Welp, this will be interesting!

[Drew P]

Well, midlife crisis comes in different forms. For me it appears that it’s taking a multi faceted attack. I’ve already become an accomplished pilot, and in the last two years I’ve bought a Ferrari, humvee, my girlfriend left and my dog died. But that stuff was all just for fun. Now for the real changes. I’m considering selling all my possessions and buying a sail boat, and sailing around the world. Now, I’m not rich, I’m just a welder in fact. So in order to do this I will have to sell all. And that includes guns and *gasp* THE RELOAD ROOM. Now, I’m very proud of my reloading room. I have spent 10 years buying, selling, making and re making tools that are the best possible versions of their respective tasks. I’ve built a VERY comprehensive setup and it all works incredibly well. Many of you have more stuff, and many have more $ tied up in tools, but for the average reloader I think my setup is well above average. So, now I need to disassemble it and sell all the pieces. This will be sort of fun because reloading tools tend to hold value very well. However there is so much stuff that it will be a lot of work. Another option is to sell the whole kit-n-kaboodle to a single person instead. This would have a big time saving advantage to me. But I’m not willing to take a beating on this stuff by any means. So, what do y’all think is best way to proceed? To give an idea of what it looks like here’s a quick snap shot:

Powder inventory includes over a dozen powders and total 50lbs
Die sets are all either Dillon or Redding mostly and include
300wm
308
300bo
223
45acp
9mm
45lc
32-20
Etc
PRESSES:
LnL progressive, Bullet feeder and custom collator, camera powder cop, custom mount, custom custom.
Dillon 550 plus 5 tool heads
Lee classic cast single stage
MEC size master 12ga
Lee challenger (for Bullet sizing upside down)
RCBS Bench primer
Bench top custom powered case prep center, power case trimmer
Scales, tricklers, powder throwers,
Auto case annealer custom made
Some molds will be offered, but not a ton. I will keep most of the casting setup.
Also have a thumbler tumbler for wet tumbling, and a full powder coat setup/ hitek setup with a lot of powders.
Tons of brass (10k approx), projectiles, supplies, etc etc etc.

I realize it’s too hard to put a value on it without a detailed ,it’s and pics but just gave these details to let you have an idea the scope of this setup. It’s not insane but it’s pretty comprehensive.
So, would you part it out or sell whole?

[Hossfly]

I think if no one person steps up to buy it all. I would go on the SS part and auction it off with a date to complete.

[Drew P]

284610284611284612284613284614284615

[Jim22]

I have a few things to say. I am now 74 years old. I retired from a successful business at age 47. Wife and I had taken up sailing in Alaska, had bought a couple sailboats in a row, and left from Seward in June 1995. We headed south planning to go through the canal into the Caribbean. We had stacks of charts, the latest electronics, and savings. I sold about half of my gun stuff including some good guns and a Dillon 550. We enjoyed the inside passage, spending a little more than a year in Canadian waters. Beautiful and full of empty bays and coves. Lots of fish. We spent a month on the west coast of Vancouver Island and loved it.

We then went south from Vancouver Island. Sailed for days planning to stop in Newport, OR but went on to Coos Bay because we were making such good time we would have missed the tides in Newport.

Wound up seeing the worst weather off Mendocino, CA - Force 7-8 winds and steep 20-30 ft seas.

Finally got into Mexico and changed our plans. Got as far south as Acapulco and then retreated into the Sea of Cortez because we had a dog that needed to go ashore each day. No surf there.

We spent a total of twelve years on that boat. Never went around the world or into the Caribbean. We learned that we did not like long passages. The problem was sleep deprivation. We stood four hour waatches which leads to lack of sleep. If you are a single-hander your problems will be worse. A very good friend left from Mexico in a 36' sailboat - alone - for the south pacific. He got to the Marquesas and fell overboard while either raising or reefing the main. Dead.

If you are in the NW US and have a lust for the sea look at a power boat - a trawler. They have heaters and the wind does not help a sailboat in the inside passage. Some of them burn little fuel. Go north into the inside passage. Invest in good bottom tackle - all chain rode. Enjoy crabbing and fishing.

We are now back in the US near family. We cherish the memories and I am in the process of rebuilding my reloading and boolit casting stuff. Not a good time to do that but...

Your dream is an admirable one but be wise. Take someone with you and don't sell it all.

[Joe504]

I do this for a living (buying/selling). This is a basic time spent versus money made calculation.

The more time you spend pricing and describing, and the longer you are willing to wait, the more money you will make, generally.

If you want the money fast, expect to sell for significantly less.

