Hello people.
Iv just signed up and this is my first time writing a message here.

Any one kept count on what they have spent on there vacuum cleaner collections over the years?
I haven't but I bet its alot!

Also I know from my past experiance as a kirby collector when buying vacuums on ebay it can become expensive when buying a near complete machine you already have just for one or two parts that you need.
Anybody else just bought a near complete machime that you already have just for one or to parts and finds it can be expensive but you still do it because you badly need the parts?

James:-)

Excepting for my Dual 80 I haven't paid more than $25 for any vac, most being $5-10. I only paid more for the Dual because it was just rebuilt at the vac shop and the owner couldn't afford to pay for it so I got it, and I wanted it.

Until eBay came along and ruined my life, haha, my single-largest expenditure was $75.00 for an all-original, very early Scott & Fetzer Sanitation System that I still have. I bought it from a Kirby dealer who closed up shop here in L.A. and moved to Hawaii. It has all the attachments and stuff and is in beautiful condition. He said he felt kinda bad asking "that much" for it but said he needed to raise as much dough as he could.

Even with eBay, however, I have generally lucked out and have not had to spend vast sums on things. I am lucky in that by the time eBay had appeared, I already had a pretty substantial collection. Which is a good thing because I don't =have= vast sums to spend. If y'all only knew.......:(

There have only been a couple of things that have come and gone that I really felt badly about seeing go by me, but "given enough time I got over it." And now, with my ever-viligant efforts to TRY to keep my collection down to a workable size (according to WHOM asks my sigot hahaha), I just don't even look all that much at eBay anymore except out of curiosity and to send snotty notes to sellers who don't know how to spell "vacuum cleaner." No point in getting all depressed about it.

But the other side of the eBay double-edged sword is that I have done pretty well on some of the things I have sold. And for that, I really can't complain at all --- and am certainly glad SOMEBODY has money to spend! :)

And welcome btw to James. You all ought to SEE his collection. James, you really need to post some photos here, so people can drool over your fabulous Kirbys!! :))

I shudder to think how much I have spent over the last 10 years. It does not seem like much a little at a time, but all at once it would be a lot. I have spent as much as $100 on something I really wanted and I have had many things given to me over the years. I like to pay for a complete machine $10-$20 at a sale more if it includes the box or instructions. Since I have most of what I want, I am more choosey now than in the beginning. I am at the point of upgrades. If something is for sale and I have it, then I get it as an upgrade or if it is not in good shape, it goes for parts. I also enjoy looking for others still. It is great when I find that special item that is on someone's list. I think the moral to this story is that it is only worth what someone is willing to pay.

--Tom

"what an old sweeper is worth is what someone is willing to pay" has been my mantra for a long time. If y'all haven't read it, check out my "How Much is My Old Sweeper Worth?" page. Link below.

The most expensive vacuum I have ever bought was my central vac for $1800.00. Most of my vacuums were free, or really cheap. But I have paid many different prices for many different vcuums.

Just in 4 years, I have probably sunk a few thousand into the vacuums (and then there's my washer-collecting obession for 2 years), especially since I have seen things I on eBay I just *HAD* to have!!! I don't live in a place that tends to have great local finds (estate sales in my town are few and far between), so eBay is definitely my #1 source. Although I have picked up some things in Texas that have definitely surprised me!

The most expensive vacuum I have bought so far was the somewhat 'war-torn' Hoover 103 "Baby", around $153. Runs great, and that tufted brushroll is like NEW, which doesn't really explain the horrible cosmetic shape it's in...

The most I've paid for any vintage appliance on eBay, however, was $355 for a nice 1955 Maytag automatic washer.

I was just thinking about this yesterday. How odd? Here is a partial list of my collection:

$1.00!!!! Was all that "Dirty Girl" cost at a swap meet. DG is my GE Swivel Top model C-7.

$2.00!!! Was what my Hoover Convertible 34 cost at a thrift shop.

$3.00!! was what my Eureka Tank cleaner cost. It was just the machine and the hose.


After that the prices of vacuums that i find are from $5.00 and up. The most I paid for a vacuun at a thrift store was $85.00 for a Filter Queen that had all the papers, attachments and most of all, the 14 inch floor brush with removable elbow wand. Well i HAD to have it! Ebay has made finding that certain vacuum easier but it is also a source of frustration too when I get out bid on something that i really want.

