I've sold a lot of refurbished machines now, & have listed the prices & Dates sold below, when I can. This is primarily for my own benefit. I don't object to others seeing, but prices vary wildly, & what it sold for in the past is no guarantee of future prices, higher - or lower.

I've been burned before, by seemingly stunning sales prices of machines, that I then bought, thinking I'd fix them up to make good money, only to have that particular trend die off as quickly as it came, & I'm left with all these machines, waiting to be fixed up, but no buyers.

This specifically happened with the Singer's (& other machines), with Lids. Everyone was buying them as fast as they hit Ebay for a while there, then suddenly, you can't give them away. I've got several, that aren't worth the time & effort to refurbish, because I wouldn't even get what I paid for them.. Too bad.

Anybody who wants an antique sewing machine with a Lid, let me know.

I'll sell it for what I paid, + Shipping. < Karen.Malnati@Gmail.com >

This site is always under construction, & I'll update as time allows.

Costs & Overhead

Bear in mind, it takes me a week or more to refurbish a machine, spending Many hours each day, working on it. Some may seem like I made a killing, but overall, I figure I'm making about $2.00/hour on the ones where I made the most money, & actually losing money on many, once you factor in the cost of tools, Grinders, Drills, multiple chemicals ($75./bucket just for the de-rusting solution alone), masks, protective gear, consumables - like polishing wheels, polishes, paper towels, as well as the Decals & Paint that buyers can see.

And don't even get me started on the THIRTEEN PERCENT scrape Ebay charges off the top, INCLUDING S&H, which is quite high on Cast Iron Machines. Some shipping is as much or more than the price of the machine.

Doing the math: I pay $150. to acquire a rusty machine.

I refurbish & sell that machine for $250. + buyer pays $50. in Shipping.

I seemingly made $100. on the deal. (Yay - Right?)

Unfortunately, Ebay takes 13% off the top of the $300. total the buyer paid (so that = $39. plus the listing fee, so lets round that to $40. for Ebay. Now, I've only made $60. on the deal - Not counting my overhead.)

Overhead is substantial:

De-rusting Solution cost $75. for 3 gallons last time I bought it, & while it's good for about 3 machines before it's depleted, that's about $25./machine, just for that.

Consumables: Grinding wheels, Dremel tools to fit in small spaces, & many Hand tools, Polishes, etc, as well as my own Personal Protection items, like Masks, Goggles, full body Aprons, etc, to try to cut down on the amount of grinding dust I inhale cleaning these things up. Then add the cost of Paints, Decals, masking Tape, etc.

I'm easily burning $20./machine in consumables. (We're up to about $45./machine in overhead now, for those keeping track - Not counting dedicated work-space, AC/Heat, fans, lights, etc at all.)

None of that accounts for the original tool purchases - Bench Grinders, drills, hand tools, etc, which were substantial outlays - but one-offs for the most part.

As you can see, my lovely $100. "profit", has turned into a $5. net to me, to cover my 20-40 hours of work. Obviously, I am NOT doing this for the money. Even on machines where I make $200. bucks over my investment, I'm still capping out at about $2./hour, all considered.

For the most part, I consider $100. over what I paid as my break even point on full size machines- simply to recoup my investment, without anything for my time (toys are easier, and cheaper to finish, so probably half that for a toy). Whatever I make over $100. should be divided by 20-40 hours, to get my hourly rate for the work. Sure, some are easier to work on than others, but on the whole, I'm averaging the better part of a normal work week on these things. It's a hobby for me, so I'm OK with breaking even, as long as I don't lose actual cash on the deal. Once I start netting zero or below, that's when I'll wrap up this hobby. I enjoy doing it for now, but I'm getting older, and it's getting harder and harder to lift those heavy machines. Especially the big ones. I'll likely just tear them down for parts, & dump the carcasses. That Franklin I did nearly did me in, just trying to lift it.

I started this because I loved the Wilcox & Gibbs I first saw, but could never afford. Once I laid my hands on one to fix up, I was out so much money in tools & supplies, I was forced to sell it, just to recoup my investment.

Then I bought another fixer upper, hoping to fix it up for myself, without the insane amount of overhead I'd spent on the first one.

After I did, I saw another machine that I loved even more than the Wilcox & Gibbs, and so started a long love affair with these machines, each time, buying the next one for myself, only to sell it to get the next one I loved even more.

I think I've finally settled on the "Wanzer" I have in the entryway, as my final machine to keep, but I've said that before. I'm certainly willing to grab a Florence, if I ever get another shot at one.

THAT is the coolest machine ever - mechanically, & I'd love to get back the one I sold.

(I just couldn't justify the money, then, so it's gone, now.)

OK, So here's what I bought & Sold, so far - in order of sale date-ish:

Willcox & Gibbs

Purchased on Ebay - May 2016,

I Paid: $150. + 17 S&H = $167. total.

I Paid another $23. for Decals, & at least $250. in tools.

Total Investment: $440. Minimum.

SOLD on Ebay - February 2017

Price I got: $400. - $55. in Ebay fees = Net loss of $95.

This one took the better part of those 9 months to refurbish, because I had no idea what I was doing.

I had to learn everything from scratch. I thought they were Silver plated, so I had to learn all about Plating, & just the Silver Plating Solution cost over $80. for just 1 quart of that, so this was a nightmare on all counts.

The lovely woman I sold it to has no idea that she's the proud owner of the only

actual SILVER Plated Willcox & Gibbs sewing machine, ever.

Willcox & Gibbs, With Motor & Foot Pedal

Purchased on Ebay in July 2016,

Paid: $87. + gas to drive out of state to Pick it up = $100. total.

Paid another $23. for Decals.

Total Investment: $123. not counting consumables.

SOLD on Ebay in November 2018

Price I got: $495. + Shipping - $75. in Ebay fees = Net $297.

This one took me MONTHS to refurbish, too, because I had no electrical experience, so it was a 100% learning curve to rewire that motor & foot pedal at all, much less get them working.

No silver plating, this time. Never again! Just as shiny without all that.