There is a middle ground of selling the high dollar/high demand items separately for top dollar, and the other items as a lot, or as lots.

The question is, how much less will you make by selling as a lot?

I am not a retail buyer, but I will give you what I think is a typical retail buyers thoughts would be.

The entire lot, everything should be about half or less of retail for ALL the items. This means everything. If you dont want to price everything, price all the major tools/parts and make a low estimate of the rest, and ask for about 60 to 65% of the retail value of that.

If you price the major items separately, I would ask for about 80% of retail, this is higher than normal, but reloading gear is in high demand right now. What's left after the presses, trimmers and such, I would sell as lots for about half of retail.

Just my opinion.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[corbinace]

Are you looking for a sailing partner???

[MrWolf]

I have a few things to say. I am now 74 years old. I retired from a successful business at age 47. Wife and I had taken up sailing in Alaska, had bought a couple sailboats in a row, and left from Seward in June 1995. We headed south planning to go through the canal into the Caribbean. We had stacks of charts, the latest electronics, and savings. I sold about half of my gun stuff including some good guns and a Dillon 550. We enjoyed the inside passage, spending a little more than a year in Canadian waters. Beautiful and full of empty bays and coves. Lots of fish. We spent a month on the west coast of Vancouver Island and loved it.

We then went south from Vancouver Island. Sailed for days planning to stop in Newport, OR but went on to Coos Bay because we were making such good time we would have missed the tides in Newport.

Wound up seeing the worst weather off Mendocino, CA - Force 7-8 winds and steep 20-30 ft seas.

Finally got into Mexico and changed our plans. Got as far south as Acapulco and then retreated into the Sea of Cortez because we had a dog that needed to go ashore each day. No surf there.

We spent a total of twelve years on that boat. Never went around the world or into the Caribbean. We learned that we did not like long passages. The problem was sleep deprivation. We stood four hour waatches which leads to lack of sleep. If you are a single-hander your problems will be worse. A very good friend left from Mexico in a 36' sailboat - alone - for the south pacific. He got to the Marquesas and fell overboard while either raising or reefing the main. Dead.

If you are in the NW US and have a lust for the sea look at a power boat - a trawler. They have heaters and the wind does not help a sailboat in the inside passage. Some of them burn little fuel. Go north into the inside passage. Invest in good bottom tackle - all chain rode. Enjoy crabbing and fishing.

We are now back in the US near family. We cherish the memories and I am in the process of rebuilding my reloading and boolit casting stuff. Not a good time to do that but...

Your dream is an admirable one but be wise. Take someone with you and don't sell it all.

That is some great advice from someone who actually did it. My concen would be your exit strategy. Yea, former C.P.A. we worry about those things. If you are selling everything to cover the costs of the fun, make sure there are resources available to continue on with life. Sounds great satisfying a dream. My problem is reality keeps smacking me in the face reminding me I am no longer young and healthy. Best of luck with whatever you decide.
Ron

[45workhorse]

Put it all in storage!
When you get done traveling, you will still have everything. You will be back to reloading, it's in your blood.
Have a good time traveling, but nothing beats having a place on solid ground called home!
I like your powder storage cabinet!
My opinion, and two bucks might get you a cup of coffee some place.

[Drew P]

Thanks for the kind advice fellas. Yes, my head is swimming with these very thoughts. No, I don’t have a backup plan, but I just made my last house payment so I’m sitting on some prime, yet humble, real estate that I recently realized is worth some good coin on one condition, that I don’t live here! So, moving is imperative. But where? I have some ideas. But raising capital and reducing possessions seems like a no brainer for this wacky plan, for several reasons. Not the least of which is a mental “reset”. I’m honestly not shooting as much as I used to these days and while I still love the hobby, it’s difficult for me to use ammo as fast as I can make it. I’d like to get into precision shooting someday but until I have a convenient place to do that it won’t happen. And besides, the neat thing about reloading stuff is that it loses so little value! So, it’s all replaceable and buying stuff is fun anyway. Trust me, I’ve been having a BALL selling my stock of old primers lately ;) nothing like a 10x increase in value to put a smile on your face. I’ll probably piece this stuff out for the most part because yes it’s worth the effort to do so. Im no stranger to eBay selling, although they don’t allow some of this stuff it seems.

