Theft of Tools and Equipment.

K.Flyer

A story most of us in the trades are familiar with to some degree or another. From a quick grab what they can, to the van and everything in it being stolen and never seen again.

It is now a huge organised criminal business which is putting some in the trades out of business unable to ever recover.

If nobody bought the stolen tools and equipment then there would be a lot less people and their families hurt by the loss of their livelihood through these thefts.

I would hope that people start to think twice thinking that they are getting a bargain at these markets and give some thought to those who may have lost their livelihood as a result.

RTE Primetime Tool Theft Ireland]

DublinDilbert

They will even take tools that are so specialist, they would be of little or no value to anyone other than the person who they belong to.

jimf

the slap on the hand and go away and don't be a bold boy anymore attitude from the courts certainly don't work as a deterrent

anthonyos

That was sickening to watch .I have an armaguard oxbox bolted to the floor of my van and I don't put any of my power tools in their cases I throw them in to it every evening and it's great well worth it.

ozmo

anthonyos wrote: »

That was sickening to watch .I have an armaguard oxbox bolted to the floor of my van and I don't put any of my power tools in their cases I throw them in to it every evening and it's great well worth it.

Its sad to say - but this is what needs to be done.
The Guard on the show was correct - the only way is to have a sufficient alarm, and park the van well.

It's not enough to say if no one buys it they won't keep stealing - the tools are sold so cheap someone will buy it - or its just discarded and left behind on the ground in the markets when not sold.

I've had stuff stolen and know what it feels like.

Sleeper12

The people buying these are as guilty as the scum stealing them. If there was no demand for them then they wouldn't be stolen

HONKEY TONK

Sleeper12 wrote: »

The people buying these are as guilty as the scum stealing them. If there was no demand for them then they wouldn't be stolen

Sure Adverts has over 6000 ads for Machinery & Tools

https://www.adverts.ie/for-sale/diy-renovation/machinery-tools/143?utm_campaign=search&utm_medium=link&utm_source=category-dropdown

How do people know if they are buying Stolen tools online?

I can understand if you went to a Market or met some Scumbag.

Sleeper12

HONKEY TONK wrote:

How do people know if they are buying Stolen tools online?

Well for the most part tradesmen don't sell 2nd hand tools. We usually use them till they die or pass them on to the apprentice.

For me I just wouldn't buy tools 2nd hand. You are probably looking at 90 percent of them being stolen.

Atlantic Dawn

I thought the worst thing was Gardaí telling people to go to the local market to see if their stolen tools were there and to let them know if they were, ffs they should be up at the market asking for proof of ownership where they see someone selling 100 drills with no proof where they got them from. This was then the same line given by a higher up Garda interviewed by RTE, bloody joke of a police force.

K.Flyer

This is what wrecks my head.
Years ago it would have been some shady cnut in a van or a car trying to flog to lads on sites, (some of who never left the site with money or tools, just shiney new wrist jewellery )
Nowadays its blatant open market and nobody seems to be able to figure out how to question them about where they got the tools in the first place, the mind boggles.

Damienmac

It sounds like this is at epidemic levels in the UK.(Not saying it isn't bad here). A link to a worthwhile petition on the issue below:

https://www.change.org/p/theresa-may-mp-stronger-punishment-for-perpetrators-of-tool-thefts-from-tradesman-s-vehicles

I read in a news article a while back about arrests made at a port between Ireland and the UK where two vans were swapping a load of stolen tools. I.E. to sell tools stolen in the UK here and vice versa.

uck51js9zml2yt

Theres a buy and sell group on FB for Blanchardstown. The amount of tools being sold on it is scary.

cletus

Sleeper12 wrote: »

Well for the most part tradesmen don't sell 2nd hand tools. We usually use them till they die or pass them on to the apprentice.

For me I just wouldn't buy tools 2nd hand. You are probably looking at 90 percent of them being stolen.

This is an interesting one for me. Very often the recommendation is to buy a good 2nd hand tool over a cheap new one, and while I don't go to markets, I wouldn't have given a second thought to trawling through donedeal's machinery and tools section

Sleeper12

I saw one guy on Donedeal selling a brand new Triton T90. Brand new sealed in the box for below cost. I bought it off him as he seemed to have a genuine reason but no receipt as it was a gift. Add was relisted & I spotted it. I got someone else to ring about it and he gave the same excuse for selling. I kept an eye on the add and it ran for over 18 months. I don't know how many he sold but I found out last year that a full container of them was stolen from the Cork depot. I wonder how many showers fit in a container.

It's not always easy to know what is stolen or not. I try look at what else they are selling. Tradesmen tend to stick to the same brand so I wouldn't expect the same seller with a DeWalt & a Hilti. I'd expect everything to be the same brand. I try look at past selling for a clue if they are selling the same item again and again.

Buying or selling I'd never meet in a car park. I'd always insist on collecting from their house. I fitted a shower for a guy a few years ago. They had to wait for the credit union loan before I got paid. They were hard up. Originally he had bought a 2nd hand shower for 100 euro advertised as in perfect working order & he paid someone 100 to fit it. He had me fit a new one because the perfect working model was chocked with limescale and was unable. No refund for him as he met the seller in a car park.

You take your chances buying 2nd hand

Quick Edit : that is not to say that everything online is stolen. There are genuine people

K.Flyer

60k worth of tools stolen

Fann Linn

K.Flyer wrote: »

60k worth of tools stolen

€60k worth of tools in a van.
How big was the van?

K.Flyer

Fann Linn wrote: »

€60k worth of tools in a van.
How big was the van?

If he was involved in commercial refrigeration he could easily have had a very large van with expensive equipment. Quality equipment does not come cheap and has to be durable to withstand the demand of almost everyday use.
If I were to have to replace a corded drill like for like it would cost me about 800.00 euro, thats just one drill.

K.Flyer

Lifted from Y.L.Y.L.

Tabnabs wrote: »