I've been noticing this for a while now, but needed to know if maybe I need to start looking in different places. It used to be that I could find (if patient) good deals on-line. For instance, I purchased my Atlas locos (brand new) on eBay for under $40. I haven't seen these kind of prices in a long time and am surprised that the prices on most things have remained relatively high (particularly in a recession). So have the 'deals' shifted to new places, or are they just a memory?
You can expect the deals and discount LHS's to dry up as hobby shop after hobby shop close their doors. Simply, there isn't enough mark-up on our hobby products to make a profit. Many hobby shop owners are serving it's constituents as a labor of love. The best place to look for deals and steals are at various railroad museum and club swap meets. I might note here that Walthers has a sale going on with regard to a N scale sleeper. I won't do your home work for you and or provide a easy click to find it. Mean as I'm feeling...! Go do your own research. Besides, I don't want them all sold out when six months from now I can finally afford to buy one. Grin! Anyway, it's not going to get better. Not for a while.
I've been thinking the same thing lately. They ARE still there but it seems they are getting fewer and farther between. I don't look at ebay so much as a place to find deals anymore, it's more a place to locate something that's hard to find and then pay a premium for it. Train shows are the best bet for "good deals".
IMHO...with modelers daily demanding greater detail....ALL stock will rise in price...new and old. Why sell a Pinto cheap when you can call it a Cadillac and get the Cadillac price. JMO .
I also make sure to find the closeout bin in every store I visit. Sometimes it is just a plain cardboard box on a shelf somewhere that most people ignore. I recently found a bunch of Preiser figure packs for $1.99 each.
About 4 months ago I got 2 new Intermountain boxcars for less then the price of one off e-Bay..I still find good deals at train shows,on line and N Scale Yard Sale.Then the local use market is a good as place as any to find a fair deal. As far as e-Bay you need to know when and how to strike...I watched my son walk off with some good deals on roll playing game miniatures that he resold locally and made a small profit...I tried it on several items and ended up with good deals.
They are out there you just have to search. Found the new LPG cars from athearn for $16.09. I had to search all over but that was the best price I found. Atlas prices continue to climb. Kato and FVM will probably be the way I go. dave t
I'll second the mention of Nscaleyardsale. I've seen a lot of very reasonable prices, including many Micro-trains cars for under $10. I've been more of a seller than buyer, but it seems to be a venue that serves well both sides of the equation.
You think hobby shops and even online stores are just tired of working their butts off and making no money? That's the real truth.
I've noticed this cycle over the years too, but while the inventory for sale increases in the fall, the starting prices have stayed high over the past few years. A few years ago the trend (to me) shifted away from the swap meet venues to on-line sources (eBay and on-line stores). I lost count of how many times I priced out items at train shows (& LHS's) and found that their prices were easily beat on-line. Now not so much anymore. With a few exceptions, they seem pretty close in prices these days.
What are you looking for. I am selling A LOT of nscale stuff that I have had boxed up for a few years. Kato, Atlas, Micro Trains, and Deluxe. I have everything from modern engines to Challengers and Big Boys. Too much stuff to list here.
Seems to me that a key factor here is pre-orders. No surplus means no need to sell for cheap. Train shows in these parts (few as they are) usually have plenty of material from before the pre-order days, but precious little from afterwards.
My experience has been slightly different on Ebay. I have been changing over to DCC, and have been finding DCC equipped engines for prices comparable to DC. I have still seen engines in the sub $40 range, but since I am really trying to reduce my collection I have taken a pass/
A mixed bag for sure. I recently got over 50 Atlas C&O coal hoppers for $3 each. Old style with rapidos. but installed mt 1015s for a buck a car. Found a new Atlas diesel at a trainshow last year for $20. Rare but it happens.
I don't shop Ebay so what goes on there is an unknown to me. I do however shop the etailers and train shows. Deals at the big train shows like Greenberg etc. are few and sometimes far between. However, at the smaller shows, especially those N scale only shows like the ones in Columbus, OH in May and Bedford, PA in August, there are still deals to be had. Depends on your idea of what a deal is. But when I see an Atlas or MDC car with MT trucks and couplers for $4.00 that, to me, is a deal. One might try the large flea markets also. I picked up about 20 old Atlas and Model Power/Lima PRR coaches for $2.00 each at a flea market. I was going to resell them them for $5.00 because I see these things at the big train shows where the price is $10.00. I never did because the next flea market I went to another vender had them for $2.00 also. They must have made a ton of them.
Yeah, I have always wondered if the limited run business model was an underlying cause. Tighter control of inventory has likely reduced the need for overstock sell-offs. Anyone remember the Model Expo sell-off of the LL GP20's for $15? We'll probably never see anything like that again.
some train store.com is having a sale on Atlas engines, and a lot are $49.99, which ain't bad for a store! There are about a dozen of each model, and they have real time inventory. Lifelike engines are going for $20 to $30, which ain't so bad either.
In my opinion, pre-orders will kill this hobby. How does one expect to pick up new customers if they only produce products for their existing ones? What happens if John Doe decides to try his hand at Model Railroading, only to find there's nothing on the shelves because he didn't put his pre-order in 2 years ago? I will never pre-order an item. If some manufacturers want rely on pre-orders to save a few bucks by producing as little as possible, that's fine. My cash will go to the manufacturers who are willing to do the proper market research and produce enough products to go around. If I miss out on a product because of this, it's the manufacturers loss, not mine.
"De-Accumulation" The economic mess we are in has reached a stage where it just does not matter any more. $100 cash just won't buy enough surcease that it is worth sacrificing ones collection. I will be slowly "de-accumulating" some (60%ish), of my stuff but I'm in no hurry to just unload it. I think other folks in my shoes have reached the conclusion that: Since: The $5 received from selling a $15 box car won't do much for their financial situation and They have plenty of time - (which they do) Why not Take more time and sell it for $10? Even if I could sell 20 cars right away for $5 that really does not help me much. Note: Prices used here are just for example and may not be reflective of the current market.
