In case you haven’t noticed, there is thing called Inflation that has been ass raping everyone lately.
On top of that, this whole Supply Chain collapse is making those now more expensive items harder and harder to find.
Then there is that whole We Be At War With China thing thanks to the Kung Flu they dumped on us a couple of years ago and the fact that they have pretty much shut down their manufacturing and export systems for several reasons, including their war on us.
Add all that up and All Things Chineseium are not only getting harder and harder to come by but that whole Cheap aspect is flying out the window.
Because I saw all this coming last year, I have kind of been on a little buying spree here and there ever since.
I constantly watch for deals on tools and tooling that I might need either now or in the future and have been scoring all the really good deals I can get my hands on and because of that, right at the moment there is pretty much not a whole lot left on my list.
This is a Good Thing.
I have stuff sitting around still in the box for when that day comes that I will actually need it so that I will have it and not be spending a bunch of time looking for it and bitching about how hard it is to find and how much it costs now.
Because that is already happening.
Yesterday I ran across a damn good deal on Fleabay for something I didn’t have but knew I was going to be wanting and I not only got a good deal for just one but got a smoking deal on a set.
Including shipping, I got this set of keyway cutters, including tax and shipping, for less than half of what a single high quality one would have cost.
Thirty two bucks including tax and shipping.
Someone else was bidding on them but I scared them off apparently.
Sure, they are absolutely Chineseium but if even one of the set cuts one keyway in a shaft for me the whole set has paid for its self.
It’s not like I am going to be making production runs but I do see a need for a 3/16’s keyway in a shaft in my future and one good cutter goes for $50 and up.
A couple three weeks ago I had to go to Horror Freight for some stupid little thing and while I was there I remembered that I had two hundred dollars worth of Gift Cards from Christmas that I hadn’t used.
So I had a little Run Away.
I even wound up digging in my ass pocket for another fifty bucks.
But I got a whole bunch of crap that I had been wanting and for once they had it all in stock.
That has been really rare for the last year at least.
There was this Belt/Disc sander that the bastards kept advertising as being on sale and I am dead serious when I say they didn’t have one in stock for over a year.
Every time I went in that place I would check on it.
I had one like it for a while but it didn’t have the disc sander on the side.
I wound up giving it away.
Well they finally had one so I snagged it.
Speaking of Harbor Freight and supply chain issues…
The day before yesterday I had to call them for the FOURTH TIME and just chew some poor girl’s ass off about something that I ordered clear back in the middle of October of last year that somehow slipped through the cracks and never got shipped.
I didn’t cuss at her but I let her have it. I told her not to take it personal, surely she should be able to have some empathy of why I was so irate after four phone calls and being told three times that it was taken care of.
She finally decided to quit trying to get that order filled and just reordered it at no further cost.
Damn straight you ain’t charging me another fucking penny.
It’s a mini lathe tool kit that the fuckers only sell on line.
There’s a bunch of garbage in it I don’t give a damn about but it also has some funky cutting tool holders I do want.
Sixty five bucks they charged me and couldn’t seem to manage to actually put their hands on it and ship it out.
I’m here to tell you, if that fucker don’t show up by this time next week some poor sonofabitch is really going to wish they didn’t answer the phone by the time I get done with them.
It’s this stupid kind of shit that this whole Supply Chain Shit Show is causing people world wide to have problems with getting the things they need.
Places like Harbor Freight won’t update their damn inventory lists and keep advertising shit they don’t actually have.
And it isn’t going to get better, it’s actually getting worse and because they are literally trying to kill the Federal Reserve Note, when you do manage to find something the price has gone up by 15% to 600%.
This is why I started finding and buying as many little deals as I could.
They are already drying up, never to be seen again.
I saw it coming a year ago.
Even over the other side of the pond, my rule for a few years now has been to buy it when you see it, otherwise it won’t be there when you need it and go back! one more down side of moving production to the far east!
You done good on 2 of 3 shown but that grinder is pure crap. I had one new in a box and did not use it for some years. When I set it up, the motor would not even turn on or even hum. Took it back to Horror Freight and they gave me a new one.
It turned on and I made some attempts at grinding a bolt but was so under powered that it would stall at the least amount of pressure. Total junk
Took it to auction and dumped it. Then found a 60 year old craftsman equivalent that has a real motor.
And yes, I looked at putting a real motor on th HF unit, not worth the effort or added cost. Some Chinesium made stuff is just total scrap (you can drop the s)
In ’08 I was commuting a 100 miles one way for work. Lunch, I’d hit the pawn shops. I made off with lots of stuff. Wood working stuff mostly. Then I got the metal working stuff when I realized I was dead center in the oil boom.
Just like you, there is a reason to buy when every one else is selling. Most of my stuff I got for pennies on the dollar. After the gov relief checks a year or so ago, pawn shops were bare. Everyone had money and time, and wiped them out. Craigslist to the rescue.
But now, it’s food prep and food storage. Deals are still out there. Just take a bit more work to find. I scored some carbide hole saws for about the same as those keyway cutters.
Did I post this already? Do a search on “honey droplist”. It’s a chrome extension that is a price watcher. I’ve never blabbed about anything like this, but this has saved us a bunch of money. Everything I buy that I don’t need immediately I put on the price watch “droplist’.
When the price comes down, I get an email showing there is a deal on it. Click on the deal button and end up on say the amazon site where I put the watch on. Works on many of the major retailers. Amazon, walmart, lowes, home depot, etc.
I saved 450 on a generator that was going for 1400, got notified of a 956.00 price. Clicked on it bought it. 90% of everything I buy I’m saving avg of 20% or so.
Note that the lower prices don’t hang around long. Check it as soon as you get the email.
https://www.joinhoney.com/features/droplist
I’ve got enough “vintage” stereo gear to last me.
You have a spare Auto Reverse Cassette deck for home use?
The CCP plan is starting to work after years of planning and buildup.:
1 Make stuff everybody wants or needs
2 Sell it at or under cost
3 Watch your established competition fold under the economic pressure.
4 Wait for the demand and jack up your prices
5 KaChing!