Bonsai Tools

[Geoffrey2119]

Hello dear community, I'm completely new here and actually don't own any bonsai :roll:.

Due to private circumstances, I got a lot of bonsai tools. The only thing I know is that everything is made in Japan.
I would like to sell the tools to good hands at a reasonable price.

I'm having a hard time with pricing, I could only compare with new prices and hope for fair offers from people who know better!

I hope the posting is allowed and I would be very happy to find a buyer for these things.

Greetings from Germany :-D

 

[leatherback]

Hello dear community, I'm completely new here and actually don't own any bonsai :roll:.

Due to private circumstances, I got a lot of bonsai tools. The only thing I know is that everything is made in Japan.
I would like to sell the tools to good hands at a reasonable price.

I'm having a hard time with pricing, I could only compare with new prices and hope for fair offers from people who know better!

I hope the posting is allowed and I would be very happy to find a buyer for these things.

Greetings from Germany :-D

Hi Geoffrey,

I am one of your potential buyers. I have a lot of tools, but have been thinking getting a pair of masakuni scissors. Next to this, I every once in a while host workshops and having additional tools is always useful.

Tools are however difficult to price, especially second-hand well used without knowledge on the maker, and from pictures.
New value is of help, but this varies a lot by maker. Used.. Depends a lot on the state of maintenance.

It looks like the tools in the picture of 3 are made by masakuni, one of the most well-known bonsai tool makers in Japan. Each of these new would be 100-200E. So a set like these three would probably get you upwards from 150-200E

The rest of them I cannot identify. I checked the masakuni website, just to ensure the previous owner did not buy all from masakuni, but they do nto seem to be by them. Which means the value is hard to assess. One can get decent tools for 20-30 euros already.

The black tools with the large handles I would not used for bonsai, but rather for ikebana, or japanese flower arrangements.
The grafting knife in that picture can be had for anything from 10E from a local forger, to 100+ from a well-known Japanese steel maker. Without provenance the value remains a guess..? The Yin pliers in the same picture same story. New you can get a decent pair for 25-30E.

Then the state of the tools. They are clearly used. In the series of concave cutters I see at least one where it looks like the beak has been damaged (See the shimmer of light in one of the tools ?). The rest.. Well used. So the question for me would be: Are these sharp enough? Edelstahl tools hold their sharpness very long, but when they get blunt, they are harder to sharpen.

So, concluding.. Besides the Masakuni set, and unless some of the other tools come from well-known tool makers, I would doubt you should hope to get more than 20E each for them. With 9 unknowns and 3 Masakuni, I would say roughly 500E for the bunch would be a good rough direction. You might have been hoping for higher numbers, but second hand tools are tricky. Selling pieces individually might get you a better price because people often are not in the market for a full set, and rather start with just 2 or three pieces and build up.

 

[Geoffrey2119]

Hello leatherback
Thank you for the fast and very informative answer.

I try to answer some of your questions and give some More Information - i was able to Talk to the previous owner

Tools picture 1:

everything except the Little concave Cutter and the red handled pliers is Not Used and was bought in a Professional Bonsai Shop in the Netherlands „Ladder Bonsai“ the Shop Took Same Prices for These pliers as for the masakuni. So they should be high quality.

Tools picture 2:

Masakuni konvex pliers with additional spring new
Masakuni leaf Cutter new
Masakuni scissors slightly used

Tools picture 3:

The Tools on picture 3 were in this Brown Leather case which says „kaneshin…“

All 4 Things Are bought in Japan Directly and were imported to Germany

The 2 scissors are More Dirty Then Used, both very Sharp

The other 2 Tools Are used

 

[leatherback]

Thx for the info.
It raises to me more questions than provide certainty over the value. And always.. Hard to assess value online. In the end it is worth what people are willing to pay for it. As someone said earlier in another thread.. There are always people who do not know what is what and are willing to pay way more than its worth.

The tools in picture 1 are not Masakuni made. And should not have costed a similar price; As far as I am aware, there is no Japanese brand that matches their quality. Even Kaneshin, which indeed is a good quality brand, is up to 50% cheaper.

everything except the Little concave Cutter and the red handled pliers is Not Use

By the looks of the tools, they are used, or have been getting very dirty in a shed for a long time and were then cleaned up. There is grime and marks and dirt on them.
So far, all the new quality tools I imported from Japan have been spotless.

