“Refurbishing” Old tanks???

[OliveFish05]

I do know that if you are contacting a seller through Craigslist, when the listing is deleted it cuts off communication.

I just figured, I will do my best, I will do it well, and it is the buyers responsibility to make sure THEY felt comfortable with my work.
One thing I can’t standnwhen I’m buying something in craigslist is when people either don’t put up pictures or they put up like 2 photos and then say “Please don’t message me with a bunch of questions, just look at the photos”

 

[Slaphppy7]

Vineworks wonders for hard water or limescale.

Was just about to Google "Vineworks", lol....you can edit your own posts w/out having to type a new one, btw

 

[Slaphppy7]

I do know that if you are contacting a seller through Craigslist, when the listing is deleted it cuts off communication.

I just figured, I will do my best, I will do it well, and it is the buyers responsibility to make sure THEY felt comfortable with my work.
One thing I can’t standnwhen I’m buying something in craigslist is when people either don’t put up pictures or they put up like 2 photos and then say “Please don’t message me with a bunch of questions, just look at the photos”

TBH, even though you enjoy working on tanks, I wouldn't get your hopes up when it comes to selling them...where I live, even like-new tanks don't sell for much second hand, you have to practically give them away, regardless of size or moderate/cheap pricing.

 

[OliveFish05]

TBH, even though you enjoy working on tanks, I wouldn't get your hopes up when it comes to selling them...where I live, even like-new tanks don't sell for much second hand, you have to practically give them away, regardless of size or moderate/cheap pricing.

Oh wow. I suppose it would depend on the area? I have seen several tanks go for crazy prices around here, but I don’t know

 

[Slaphppy7]

Oh wow. I suppose it would depend on the area? I have seen several tanks go for crazy prices around here, but I don’t know

Probably DOES depend on your area...I live in a fairly small town...found a dirty 75G by the side of the road, brought it home, cleaned it up, and leak tested it....looks like new, and doesn't leak...after deciding I really don't have room for it in my house, I decided to go ahead and sell it, have it advertised for $50, and haven't gotten a single inquiry about it...probably will end up giving it away

If I lived near Houston or another sizable town, it may be different, though...

 

[OliveFish05]

Probably DOES depend on your area...I live in a fairly small town...found a dirty 75G by the side of the road, brought it home, cleaned it up, and leak tested it....looks like new, and doesn't leak...after deciding I really don't have room for it in my house, I decided to go ahead and sell it, have it advertised for $50, and haven't gotten a single inquiry about it...probably will end up giving it away

If I lived near Houston or another sizable town, it may be different, though...

Woahhhhh

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I do know that if you are contacting a seller through Craigslist, when the listing is deleted it cuts off communication.

I just figured, I will do my best, I will do it well, and it is the buyers responsibility to make sure THEY felt comfortable with my work.
One thing I can’t standnwhen I’m buying something in craigslist is when people either don’t put up pictures or they put up like 2 photos and then say “Please don’t message me with a bunch of questions, just look at the photos”

You definitely need to stay on top of communication if you sell via Craigslist.

The most annoying thing when I shop on Craigslist, is when there’s a super good post, but the person either doesn’t respond at all, or takes like 2 weeks to do so.

 

[OliveFish05]

You definitely need to stay on top of communication if you sell via Craigslist.

The most annoying thing when I shop on Craigslist, is when there’s a super good post, but the person either doesn’t respond at all, or takes like 2 weeks to do so.

Ohhhhhh. That is frustrating!

 

[azvictoria]

Are there liability issues when selling on Craigslist? I mean, I know I would always do my best, but if say one of the tanks were to leak after the person brought it home, either due to a mistake in the seal or poor handling on setup, isn’t that the kind of thing that when you are buying an aquarium off Craigslist you do so at your own risk?

I'm not sure, I just want to make sure you're not in harms way by selling a potential flood device. It might be worth looking into. If it's a product like an iPad or crock pot that doesn't work, it doesn't work. A tank that fails can cause problems. It's also not something that the buyer can test before buying - sure, they can see water in it before you sell it, but you don't know how it's moved or knocked around in a vehicle. Look after yourself for sure.

 

[Jan Cavalieri]

Personally I wouldn't bother unless you'll be working with big tanks that cost big money. You can get a new 10 gallon for $15 or less - it's not worth all the scrubbing. IMO there are stains that may never come off - for example the heat stains/burns from where a heater rested for a few years and has discolored the back of the tank. I've tried vinegar, razer blades just scratch the tank but sort of worked. When filled with water you can barely see the stains, especially if you put a new heater in the same space.

 

[Jan Cavalieri]

A 10 gallon tank costs about $10-20 on petco sale days. Unless you have an expensive acrylic (no razor blades allowed) that may have cost at least $100 will you make this worthwhile. People are very wary about buying a used aquarium. Who knows how you cleaned it and what chemicals may still remain. They are taking a big risk when they buy used. If the tank leaks and they don't have another aquarium they lose all their fish - it's just not worth the risk or money for the small sizes. Try going with a 100-200 gallon tank and refurbishing them (only use carrier shipping) - you could make some real money on that. A lady on Ebay was selling a 50 gallon tank for $250 and it was filthy. I offered $100 for it and only if they cleaned it - they said it wasn't worth their time to bother cleaning it. As far as I know it never sold. Ridiculous price.

 

[FFGuest6357]

Be very careful in this line of business.
Aquarium safe silicone isn’t cheap to buy compared with the time and money needed to properly re-seal a tank for it to be leak free. Factor is scraping and cleaning supplies, as part of the cost. Then you need to sell for a profit.

don’t accept any liability, water damage to a home can amount to thousands of dollars in damage. Sell your tanks for a reasonable price, but make sure that the buyer knows it is refurbished and not guaranteed. I built and sold a stand to a customer, I made them sign a waiver saying I wasn’t responsible for damages and that they accepted all of the risk. Whether that would hold up in court, I don’t know.
Fixing and refurbishing tanks is a great skill, but unless you’re willing to start a business and have it insured, you’re risking a lot of liability for a slim profit margin.