As for the repeat vacuums that I have bought there were a few. When I bought Dirty Girl for a buck, she didn't have a carpet nozzle or the original hose. I found a GE C-7 on ebay and bought it for it's hose and attachment tray. The carpet nozzle was found at a junk store and now i have a complete C-7!!! ( and a C-7 carcass in storage ) I have a Singer E 11 in very good condition but it was missing a few things. Lo and behold i find a jacked up Singer E11 on ebay. Being jacked up, no one but me bid on it and i won!!! It was jacked up yes but it also had the attachments i needed but thats not all! In the pictures on ebay there were some extra tools included that were clearly not Singer. They were wands and carpet nozzle for a Hamilton Beach Model 26!! So with this purchase i completed two of the vacuums in my collection!

Right now my collection is more than i can handle but I can't stop looking for them! I figure if i have the machine already, i will still get it for a collector who may want it. I would rather buy a funky old vacuum and hold onto it for someone who may want it rather that letting it go to a home where it will not be taken cared for.

I hardly ever look at ebay anymore cause 9 times out of 10 I get outbid at the last minute( and you know those people don't want the machine they just want to bid on there for a game) but any way it is VERY frustrating so I dont do it... But If anybody comes across an all original with all the attachments Kirby model 561 I would be in HOGHEAVEN I am also looking for a Hoover Model 14 Lark upright with the tools( the blue and white one) I would do almost anything for somebody to find me those machines and I mean anything LOL Kirbykid

I have thousands of dollars tied up in my collection as I wasn't ever lucky enough to get free vacuum cleaners at all.
Dan your talking about sniping an auction most of us do snipe why? because i find it keeps the winning bid down then if you start bidding early then people bid You up just for the sure pleasure buty if you snipe no one knows what you are going for.
I will say 95% of collectors snipe there auctions.

Skip...

Yes My UK Mate James has one of the best Kirby collections I have ever seen. He does a very great job of restoring them to mint condition.

Skip...

It seems hunting for almost any vintage machine has gotten harder for folks who don't like or want to deal with EBay. Iam one of those-I feel EBay can be a BAD thing-it seems to be driving up prices on ALL types of collectables-not just vacuum cleaners.For the past summer I have been going to yard sales on the way home from work-most are disappointing for an appliance hunter.Mostly what I have found are old clothes,baby furniture and baby clothes-noting really interesting except a four slice Proctor Silex Toaster(makes GREAT Toast)A Hamilton Beach Mixer,and some books.No old vacs at the vac stores here.The hunt goes on-mostly end up with NEW vacs.Some members point out collecting is an "addiction"I am afraid it has hit me as well.Now if I could just run into some vintage machines.for some odd reason they are not easy to find here-and older washers---forget it.I have the vac places and Kirby folks out helping.I think another problem is folks buying their new vacs at Sears and "Wally-world"those don't take trade ins-so what do some folks do--THROW THAT OLD VINTAGE ONE OUT!!And before you get to them.

Hi, Thankyou Skip for saying that.Its very nice of you. You also have a very nice diverse collection of vacuums in great condition.
Also Im going to try and take some photos of my collection and put them up if its not to difficult?
Why Im here I would like to say thanks to Charlie Lester for his compliment as he has lots of nice hard to find kirbys to.

Thanks again,

James:-)

Your welcome anytime and also Thanks for the comment about mine too.

Skip:)

I sat down to kinda figure exactly how much money I have tied up in my collection and i'm totally shocked,according to my calculator I have around 33,000.00 tied up in just my vacuum cleaners not counting my floor polishers or my mixers. WOW I didn't think I've spent that much

Skip...

most i've spent is 150.09


Kyle

Most of the 18 vacs in my collection were either inherited or given to me, and I probably have less than $250.00 in what I've bought on ebay, thrifting, or other sources. My Lux G and Hoover 29 were ebay purchases, the Lux costing $5.50 plus $26.35 for shipping and the Hoover costing $9.99 plus $21.18 for shipping. My Electro-Hygiene 903 was $15.00 at a thrift store. I paid $5.00 for my EH model 94, originally for parts for my model 80, but now think I may try to restore it, too. Seems the bad thing about ebay is after you add the shipping to the price of the item, it may not seem to be so much of a bargain!
I bought my 966 Electro-Hygiene brand new for my Mother in 1974, but didn't include its price in the $250 figure, because I don't remember off hand how much I paid for it, and besides we had it for quite a few years before it became part of my collection anyway.
Jeff

On my collection--I don't want to know-have several new machines.Older ones-the few I have ranged in price from free to $200.Hope to run into some more "Free" ones!!also keep your eyes on the curbs on garbage day-you may find some that way.Don't be surprized if you have to clean and fix those up.May be worthwhile it it was one you were hunting for.I found a Royal that way-fixed it up still have it.Wouldn't beleive someone would throw away a Royal.It ran just fine-replaced the belt,brushroll and cloth bag.Found a Kirby set one time-was a Classic-had all the parts on a heap at the curb-went home to get my cart--annd-it was gone!!someone else had the same idea.The one that got away!