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Hey guys. I am on craigslist for at least 3 hours a day, trying to make deals. I find lots of people selling and even getting rid of lawn mowers. I get them and fix them up then sell them or even keep a couple for my self. I just wanted to let you guys know that you should check it out. It has worked for me for years. Just a tip!

Same idea here but Up in Canada Craigslist isn't very popular. We use Kijiji a lot more.

I see some deals on there but there usually gone when I call. However some people on there think highly of their items.

I use craigslist all day for buying and selling equipment. Also for business advertising

That's a sweet tip. I might even make a video around that whole concept. Thanks a ton.

How much do you think you save by using Craigslist?

Bryan

http://www.lawncarebusinesstips.com

I save different amounts depending on what the item is. For example if I get a lawn mower for free then I make 100 percent profit. Foe example I got a 6.75 horse Briggs and stratton self propelled lawn mower with a bag for 20 bucks. I had to put in about 20 more fr or parts. So I was 40 in the whole. This morning I just sold it for 60 dollars. So now I made 20 dollar profit. But remember I had it for like 2 months before I sold it. So at his point its like free money.

As a business I save a fortune.

Oh yea I cut grass for a living to and equipment for my business I also save a fortune. But for a few extra bucks just for buying and selling, I make a few extra buck a week.

I have got a couple mowers for my own use from craigslist I am not a pro. I thought they both were really good deals it takes some time though. You will see stuff many times still listed that is gone or people never get back to you or even when they do it's hard to find a time to meet.

If you want ones to fix and resell watch for the days towns have where you can put out anything on the curb to get picked up by the garbage service. There are always push mowers out for those and you can take them for free.

I do that to. I live in an area were we have a pick up every Thursday for stuff like that. I go around and pick stuff up. I even sometime take furniture and sand it and stain it. Then I resell it.

Mudface777 said:

I save different amounts depending on what the item is. For example if I get a lawn mower for free then I make 100 percent profit. Foe example I got a 6.75 horse Briggs and stratton self propelled lawn mower with a bag for 20 bucks. I had to put in about 20 more fr or parts. So I was 40 in the whole. This morning I just sold it for 60 dollars. So now I made 20 dollar profit. But remember I had it for like 2 months before I sold it. So at his point its like free money.

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I think you lost money if you count the time and expense to get it and the parts and fix it.

I bought a 25 KW diesel genset in a shack on skids. i paid $3500 for it, it cost me a tank of diesel and 5 hr time to get it.
I did not spend a dime on repairs. I did not even unload it from the trailer,..i sold it a month later for 7 grand..now THAT is a profit

Yes it is. However I usually buy push mower for around 20 to 25 bucks. Most of the time I can get them to run with a simple clean up and tune up then I sell them for around 50 to 60 bucks. So my profit is not much but when I sell like 3 to 5 of them a week. It starts to add up.

Would you buy a hedge trimmer on Craigs list? need a back up trimmer

Yes I bought 3 so far of craigslist. I bought a craftsman, sthil and an echo. I sold the craftsman but the other two work awesome. Sometime they may have a few small issues but with a tune up your good to go.

Mudface777 said:

Yes it is. However I usually buy push mower for around 20 to 25 bucks. Most of the time I can get them to run with a simple clean up and tune up then I sell them for around 50 to 60 bucks. So my profit is not much but when I sell like 3 to 5 of them a week. It starts to add up.

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I have 2 of them contraptions cluttering my shop, one is a hard starting beotch, the other one needs a needle and seat(can't seem to find parts for these throw away pieces of chit)
I'll give them to ye,..come get them quick before they end up in the dump!

I mean I am not driving to Canada for some hedge trimmers and I am sure tomsil wont either. Were from Maryland and New Jersey. lol

I just bought a Hustler Raptor and put my 9 years old Cub LT1042 on Craigslist for $700. I sold it in literally 25 minutes! I asked a few neighbors & friends if they wanted it for $500 with no takers. For my safety I do carry a concealed weapon (legally) for all my CL transactions.

RetiredGuns said:

I just bought a Hustler Raptor and put my 9 years old Cub LT1042 on Craigslist for $700. I sold it in literally 25 minutes! I asked a few neighbors & friends if they wanted it for $500 with no takers. For my safety I do carry a concealed weapon (legally) for all my CL transactions.

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No on can blame you for that, heck I carry all the time regardless you never know when crazies are out and about, plus with this knock out game those punk / fools are doing I do not plan on being a defenseless victim.

I hear ya guys. I am in the process of getting a carry license for the rascals around here

I buy the push mowers or just run around the cities finding ones on the curb then fix them up and sell them. I also repair them so that helps too. Mostly push mowers and trimmers I might do snow blowers this winter.....

Mudface777 said:

I mean I am not driving to Canada for some hedge trimmers and I am sure tomsil wont either. Were from Maryland and New Jersey. lol

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I did not expect you to .lol.
I charge $80/hr for repairs so it ain't worth my time to fart around with these worthless things.To the dump they go!:smile:

Same, I love doing snow blowers. You will to!

I have a old 80s I believe snow blower I got for 35 bucks of craigslist. I still have to clean the carb(I was leaking from there) and I should be good to go. I used it this past winter here in MN and it barely had a problem even with the amount of snow and how small it is.