Buying tools online is a gamble. I named a number which I think is a reasonable valuation, based on the pictures, for the lot. I am sure later today more will chime in, as the USA wakes up and joins the party.

I am not in desperate search of more tools. However as said, I have been considering adding some to my set to better facilitate workshops. So if at some point you feel the number above is fair, pop me a message.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Grüße aus den Vereinigten Staaten!

Some of these tools are relatively valuable... some not so much. I'd love to hear the story (in general) about how you came to own them - it is an interesting collection. Additionally - it is interesting how you grouped them for the photos Either you know a lot about bonsai - or someone told you how to group them

That said...
Photo 1: mid-range stainless bonsai tools - $20 each
Photo 2: high grade stainless bonsai tools - $50-$100 each
Photo 3: ikebana tools - $10 each (might sell for more if you get them cleaned up and sharpened - particularly the grafting knife/kiridashi)
Photo 4: cheap grafting knife/kiridashi - maybe $5

I am pricing everything at about 50% of new value... reduced by wear/rust. The tools in photo 2 are worth more than all the others combined. I'm not sure you could get $300 for all three... but perhaps.

Sometimes tools sell for a premium just because they are named "bonsai tools". The value comes from the manufacturer, the material used, and the condition. A simple steel blade (called a kiridashi in Japanese) which is generally used for grafting in gardening can be bought for a few dollars... or a few hundred - depending on the steel, the finish, and who made it. However high grade carbon steel tends to rust easily, and if your blade gets rust pits on it...

(These kiridashi retail for $85 - $100 new)

 

[Eckhoffw]

Looks like a sign to to take up the hobby!

 

[Geoffrey2119]

Pricing for the Tools in picture one was only from the Shop in netherlands as the previous owner told ne

so maybe they Sold them for More as they Are really worth

I made a few more pictures of the Tools.

All of the tools except the masakuni Are at least 20 years old maybe older so i think thats why they are Not looking as good as fresh Imported.

I will wait Until the USA Wakes up maybe Some other people have interesting Things to say

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Just as a reference... I went to Kaneshin's site, and this pair of scissors sells for $28 new (the last scissors in photo #3):

 

[Geoffrey2119]

Grüße aus den Vereinigten Staaten!

Some of these tools are relatively valuable... some not so much. I'd love to hear the story (in general) about how you came to own them - it is an interesting collection. Additionally - it is interesting how you grouped them for the photos Either you know a lot about bonsai - or someone told you how to group them

That said...
Photo 1: mid-range stainless bonsai tools - $20 each
Photo 2: high grade stainless bonsai tools - $50-$100 each
Photo 3: ikebana tools - $10 each (might sell for more if you get them cleaned up and sharpened - particularly the grafting knife/kiridashi)
Photo 4: cheap grafting knife/kiridashi - maybe $5

I am pricing everything at about 50% of new value... reduced by wear/rust. The tools in photo 2 are worth more than all the others combined. I'm not sure you could get $300 for all three... but perhaps.

Sometimes tools sell for a premium just because they are named "bonsai tools". The value comes from the manufacturer, the material used, and the condition. A simple steel blade (called a kiridashi in Japanese) which is generally used for grafting in gardening can be bought for a few dollars... or a few hundred - depending on the steel, the finish, and who made it. However high grade carbon steel tends to rust easily, and if your blade gets rust pits on it...

(These kiridashi retail for $85 - $100 new)
View attachment 526106

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Of course I did some googling beforehand and tried to put the things together like bonsai kits and it seems to have worked out well

The story is not really nice, my neighbor's father had to sell his house due to old age and move into a nursing home.

So he can't take most of his stuff with him. We are now trying to sell the rest of his things for him, including the bonsai tools.

Fortunately, he was able to take his bonsai with him

 

[rockm]

Used bonsai tools are just used tools.

They're duller, dirtier versions of what's available now, for the most part, They don't hold much value beyond their ability to perform a job. However, you only have to look at Ebay to see some people try to take advantage of unknowledgeable people and add hundreds onto the price because they're old. Old is not really better. In fact, it can be worse with wear, rust, abuse, etc.

I think @Bonsai Nut's pricing is pretty fair for what you've got.

 

[Geoffrey2119]

Some of the Tools Are still available. If Anyone is Interested Write me a dm.

@leatherback i tried to contact you directly but im not Able to Write dm‘s because i dont have enough Posts.

Without Bonsais its Hard to get Posts not Spamming irrelevant stuff…