Help! I need to sell Bartley Shaker Blanket Chest kit – price??
Ottentot
| Posted in General Discussion on
Hi folks! I’m a newbie to Fine Woodworking. My stepfather passed and left behind a shop full of stuff, including this blanket box kit purchased by a friend of his in the late 80s. It’s complete and gargantuan…and not my color (I’m not a cherry girl and I don’t have room for the finished chest;)
My husband opened the boxes, considering the project. Mom and I went through everything and made sure the kit is complete.
I’d like to sell it but can’t find how to price it. I could sell it on Facebook, but is that the best place to sell it? I’d love your advice!
Replies
If it were me, I would just list it on craigslist and Facebook for a relatively high price, then maybe every month or so reduce the price until it finally sells. It would be costly to ship and bit of a pain to do so, but eBay would be another option if you don't mind pretty significant fees.
If you are lucky, maybe someone (probably a beginner woodworker) on here will be interested.
Or you could build it and try to sell it as a piece of furniture. If it is solid cherry, not veneered plywood, I would accept it as free boards and put it in my workshop for a smaller project. You might have family or friends who would appreciate small gifts and be more accepting of cherry. The money is long gone, and not likely recoverable. A lot of things are made from wood originally meant for something else.
I agree with Phantom. The money is long gone. You're not getting anywhere near what you see in that picture for it.
And even if you did, no one is gonna pay the shipping cost.
To me, that would be a neat gift to someone.
Maybe you know someone who isnt into woodworking....yet.
This could be a gift that changes someone's life.
Think about the people in your life and who may love this and not know it yet.
Whatever you could make from it pales compared to gifting it to the right person.
My stepbrother gave me a random chunk of black walnut he had been sitting in his shed for 10 years.
I took it only because he offered it, and I like free stuff. I didn't do any woodworking at the time past 2x4s, and I would never have imagined what a little chunk of walnut would do to change my life. Saved it really.
That kit can be 50 bucks you never think about again and spend on a few coffees by the end of the week.
Or something so much more.
If you want to sell it, I think that it would have the most value as a kit rather than a source of cherry wood that is already cut to fairly short lengths. However, it may take some time for someone who might be interested to see it posted. Be patient unless it's really in the way.
Having said that, I did recently buy a vintage large wooden chest just for the boards, which were 20" wide (single pieces, not glued-up panels; it's not easy to find those anymore), 24" to 60" long, and a full 1" thick. In your kit, however, I would imagine that the boards are not individually very wide or long.
I agree that it might not net you the original retail price, but you never know. I recently sold a car on Facebook Marketplace and after a few days of lowball offers by people who didn't even see the car yet, a buyer came along and paid full asking price because she wanted that exact model and color.
Sorry to hear of your loss. If you are planning a sale for the contents of your Stepdad's shop your audience/ next owner for the project is probably going to walk in the door. Hang a $100 "priced as lumber" tag on it and listen to offers.
LOL, I just noticed that the "assembled" price is $1,225 and the "kit" price is $489.
Maybe that was ingenious marketing - give potential buyers the idea that if they build the kit they will have something worth almost triple their investment. I wonder how many, if any, assembled kits they sold.
Along similar lines, I have a piece of basswood that I want to sell as a "carving kit" for $100. All you have to do is to carve it like Alexander Grabovetskiy, and it will be worth tens of thousands.
I found this site interesting BayneBox.com . They have a few chests for sale that looks like they built them from Bartley kits
https://baynebox.com/bartley-classics/
(per their website:)
Bartley Classics
The Bartley Classics reflect original reproduction kits manufactured by Bartley that once made them great! At BayneBox.com we are rebuilding these one kit at a time to provide you the same joy, with even greater quality and attention to detail than ever before.
Interesting, but the prices are very high. $124 plus shipping for a kit to make a simple rectangular cutting board?