What would you do????????????

[Woodhauler]

Found a lincoln welder onC/L brand new in box for 1/2 price! Went to look at/ buy , the guy had many tools piled in his living room! Young fellow with 2 diamond looking earrings and a flat billed hat on! Buy or not???? Said he moved up from rhode island and can't use stuff here!!!

[Den Socling]

Maybe a good deal. Maybe he's a thief.

[beenthere]

Have a visit with the local police, with name and previous address.

Sounds like he had sticky fingers, but may be legitimate too.

Don't know that the earrings and hat would be any clue as the answer to your question to buy or not. ;)

[ely]

if its brand new in the box , most likely did not come from an individual, if that means anything to ya. I would hate to purchase something and then have the cops take it though.

[red]

Watch for the next police auction you may get a better deal on the welder

[kevin19343]

Don't judge a book by it's cover.

[WDH]

Most times, if something does not seem right, then it probably isn't. 

[Corley5]

If you don't buy it somebody else will.

[Banjo picker]

You did ask what would You  ( I ) do.... I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole, little less lay out my hard earned money for it.... Have you ever had anything stolen from you.... I have.... Banjo

[r.man]

Partly depends on how you found out about it. A friend of mine sold a mig, new in the box that he bought on sale 3 yrs earlier and never used. Thought he would learn to weld and then didn't bother. Sounds shady and I have avoided many deals over the years because I didn't trust the people who were offering. Maybe the local police would drop in and talk to the young fellow and give you the nod?

[yukon cornelius]

I had the same situation. Lincoln powermig 250 like new, not new in box. VERY cheap!! on craigslist also. I went to look and it was on the third floor of a very city apartment. apartment full of kids. I struggled with the same is it stolen or not. kid says it was his dads and very vague. I went ahead and bought it giving him the benefit. on the way out with it the kids mom shows up and gives the kid a fit for selling it. turns out the kids dad died and left it to him. he was selling it for money for his financially struggling mom. I nearly cried! for me lesson learned about judging others.

[LaneC]

   You asked, so here I go. I would not touch it.

[LaneC]

   You asked, so here I go. I would not touch it. I do not even deal with pawn shops because a lot of things that are in there are stolen or someone was on hard times and had to get rid of something for pennies on the dollar. I am sure some will say that is what they are for, to help people, but I will keep my comments to myself on that. I love it when someone will always say "don't judge a book by it's cover." I am not saying anything mean or dis respectful to anyone as they can tell me not to judge anything, when we are not supposed to judge anyway. I will keep my comments on that to myself also because I do not want to say something out of context, but you are asking, and I am saying I would not touch it. I am sure he is a very respectable young man who is down on his luck and has a brand new welding machine that he would really like to give you a very big discount on. I know there are true situations when everything is fine and there may be good reasons for the huge discount, in that case hopefully everyone walks away happy. I have had things (as a matter of fact a welding machine and cutting rig) stolen from us and sold to a pawn shop, so I have experience in being stolen from. Whew! sorry to rant, but every time I think about that situation I gets upset :D :D. Hope you make the right decision and all are happy.

[Delawhere Jack]

An old wheeler - dealer that used to come at the family business ran an ad in the classifieds all the time that he bought tools. He had a very simple form printed up that he required the seller to sign stating that the seller was the legal owner of the tools. He always insisted on getting a drivers license and noted that on the form. Kept him out of trouble more than once.

That said, if it's new in the box, and more than just one item, walk away. It's stolen.

[Southside]

Too many red flags there.  Tools in the living room??  I would have asked him what he did for a living, see if he can explain why he has the tools and what he did with them.  Personally I would not touch it.  Were there a lot of camp burglaries this past year?  A call to the MSP may be in order and ask if they are looking for such a welder and any tools that really stood out. 

[Southside]

Did you read the article earlier in the week in the Bangor Daily about the chase in Somerset county with the stolen truck full or rail road items and scrap metal?  The perp rolled the truck over, had to be cut out.  I recognized the name as that same puke stole my Dodge dually back in '98 full of tools right out of my yard.  After he and his brother beat it until it would not run anymore they burned it over in Harmony.  He still owes about $12,000 in restitution that I will never see.  Not saying you can judge a book by its cover, but the printing on the pages does not change.  I have zero tolerance for a thief.

[Dave Shepard]

You could always ask to see his receipt.

[Brucer]

I see stuff advertised around here "new and still in the box". Mostly they want 75% to 80% of the current list price. Once in a while it's been sitting in an unopened box for 10 to 15 years and then they usually ask around 50%. Sometimes something that isn't that popular will go for less than 50%.

What you were looking at raises a few alarm bells. He should be able to move something like that for 75% of new price pretty quickly.

Just remember ... if you buy something that's been stolen, even in good faith, it belongs to the owner and you aren't entitled to any compensation if the owner (or the police) find you have it. Best you can hope to do is sue the original seller for the money he charged you (good luck with that).

[r.man]

I just remembered that I knew a fellow who had a skid steer taken by the police. If they believe you that you bought it in good faith you only lose your money.

[justallan1]

I've asked where things are purchased and called right in front of people and also asked for ID, explaining that it's for everyones best interest. If they have a problem with that, then there's your answer.

Allan