Trainz seems to list items at a very high price, then start lowering the prices slowly until they sell. They used to have their own auctions that usually had much better deals to be found, but have recently changed over to Ebay exclusively with this now list high and slowly drop the price model. I have bought from them before but you just need to be patient and wait. Of course, the last time I bought something from them (5/13) I'm still waiting for the package to arrive via Fed Ex...humm
Back in the day.... I used to buy 'Estate Sale' lots like that. Break them up into matching sets...or smaller lots ...and resell them. I started bids at .99 and let the bidding wars begin !! I always 'tested' everything to make sure they ran, If they didnt...they where listed as 'parts'. I almost always doubled my $$$. This was back when Ebay wasnt the FUBAR mess it is today.
WOW. I should start scrounging yard sales. Then I could invest five bucks and sell it for several hundred times that and retire.
Give it a few days and they will probably be listed again, only one engine at a time and not as a lot... BTW: I saw MAYBE one engine that I would have thought about buying for $20.
I almost hit the floor I was laughing so hard when I saw this one "Missing bottom"? https://www.ebay.com/itm/144053518858?hash=item218a42420a:g:DDYAAOSwItxgru9f
It does seem to be missing the bottom. And the inside middle. And almost anything else that would command that price, although shells are going for a fair amount these days.
This seller from Kansas has been on eBay since 2012 and appears to be an antique dealer with 110 sales in the last 12 months. Two N scale locomotives are listed. One is an Atlas GP-7 for $119. Since the Atlas SD9 is missing the bottom, it is worth half $119 or $59.
What do you think is the story with another seller from Wichita, KS who has priced a lot of locomotives and rolling stock 3-4 times original msrp? Looks like their main business is selling pipe valves and such. https://www.ebay.com/itm/274737448431
The Allison engines are rather rare if you are into Allison engines, but ALL of his stuff is just fantasy prices. Trains, tank engines, B-52 ejection seats, "double neck" guitar (actually two guitars in one case with the body flipped, not one guitar with two necks), talk about someone who has everything...(except money at his prices)
WOWOWOWOW!!! If I had the money I would be grabbing all of those Allisons, right now. Breaking down their doors! Well worth the prices, operable or not. I have not seen that many from any one source in decades. !!!!!!!!!!!!
There is much humor to be found in that seller's listings. One of my many thoughts was "Roundhouse Kit > Athearn Built-Up Car?"
eBay Humor, Postal Service Department... ANOTHER rate increase coming, with packages to get hit again... https://www.govexec.com/management/...backlash-expected-soaring-price-hikes/174329/
"...expected to increase revenue..." Hmmm. If based upon current business levels, how do they factor in what they might lose to e-payments instead of paper mail? Or to competitors such as Fedex, UPS, DHL, etc? The Internet is full of ads now and getting worse daily. Will this lead to junk (paper) mail fading? Somehow these guesstimates always seem rather on the optimistic side of the scale.