Real modelers or impulse buyers -- who's mostly on that auction site?

Backshop Sep 27, 2012

  1. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    Yippurrs, Randy there's no way I could afford that. I was lucky to get them back when and a good friend, helped me out. Two painted A's and one undecorated B unit. Now I need to get it painted and tied in between my two A units.

    Downside, one of the A's isn't working so... I run my last remaining A with an AB set of PA's. Looks good running together. I have a video of LAUPT in the 50's and you can see that UP did the same thing. Grin!

    You did well on your purchase. They're Life Like for goodness sake and should never drive a price like you quoted. One of the reasons I have little to no respect for e-pay. If you get my drift.
     
  2. ATSF5078

    ATSF5078 TrainBoard Member

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    I've probably purchased 50% of my collection on eBay. I mostly only use it to find items that are long sold out at retailers. It's great for finding those items you missed out on or maybe weren't interested in at the time they were released. I shop for specific items and good deals. I've found a couple of '99 run Overland brass engines for a bargain recently. I also use eBay to sell some of my trains that I'm no longer interested in keeping in my collection.
     
  3. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    Randy,

    Your work along with Russell's, Bruce's and I think Kenneth has jumped into the scratchbuilding world are all worth the price tag you gentleman of the model railroad world... put on them. I watch all of you with purpose... Yes sirree!

    So, keep it coming.

    ATSF5078, dang if you don't know how to reel in a guy. I just checked out your offerings. They will sell...just not in a position to take advantage of the items. Good prices...too.
     
  4. nlaempire

    nlaempire TrainBoard Supporter

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    I have to watch myself on impulse buying. Sometimes if the price is what I think is too low, I'll bid at the starting price, expecting to get outbid. I picked up three of Athearn F59s (2x Sounder, 1x WCE) for $32 each, NOS which was a bit humiliating, since a week prior I bought the "hard to find" sounder for $90.

    I'm using the 'bay to look for the following right now:
    - Athearn Bombardier Sounder cars. I'll pay probably $30 each to get them, not including shipping
    - Atlas MP15 Union Pacific. I can't find one anywhere. I might go as high as $90 for NOS
    - Atlas #10 RIGHT turnout. Lefts are all over the place but the right is out of stock everywhere I look.
    - Athearn Chicago fire truck.
    - Intermountain FP7A (two of these, any road... $120 ea is what they seem to be going for and I won't pay that much)

    I also use the 'bay to see what the going price is for things, then compare them to my favorite hobby stores. Items I'm looking to purchase are:
    - Digitrax Super Chief 5amp (radio or regular)
    - Kato P42 Amtrak Anniversary (black face, red face)
    - Kato F40 Amtrak with ditch lights (still holding out for Metra or Amtrak Ph V)
    - Metra passenger cars (looking for a deal on a lot of them)
    - Pico double slip, electrofrog (someday I need to have 23 of these)
     
  5. Randy Stahl

    Randy Stahl TrainBoard Supporter

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    E Bay wouldn't exist if not for the users . It's not e Bay that deserves our respect or disrespect its the users like you and I . A while back when Micro Trains came out with thier heeavyweights I painted a bunch in Milwaukee colors. They looked very nice but I had way too many for my use so I sold them on E Bay. There was immediate interest and the cars sold for what I thought were outrageous prices. I didn't have any control over the bidding so it wasn't my fault the cars were so expensive, Am I an unscrupulous seller as a result ? Is E Bay evil because I got a lot of money for my custom painted cars ?

    I know there are some guys that make them selves look bad when they list a 10 dollar car for 50 bucks but if someone buys it who really looks bad? Truth be told if I see a car go for that kind of money I might be tempted to list mine at the same price.

    In short , I don't blame E Bay , I blame my own greed and the greed of my fellow model railroaders for the mess.

    Randy
     
  6. Spookshow

    Spookshow TrainBoard Member

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    I think Con-Cor's vastly superior M-10000 pretty much killed the resale value of those awful Sunset brass M-10000 sets. As noted previously, that's generally what happens when somebody comes out with a mass-produced plastic version of a model that was previously only available in brass. On the other hand, witness the escalating insanity that is brass PRR steam. Since these are unlikely to ever see the light of day as plastic models, the prices on eBay keep going up (and up and up and up).

