More About Owner at Auction

I see that almost all of the YT people are good honest people willing to sacrifice what is legally theirs for what is morally right. Let's add another situation. In this hypothetical issue Previous owner had never known the Craftsman tools were in the baler when he bought it for sakvage three years ago and had never opened the twine box during the time he had owned it. Now has the situation changed? In this case I would have kept the tools. Anybody agree or argue?

I would keep them too.

If I had not known the tools were in the baler, and had not considered them in my bidding, I would not consider them mine.

I suppose I would have kept them too. How many of us buy an old tractor and the most fun is going thru the toolbox and what ya find. I never gave back one rusty screwdriver or plyers or nails/baling wire/ cotter pins yet!

There were probably only half a dozen rusty used wrenches in the twine box which were probably used to work on the baler. I doubt if it was a complete set of new mechanic tools complete with a high dollar tool box. I don't think the old boy would have gotten rich off the sale. We usually have five or six small wrenches in the tool box on our baler. They wouldn't bring three dollars if they were auctioned off by themselves. Guy who bought the baler owns the tools too. That would be like buying a new tractor and after you pay for it the dealer comes out and says, Sorry, but the engine doesn't go with it, I am keeping it.

While I agree they go with the item sold, I would not make enemies
over a few dollars worth of tools.

My late father used to tell a story about buying a car from a woman
who was recently widowed. She didn't drive and new nothing of cars.

When dad went through the car, he found several hundred dollars in the glove box.
He made a trip back and gave her the money.

He had five kids, one income and there were still things more important than money.

Just make that ,two old geezers. The tools were not part of the baler. Joe

My BIL brought a brand new tractor with FEL, paid for it , loaded it and left. A couple of weeks later the dealer calls him and says "That tractor I sold you had the tires loaded and I didn't charge you for it. You owe me $200.00 more."

What would you do?

After three years? I'd keep them. After a fresh sale I'd go back and ask if they meant for the tools to go with the baler.

A real interesting scenario....At least 5-6 years ago a much publicised auction of Ferguson tractors and implements came up for sale in England. It was widely broadcast that everything was in excellent original condition and belonged to an old batchelor man who looked after everything real well. Prices set that day hit new highs even for Ferguson implements which were already far too highly priced, but there was no thought of recession back then!!!!!!
Well a guy bought the Massey 35 at a high price, I don't recall the figure but it was probably about £2000 above what it should have fetched....Our 35s had a toolbox on the steering radius bar with a hinged lid and provision for a padlock, and there was a tiny little padlock on it, but no key......You can guess the next bit...The guy got it home cut off the lock and found something like £20,000 stashed away....He did the honest thing and returned it to the executors, but they said he bought the tractor as it was and let him keep the money!!!
He should have bought a lottery ticket on the way home also!!!!
Sam

Now making sure I understand this senario. Salvage yard bought baler to scrap, 3 year later sells it instead. Never so much as openned a twine box lid on it. Now I bought it and got it home and say instead of a few old rusty tools it full of cash. Am I gonna return money to salvage yard? I DON'T THINK SO!! I might be tempted to find original owner if I could. Same would go for the tools. Rocko.

I"d tell him he should have put it on the sales ticket.

I have found small sets of tools in cars I have purchased. Under seats, and in the trunk under liners etc. If the deal was made, and the owner has left before I begin terring into it, I feel no compunction to find the owner and return tools.
I did once when I bought my 51 GMC PU. and found two good hydraulic jacks and two 20 foot log chains in burlap bags under the seat. I gave the owner an extra 50 bucks. He was not present at the delivery (900 miles away) and I got the truck (running) for 100$. Jim

In my opinion there is no question. They are not your tools, and you should do your best to return them. We are above taking something that was not part of the deal...a good feeling is far better than any tool. And I love tools.

As a dealer of over 25 years selling sometimes 200 tractors a year, I have not billed things like a canopy, remote valve or something else. NEVER had the balls to go back and ask for the money but almost always called the purchaser and said hey we forgot to bill the XXXXX just want you to know you got a better deal than you thought. Over the years I think (am sure) I got more back in way of more business than I would have in money buy making the purchaser mad.

As far as I'm concerned, if somebody didn't check the toolbox/get their tools out of the equipment when I buy it, they're mine. Most things I buy at auctions are as is, tools, parts and all. If the seller didn't mean to sell the tools and parts with the machine, that's the seller's loss because he didn't take out what he didn't want to sell.

