How to Shop for and Buy a Used Loom: Tips, Tricks & Cautionary Tales
How to buy a used loom, how to spot scams, how to assess their condition, and resources to find missing parts and manuals.
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Deciding to buy a loom is an exciting, yet overwhelming, decision. After weeding through all of the information about the different types of looms and you finally settle on one; you then find yourself faced with yet another decision: which manufacturer to choose. Once you finally finish agonizing about THAT you then have to decide new or used. New looms can range from $150+ for a rigid heddle loom, around $800 for tabletop looms. Floor looms can range from $500 to tens of thousands of dollars for the larger and/or computerized looms. Cost aside, from an environmental prospective, a used loom is more sustainable and economical in regards to resources. It is quite easy to see why, often, used looms are the first choice of loom hunting weavers. So, let’s dive into how to buy a used loom!
Your final stop (or not because undoubtedly there are more resources not listed here) could be the loom manufacturer. Some manufacturers have a “used looms” area on their webpage where prior customers can return to them and sell their used looms. One advantage to this option is the customer service you could receive and help identifying and lost or missing parts and getting a copy of a user manual.
- No matter which source you choose, be prepared to travel, at least a little, to go pick up your loom. Make sure you bring a way to secure the loom such as ratcheting straps or rope. Bungee cords, if used correctly, can be used but due to the stretch in them I would not recommend them. Moving blankets, old towels, or blankets are helpful to protect the wood from surfaces and the friction of bouncing down the road. I painstakingly refinished a loom and sold it a few years later only to watch it be laid down on its side and SLID into a roughly textured truck bed. As you can imagine it was upsetting, luckily, I never learned what condition it arrived to its new home in.
- Protect yourself from scams and identity theft. I would like to think that it is a given, but I will say it anyways: never give out your personal financial information. If the seller requests payment in full prior to pickup it is a “red flag” Most people have some form of online payment available to them such as PayPal, Venmo, etc. If not, then cash is King. It is not unusual for the seller to request a deposit, especially if the loom is receiving lots of interest or if the pickup date is far off. I will not pay more than 50% of the loom’s price as a deposit which leaves me to pay the final 50% at pickup. I only pay this in the form of PayPal under the category of “goods and services”. This used to offer buyer protection if the seller did in fact scam me. But PayPal made some recent changes and constantly update their policies so I would check before relying on that strategy. If the seller will only accept PayPal payment under the “friends and family” category I would negotiate a different form of payment or walk away from the sale. The “friends and family” category offers no buyer protections. The seller is also violating PayPal policies by accepting payments under that category. The biggest thing is: if something feels off, don’t do it. There will be more looms!
- Now that we have found “the one” we need to make sure it won’t be “the one that fell apart”. If you are a new weaver I suggest you familiarize yourself with the parts and features of the loom type you have chosen. This will help you notice anything that is missing, damaged, or ill-fitting. I also recommend knowing the costs of commonly replaced part for your loom-hopeful. If there are items that need repairs or are more worn than you would like, you can make an educated guess at repair costs and decide if it exceeds the amount you are willing to put into the loom OR you can use it as a negotiating point to try and talk down the price. Being able to rattle off part names and prices will help your negation position. If the wood or finish is in poor condition don’t despair! That is not a deal breaker and can be fixed. However it can be time consuming and possibly physical. Take that into consideration when making your take it or leave it decision. Likewise a rusty reed or elsewhere on the loom isn’t a negative unless the rust is beyond the surface and has started to impact the integrity of the metal. (As part of our loom series we will be discuss cleaning and restoring looms in a future post.
- Something else to consider when weighing if the loom is worth the purchase value could be any extras or add-ons it comes with. Does it have new heddles? Was it converted to Tex-Solv? Does it have a sectional warping beam? Or a flying shuttle? All of these things add value to the loom and save you from having to make the same purchase to rehab or upgrade the loom on your own. Does it come with extras like a warping board, shuttles, bobbins, bobbin winder, or a bench? Each of these items add up quickly and most sellers are unwilling to sell them separate from a loom. If your used loom doesn’t come with one you can DIY it or buy new. The biggest thing, in my opinion, and often overlooked, are how many reeds does it come with? Table and floor loom reeds start at $50 and can go upwards of $200 each and that’s before you have to figure out how to ship a big long hunk of metal!