[gwpercle]

Put your stuff in storage . You might want them again and the cost to replace will be through the roof . Becoming lost at sea , after a storm , is very easy to happen even with a crew of 4
If you aren't an experienced sailor , sailing alone on the high seas is grueling and dangerous ...
Pirates are not a thing of the past ... be careful .
Gary

[Drew P]

Pretty sure that it’s all but impossible to become “lost at sea” these days with multiple systems that connect to shore from all points in the globe, including high speed internet in the middle of the ocean now thanks to Elon musk. But, tan true that this isn’t a safe endeavor but guess what, neither is sitting on my fat tuckuss at home. In fact, that is down right deadly.

[charlie b]

When I retired we decided to sell the house and move into an RV full time. Kids and family are scattered across the US so we didn't really have one place we wanted to live at the time. We did sell (or donate) a lot, including a machine shop full of tools. I stored my reloading press and dies along with a few other items. I used the opportunity to sell off a lot of guns I didn't shoot/use anymore. I kept the few I "needed".

During our time in the RV I went back to rifle shooting. We had the RV set up with a 'hobby' area. Wife's sewing and weaving. My model building and reloading. You can keep it to a minimum and still do what you want. Not as convenient but it can work.

The bad part is after a few years medical issues came up which forced us to settle in one area. So, went back to a house.

Two recommendations:
1. As above, assess your choice in a very rational and informed way. Think about all the issues involved with the life you are choosing. There are not many people who can handle a lot of travel like that, or afford it. It is not cheap and if you need to sell a bit of gun stuff to get into it the life may not be affordable to you. Have you accounted for all the issues with ports of entry and such? Docking/port fees? etc, etc, etc. What to do in bad weather? Boat breaking? Health issues (broken bones, serious cuts, etc)? If you have not sailed a LOT (as in decades) then I'd say to stick to something else. Ride a motorcycle around the world, or a truck/camper (adventure trucks are all the rage these days). If you like boating consider a powerboat and cruise the Intercoastal Waterway, various rivers and such. If you want to visit other continents the consider buying a boat in the area, cruise around for a while and then sell it. Same with a car/truck/caravan. There are agencies in various parts of the world that specialize in travel like that.

2. Don't sell anything of real value (sentimental or otherwise) unless you know for sure you will never use it again. Guns is one area you are in a good spot. Very high market for anything defense related, pistols, 'black' rifles, shotguns. When you are done with your travels the market will probably be a lot 'softer' so you can then buy what you want. For example, I sold almost all my tools. In hindsight I should have kept a few in storage since replacing them cost me a lot more.

[Drew P]

People keep saying the value on guns is sky high but I’m not really seeing that. But yeah, I have several that are not used much. But a few I just can’t part with, the S&W 25-14 in my avatar is one of them. Limited edition one of 250, and not replaceable.

[1Hawkeye]

Drew, not to be a downer but a boat is a hole in the water you throw money in not to mention a lot of hard work. How about keeping your stuff and maybe getting a little boat & trailer for the local lakes and such.

[MrWolf]

Drew, not to be a downer but a boat is a hole in the water you throw money in not to mention a lot of hard work. How about keeping your stuff and maybe getting a little boat & trailer for the local lakes and such.

Or a houseboat.

[wilecoyote]

Drew, not to be a downer but a boat is a hole in the water you throw money in not to mention a lot of hard work. How about keeping your stuff and maybe getting a little boat & trailer for the local lakes and such.

from Venice, italy, I fully agree_
I was the son and grandson of boating enthusiasts, especially sailing: rather than going into dad or uncle's boats, I called them slot-machines, I would have unloaded crates at the market. at least they would have paid me.
here some felons i know nicknamed our local penitentiary as the concrete ship, because you couldn't leave there, with a sail ship tattoo about their time inside_ I add that the the ancient warships of the Republic of Venice were pushed and governed by the oars of the convicts, therefore the prison and the old ships have the same name in our slang: galera.
enough said_

[bedbugbilly]

Some really sage advice given . . . .

It's human nature to WANT to get as much as you can . . . but if you piecemeal it out - consider the amount of time required to photograph items . . . advertise . . . message back and forth . . . ship, etc. Lots to consider and in the end, you may very well have things that don't sell and you have to dispose in some manner as a lot or lots.

If you send it all to a well advertised auction . . . it is only worth what a willing buyer is willing to pay at that moment . . . . you might luck out and get good prices but let's not forget the commission of 25 - 30% for auction and advertising . . . possibly moe depending on advertising . . . so even if you got full retail price for what most consider "used" stuff - are you prepared to accept say 70% of total sales?

I have attended liquidation sales of many businesses over the years and 10 cents on the dollar is not unusual.

