eBay N-Scale purchases

Grantha May 22, 2000

  1. Grantha

    Grantha TrainBoard Member

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    I am interested in hearing how many of you are purchasing model railroad cars, etc. through Ebay auctions. [​IMG]

    In particular can you share any experiences either positive or negative. I would also be interested in the experiences of Canadian purchasers from US vendors.

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    Keep on the right track!!
     
  2. virtual-bird

    virtual-bird TrainBoard Member

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    <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Grantha:
    I am interested in hearing how many of you are purchasing model railroad cars, etc. through Ebay auctions. [​IMG]

    In particular can you share any experiences either positive or negative. I would also be interested in the experiences of Canadian purchasers from US vendors.
    <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

    I can recommend a few. Im in Aussie these sellers are in the USA.

    Omahacowboy 100% satisfied. - cars and kits.. I ALWAYS check his auctions
    iracowboy 100% satisfied. - Locos and cars - I ALWAYS check his auctions.
    Lowery@red****... 100% satisfied. - I ALWAYS check his auctions
    trainhaus - 100% satisfied!!
    Stout Auctions. - Locos and more -sometimes look for his.

    Last is tbucy@lainet.com - steam locos...

    Also these few are fast to answer any questions, and if you need anything I ask them if they have it. They have helped others in our club with locos unavailable here in Sydney.

    Check my history on ebay
    virtual-bird
    read then check what I said about the sellers.

    No problems yet!

    [This message has been edited by virtual-bird (edited 22 May 2000).]

    [This message has been edited by virtual-bird (edited 23 May 2000).]
     
  3. virtual-bird

    virtual-bird TrainBoard Member

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  4. Grantha

    Grantha TrainBoard Member

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    I have to admit I'm a newbie [​IMG] to the internet auction world. Perhaps some of you would like to share other auction sites than EBay that you use and have either good or bad experiences with as well.
     
  5. FriscoCharlie

    FriscoCharlie Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    I have bought not only some woo woo woo but also memorabilia on eBay. No problems so far. I don't even bother checking any other auction site besides eBay. My girlfriend sells on there also.

    Charlie

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    Ship It On The FRISCO!
     
  6. virtual-bird

    virtual-bird TrainBoard Member

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    theres also AMAZON.COM

    they have an auction site.....
     
  7. BNSF1079

    BNSF1079 Guest

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    HELLO RAILFANS,
    well just to let you all know , i aswell as my brother have been selling on amazon.com for some time , and have a great feed back rating , i will say this as far as buying on e-bay good luck , as far as selling ? well you take your chances , as far as the two auctions go , well the big different is this on amazon .com you have to have a credit card to buy or sell that takes care of all the kids out there who want to bid and not pay , as for more great dealers on e-bay , i too have had nothing but good luck with lowery@redshift.com
    and there is now a new guy down here by us in tampa who goes by the name
    lexbob
    so good luck in all your auctions deals.

    Kevin
    C.E.O.
    PLUM-A-NEARLY RAILROAD INC. http://PLUMRRINC.web.com
     
  8. chessie

    chessie TrainBoard Supporter

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    I enjoy both buying and selling on eBay, and have since 1997. (My user ID is chessie). I am not a professional dealer, but rather buy and sell as my collection grows and tastes change. I have also bought some collections from individuals to get items I wanted, and sold remaining items on eBay. I believe in honesty and integrity on both ends of the sale and have had an (overall) outstanding experience. It is important to review the other parties feedback rating to get an idea of what others who have transacted with them say. This is a good indicator of how your deal will be handled. It is important to ask any questions you have BEFORE you buy to prevent potential misunderstandings. One of the most important items is communication: it is not like a retail store where you are standing with the selling exchanging money; Internet buying can be a very cold or scary experience (who wants to send money to strangers?). Trust and reputation are important.

    As far as shipping to foreign countries, I think many sellers on eBay do not bother because it is perceived as a hassle. The U.S. Post Office does not even know how to handle International shipments, and I have encountered difficulty shipping items to foreign countries. (So far, I have shipped to Canada, Australia, Switzerland, and England). ALthough I printed the shipping instructions off the Post Office Web site, clerks routinely did not understand them or ignored them. But I keep trying... I believe in the Golden Rule, and know they appreciate my efforts (I would, if I was in their shoes).

