Sewing Machine HOARDING vs. Vintage Sewing Machine Saver! March 8, 2012

OK, I admit it.  I’m a HOARDER!  I really didn’t set out to be one, but I’ve known I had a leaning towards obsessive compulsive hoarding my whole life.  OK, my OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) is something I’ve been aware of for a long time, but the hoarding is not something I ever wanted to do.  My big problem is that now I WANT to still be a hoarder of sewing machines, sewing machine feet & attachments, sewing thread, FABRIC, patterns &  sewing notions of various sorts.

Kenmore in table, required freeing up, from dried oil, but is an all metal machine where it counts. The models on the rack are ones I'm willing to re home, after I repaired or serviced them. I don't sell constantly, only a couple of times a year, I am not a business, just someone who loves vintage machines, and wants them to be kept sewing, and creating!

I’ve spent most of my life being OCD about getting rid of stuff & keeping my home obsessively & compulsively CLEAN & ORGANIZED!  As I’ve become more disabled, and can’t do as much, I’ve kind of fallen off that wagon because I can’t do much, and because I still want to sew & do stuff, I still collect the stuff to do it whenever it is free or cheap! My hubby is so sweet that he kind of started throwing me off the wagon by continuing to purchase or rescue sewing machines that people were throwing out or selling cheap at a garage sale.  Because Americans can buy clothing at Wally World cheaper than they can sew them, most Americans no longer sew, & throw out sewing machines on a regular basis.  Sometimes they let them sit for 40 or 50 years collecting dust & letting the oil dry into glue, so the machines are frozen solid, & no one wants them anymore.  Then they put them out at the curb.  If my hubby or I drive by your sewing machine that has been kicked to the curb, we will stop, knock on your door,  and ask if we can “rescue” it.  If you don’t answer the door, we will just rescue the little darling before the garbage man does.

Sometimes, when trying to save machines, they take over our space! I don't like the plastic machines, but will repair them, if it is possible, without having to buy parts. Some become parts machines, to keep others running, usually only machines with broken gears, or other major issues too expensive to repair, are the parts donors. Pedals & cords, tension units, bobbin cases, needle plates, presser feet & snap on presser foot ankles, and more.

I am not strong anymore, so I can’t do really hard cases, but I do love to take a horrible machine, clean it, lubricate it, replace a spring or some other item that needs replaced, if I either have one on hand, or can get one cheap.  I LOVE to see a sewing machine hum back to life, sewing pretty things again!  The problem is, I fall in love with each machine, and don’t want to give them up, until I find someone who will value them, cherish them, & SEW with them! I don’t have room for them.  Because some days I can’t walk at all without my walker or a 4 footed cane, I really need to get rid of some of them, and I vow to sell them on eBay, and sometimes, I actually do sell some on eBay, but I collect them faster than I sell them.  It takes a lot to get a sewing machine properly photographed & written up to sell on eBay if you want to get a decent price for it!

Because there are so many scumballs on eBay selling home sewing machines as ‘industrial strength’ sewing machines, and charging $300 to $800 claiming to have “refurbished” them!  Most of those scumballs have only created their fake “sewing machine repair shop”  to cheat eBay buyers out of their hard earned cash!  Most of those sewing machines arrive broken, or absolutely full of lint & crap, sometimes even froze up completely, & when the buyer tries to complain, the seller tells eBay that the buyer was just trying to ruin their reputation, and that they are just vindictive trolls!

On the other hand, there are now many trolls on eBay, who use the seller feedback, to blackmail sellers into giving deep discounts, claiming machines are damaged, when they are not, & refuse to provide any evidence of the machine being damaged, or the packing it was shipped in. Crazy world, with some creeps on both sides! Anyway, there are still good sellers & bad sellers, good buyers & bad buyers, just be one of the good ones, & hopefully you will find good buyers & sellers to deal with!

Now pretty much anyone trying to sell a sewing machine on eBay has to use the same sneaky tricks to sell their machines on eBay, because there is absolutely no way to get your money back out of your machine when there are a thousand other eBay sellers using those same phrases to lure in the buyers- “HEAVY DUTY INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH SEWING MACHINE SEWS LEATHER”  seems to be the basic phrase, I discovered that they are the same terms used by today's sewing machine manufacturers, & even were used back when many vintage machines were sold new, particularly when you see it on the box the machine was originally sold in, or the flyer used to advertise them.  I used to get mad at sellers who used those terms, but now I say “if you can’t beat ’em join ’em!”

Kenmore 158.17530 model 1753 all metal sewing machine with accessories

I wrote a guide for Ebay, where I explain the differences between industrial sewing machines, & domestic home sewing machines, & explained why sellers use specific terms, & what to keep in mind, & compare, when choosing which machine to buy. There truly are machines which are much stronger, better built, some are even much faster than others, so it does help buyers find your auction, if you post a machine as heavy duty, industrial strength, & if it can sew lighter weight leather & suede, go ahead & advertise it that way, but sew some samples to help  give buyers an idea of the way stitches will look, & if you have a cell phone or digital camera, adding videos of your machine sewing, can really help sell them. Eventually, if I get my taxes done, & have time to play with sewing machines again, I hope to find homes for some  of my extra machines, hopefully with people who will actually sew with them, not hoard them, not resell them for a bigger profit, but actually SEW with them!

Sometimes, when trying to save machines, they take over our space! I don't like the plastic machines, but will repair them, if it is possible, without having to buy parts. Some become parts machines, to keep others running, usually only machines with broken gears, or other major issues too expensive to repair, are the parts donors. Pedals & cords, tension units, bobbin cases, needle plates, presser feet & snap on presser foot ankles, and more.