Anybody who buys it as a whole will have the same amount of time . . . or more . . . selling it piecemeal just like you would . . . and as a business of reselling such items, they need to earn a good hourly rate for their time, not to mention overhead - storing, lights and heat, etc. if they operate out of a building . . . picking up and transporting from your location to their . . . .

I'm curious . . . do you expect to get what you paid for your 2 year old Ferrari or Humvee? Because I highly doubt that is going to happen unless someone just happens to fall off a turnip truck in front of your house . . . just sayin'

Life is full of decisions, options and tradeoffs . . . but sometimes there is a price tag for it and you can't always have your cake and eat it too. I do not intend my remarks to be harsh or cruel in any way . . . it's just a reality of life. Only you can decide if your dream of sailing the world is worth the sacrifices you may have to take in not getting as much as you would like for the toys you have purchased , used and enjoyed - and to expect to have had those things that you enjoyed and then sell them at a high price so you enjoyed them for nothing, just isn't in the realm of reality.

Good luck to you though in whatever path you feet lead you down.

[Drew P]

Some really sage advice given . . . .

It's human nature to WANT to get as much as you can . . . but if you piecemeal it out - consider the amount of time required to photograph items . . . advertise . . . message back and forth . . . ship, etc. Lots to consider and in the end, you may very well have things that don't sell and you have to dispose in some manner as a lot or lots.

If you send it all to a well advertised auction . . . it is only worth what a willing buyer is willing to pay at that moment . . . . you might luck out and get good prices but let's not forget the commission of 25 - 30% for auction and advertising . . . possibly moe depending on advertising . . . so even if you got full retail price for what most consider "used" stuff - are you prepared to accept say 70% of total sales?

I have attended liquidation sales of many businesses over the years and 10 cents on the dollar is not unusual.

Anybody who buys it as a whole will have the same amount of time . . . or more . . . selling it piecemeal just like you would . . . and as a business of reselling such items, they need to earn a good hourly rate for their time, not to mention overhead - storing, lights and heat, etc. if they operate out of a building . . . picking up and transporting from your location to their . . . .

I'm curious . . . do you expect to get what you paid for your 2 year old Ferrari or Humvee? Because I highly doubt that is going to happen unless someone just happens to fall off a turnip truck in front of your house . . . just sayin'

Life is full of decisions, options and tradeoffs . . . but sometimes there is a price tag for it and you can't always have your cake and eat it too. I do not intend my remarks to be harsh or cruel in any way . . . it's just a reality of life. Only you can decide if your dream of sailing the world is worth the sacrifices you may have to take in not getting as much as you would like for the toys you have purchased , used and enjoyed - and to expect to have had those things that you enjoyed and then sell them at a high price so you enjoyed them for nothing, just isn't in the realm of reality.

Good luck to you though in whatever path you feet lead you down.lol, well that’s a bit of a bad example, I stand to make about 25-30k$ more on the Ferrari than I paid, and 15-25k$ more on the humvee, albeit after a lot of work on the hummer. I haven’t lost money on a car in the last 10 years in fact, and I’ve had a lot of them. I guess I got good at buying them low. But cars are not reloading rooms, and I don’t expect to make $ on those items. They do remarkably well in resale though. And actually given the various panic buys on ammo and supplies, I’ve done okay there too.
Along those lines, how hard are reload tools to buy right now? Are there supply chain issues on presses and dies etc? Seems to be the case in most industries since COVID.

[charlie b]

LOL yeah, reloading and casting stuff is hard to find right now. It is starting to get better so prices may go back to 'normal' quickly. If you are going to sell now is the time.

Yep, if you can afford to 'wait out' the market then buying low and selling high works. You just have to know when the low points are.

[Drew P]

Anyone wanna buy a truck?

[sigep1764]

Is that a civilian PowerWagon on a late model Ram frame?

[bedbugbilly]

Drew . . . . again . . . I'm not being critical or judgmental. If you can make good money on your vehicles then more power to you . . . anything above what you have in them is "pure cream" and just that much more to help secure what you want to do.

There is no doubt that there is no better time than now to sell reloading things - all one has to do is look at the craziness on fleabay. If it was me . . . I would piecemeal it out - but I'm retired and my time is my own and with the present situation as it is - I would think that you would get the greatest return on it that way. If you go other routes - only you can decide if what offers you get are acceptable to you - along with any time constraints you may have with your work, time frame, etc.

I have been the Trustee for several estates and responsible for the liquidation of the real estate and personal property - and if I understand your plans correctly, you are pretty much liquidating your personal property to make the changes in your life that you want to do - so basically you are liquidating and turning most of your assets to cash for doing what you want to do. Those things take time and a lot of work - if you have no time restraints, then it will allow you to work at getting the most you can and when you are done, take the next step.

