I've got a number of locomotives and maybe some rolling stock I'd like to sell. The problem I have is that for most of the items, I no longer have the original boxes. I understand that the value may and probably be less without the boxes. I'm simply looking for an effective outlet to sell them. Should I be looking for local train shows or swap meets? Craigslist? Packing trains up and shipping them without a box isn't going to work so I think I need to stay local. Thank you, Jas
Seems to me there should be a way to adapt non-model boxes to safe packaging use. Foam wrap, bubble wrap and ample use of strapping tape.
I've sold quite a few freight and passenger cars online without boxes. I've made clear they don't come with boxes and make sure to package them carefully. Most of what I have isn't vintage or rare or exotic. One thing to consider, and I don't want to be mean, if you're thinning out old blue box Athearn or other stuff of similar vintage it's probably not going to sell for much.
As long as you say there is no box, and pack it well, someone will buy it on the internet. Out of the millions of people just in the US, I think at least one of them would buy a locomotive without a box. I know if it was a good model, and was a decent price, I would think about it, so why not someone else?
I think it's going to depend mainly on whether you're hoping to attract collectors or modellers as customers. The former will not be happy without the original packaging,the latter shouldn't care nearly as much.
Yep, just advertise honestly condition of model and there is not box, but that you will carefully wrap model in bubble wrap and padding to ship. I've done that and it hasn't been an impediment so far to selling. I try to price accordingly, maybe a little less than if I was selling a NIB model.
Thanks forum members. I've done quite a bit of thinning this past week on the big auction site. First to go was most of the collection which were still new in the box. I also put up my two ore docks which won't go on my current layout. Lastly, I did find some HO scale train boxes on the auction site. I bought a few sets of them which I'll use to thin out locomotives and rolling stock for which I have no boxes for. At the right price, the trains move swiftly. I'm finding some of the items have appreciated in value based on what I originally purchased them for between 2002-2006.