- Before you start picturing yourself waltzing down the aisle with “the perfect loom”….I mean taking it home to weave with…cough ahem You know what I mean. A few questions you will want to ask the seller to inform your decision and assess both condition and value are:
- The age of the loom (if known). However, keep in mind these looms are very well built and last ages with proper maintenance and care.
- How many previous owners (again, if known). This can help you assess how much it has been moved around and, possibly, how well it was maintained.
- What repairs, modifications, or upgrades have been made. This will help with knowing resale value as well as what to expect once you get the loom home and finally get to weave. For example, in my haste, I forgot to ask this question assuming that the flying shuttle race that was to come with the loom had once been fitted to the loom. Multiple trips to the hardware store later and having to drill into my beater I was force-ably aware that it had not. This is also handy when trying to pre-order replacement pieces prior to the loom’s arrival or ordering the loom standard part without measuring, if that area of the loom is known to have been modified then you can adjust accordingly.
- My next suggestion will be different if the loom is local versus distant. If the loom is local and you are considering it, see if the seller will allow you to come see it first. Ideally try and weave on it. Make sure all moving parts move freely and all stationary parts do, in fact, stay stationary. If there is motion or immobility where there should not be how easy would repairs be? Check for mold or mildew! I also made this mistake. When wood sits directly on concrete, for example, the wood can absorb the moisture from the concrete and mildew over time. If the seller is at some distance then your best help are photos. Don’t be afraid to ask for more photos. If the seller is being honest about the condition of the loom then they should have no problem supplying more photos. Make sure to get pictures of problematic areas such as the heddles, reeds, tension brakes, etc. Again, if something doesn’t seem right then pass it along.
The time has finally come. The time most red-blooded American fathers live for: negotiation time. You could also pay asking price, but that is just wasting money you could spend on yarn, fiber, or something for your new loom. Let’s get you negotiating so even your dad would be proud.
- Research: new price of that particular loom (if still in manufacturing) and the going market rate in your area.
- Tone: Start the negotiations with a respectful and kind tone. As the saying goes, “Begin as you want to continue.”
- Point: Point out any flaws, needed repairs, or any other devaluing features and bring them to the seller’s attention.
- Propose: Based on all the research you have done, give the seller a reasonable fair market price. Highlight any specific aspects that may warrant a lower offer, such as the loom’s age, condition, or missing parts or accessories.
- Counter: Be prepared for the seller to reject your initial offer and return with a more agreeable, to them, offer. It is up to you to determine if this counter-offer is acceptable or if you propose an additional counter-offer.
- Consider: Consider the seller’s prospective. By understanding their circumstances and motivations for the sale you can understand the perspective and asking price and find a mutually agreeable solution.
- Walk: Don’t be afraid to walk away! If the price is too high for the value or just for your budget then just walk away. Looms aren’t abundant but they also aren’t rare, more will come along and eventually so will the perfect one.
My final suggestion comes in the form of a cautionary tale. Given our family structure my husband tends to go pick up looms I have purchased solely online sight unseen. Sometimes this has worked just fine and sometimes less fine. The last loom I purchased taught me that no matter how tempting it may be for either party to “speed up” the process or “make it easier” on one party or the other, see the loom in tact first! It assures you that it does in fact go together, you can account for all the hardware, and you can take it apart and transport it how you see fit. The well meaning seller took my last loom apart down to every beam. However, hardware was unaccounted for and the way in which it was taken apart and then moved around damaged the coil for the brake on the warp beam. Mind you it is only a $35 lesson for that part, but also one that cost me time and money going to the hardware store to replace the missing hardware.
Overall, buying a used loom might be a more time consuming process but one that rewards both emotionally and financially. With a little research and understanding of local markets, asking the right questions, and a little patience and know-how you could acquire a loom at half the cost of new or less. You also help foster sustainability and generational continuance by giving a used loom a new chapter while beginning your own weaving chapter.