Tools cost-per-unit trend

Each point is the monthly median cost-per-unit across priced tools lots — the middle value, not an average, so one outlier truckload can’t drag the line. A live lot counts in the month it first appeared in the feed; an ended lot counts in the month it closed. Lots match the category by their title — the same category match the live feed uses — and cost per unit is the lot’s price divided by its listed unit count, where the source publishes one.

Months with fewer than 30 priced lots render as insufficient data and stay off the chart — a median over a handful of lots isn’t trustworthy. That floor gates the chart, the “Months with data” stat, and the month table above alike.

The lots behind the series come from the nine marketplaces BStalker scans: Liquidation.com, B-Stock, DirectLiquidation, 888 Lots, Via Trading, BlueLots, GovDeals, Musick, and QuickBidz. Sitewide medians, discount-vs-retail, and closing-time patterns are on the statistics page.

Tool lots run from home-center returns (drills, saws, sanders, tool sets) to contractor-grade generators and pressure washers. Lowe's and Home Depot returns feed a lot of this on the big-box platforms; GovDeals lists retired municipal equipment. Power tools are a returns-heavy category, so working condition and battery inclusion are the details to confirm on the manifest.

Tool per-unit is driven by the working rate and whether batteries/chargers are included — a returned drill without its battery is a very different item. BStalker shows the listed cost-per-unit; it does not assess the working rate.

What goes into a per-unit number — bids, buyer premiums, freight — is covered in liquidation pallet costs explained, and the live lots themselves are on the tools lots page.