Buying and selling secondhand beekeeping equipment

We are asked for help to dispose of old equipment from time to time, from the families of ex- beekeepers, or from downsizers. We all like a bargain, and we much prefer to see unwanted kit being reused, rather than stashed away in a shed.

Conwy Beekeepers can help members by advertising kit for sale in our email newsletters, or on our Facebook Group page. Please send us pictures and a description. Our role is to put buyers in touch with sellers. We are not involved in the sale itself. Buyers and sellers should agree terms of sale.
Please provide us with feedback after the sale.  A donation towards Conwy Beekeepers or Bees for Development is always welcome.

Warning
We urge you not to buy old bee equipment from online auction sites.  This is a sure fire way to bring in American Foulbrood disease.  Only buy from a trusted source within your own area.

Guide prices
We suggest about a third of the new price for kit in good condition, eg. £85 for a complete National timber hive.

Other options…
Thorne’s Bees on a Budget National hive @ £165 (October 2021) is good value, and includes frames and foundation.
Plan ahead and buy second quality hive parts and frames in the Winter Sales.

Preparing equipment for sale
All items for sale should be fit for purpose. Buyers will expect wooden hive parts to have been scraped clean and blow-lamped, ready for use. Old metal frame runners should be replaced with new runners.

What don’t we sell?
Old galvanized or tin plated honey extractors and settling tanks; these should be sent for recycling.
Old frames
Drawn combs
Adult bee suits

What sells well?
Honey extractors, stainless steel or food grade polythene.
Settling tanks, all sizes.
Nucleus hives
National hives
Feeders
Sundries: Smokers, frame showcases, hive tools, straw skeps, beekeeping books, children’s outgrown bee suits.
There is less demand for old WBC hive parts.

When is the best time of the year to sell secondhand kit?
Definitely in the spring, after the Winter Sales have finished.

Please email the Secretary for more info or to make comments peterhoney914@gmail.com