How to Clear a Workshop - Advice Please

[many_methods]

I've been asked to help clear a workshop for a friend. I've been sent some pics, expecting to see some hobby sized equipment, but the stuff there is big - a couple of big lathes, milling machines, and a selection of other big bits of equipment I don't recognise (plastic extruders for example). It's a proper commercial setup so needs some serious thought as to how to clear it.

Access to the site isn't great, it's just about wide enough for a flat bed to access but is frequently obstructed by other commercial units leavings large bins and stuff outside so these would need moving during collection.

My initial thoughts:
Clear up the mess, remove any rubbish
Load up smaller items to sell online - grinders, hand tools, small bench drills etc to stick on ebay etc
Get an auction place to sell and clear the larger equipment (I reckon about 8, big machines that'll need some kind of lifting equipment to shift, a few workbenches and cabinets etc) and leave them and the buyers to sort access between them on a specific date when the access route can be cleared.

Anyone had any experience of this and what kind of service the auction place would offer and their likely commission?

Open to other ideas - I'm just trying to strike the balance to get the best return for the seller but also reduce the time and effort they need to put into clearing it.

The property is in South London.

Cheers

 

[Erie Fred]

Clean up yes.
Let auction company sell everything.

Selling off the small stuff separate will likely keep auction companies from
wanting to work with you.

No-one want's to go to an auction for a few machines, for example 1-2 hours max.

They will bundle and sell all the "Smalls" first, keeping people there for the big stuff that comes in the end.

EDIT: and yes, find an auctioneer that specializes in machinery, look at their past auctions, and see what kind of customers they attract, tools they sold.
-----------------------------------
An Erie industrial machinery dealer closed, and he got the cheapest auctioneer he could find.

Selected a farm machinery auctioneer from middle ohio (200 miles away).

So all these farmers showed up, for brand new machine tools (CNC lathes, mills, tooling etc.)
The scrappers bought it all, and the owner (who just watched his retirement evaporate) was beside himself.

 

[Guineafowl]

Sounds like something for a specialist auctioneer. Up here, Thainstone Specialist Auctions handle that sort of thing all the time.

Maybe list a few things on here…

 

[BrokenBiker]

Advertise on here...you won't have to worry about shifting stuff, we all have ways and means available to get stuff moved

 

[Beanwood]

Just musing - how big is the injection moulding stuff…

 

[sako243]

@8ob well help alleviate you of anything useful

 

[Robotstar5]

Advertise on here...you won't have to worry about shifting stuff, we all have ways and means available to get stuff moved

You can't sell stuff not belonging to you on here - sales section rule #3

 

[bricol]

Wot Fred said.

Although if it's only a handful of machines from a one man band operation, and old ones at that, you might be as well simply going direct to the scrap man.

Get a few in and ask.

 

[hotponyshoes]

For the least amount of effort get an auction company.
Generally, you send them some photos and a rough idea of what's there.
They'll come back to you with a few questions about access and so on.
If they are interested then they arrange to come out and lot it up.

At that point they won't do much in the way of 'dressing' so it's best to have everything cleaned up and separated out ready to easily take good photos.

Most will sell online only now so no real life auction (unless you have £000's worth)
They might hold a 'viewing' day but again, needs to be some decent value there for that.
They'll also put in the least amount of effort with the listing and descriptions,
Ie, they will lot smaller items together and the description will just say "3x electric hand drills"

Obviously gets a lower final price but does prevent buyers claiming the items are faulty etc..

They will arrange a day or 2 for collections and offer a loading or packaging service.

You'll get the lowest return from the auctions but very little hassle. Bidders will have to register with a credit card and all payments have to be made well in advance of collection. Unsold or unpaid items will be offered to under-bidders as well.

If you have big machines left unsold hire a van/trailer for the collection day and slip the porter some cash to load up for you, then off to the scrap yard.



You could sell the smaller stuff yourself. Just remove it all before contacting the auction company as they will not be happy if they think its been "cherry-picked"
You'll get a much higher end price but a much higher workload.
For ebay everything will need testing, a detailed description, plenty of photos.
Selling as 'untested' will get very low prices and you'll still have to deal with returns & refunds from buyers who abuse the returns system.