Went through a house a few years back where I found better than $4000 in cash and change, not to mention some old furniture, etc. that I'm working to get back into shape for use. In this instance I had paid for the right to go through the house because the family hadn't cared to do it for more than 2 years after the old guy had died. The old guy was Hoarder to the extreem and the place was nearly full floor to ceiling. On top of the junk and pure trash, there was also the nose blistering odor of a putrified cat that had died in the place (it was the middle of summer), along with the other cats that had gotten in through a partially open window and had a few litters in the years since the guys death.

I was told specifically that no one care what I found in the place, they didn't want to know about it, and 'if I found 'a million dollars'' that was just fine, no one cared. All I was asked to set any family mementos like pictures, etc in a box by the rear door, which I did.

I had expected to find a little money after what I had found in one of the vehicles a buddy hauled off, but nothing like I found. The way I saw it I was in dire straights trying to keep my family up during the worst times my business had ever seen, and the old guy was dead and gone and had no use for the money at all. Then there was the fact that the family had absolutely no desire to go in the place at all, and had had more than two years to do so. In fact the plan, as I was told, was to simply let the local FD have the place to burn for practice as it sat. What really bugs me about the deal is that given what all I found, and the places I found it, there was probably even more cash left in the place that was missed. Heck a buddy of mine was helping me out and he picked up a Hardees bag off the floor, that had been walked on/over for several days, and found $600 inside of it. Then nearly 6 months after the fact I was going through a trash can full of old cards, etc that were 30 years old,and that I had saved to light my wood stove in the shop, and found another $90 in them. Shortely after that Dad, found nearly $150 in bills in a cigarette pack that had been put into an otherwise unopened full carton.

Never once did I feel the need to tell anyone what I had found. That was nearly two years ago and I went by the place the other week and it's now even more overgrown and positively abandoned as it was when I went through it. I wish I could go back torugh it again but I had gotten the deal through a buddy who was cleaning up scrap cars the old guy had setting outside and, unfortunately, my access ended when he finished his part.

SEE NO PROBLEM with what you did.

Guys, My answer was not so out of line to begin with. The First Owner should of checked out the machines as they, or prior to putting said items in the Sale Line, To make sure there were no items he wanted to keep. But still fulfilling his obligation at the bank! as far as what was mortgaged.
The old owner flat out Stole the tools in front of the new owner. At that point it is still the new option as to let him Steal/Take the tools,Might be better off if the first owner is a neighbor, Church person you sit in church with, Etc.,Etc.,Etc. or get into a confrontation of some kind to settle the dispute. The best way is get the Auctioneer asap IF that is the path you wish to take, with that in mind, It could lead to Fist-to-Cuffs in short order to keep the Thief from leaving the scene!
There enough said
Later,
John A.

Most of the auctions around here will announce more than once that everything is being sold "as is". At that point in time tools left in a baler are the buyers.

So now the question is would you keep them of give them back. 1st would be the sellers attitude. If he said "het I screwed up and forgot about those tools" I'd be inclined to let him have them. If he said "hey wait those tools were not part of the deal" and just started unloading them well then I'd just have to tell him to put em back and inform himthat if he refused I was going to have him charged with theft. 2nd consideration would be area. If in say within 10 miles of me, I'd keep the loacl peace and let him keep them. I live in the area too and these people are freinds. No hard feelings. But I attend auctions as much as 100 miles away. That far and the seller attitud would be the deciding factor. Now toss int the fact that they were Crapman tools I just wouldn't worry about em.

Rick

(quoted from post at 03:46:32 01/03/13) As a dealer of over 25 years selling sometimes 200 tractors a year, I have not billed things like a canopy, remote valve or something else. NEVER had the balls to go back and ask for the money but almost always called the purchaser and said hey we forgot to bill the XXXXX just want you to know you got a better deal than you thought. Over the years I think (am sure) I got more back in way of more business than I would have in money buy making the purchaser mad.

Click to expand...

We had someone "ask" for more money......
Many years ago I bought a used truck from a local dealer. We negotiated a price we both could live with. I paid the amount agreed upon. A few days later the used car manager called my wife and said we owed $13. He demanded that we pay the $13. My wife reminded him that we had paid the amount that both parties agreed upon and we weren't going to pay anymore. He admitted that HE had made a clerical error when calculating the out the door price. He said the dealer was going to dock his pay. He then asked my wife if she felt guilty stealing the $13 from him. She said she didn't feel guilty because we paid the amount mutually agreed upon and suggested he should feel like an !#$%^&!!!! for making this call.

Here's my story. My good friend's dad had an old school bus for sale. Sold it for $500 to a guy up the road. Horribly, the guy who bought it was killed when his air compressor blew up while working on the old bus. My friend's dad took the $500 back to the widow of the new owner. He obviously didn't have to do it, but felt compelled to help a grieving family.