Diana Lea

I see old machines up for sale all the time. Who buys these machines? Is it worth my time and efford to clean them up and resale them?

xxxxxxxxxx

no, unless you want to spend a $1 to make a dime. of course thats the machines we see all the time

mlmack

Depends on the machine and how much you can buy them for.

Since you are in Indiana, I would probably say no, though, according to what I've read from Miriam.

Rodney

If you place a value on your time: No.
Let's say you start with a $20 thrift store machine that looks like it's decent but average. You get it home, spend 2 hours cleaning it and checking it out, then spend another $10 on a belt and bobbin tire. At this point you have $30 invested not including gas or cleaning materials. You might be lucky to get $50 for the machine afterward. Yes, you made $20 at that point but how much effort did you put into it?
You can make some money sometimes if you luck into a machine that has a higher resale value than average but mostly people who flip machines do it because they love playing with them. It gives them a chance to mess with more machines than otherwise and maybe even cover some of the costs of their hobby.
As far as making money, you're better of working at McDonald's.
Rodney

jlhmnj

Currently, I think the stock market is a better investment but if you love the machines and what your doing there's always room at the top. I think ebay is the best market personally which entails skillful marketing and careful packing.

Jon

ThayerRags

You'd probably be further ahead starting up a shipping company. They seem to be doing pretty well these days, and the outlook for the future seems bright enough....

CD in Oklahoma

Cari-in-Oly

Most of us do it because we love the machines, not because we make any money at it. Very few of my flips have actually been profitable if you count the amount of time it takes to do a good job of cleaning, adjusting, testing, and figuring in the cost of replacement parts, etc. I give away as many machines as I flip, just to keep the machines being used and loved rather than sitting here, and getting them out of my house makes room for more to come home with me.

Cari

J Miller

OK, I guess I'm the odd man out. I've got over 80 machines on my list. I've sold somewhere around 20 of them.
With the exception of the one we gave away two Christmases ago I've made a profit on all of them. Maybe not much, but enough so that I'm not hurting.

But really, we need to define the term: "old". Considering how sewing machine used to be made, a 100 year old machine can be just as good a machine as a new one.

We won't discuss the plastic wannabee junk.

I figure old is at least 50 years old. Ancient is 75 or older and antique is 100 years and older.

I've got some of each. They all work.

Joe

jlhmnj

I think "ancient" would be a Biblical sewing machine. Moses sewing machine should bring a good price at auction.

Jon

Rodney

I'm talking your average 1960s or 70s, generally Japanese zigzag machine since they're the most common. I don't see pouring a lot of time in them because you're not likely to get much of a return.

If you study the market for which machines sell for the most-Featherweights, 301s, Rocketeers, Elnas Pfaffs, etc, and concentrate on those since the labor stays about the same for any machine then you might be able to turn enough of a profit to justify your time. The biggest hurdle is getting that more desirable machine at a price that leaves some money for you when you're done.

The antique machines are pretty much a labor of love. The general population doesn't see much value in them except as a decoration or a plant stand.

I've given a couple machines to friends but I haven't tried flipping any. I have toyed with the idea just to pay part of my hobby though.
Rodney