Here is another one, although this is more of a general complaint, not necessarily about one specific product. It has to do with the prices of pretty much any Walthers product. I've been looking at their bi and tri-level enclosed autoracks for a while, and I'm amazed by their prices: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=walthers+autorack&_sacat=0&_sop=10 Even the new runs at hobby shops sell for $50+. This is the same Gold Line tooling that has been around for at least 15 or 20 years now. I know they made some improvements to it since the kit days, but still, this is not new tooling. I know their prices are inflated just because it's under the Proto brand and they think it's a 'premium' model. Their newer Mainline cars are similarly detailed and come at much lower prices. I saw similar tactics with their Evans Coil Car too. They were also priced over $50 at most hobby shops. Meanwhile, the cars lack coupler cut levers, trainline air hoses, most brake plumbing, and use mostly re-used tooling from the old kit version. It's a mediocre model at best, and it definitely doesn't have the detail to be considered a top-level Proto model. I purchased a new Tangent Greenville Boxcar for the same price, and those models have superior underbody detail, road name variation, rotating bearing caps on the trucks, and Kadee scale couplers. Even Exactrail's new Bethlehem hopper run is sub $50, there is no reason for these prices from Walthers. I dislike the trend these manufacturers are following, especially with the prices of older tooling. Athearn is doing similar things with old A-Line and Roundhouse tooling, and it encourages eBay sellers to raise their prices as well. If 20 year old tooling still in production is fetching 50 dollars as a new model, it seems only natural that old models on eBay are the same price. After all, the new models are exactly the same as the old ones. This model is $50 on eBay right now: https://www.ebay.com/itm/144422912212?epid=1724533633&hash=item21a046c0d4:g:K3YAAOSwT95iEYoz This model was released in 2000, making it 22 years old. It has a $25 sticker on it, and according to an inflation calculator online, it should cost $40 in 2022. That exact same tooling is $50 dollars at my local hobby shop, and $55 dollars at Trainworld, a Trainboard advertiser. Something doesn't add up here. That's a 25% increase ON TOP of inflation.
Could easily be both, and other expenses as well. How about a pair of socks? Only $99.00 for the left foot and $99.00 more for the right foot.
I was asked to take an online survey this weekend about Model Railroad online vendors. At the end of the survey they made the mistake of asking my opinion. So, I told them that what's missing in the market is an "entry level" or even "mid-level" product. It's hard to sell this hobby to kids, Moms, or people just getting started when a boxcar costs $50. Not everyone is a rivet counter and some of us are content to upgrade 1970's era Tyco cars to steel wheels and Kadee couplers.
There are thousands of Athearn Blue Box kits out there, go to ebay or any train show, the problem is they want $20.00 or more for a $4.00 kit. Rick Jesionowski
Better mark them left and right. Otherwise I'll keep getting them mixed up! I need a left hander for fine tuning muffler bearings.
Can we talk about the 'BrassTrains tax' too? This one might be touchy since they are technically a retailer, but I figured this product is along the same lines an an eBay humor post: https://www.brasstrains.com/Classic...98-Custom-Weathered-No-Box-AS-SHOWN-IN-PHOTOS $300 dollars for an Athearn Blue Box flatcar and trailers which look like Athearn or Herpa models? I know this is supposed to be a 'humor' thread, but it isn't even funny at this point. The flatcar is missing a coupler no less. At least it has metal wheels though. Coming from an eBay scam is one thing, but this is major model distributor and buyer. It makes me wonder how much their brass models are inflated if an Athearn model is $300
For only $24.95, here's a PRR N5c with ..... well, I'm not sure. I think the roof has slid to one side. You'd think that a Seller named "modeltrainmarket" with over 67,500 transactions might take a minute to fix something like this.
Well, to be fair, someone did go to some trouble to model the very early days of piggyback service here. That's an area long overlooked by manufacturers. But yeah. Yikes.