The other option is to find a dealer. These guys will pay more than you will see at auction and be more flexible on collection times. They will be used to getting stuff out of awkward places and won't want you to fill in pages of risk assessment forms.
Generally you can have a good chat with them over what exactly they will do. Ie, do you want them to take everything including the rubbish and sweep the floor afterwards.
Again, if you contact one with details, make sure everything they see is still there when they come to visit.

Another option that can work quite well is just have a 'open house' sale and get buyers in by advertising on Facebook or something.
Not particularly easy to manage though as you'll get the amateur dealers wanting all the good stuff at budget prices, a few people who have loose pockets that the smaller stuff falls into, and you'll still be left with all the big heavy stuff at the end.

 

[zzr1200]

Big lathes as in phase or 1 phase mains, Colchester/Harrison or other makes, or pictures of any model numbers or data plates on the machines would be helpful, failing that, a picture of a standard size mug sitting on the headstock or carriage?

 

[brightspark]

Advertise on here...you won't have to worry about shifting stuff, we all have ways and means available to get stuff moved

like 40 posts on removing a surface plate out of a van needs doing quick not after weeks debating

 

[frank horton]

if u have the time to sell this stuff take a look at homeworkshop.org
a UK website for wood and metalworking machines....plus spares etc
Beaware there r a few robbing dealers that will try to get everything for nothing but there are many sales to the diy'er.......

 

[hotponyshoes]

Auction commission varies, a cheaper one (online sale only) from someone like LSH listed on bidspotter will be around 15% to the seller.
But the buyers premium is also around that Plus vat so you'll only end up with around 55% of the final sales price.

Auctioneers are like estate agents. You can haggle with them over the fees. It won't work particularly well though unless you have a history of selling stuff with them or they think the stuff is worth a load of money and they will do well on it.
Some will set a standard % and then drop that amount if you hit a certain amount but again, it's all value dependent.
They would obviously rather be selling the contents of a £50million bankruptcy business than the £5k contents of some isolated workshop but, like estate agents, they don't earn unless they actually have stuff to sell so they will be happy to consider your business but they don't generally tend to put much effort into getting you top prices.

 

[8ob]

I've been asked to help clear a workshop for a friend. I've been sent some pics, expecting to see some hobby sized equipment, but the stuff there is big - a couple of big lathes, milling machines, and a selection of other big bits of equipment I don't recognise (plastic extruders for example). It's a proper commercial setup so needs some serious thought as to how to clear it.

Access to the site isn't great, it's just about wide enough for a flat bed to access but is frequently obstructed by other commercial units leavings large bins and stuff outside so these would need moving during collection.

My initial thoughts:
Clear up the mess, remove any rubbish
Load up smaller items to sell online - grinders, hand tools, small bench drills etc to stick on ebay etc
Get an auction place to sell and clear the larger equipment (I reckon about 8, big machines that'll need some kind of lifting equipment to shift, a few workbenches and cabinets etc) and leave them and the buyers to sort access between them on a specific date when the access route can be cleared.

Anyone had any experience of this and what kind of service the auction place would offer and their likely commission?

Open to other ideas - I'm just trying to strike the balance to get the best return for the seller but also reduce the time and effort they need to put into clearing it.

The property is in South London.

Cheers

Post up a walk around vid of the contents on here and see what the response is, at the very least most of it will get identified foc.

Bob

 

[dave h 2]

I saw the title of this thread and immediately thought a bottle of Newcastle Brown and a boiled egg should do it.
But then I thought how childish. ................. Opp's

 

[addjunkie]

Lazy option…clear up rubbish, fund dealer to come and see what they want to buy…they have all the gear to move stuff too

 

[Smallfry]

Anything suitable for a home or small workshop will be easyish to sell. Big stuff not so much. Its moving it thats the problem, and thats costs money, which is why dealers do not offer much.

Try Home and Workshop at Sidcup, they may be interested, or know someone who will.

 

[hotponyshoes]

The dealers that can cope with moving big heavy stuff know exactly how hard it will be to sell on and how much space it takes up storing it while they are waiting for it to sell.

Most of them will be wanting to make the purchase cost back by having enough small easy stuff that sells quickly in the lot so you'll get much more interest from the dealers if they can make you an offer on everything rather than just the stuff left that you can't/don't want to deal with.