ThayerRags

Oh the high prices will be there, of course, but only when you’re buying, seldom when you’re selling. (Isn’t that the way it usually works?)

I think that we can blame some of the increased vintage sewing machine prices on the 2008 national financial problems. Before then, it seems like people used to sell old sewing machines just to get them out of their way, but now it seems like more folks are looking at them as a needed source of income. They’re trying to make money off of them instead of just getting them out of their hair.

I’m sitting here with a personal collection of 65 sewing machines but with little spending money for more examples to build my collection further. (Click on my website in my signature, then on the link “Sewing Machine Collection” to see most of them.) There are a bunch more machines out there that I’d like to have a copy of for my collection, but since 2008, I’ve had to scale back and mostly just buy the machines that I think I can market or that I need for our business. I snag one every once in a while for personal collection, but they’re getting more expensive. I have about $350 wrapped up in the last one that I added to my herd, albeit a relatively unusual machine (Singer 27K2 Convertible), and I’ve always wanted one.

I used to have folks wagging old sewing machines into the shop fairly often, and taking whatever they could get for them. Sometimes they would just give them to me so they didn’t have to look at them any longer. But now-a-days, they’re not coming in nearly as often, and when they do, their body language and their voice are both saying “we need to make some real money off of this thing!” Even on the ones that I think I can resell, they need so much money for them that I won’t be able to flip them for any kind of profit after putting hours into them to get them back into shape.

The past couple of years, I’ve passed up several good machines hoping that the owner sells it to someone else nearby and then hopefully that someone else brings it in for me to service it. I can make more money servicing someone else’s machine than I can buying neglected machines and servicing them to sell. It should be the other way around.

CD in Oklahoma

mlmack

I am still able to find a decent amount of machines at good prices, mainly on Craigslist and at certain thrift stores. I pretty much just stick to Singer and Kenmore machines, unless I come across a vintage European machine.

quiltingcandy

Don't you think some of the reason for the increase prices are those "Picking" shows? You have the "Junk Gypsys" that decorate with unusual items, and the "American Pickers" pay extreme amounts for signs, bikes and motorcycle items. And then there is "Pawn Stars" - people go in there with such extreme demands you just get embarrassed for them. And the storage unit shows along with suitcases and storage containers, the list goes on but they will give some outlandish values to the items they find. I hate to admit I watch these shows - mostly in fast forward because the way they treat each other makes me crazy. At least I gave up the shows about hoarders and extreme couponers.

Stitchnripper

Nothing much around here either. I keep looking just for the adventure. And when people ask what kind of machine to get and the response is "a vintage" I'm thinking, well, if you don't want to sew any time soon unless you get very lucky. I keep hoping that next estate sale is going to bring me a great happiness. Oh well, a girl can dream!!!

mlmack

All I ever see on those shows is people trying to buy items for the least amount they can. You never see what they actually are able to sell them for.

As for the sellers, there have always been dreamers, and there always will be.

amcatanzaro

I feel like there are more machines around during garage sale season. We had an incredibly hard winter here and the sales are just starting

That said, about a year ago the Dayton goodwill outlet store used to have racks of old machines. They never sold and they would sit and sit and sit. Now they have zero. I don't know if the website created a market for them or what.

miriam

They are all in Indianapolis at an undisclosed location. Don't tell anybody...

mlmack

I hardly ever see any at Goodwill around here anymore, and I almost never find any when searching my local Goodwill chapter on shopgoodwill.com either.

amcatanzaro

There were at least 5 machines at my local flea market over the weekend. I passed all of them up but that 237 for $15 was screaming to me.

I bet it's back next month and I cave.

oldsewnsew

yeah Mirian, how did you get that GW to be "pickup only"? BTW there's a floor lamp there, was wondering...
Kind of kidding, but I stake out the Hillsboro, OR Shopgoodwill branch, it's further than I want to drive, but at least it keeps the shipping reasonable. However, I have 2 treadles waiting at the coast, longer, but enjoyable trip ahead.
http://oregoncoast.craigslist.org/atq/4443072548.html and http://oregoncoast.craigslist.org/atq/4443105834.html.
I'm excited to see them in person. Apparently the seller is a QB'er.