Used reloading equipment

[Capt. F.]

I've been offered a chance to buy what can only be described as "tons of reloading/casting equipment. There is so much stuff it would take months to catalog it all. There are 100 different calibers of dies alone.
Would anyone venture a guess what, as a percentage, used reloading equipment is going for.
Thanks,
Capt. F.

 

[H Richard]

Used reloading equipment normally goes for low prices, possibly about 30-40% of original if in like new condition.

 

[reddog81]

Depends on the condition and what it is. Some rare old dies go for decent money. Some rusty old dies aren't worth $1 a piece. Old H&G bullet casting molds can go for many $100's in new condition. Some beat up old molds are barely worth their weight in scrap metal.

Ebay and gunbroker should be able to give an approximate value on most of the items.

It's going to take pictures or good descriptions for any reasonable assessment.

 

[AJ]

Used reloading equipment normally goes for low prices, possibly about 30-40% of original if in like new condition.

I would say even less than that. It just depends how ready the seller is to sell. I just bought a Lyman Turret Press, three of the changeable turrets, six sets of dies, an Lyman Electronic scale, a couple of tricklers, and some other odds & ends for $125 from a gun shop. They had bought an estate sale of guns and gun related items from a widow. Since they do not deal in reloading, I made them an offer. They accepted and I was pleased.

 

[Engineer1911]

Sometimes we are offered great opportunities that upon further thought should be run away from to prevent great frustration.

Price: You don't know what it is? Don't reload now, but think the stuff might be useful? Have no idea of original price or value and want to make a fair offer?

Reloading: Must have some basic knowledge of reloading (read the reloading manual??? ) to know what to do with this stuff.

A little knowledge leads to greater confusion, therefore Run Forrest!! Run!!!

 

[damienph]

I tend to accumulate reloading equipment. I agree that most of it goes for much less than 50% of new, even if in like new condition. RCBS and Lyman presses tend to sell for a little more than the others but used dies typically sell for 25% or so of new prices. Presses 50% or less and most scales, tricklers, trimmers and blocks usually 35% or less. Dillon presses seem to hold the best value with Redding second, RCBS and Lyman third, all others are usually valued at 10-15% of new.

Others may have different experiences but used reloading equipment typically is a hard sell.

 

[rwsmith]

Used dies....

$15-$20, about. If they are in good condition, maybe a little more. $25-$30 if they were expensive to start with. Something hard to get might fetch more.

I bought a set that was missing some parts for like $9.

Some makes are more expensive than others. I think it's worth just checking the prices on line and drop the price in relation to their condition.

 

[rockquarry]

I haven't checked on Ebay in a long time, but used loading equipment may bring more there than elsewhere. I've sold presses, etc. at gun shows twenty-five or more years ago. It was hardly worth the trouble to carry the stuff out there. None of it brought much and it's not easy to sell.

There are a few exceptions like RCBS A2 presses and H&G bullet moulds.

 

[Rocket3]

Hello Capt.F
Is this someone you would like to help financially? A friend in need or widow? If so pay as much as you feel would help them. I paid way more than a pistol was worth to my mother in law to help out one time.
If this is not that I wouldn’t pay more than a $500.00 for all of it if it’s in great condition, rust is your enemy. Rusted dies or bullet molds could make it scrap value. 100 different calibers wow, my guess is about %80 of that would be a very small market if you wanted to resell it.
It would be a lot of fun to go through.
My humble opinion

 

[27 Man]

I recently paid $60 for a RCBS JR2 press in pretty decent condition. Using it as a backup to my Rock Chucker.

 

[4barrel]

I helped a friend get rid of a lot of reload equipment when his brother in law passed. I probably had 40 hours in listing and shipping it. When we settled up he ask how do we stand? I gave him all the money and said whatever it was worth to you. He gave me $60. I smiled and said thank you. You will do good to get 1/4 when everything is said and done and be stuck with a lot.

 

[AJ]

I helped a friend get rid of a lot of reload equipment when his brother in law passed. I probably had 40 hours in listing and shipping it. When we settled up he ask how do we stand? I gave him all the money and said whatever it was worth to you. He gave me $60. I smiled and said thank you. You will do good to get 1/4 when everything is said and done and be stuck with a lot.

