More eBay Humor - HO Scale

GP30 Jan 3, 2013

  1. LegomanBill

    LegomanBill TrainBoard Member

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    I'm sure that someone would purchase that group of cars, I mean they may be somewhat over-priced, but they aren't in too bad of shape.
     
  2. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Then they will go to a swap meet, and discover those cars could have been bought for twenty dollars. :(
     
  3. JNXT 7707

    JNXT 7707 TrainBoard Member

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    Well that's the thing. Judging by his huge sales record he does sell things. I'm just astounded when I see somebody offer something at $15.00 per car that could be found at a train show for a third of that. If I were to offer that same group of cars, exactly as pictured, I'd be hesitant to even ask for that much. Maybe I need to rethink my selling strategy.....:rolleyes:
     
  4. YoHo

    YoHo TrainBoard Supporter

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    You guys clearly haven't been to a swap meet lately. Yes, old Bachman can be had at around $5 a car, but in the first set, the engines are going to run you $10 or more and of course, those structures are going to get a bit pricey.

    $300+ is too high, but not stratospherically too high.
     
  5. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Perhaps. But it might also depend upon where, who is selling and why. The few I have attended in recent years, tables with such items get little attention and sell about that much, too.
     
  6. YoHo

    YoHo TrainBoard Supporter

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    Well, that's true, My point was that Trainset stuff is over valued at the swap meet too.

    Same is true with old Shake the box. Though the pricing is for the most part good on cars, it's still a little too high given the glut of product and don't get me started on the engines.
     
  7. JNXT 7707

    JNXT 7707 TrainBoard Member

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    Yeah, probably way more swap meets/train shows than anyone should go to. The Bachmann locos you mention in the first set may be priced $10 more, but they tend to stay in their boxes unsold. Yes structures are pricey, and don't seem to fly off the shelves either. I'm well acquainted with a few dealers structures, that are regular visitors to the swap meets too - they just keep coming back.
     
  8. JNXT 7707

    JNXT 7707 TrainBoard Member

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    Couldn't agree more. The discontinuation of BB stuff made them into 'collector's items' I think in a lot of dealers minds. Their prices can be astounding.
     
  9. YoHo

    YoHo TrainBoard Supporter

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    Even the reasonable prices are in my mind high. Especially for transition era stuff. There is so much of it available that it just doesn't move at what would otherwise be a good price for the quality.
     
  10. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    For fear of repeating myself. Oh well why not. That's why I suggest you start at MSRP, when said product was mass produced and then work down to 1/2 said cost. Now you have a fair price.

    BB stuff as a collector's item? Naw, I don't think so. Not yet! There is still plenty of it around. I suggest however it can drive it's original MSRP, as a fair price. It is a type of custom paint job although mass produced.

    Blue box, originally came cheap enough at very reasonable prices. Awful lot of it still around. Check the box code for MSRP and if it's been labeled over and the code is hidden...it's up to you but, I'll walk away.

    Most seller's are waiting for the right customer to come along to buy their goods. Watching to see if their "Sucker Light" is on. Most of the time they get their price. So there is something to be said here. May I suggest that when the party to whom the seller sold the goods discovers the real value....you got it.

    A lot of the early train equipment manufactured during the 70's and 80's. In any scale but particularly N scale, is stuff, just nothing more then stuff. Should you spot a locomotive you want and can't live without......test track, test track and in case I failed to say so earlier "Test Track". You can't do that on e-pay.

    I don't buy locomotives at most swap meets or train shows. Unless, it is a fairly new run and built by some our finest providers. I still negotiate for....you guessed it.

    I think I've said this a few times here on TB. "Let the buyer beware" old Chinese proverb. Rick reminded all who will read this. Sigh!

    You can't put a price on love or sentimentality... for a specific piece of train equipment. One must look at a realistic and fair price.

    Buy with dignity and respect another person's collection.

    Best of luck.

    Be :cool:
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 14, 2013
  11. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    Adding to my above post.

    You don't want to pay todays prices for yesterdays train stuff.
     
  12. JNXT 7707

    JNXT 7707 TrainBoard Member

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    I'm just trying to figure out why this old BB stuff is priced so high at train shows. I'm not buying at those prices, but I assume somebody is, because I see the same dealers show up year after year (and sometimes the same well-traveled BBs!)

    It is practically mandatory to haggle on the price of anything at a train show. Sometimes I think that's why some prices are over-inflated to give the seller some immediate 'price reduction' room.
    My favorite sellers - and the ones I part with most of my $$ at - are the ones that price realistically and are willing to deal.
     
  13. YoHo

    YoHo TrainBoard Supporter

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    Part of it is that a lot of the in box stuff is from the 90s when the MSRP was higher. Between $7.25-$15
     
  14. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    What I've thrown out there is simply meant to be a guideline to the buyer and seller. Yes, prices are overinflated because it's easier to come down in price then go up.

    BevBel produced some amazing paint jobs but the train equipment they were custom painting is from the older 70's to 80's and early 90's stock. I don't know of to many N scale products selling in the $7.50 range until we got closer to the mid and late 90's. Take sometime to read Kenneth Anthony's work on identifying which train cars were produced prototypically correct. You will find most of BevBel's recreations are on less then prototypically correct train equipment. I have a MR wig wag, from 1989 advertising a custom paint job on an older Atlas box car. Most sellers see a custom paint job and over-inflate the value. Just beware.

    You ought to see what BevBel did with Athearn's HO, shorty passenger cars. N&W paint schemes that were to die for. It's kind of like this. It's the right paint scheme on the wrong train car. I thought you'd catch on.

    From the side door Pullman: YoHo and I are all but on the same page. He's suggested some price ranges that I would agree with, equipment specific. I'm just not one to generalize prices as that may not be realistic. Nonetheless, a good guideline if you don't know the history of the train equipment for sale.

    I agree with your last comment. There are two guys I purchase from almost exclusively. When it comes to used equipment. I know that when I buy I can trust them to tell me the truth about the train equipment and the price is right.

    Negotiate, negotiate, dicker, haggle, bundle (as a last resort) and then start over and negotiate, again!. Oh, and don't look to interested. Sucker light comes on when you do that and they won't budge. Grin!
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 15, 2013
  15. JNXT 7707

    JNXT 7707 TrainBoard Member

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    Interesting stuff Rick. I missed model railroading through most of the 70's, and all the way to 2009. So while I often wax nostalgic about the BB's, I really don't know much of the nitty-gritty details. I did get a handful of BB kits for Christmas in 2005 and thought they were pretty cool. Figured they had been around forever and would continue to be. WRONG! :rolleyes: Oh well!
    I've heard of Bev-Bel too, but again, not familiar with the history.
     
  16. cajon

    cajon TrainBoard Member

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    Since these kind of posts happen so much maybe TrainBoard should start a Forum called "eBay Humor" for all scales. That way the other forums don't get cluttered w/ these kinds of posts all the time. LOL
     
  17. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    Seems to me we are good to go here in the HO department. I do see your point.

    Good idea and you can post it in the "Inspection Pit" or "Cattle Car". So let it be done.
     
  18. JNXT 7707

    JNXT 7707 TrainBoard Member

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    One man's clutter is another man's....oh never mind ;)
     
  19. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    A separate place for these humor topics likely wouldn't work. There are here, (as on many other sites), so many forum-centric posters. You'd be shocked how many do not ever venture outside of Z, N or HO, etc. So that Staff would end up spending added time watching for, and then move, move, move, moving more stuff to where it belongs.... :oops:
     
  20. JNXT 7707

    JNXT 7707 TrainBoard Member

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