they never took a interest in his life/stuff but there’s many many kids that don’t 

I’m sure there’s plenty on this forum whose kids haven’t got a clue about the value of the stuff equipment Guns etc that they would inherit in the event of a sudden death 

just my thoughts on it 

all the best 

of 

 

 

[Gordon R]

Quote

would you not have bought the bike Gordon if it had still been there? Guessing you would, but wouldn't have cleared the rest

If the bike had been there, I would happily have given him £5k at the drop of a hat. That is still very, very cheap, but I would not have known if everything was there. I would have bought all the British bikes - hard to say what I would have paid, as he didn't know what they were and how many.

[pinfireman]

21 hours ago, Gordon R said:

I ended up in Wigan tonight, buying a MAC Tools top box full of mediocre tools. I find the obsession to acquire even more tools almost impossible to resist. 80% of them - at least - will be going to a charity, which one of the clay shooters at Rishton is involved in. Few decent Snap On bits.

I was stood talking to the lad - his father had died recently and he was clearing his house and garage. He mentioned he was having trouble shifting all the contents - he said his father restored old bikes. They turned out to be British motorcycles up to 1970ish. He said a local dealer had kindly cleared the garage of all bikes, without charging him a penny. I said that was very kind of him. He replied that the dealer had actually given him £1k for a bike that was in bits. He wasn't boasting, but he seemed quite pleased about his business acumen. After several more questions the bike turned out to be a Vincent Black Shadow - probably worth at least 50 times what he got.

I felt sick. I have always promised myself a Vincent Black Lightning if I win the lottery, but this was close. Got home, Googled away and felt worse. The only way I could have felt worse was if I had been the one who let it go for a grand.

 

Back in 1965, I had a Comet for a short time.....the  next door but one neighbour had 2 garages stacked high with old British bikes. And I mean HIGH!  Virtually all pre-1955. I remember a Coventry Eagle twin...and his pal bought old ex-WD bikes from Ruddington Depot.  (Sometimes hidden under canvas in a Bedford 3 tonner.) I bought a Norton 16H side-valve from him for £10. It was so heavy, I could hardly move it!

[Gordon R]

I can do motocrossers stood on my head, but haven't the skill to properly restore an old British bike. I have a couple of friends who do restore old bikes to as new standard or better, so they would have been busy.

Motocrossers are easy. I can do the engines, frames are easily sprayed - even with my standard of spraying - and the rest is just mainly bolt on plastics etc., whereas with older road bikes, you have to also know how they looked originally and exact colours.

[marsh man]

2 minutes ago, Gordon R said:

If the bike had been there, I would happily have given him £5k at the drop of a hat. That is still very, very cheap, but I would not have known if everything was there. I would have bought all the British bikes - hard to say what I would have paid, as he didn't know what they were and how many.

I think there is quite a different outlook when you are buying something for yourself , or if you are buying the item(s) to sell on and try and make a profit on your outlay .

If the dealer wasn't that clued up with what he was buying when it came to a load of bike parts and there was a few parts missing that were rarities would we be looking at this thread in the same light if the parts he bought were only worth £7 / 800 , or would we be saying , its his own fault and he should have known what he was buying .

[PPP]

Thing is, to the dealer, it’s a business transaction, end of.  Equally the kid wasn’t sentimental about it like an enthusiast would be, good trade I’d say.

[panoma1]

The vendor names his price, if you as the buyer, deem the item/s worth the asking price, you pay it, no one has been "done"....there is no moral obligation to value the item for the vendor!....

If the vendor offers you the item at a silly cheap price and you try to knock him down....that may be questionable morally.......but as the old saying goes "a fool and his money are soon parted"

[12gauge82]

12 hours ago, lord_seagrave said:

I’m on the fence here. The dealer got a bargain, and the lad got shot of a whole load of stuff he didn’t want or need (and a grand in his pocket).

Is it any different to buying that thing on eBay for a song because the clueless seller has misspelled a vital word or put it in the wrong category?  Didn’t Mungler find a classic Merc for next to nothing in a similar situation?

I can’t recall anyone on here clamouring for him to have offered the seller the full market rate?

LS

 

Your morals and mine are worlds apart!

Very surprised by some of the comments on here.

[Seadog1408]

29 minutes ago, 12gauge82 said:

Your morals and mine are worlds apart!

Very surprised by some of the comments on here.

+1

 

its the way of things these days.