As 4barrel stated selling reloading equipment is a losing proposition.

 

[gwpercle]

What I would do is have a "reloading equipment estate sale" publisize it in the local papers (estate sale ads are usually free) . tack up flyers at gun shops , shooting ranges , gun club....post on internet.

Set up tables , price things as best you can. Let them come to you and you don't have to pay any shipping or ebay fees. Take cash , keep your overhead down , make bundle deals . Reloaders will buy most anything if they can get a deal on it.
Honestly selling a lot of reloading gear on Ebay is lots of hard work and with the shipping and fees you wind up with not a whole lot of money for the effort.
A well advertised Reloaders Estate Sale will bring a lot of interested buyers to your door.
Gary

 

[Qc Pistolero]

2 weeks ago,a friend and I went to a guy's home.He was stucked in a wheel chair,never to walk again.
We bought a large case full of powder and primers.We gave him $200 and he was well pleased.
We drove home and listed the whole thing.We figure we got for between $800 and $900 worth of stuff at actual price(of course,most of the primers and powder had been originally bought when the price was lower).
That puts it at roughly 25%.If there had been dies,brass and such stuff,it probably would've gone down to 15% for regular stuff.But he had lots of reloading stuff for not often seen calibers(.577 Snyder,.500 Nitro,etc).To a guy who is into that kind of calibers,it might be worth a lot more than 15%.
You have to know what you need and know if you'll be able to sell the stuff you don't have any use for.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

Most of my reloading equipment was purchased used, back in the 70's when I was always struggling to keep shooting while also paying the mortgage payments and feed the kids. About the only things I bought new were reloading dies and a good powder measure.

Equipment quality has not improved; if anything what you can buy today is only a poor imitation of what was commonplace 40 years ago.

That said, you will probably do well to get 20% of new retail prices for any used reloading equipment, and then only if it is in excellent condition.

I wouldn't trade my old Ohaus 10-10 scale for anything on the market today, but I doubt I could get $50 for it if I really tried.

 

[federali]

While everyone has personal preferences, I have found no difference in die quality with the major manufacturers. I've used Lee, Lyman and RCBS without incident. However, Lee pistol dies are a bit too short to easily function in a taller press such as the Dillon 550B. However, based upon comments read in previous threads, some reloading presses don't stand up to heavy use.

So keep what you can use and try to sell the rest. Last year I bought a set of .30-40 Krag dies (a 19th century cartridge) off Ebay and I was glad to get the dies.

 

[novalty]

I bought and sold a bunch of reloading equipment, but that was during the last presidency. Biggest issues are having a good venue to advertise that doesn’t charge a ton, and coordinating shipping.

 

[jag22]

As others have said, it probably will not be a big money maker. The other consideration would be demand, how many people in your area would be interested, regardless of price. You may have to mess with it for a couple of years. If you could get a booth at a gun show that might help but in the end I bet you end up throwing a bunch of it away.

 

[mtgianni]

How is your time now? do you have the time to sort clean and market each piece as well as research it?
I had that opportunity 10+ years ago when I paid $950 for some things I wanted, kept $1500 worth of stuff, gave away $350 and sold $1600 worth. Lots of money to be made if you take the time to know the market and have the space to store it.

 

[nachogrande]

FOR YOUR USE, YES. FOR A $ MAKER NO.

It's one of those, the more YOU know the better you will do. Some things may be of no use to you, (if you already reload) & some will be of use. It could be a HUGE windfall for a beginner, & take EVERYTHING (notes, manuals, stools, lights, THE WORKS). As a money making investment/flip, TOO much time/work for me. As with selling anything, the $ you will get depends on how much cash the biggest fool is willing to spend. I would probly go 10-25% of new cost & ONLY IF in good-excellent condition, AND I needed it. IMO it's the best route for a newbie. Piggyback off decades of another (GOOD) loaders hard work. In the process you just may be helping a widow get rid of tons of stuff.