While browsing EBAY the other night a noticed several MS 250’s on auction for a starting price of $300 plus shipping. Being one who likes to stir the pot I asked a question of two of the sellers, I let them know that I payed less than that for mine brand new in 2015 and received a 2 year warranty with it. One got back to me. I will post a screenshot of our communication. Sorry if I offend anyone but I am sure most will agree that the guy is unscrupulous. I have seen other auctions for power equipment parts where I paid less for brand new at the dealer. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
You left out some key info. That's a used saw, from an ope dealer in NY. A Google search will show you he deals in more than stihl equipment. The dealer serviced the saw which may have included some new parts that weren't cheap. The dealer has overhead. The dealer has to make a profit. There are 2 chains included. It's local pickup only, no shipping. And yes, prices have changed a bit since 2015. Msrp on the 251, it's replacement, is $330 plus tax, making it at least $350. Unscrupulous is a stretch imo. His feedback sucks....I'll admit that though.
STIHL brought back the MS 250, they were able to get it emissions blessed by the EPA. I do not know what they are going for now. 26RS68 chain is $25.00. A warranty on a zero hour saw is worth something also. I personally would not pay $300 plus $17.30 shipping for a used saw of that model. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I think where I’m going with this is EBAY prices on OPE stuff in general aren’t realistic. I was looking for a choke lever for a Poulan saw, $5.00 - 8.00 on EBAY. .55 cents at my local OPE parts counter. I needed a belt cover for an MTD snowblower, $25.00 used on EBAY, $11.00 brand new at the counter. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
You can buy a NEW MS 250 for $299. I don't care how much he has in it, it is not worth new price. The crazy thing is I see these saws on craigslist for $200-250 and the sell in no time.
That is only 50 bucks more for a better saw. Then you can buy a 6 pack of HP Ultra and double your warranty. A new saw is a better value to me.
I hardly buy used saws anymore for that reason, if the price for a used saw is anywhere near a new one I don't even bother. I was looking at used 261s on Craigslist a few days ago all in the 350-425 range..not worth it IMO when I can buy a new one for 100-125 bucks more and know exactly what I have.
I look on craigslist frequently for good deals and have bought most of my saws on craigslist. There are definitely good deals to be had and there are also many people asking for top dollar for used saws. The Stihl 250/251 and 290/291 seem to be the most overpriced saws on CL for some reason, many times the 250/251's are priced closed to $300! I would consider the below as overpriced New Stihl MS260 Chainsaw Stihl MS250 18 Chainsaw I would consider the below to be a fair, or good deal Stihl 661c chainsaw
525.00 for a new unused 260 isn't THAT bad...I wouldn't personally pay it but when you consider what a brand new pro 50cc costs it's liveable. I see the 250s all the time on CL for 225-300 bucks .. makes no sense, I buy new ones.
It has been my experience that when dealing with Ebay, you have to shop diligently; decide what you are going to buy then check 2-3 times per day. For instance, a year ago I was in the market for a 461 so, for three months, I checked 2-3 times a day, and got a new 461. (25 inch bar and chain) for $900.0o, including shipping. However, many items on ebay are highly overpriced.
$525 for a 260 seems pretty steep to me when you can get a brand new 261 with auto-tune and warranty for under $600 (not including tax). I still can't figure out how somebody can have a brand new saw that is 10+- years old
Look on ebay and see what saws are going for that need a new top end. It blows my mind what people will pay for them. I ran an add on CL for a while looking for saws needing work. I had 4 or 5 people contact me but I never made a deal. I think I offered a guy $30 for a 250 PHO that more than likely needed a cylinder. I'd have my time in going and getting it. Then $60 in a bar and chain. If I bought a cheap cylidner $30, then seals , crank bearings maybe a carb kit and fuel line. I'd would have had $50 in parts maybe more plus the $60 for a b/c I would have been into it for $140. I would have got rich ($60 profit) if I could have sold it for $200 with an AM cylinder.
I'm of the opinion that there's no issue with haggling people over their prices on ebay or craigslist, I mean...it's the internet after all. Sometimes I do enjoy texting the people on Craigslist who want trees taken down for free, the classic "free firewood but must take tree down and remove everything and leave area pristine"...Usually that's a funny conversation to have. In this case, buying new would be a no brainer, but if it's local pickup only then he's probably just using ebay to advertise the saw rather than actually sell it on ebay. If I wanted that I'd message him a lower cash offer we could do in person which would avoid him a 10% ebay fee, not to mention whatever paypal fees are these days for sellers.
I picked up my new MS250 for $360 at my local Stihl Dealer a couple of months ago. Would have loved to pay $300 for it and spend the extra cash on wood.
Would you want a saw someone traded in to keep $60 in your pocket? No idea how it’s been treated, broken in properly etc. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Negative, would just liked to have spent 300 on a new saw rather than 360. But it's all good. Since this is my first gas saw I wanted a new one and my Stihl Rep is 10 minutes from my house.
wow, I just checked the Stihl website, I didn't realize the 250 is at $359. I wonder why it is priced more than the 251 at at $329? Is the 250 considered a better say than the 251?
