Hi, a local shop would like to sell these two trains that I would like to buy: Lionel 2353 Santa Fe with dummy 812$ and Lionel 627 Lehigh Valley 40t Switcher 401$, the price seems too high, unfortunat ely here in Italy it is difficult to find people who know three-rail trains O scale market capable of making a fair assessment. What do you think about it?
Those prices seem to be on the high side. If I recall correctly, there are some variations in those Santa Fe F units. The LV unit looks nice, at least in that photo. Here is an on-line price guide. But it is on the low side for prices: https://www.traincity.com/pg_mgrid.php?mfg=LIONEL+POST+WAR&txt=
Agreed. The seller has them priced eight to ten times higher what they're worth in the U.S.A. LV 627s often sell for $40 to $60 USD depending on condition and the Santa Fe 2353 perhaps $100 to $150 USD depending on condition. As you shop @RMartin , be certain to look inside the locomotive with the body shell removed. A number of Lionel's locomotives (including the F-3's like the Santa Fe) used D-Cell batteries to power their horn and these often leaked, doing significant damage inside the locomotive. The F-3s and others also came in dummy (unmotored) versions and a dishonest or uninformed seller might try to pass one off as a motorized locomotive. Appraising old Lionel trains can sometimes get confusing because of variants that were produced through the years. Collectors prize certain rare colors, railroad names, details, twin motors, paint variations, Magnetraction, couplers, models made for only a year or two and other things. Lionel still makes new trains at different price points for children and adults. That might be an option for you.
PS- Please do not use eBay as a price guide. It is no good in that regard. Sellers usually grossly over-rate and over-price on that site.
Thanks for the advice, can you suggest me where to find Lionel trains? I only know Trainworld that ships to Italy
This site, Traincity sells a lot of stuff that interest me, I wrote them an email for shipping information
Some of us on TrainBoard have remarked on the slow decline of old "collectable" Lionel. Train shows are often crowded with aged men with tables of mostly unsold and overpriced Lionel pretending to thin out their collections. eBay pricing (as @BoxcabE50 pointed out) is much the same. (The trick to eBay is to inquire on Sold items only to learn actual worth). Lionel remains a fascinating and fun area of our hobby, but it pays to do exactly what you are doing and be cautious when buying.
