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Old 21-03-2005, 01:07 AM
Warren
 
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TP wrote:
It worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it... ;-)
If you wait long enough it will be an antique...
look at the old tractors :-)


Exactly. What is the buyer going to use it for, and how much is it worth to
them.

Are they buying it for it's parts? How much would they pay for those parts from
another source?

Are they buying it so that you'll buy a new mower from them? If so, what's their
profit on the sale of the new mower, and will they be able to use or flip the
old mower, or will it just be going in the trash?

Or how about scrap value? Will the buyer be taking it apart, and selling the
parts for scrap?

Is the buyer going to be using it to cut their grass? How much would they be
willing to pay for it after considering their other options?

Are they collecting mowers? Does this one complete a set? Is it a good specimen
of a particular brand? The first appearance of a particular feature?

I would tend to think that most buyers will either be interested in a used mower
because they can't afford a new one, or they need the parts, or they're going to
scrap it. Those things can probably be estimated to some extent, and be
published in a "blue book" similar to what's used for cars, but is it really
worth it for someone to do that? With all the different models and variations
out there, would the cost of the research necessary to produce such a database
be something that could ever be recouped by the revenue such a "blue book" would
produce? I don't think so.

So I would guess that a dealer of new mowers may be looking to sell a couple of
the really nice working mowers to potential future customers of his new mowers
(or other power equipment), maybe get a couple of spare parts, scrap the rest,
and chalk the rest of what he's willing to pay for the used mower to a selling
expense of a new mower. In other words, the dealer will pay what it's worth to
him (or less).

Can you find someone who's willing to pay more? Maybe. Maybe not. How long are
you willing to wait? Are you willing to spend money to find a buyer? Will that
marketing expense cost more than the higher potential sales price?

If there's something special about the mower, such as being the first appearance
of a certain feature, and it's in really good condition, it might become a
valuable collector's item in your lifetime. Otherwise, if you're going to go
after the antique market, you'd better make sure your kids and maybe your
grandkids will be willing to store it until it's old enough that collectors will
only care about it's age, and not it's uniqueness.

But when push comes to shove, the mower is worth no more than a buyer is willing
to pay. And that may or may not have any relationship to what the seller expects
it to be worth. It's worth depends a lot on *why* the buyer wants it. That "why"
is how the buyer comes up with a price.

Or you could donate it to a charity, and then, to a certain extent, the IRS will
let you decide it's value as a tax deductible donation.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.
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