    As far as Online Auctions, eBay clearly has the largest audience and selection of products. The new N Scale Auction site has yet to become a major contender in this arena, and suffers from little publicity, poor traffic, and lack of product offerings. (For example, the NSA has 70 Micro-Trains cars listed for auction; only 4 have bids; in contrast, eBay has close to 1000 MT cars currently and over 2000 N/Z scale items offered.)

    Hopefully that will give you a little insight into the eBay world!

    Chessie
     
  9. Ratcals

    Ratcals TrainBoard Member

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    I highly recommend EBay. I've bought several items from there with zero problems. I just make sure the seller has a fairly well established history first. Be aware of items being sold/bid too high. I've seen some of the micro-brewery trains (ones that are still available) from Aztec go for way more than you can buy brand new. Just make sure you do your homework first. I also like the PayPal feature that some sellers have set up. I makes paying for an item very smooth. If you plan on doing any serious buying then I would set yourself up on PayPal.

    I'd also like to add to the suggested seller list: trainhaus


    Mark
     
  10. mhampton

    mhampton TrainBoard Member

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    I have bought and sold N, G, and Railroadiana on eBay and have yet to run into anybody who has made it a bad experience. (If you ever run across casey.jones while shopping there, that's me.) Perhaps model railroaders are just the best people to work with!

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    Michael Hampton
    Nashville & Southern RR
     
  11. upguy

    upguy TrainBoard Member

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    I buy and sell on eBay under the ID "rett-42." My eBay experience has been very positive with few or no problems. The biggest problem that I ran into was receiving a non-powered engine that was represented as powered. It was a mistake on the part of the seller, and we worked throught the situation.

    I have looked at other auctions, but eBay is the only auction that appeals to me. The others just can't compete--too bad in a way, but I don't see it happening.

    I usually buy western roads like Union Pacific and Burlington Northern, and sell eastern roads that I have acquired one way or another.

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    Rett
     
  12. BC Rail King

    BC Rail King E-Mail Bounces

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    Sometimes I wonder why people buy things on E Bay. Sometimes it makes perfect sence, but I saw a guy buy an Athear caboose for half the price it is in a store, but he would also have to pay for shipping, making it cost more. Sheesh! LOL [​IMG]

    Happy Railroading!

    Dane N.

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    TAMR2860-AKA BC Rail King
    TAMR2860@Canada.com for TAMR info.
    To send a general TRAIN! E-Mail send to
    BCRailKing@Canada.com
     
  13. mtaylor

    mtaylor Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    I have bought a ton of stuff from Ebay with no problems. I have also sold items on ebay with no hassles. Dane, you are so right!! I have seen garbage sell like gold on ebay. Other times gold sells as garbage. It can be a strange beast. I only buy when I can not get the item locally at a reasonable cost or online at a good price. I have also bought from nscaleauction.com I do not like nearly as much as Ebay because it is nearly impossible to determine a seller's rating. In fact, I backed out of a transaction (and made myself look like a fool) with the person who turned me onto this site. Ebay is still the best auction site.

    Matt
     
  14. porkypine52

    porkypine52 TrainBoard Member

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    Yes I have been bidding and buying on eBay. Most (99%) of the sellers are on the up and up. I have also used other auction sites, N-Scale Auction, Yahoo! and Amazon. I hear that Tex-N-Rails will soon have an auction site. Some of the sellers don't know what they are selling and ask retail for an item. This won't go with me because you still have to add shipping costs. Let me say something about shipping. I use United Parcel Service any time I can. With UPS you get tracking for your package, $100 insurance and just plain good service for the single price you pay to send a package. UPS is the way to ship overseas also. I have been buying alot of SHINOHARA track work on eBay lately. I will buy a turnout or trackwork from a seller, and then ask if they have any more SHINOHARA trackwork that they want to sell. Sometimes you can get a good deal by asking the seller for extra items. If you see SHINOHARA trackwork listed on eBay, I usually will be bidding on it! I am the FLATCAR on eBay.

    Lets Go Run Trains
    MARK


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