You only go through life once and you obviously have given this a lot of thought. You know what you need to make it work and however you decide works best for you - if you make good money on the things you are letting go of - good for you- and if there are some things that you don't - it will probably all average out. When you done what you need to do to be able to do what you want to - move forward and never look back with regrets - enjoy the fact that you have been able to live your dream and enjoy a new adventure every day.

[wilecoyote]

Anyone wanna buy a truck?
this truck is dandy !
on the midlife crisis light side, I remember a fifty year old listing the benefits of the then new blue-pills. an old R.O. replied that the best medicine was a new girlfriend instead.
if decided to sell, with the proceeds I would recommend two of the those new gf, if motivated poole dancers:drinks:even better
boats can wait: the Wikings set them on fire for their last trip. alone_

[GhostHawk]

Rethink!

A Build it yourself.
B Find one that is in poor shape and strip and refit it. (Probably take a few years but has the advantage that the requirement for funds can be spread out over time.
C think smaller and move the reloading room and a few guns onto the boat. Change what you think you need. You don't need a super big self everything sailing boat.
Cut it down do what you a single person need. So instead of a million dollar estate you could get by with an 8x34 foot trailer in reasonable condition. You will want some solar, probably a generator.

You want the basics to be pretty much self sufficient for weeks at sea. Just need water, food stocks and fuel.

On the other side of the coin you may want to think a little bit bigger so you can have a second person on board. Someone to be on watch while you sleep. Someone to share the work. Possibly someone to share some of the start up costs.

Think it out, start with an outline. Things needed for life. Break them down into smaller tree's and attack each one until you find the best solution.

If it was me I'd be looking at a Catamaran. Much more stable Less roll along with the pitch, less seasick. Also less space below.

[MT Gianni]

If you want to sail do it while you are still young enough. If you are going solo, don't go on deck without being tied off. Not a bad rule even if you're partnered. Don't take anything that will require care that you cannot personally give, ie pets.

[HATCH]

to make the most money you would need to sell the items mostly individually.
Some items could be sold as a "lot" as some of them go together and aren't that expensive.

You could just list it up as a entire "lot" but you would not make as much money as a buyer would be most likely buying it to either flip it and make profit, or buying it to get a couple select pieces then selling the rest.

Either way don't do any sales in this thread as this isn't S&S.
Also don't ask for pricing as most your items are common items which can be found daily here in S&S, on Ebay, or Gunbroker.

[Drew P]

Is that a civilian PowerWagon on a late model Ram frame?
It’s actually a 1941 war truck they called them WC then they became power wagon after ww2 with a s,isn’t,y different nose shape. This one retains its original frame, which has been boxed and placed on late model Cummins axles and complete drivetrain. It can bark off all 4 tires on dry pavement.

Back to the post. yes all great points and these will be taken into advisement. I will probably piece out the good stuff and then sell the remainder in a lot once ready. Keep eyes peeled in the S&S section. Thanks for all your thoughts. I have much consideration to do.

[charlie b]

Good luck whatever you choose.

[Wag]

The possessions we have are worth far less than the experiences we have. Sell your stuff. Sail around. Come back with a mountain of memories. You'll be pleased that you don't have that regret.

--Wag--

[bruce381]

[QUOTE= Take someone with you and don't sell it all.[/QUOTE]

yeah do this what you want now will be different in a few years.

[bruce381]

Thanks for the kind advice fellas. Yes, my head is swimming with these very thoughts. No, I don’t have a backup plan, but I just made my last house payment so I’m sitting on some prime, yet humble, real estate that I recently realized is worth some good coin on one condition, that I don’t live here! So, moving is imperative. But where? I have some ideas. But raising capital and reducing possessions seems like a no brainer for this wacky plan, for several reasons. Not the least of which is a mental “reset”. I’m honestly not shooting as much as I used to these days and while I still love the hobby, it’s difficult for me to use ammo as fast as I can make it. I’d like to get into precision shooting someday but until I have a convenient place to do that it won’t happen. And besides, the neat thing about reloading stuff is that it loses so little value! So, it’s all replaceable and buying stuff is fun anyway. Trust me, I’ve been having a BALL selling my stock of old primers lately ;) nothing like a 10x increase in value to put a smile on your face. I’ll probably piece this stuff out for the most part because yes it’s worth the effort to do so. Im no stranger to eBay selling, although they don’t allow some of this stuff it seems.


How about renting out house and have it professional manged then you can still come back?