Lol Bison but yea them old snow blowers still get it

Here's the AD I run here in the Portland/Vancouver area up here in the NorthWest USA:

Looking for non-working weed eaters, leaf blowers, etc. - $10 (Vancouver)
I'm looking for those weed eaters, leaf blowers, portable generators, chain saws, anything small engine that needs help to get back to it's glory days of yard work.

You know the ones.. "It started fine last year..." or the "I haven't used it in 5 years but, it should fire right up..". Guess what, most of them won't and you'll end up tossing them into a metal recycle bin and hoping some of it makes it to a recycle center.

I've got books, tools, and a shop in my yard and actually enjoy the challenge of getting them back to running like a well oiled machine. If you take them to a Lawn Mower Repair shop, most of them will tell you they're made to be thrown away when they quit running. It'll cost you more than it's worth to fix it... etc.. etc..

I want to fix them. Once I get them going again, I'll sell them to get them back out there and if I make any money, it'll be to pay for small engine repair schools online (That's like an $800 bill all day long).

I can come by and pick them up, maybe even offer you a little cash but, if you're looking to get rich off what's in the back of your shed, I'm not your guy.

This is a hobby for me and maybe some day I'll be able to make it my own business to get out of this rat race of the corporate world.

Drop me an email with what you have, if you want anything for it, anything else you can tell me about it (name, engine size, last time it ran, etc..) and how you want me to contact you. I can meet you somewhere of your choosing or you can come by my place or I'll come by your place. Any of these options are fine with me so whatever makes you comfortable..

To the spammers, I'm not selling anything here so if you want to buy something, perhaps I can send you a box full of parts I can't repair picked randomly from boxes in my shop. Send your shipper out with cash and I'll fill his truck up.

OK, so reply to this message if you have anything I'm looking for or even think it might be something I'm looking for. I'll also take your small equipment in on trade for some of the stuff I have running. I've got a few ads up and running right now but, I was pretty slammed over the last week so I'm looking for more projects.

Preferably 2 stroke small engines, 4 stroke is ok as well. Doesn't hurt to ask.

NO TEXT MESSAGES PLEASE, I won't answer them. Too many spammers use them on here.

Tecumseh, briggs and stratton, homelite, stihl, ryobi, craftsman, leaf blower, weed eater, edger, trimmer, chainsaw



It's a bit long and wordy but, I get a LOT of hits from it. Usually they say "I really like your ad and what you're doing.." before they tell me what they have.

I tend to try and stay in the local Vancouver, WA area and not go across the river to Portland, OR unless it's a multiple pickup deal. Some I can't resist though..

Some of the best deals I've picked up from this ad include the following:

4 Edgers for free in Portland. Got two running, sold them for $60 and $75. Just sold some parts of one of the parts machines for $10 last night.

Picked up 2 weed eaters, a Poulan Pro Leaf Blower, and a Craftsman Chainsaw.. Got home, gassed up the leaf blower and it runs like a champ. It's on CL now for $70.

Craziest deal so far.. Guy called me said "I've got two compressors, 2 generators, 3 lawn mowers, a weed whacker that all need work. He was looking for a running weed whacker. (I just so happened to have picked up a very nice Homelite the day before that the previous owner had tried to 'fix'.. He did a great job, just never got it back together. So, I traded the guy the Homelite Weed Eater for all of the stuff.

The two generators are 4000 watt models, one is an older 8hp Tecumseh and the other is a newer model. They're on CL now for about $500 for the pair. The weed whacker, I've got another one identical to it with a good shaft. The lawn mowers might take some part swapping here and there but, they'll be good to go pretty soon.

Don't forget about yard/garage sales. I use CL to find sales I want to hit, load them into my GPS, it has a feature called Trip Planner that will optimize my route.

I picked up a 1977 Husquvarna Rancher chainsaw at an estate sale and to describe it, I actually asked the guy if it had been stuck under a woodpile and he said "Yep, that one right over there.. Ain't nobody been in that woodpile for nigh on twenny years.." It looked like they had the saw running and then shoved it in a pile of sawdust and kept it going. I've never cleaned so much packed in sawdust out of a saw.. But, 2 or 3 hours of cleaning, pulling the flywheel and cleaning the points, cleaning the plug and the air filter screen, reviving that poor chain, cleaning the rust off the bar, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning... and it runs like a brand new saw..

Man, after working on these fancy new saws lately, it's a joy to work on one of the old ones and see when things were built to last.

Can you make a living doing this?? Well, not just doing this but, it's definitely a way to keep something on your bench and your phone ringing. Keep a notebook handy to write down what people are looking for if you don't have it.. You can call them back later.. Why a notebook in this world of fancy electronics?? Because, when the phone rings, 7 out of 10 times your hands are covered in grease and/or gas. Paper is a lot cheaper to replace..

So, in closing, get them wherever you can, clean, clean, clean, repair, and clean some more.. Then sell them for profit on Craigslist. I usually don't pay more than $10 or $15 for a saw, blower, weed whacker or whatever. That way, if I can't get it working, I can keep some of the parts and recycle the rest.