    FWIW, I wouldn't even pay $25 for one of those Sunset M-10000's (let alone $250).

    -Mark
     
  7. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    Randy,:uhoh:Uh Oh!

    I meant no offense to you personally and if you made a killing for custom work...why not? I think I said any price you fella's put on exceptional scratchbuilding aka custom work is worth it.

    The thing that offends me is it creates a psuedo economy and becomes the measure for future train pricing in the minds of many would be model train sellers. See examples of that thinking here on TB. Something like... they have the crown jewels and of course they must be collectors pieces. Not so in most cases.

    A bidding war is just that and the one who pays the highest price is the...ahhm...winner? Or looser...! Depending on the item, how old it is and whether or not it was trash to start with. Of course one man's trash can be another mans pride and joy and so it goes.

    For me, I may be buying another man's trash, for parts and there's no way I want to pay ORIGINAL MSRP, and certainly NOT todays MSRP or Epay's sticker shock. I start with the Original MSRP cut to half and drop from there.

    You are good with me and I'ma glad you did well on your sale. With regard to my comments, no reflection met toward you personally. The market bared what it could and gave you the benefits. Not bad at all. Now quit blaming yourself.

    I need to include a name here of work accomplished that I watch with purpose. Randqust, has put out several kits as well as custom aka scrachbuilt work. Again, those of you who do this kind of work need to set the prices as per the effort you've put into them. My custom work isn't worth paying for but yours. Oolala, nice.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 28, 2012
  8. Randy Stahl

    Randy Stahl TrainBoard Supporter

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    Well I certainly didn't want to come off like I was chastising you , I am certainly not , I'm sorry I was a bit preachy. I certainly don't take any offense and I hope you don't feel like you crossed any line, this is certainly NOT the case.

    Randy
     
  9. Rossford Yard

    Rossford Yard TrainBoard Member

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    I have "overpaid" for a few items on EBay, but am happy with the purchase. I bet that both Rick and the buyers (those slobbering Milw fans!) are both quite happy with the deals they made. The free market at its finest. While auctions are notorious for getting better prices in the heat of the moment, there are no bad guys, and its a nearly perfect system for bringing together buyer and seller.

    Besides, if you buy a lot on EBay, I bet you keep track, and get more bargains than you do "overpaid" items. If you get three bargains, and they overpay, overall, you are paying the right prices, no?
     
  10. tgromek

    tgromek TrainBoard Member

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    I often wish there was a way to filter out all the filler and overpriced stuff on Ebay, then I realize if that were possible, the decent stuff would attract more attention, and probably higher bids. I'm with most of you, I browse there everyday, but I'm only looking for specific items, what I've purchased lately, I have won at pretty low prices.

    It is what it is, as they say, but I try to keep in mind that any item is only worth what someone is willing to pay, often times, that isn't much.
     
  11. CNW 1518

    CNW 1518 TrainBoard Member

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    I'm kinda a mixed bag on this..

    There have been times when I've impulsed on a few buys.. otherwise I have a set idea of what I want.. and will scour Ebay till I can get it for the right price.
     
  12. David K. Smith

    David K. Smith TrainBoard Supporter

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    I think the anti-eBay rhetoric gets a bit misplaced at times. Blaming e-Bay for sky-high prices is a bit like blaming your television set for showing you bad shows. The people who use e-Bay set the prices, and often they may seem outrageous because there are just enough people out there who do not shop around or know the real value of things, and are willing to pay most anything for what they want. Are these sellers being dishonest? No, they are charging what the market will bear; there are no laws against that. And there is nothing to force anyone else to pay the same, least of all e-Bay. Dishonesty is posting false descriptions, or shipping merchandise that isn't what you bought. Sadly this goes on, too, and it's very hard to prevent; one must simply be dilligent. Caveat emptor. As for filtering out high prices, that is possible. When you run a search for an item, sort the results by price. This allows you to make more informed choices.
     
