What was your favorite ebay/thrift/garage/pawn score?

Apr 20, 2008
10,161
984
126
Just curious, what was a good deal that you got on something? I keep finding myself getting really, really lucky on things and looking back prices are outrageous on the same things.
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
57,364
7,516
126
Probably a 2' foot treadle grinding wheel I got for ~$25. I also got a 6pack of 6' rulers for $7 once. These were about $2/foot at the time. I got an hp48gx once for ~$20.
 
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Billb2

Diamond Member
Mar 25, 2005
3,035
70
86
Craig's List

A Craftsman (Atlas) metal lathe:
36 inch bed.
10 inch swing
Both cross and transverse auto feed.
Tailstock.
6 inch three jaw chuck, and a 10 inch 4 jaw chuck.
Complete gear change set (sells for $150 - used)
1/2 hp motor.
Everything was working and in good condition.

They sell for $3-5K used.

I paid $300!

The guy that had it thought it was a craftsman wood lathe, for which $300 would be reasonable.
 
Last edited:

PottedMeat

Lifer
Apr 17, 2002
12,365
475
126
got a HP50G for $10 at a garage sale
$2 genuine mitutoyo digital caliper

Craig's List

A Craftsman (Atlas) metal lathe:
36 inch bed.
10 inch swing
Both cross and transverse auto feed.
Tailstock.
6 inch three jaw chuck, and a 10 inch 4 jaw chuck.
Complete gear change set (sells for $150 - used)
1/2 hp motor.
Everything was working and in good condition.

They sell for $3-5K used.

I paid $300!

The guy that had it thought it was a craftsman wood lathe, for which $300 would be reasonable.

i ran into a $100 craftsman (8"? swing) w/ quick change gearbox at an estate sale, was -><- this close to getting it but decided not to because i already had a cheap chinese one that does metric & imperial... and i had no real way to move the thing.

i did grab the 8" 4 jaw, faceplate, and a bunch of other small accessories for $8 and a bunch of steel for a few bucks more.
 

Skunk-Works

Senior member
Jun 29, 2016
983
328
91
By far my best score was the CH Products yoke and pedals I got for Flight Sim at a yard sale for $25. They both total $350. I thought they wouldn't work, but to my amazement I plugged them in and they work.

Another score in reverse was when I picked up this early model Toshiba tablet device that used WIFI to connect to a Toshiba laptop. I paid $10 for it and sold it to a guy in France for about $250. He lived on the coast and I imagine he used it on his boat.
 
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Apr 20, 2008
10,161
984
126
By far my best score was the CH Products yoke and pedals I got for Flight Sim at a yard sale for $25. They both total $350. I thought they wouldn't work, but to my amazement I plugged them in and they work.

Another score in reverse was when I picked up this early model Toshiba tablet device that used WIFI to connect to a Toshiba laptop. I paid $10 for it and sold it to a guy in France for about $250. He lived on the coast and I imagine he used it on his boat.

If I sell my laptop in sig it'll be one of those situations, but not a 25x gain. I paid $60 for it on eBay and only replaced the MB battery, put in 4GB more of DDR3 and the disk drive. Take a peek at great condition X230's on ebay with 8GB ram and 1TB HDDs. I don't know how I snagged it. I looked at it for days.
 

Loop2kil

Platinum Member
Mar 28, 2004
2,606
21
81
I scored a pair of Acoustic Research AR-2AX (built in 1965) speakers for $10 at a community yard sale a few years ago. I rebuilt the crossovers for about $30 and cleaned them up aesthetically...they look and sound wonderful.
 
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Sho'Nuff

Diamond Member
Jul 12, 2007
6,211
121
106
I paid $50 for a leather couch, oversize chair, and ottoman from one of my neighbors. If I bought the same set retail it would have cost over $3000.
 
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DigDog

Lifer
Jun 3, 2011
13,444
2,084
126
never managed to score anything substantially below the general asking price. i did get a GTX280 for about £50 which lasted me a great long time, but it was about right for the money.
 
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dud

Diamond Member
Feb 18, 2001
7,635
73
91
Bought a new set of SK tools at a yard sale for $15. Ended up selling them on ebay for 10x what I paid for them.

Bought a 1960s vintage toy plane at a yard sale for $20 as a decoration for the kids room. As the kid grew older I decided to post it to ebay and sold it for a tad more than 15x what I paid for it.


Those were the days ...
 
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purbeast0

No Lifer
Sep 13, 2001
52,834
5,713
126
Teeter Hangups with gravity boots for $100 off some dude on craigslist. The guy I bought it from used it for a week after his car accident like 2 years prior and it had been sitting since. Those things were like $600+ at the time, maybe even more.
 
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NetWareHead

THAT guy
Aug 10, 2002
5,854
154
106
Bought an old Oster pipe threading machine from a retiring plumber. Got the power drive, oiler bucket and a set of Ridgid 12R drop in die heads for $250 total. Later on I found a reamer, tri-stand and pipe cutter also for cheap and can thread from 1/8 to 2" pipe now.
 
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FeuerFrei

Diamond Member
Mar 30, 2005
9,152
928
126
Not my favorite for being a bargain necessarily ... but I picked up some 3-d wall art at an antique store for $39. Basically a 2'x3' coat of arms w/ rampant lions and fancy scrollwork surrounding. Kind of a bronze color overall with some red/black details. Very Renaissance. Apparently was carved at some artist collective studio.
It was right up my alley, and not something I'd know where to buy new.
 
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[DHT]Osiris

Lifer
Dec 15, 2015
14,006
12,075
146
Free computer desks (x2, still in use, 7 years)
Free computer chairs (x2, crappy, 4 years of usage, gone now)
Free laundry drawer (still in use, 7 years)
Free armoire and mirror set (donated, 2 years of usage)
Free lawnmower (still in use, 8 years)
Free couches x2 (1 donated, 3 years of usage, 1 still in use, 8 years of usage, bought slipcover for ~$100)
Free washer/dryer (still in use, 9 years of usage)
Free ~50" Plasma TV ('broken', fixed with $1.75 worth of capacitors, still in use, 6 years of usage)
Free ~50" Rear projection TV ('broken', fixed with free dusting of projection lamp, sold for ~$200, 5 years of usage)
Free ~200lbs of modular metal 'wire' shelving (still in use, 8 years)

Combination of garage store bargains (across street, never got sold, guy brought it by), people convinced their expensive stuff was broken, giveaways from military PCSers, and random hand-me-downs.
 
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Oyeve

Lifer
Oct 18, 1999
21,899
819
126
The Monroes EP with "what do all the people know". On vinyl from 1982. Pristine condition. No one bidded and I got it for 3 bucks shipped.
 
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nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
58,055
12,245
136
Got a '77 Grand Marquis at a garage sale for $350, drove it for two years, and sold it for $300. Replaced the battery in the first winter, but that was pretty much it. Just in time too, gas hit $4/gallon not long after, normally got like 11MPG.
 
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