  13. FriscoCharlie

    FriscoCharlie Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Exactly! Most of the things I buy, I am aware that I am paying what the market will bear. Otherwise, I am getting a bargain and when that happens, I am happy.

    Charlie
     
  14. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    I can honestly say that I have never purchased anything from the site. I've looked from time to time and really have never been tempted and that may be from my overly cautious habits. I've seen my share of complaints about this and that and I really am very reluctant to purchase anything based off a sometimes small and fuzzy picture. I'll stay with my few venders where I know if I have an issue it can be resolved with no hassles and I get good service and pay a realistic price. And the few rare things I do want have not been made yet except maybe in brass and most of that is too rich for my limited wallet. So I will leave the auction site to the rest of you and wish you luck.
     
  15. Tony Burzio

    Tony Burzio TrainBoard Supporter

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    Bought stuff on EBay pretty much from Day 1. Never had a problem, even with stuff from China (the red one). Usually only buy stuff you can't get at the web sites. Haven't bought anything besides magazines at a brick and mortar store for a decade, for I only look dumb.
    :rolleyes:
     
  16. David K. Smith

    David K. Smith TrainBoard Supporter

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    A shame, really, because there are some highly reputable dealers on the Bay with merchandise you cannot find at even the best-stocked of the big-name dealers. Plus, some e-Bay vendors provide far more information on their products than most of the popular dealers; indeed, I have never seen a big-name dealer provide six or more very large, clear images of each item from every angle, plus a full text description. The best you can expect from most dealers is a small, manufactuer-supplied image that's often less than adequate--if that; some offer nothing more than the manufacturer stock number. Seriously?

    Yes, there are plenty of questionable sellers who post the classic fuzzy thumbnail, but that's an unecessary stereotype that misrepresents a lot of good people. I have dealt with many online vendors, both on and off the Bay, and if you do just a little bit of homework, you can land yourself some exceptional deals, supported by top-notch service, from reputable e-Bay dealers. Honestly, it doesn't take much work to figure out where to shop.
     
  17. Grey One

    Grey One TrainBoard Supporter

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    I've never bought or sold anything there. I never have been tempted. I'm just too distrustful. I have used PayPal to transfer money to someone who did paining for me.

    I'm hoping Google will start a site. We shall see.
     
  18. FriscoCharlie

    FriscoCharlie Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    You guys are certainly welcome to your opinion on this but my take is that you are missing out! I've been a member of eBay since 1998. I look at the site every day. I have the Android app on my phone, which works great. I have a lot of things in my railroad collection that I would not have if it were not for eBay. When you look at a seller's profile and see that they have hundreds (of often times thousands) of positive feedback, you can probably assume that you are dealing with a legitimate seller.

    I just bought two boxcars for less than $5 each that I have been seeking for a long time. Exciting, yes! And books, wow. I've bought a lot of books that I would never have found otherwise.

    I'm a big fan of both eBay and Amazon.
     
  19. Kenneth L. Anthony

    Kenneth L. Anthony TrainBoard Member

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    I hope that is a typo. Or do you really mean you paid deliberately for pain?

    I really do not care a lot who is "mostly" looking at that auction site-- but what I can find that fit MY interests. I am not in the "1 percent" financially, but my interests are probably in the 1 percent of what I see in hobby shops and online.
     
  20. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    Maybe to clarify some here. First I do realise that there are some very reputable dealers out there on the site so I do not mistrust all there. But I have been in model railroading way before the internet and Ebay and thus have most of what I want with the few exceptions because they haven't been produced yet. And my total time spent on modeling is probably less than 5% of my time. I just have too many other interests in my life. I haven't touched the current project for over two weeks now. And as far as dealing with an auction I would rather not and I just don't have the time to follow them if I did. My plain old cellphone has no apps and stays off 90% of the time. My few purchases are mostly with a discount dealer near me and ocassionally at a dicount vender at a show and the few cars I need that I can't, or don't want to build, I usually can get at either place. Most all my books have been bought at discount and some rare ones have been found at small shows. Thus for those that have the time and money and like the auction routes go for it and good luck to them. And I am aware of the buy it now provisions. Most are usually priced above what I consider the actual value anyway.
     

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