Hello Does any one know if there is any one out there that takes entire collections of trains and sells or auctions them for a fee? Due to some life changes I have to get rid of my collection however I dont have the resources to auction them my self. If any one knows of such a company or person please let me know. thanks SD
Thanks Tim. It looks like N-Scale really would like to give you store credit now not out right purchase. I will keep looking. SD
I do. I am not a retailer, but a hobbyist, that loves to buy/sell/trade nscale. drop me a line. Thanks T
Check locally for businesses that do exactly what you want on eBay. There are various around me that you just take your stuff in, they list, sell, collect the money and of course take their percentage but it's easier then you having to do all the work and worrying.
HST Hobbies in Clifton NJ. If you want his #,I'll PM it to you. As long as its good stuff,ie,Kato,Atlas,MTL etc
There is a gentleman on ebay. Larry (egatco) He is located in Lake Mead NV. He also advertises in MRR magazine's classified. Highly reputable Hope that helps. Jerry
Commissioning online auctioneer to sell your stuff. He will realize less than 25% of what he would received had he auctioned the items himself.
More information necessary to provide an informed reply Are you in the USA? Are you in an Urban area? How large (# if pieces) is your "collection"? Is it an actual collection, or an acccumulation? Is it high quality items? Is it bottom-of-the-barrel (Lima, Model Power, LifeLike, Bachmann)? Have you kept the original packaging for everything? Is everything USED? still NEW? Abused? Dirty? Are you an experienced n scaler, knowledgable about each item you own? Are you honest? Are you physically able to box & transport the items, if a seller were located in your community? You'll get dozens of 'feeler's from wannabe opportunists. Full time online selling/auctions are a lot of work and very time consuming. The best sellers don't have time to waste persuing these N scale forums. They're hundreds of sellers who do what you're searching for. Only a few of them specialize in trains, fewer yet in n scale. Because of their good reputations they receive more/higher bids. In return they will take more of your money. Having someone else do all the work means you'll realize very little of your original investment. If you paid MSRP (+sales tax) you're going to be shocked and insulted at what offers you get.
Well that is implied by what I said. But I was giving him an option of what to do like he asked. If he wants to go that route he will find out all the details when or if he does.
Based on my experiences both as a seller and an estate liquidator, I would say that your estimate of 25% is very low. Maybe you meant that the auctioneer's fees might lower the seller's net by approx. 25%. In one recent N scale estate I liquidated on eBay I estimated based on research on eBay's 'Completed Sales' and other sources that the estate might receive $1,200 after expenses. We actually delivered almost $1,600 to the estate. Everybody was happy (even the estate attorney!).
Meaningless numbers Your numbers are meaningless without stating the SUM of the MSRP for all pieces sold, the SUM of the winning bids, along with the TOTAL dollar amount you received in the form of s/h charges.
SD, No matter what you do, you will need to make an accurate list of what you have. You should also get an idea of what you would be willing to take for the collection. You could post the list on sites like this one and entertain offers. It would be free and wouldn't take much time. Not having to pay brokerage fees, etc. would allow you to get closer to your asking price. CG
You might want to try trainz.com. They buy collections in all scales. I have not had any problems with them in any dealings with them. Peter
When selling used anything (except, e.g., possibly something with collectible value), MSRP is a meaningless number. If you expect to get anything close to MSRP for most used model RR equipment you are deluding yourself. Also, what does s/h have to do with anything? If you are an honest seller, those are pass-through charges with a net impact of zero. The meaningful numbers are: What can you reasonably expect to get based on market research & the condition of the item(s), how much is the 'broker' charging, and how much money did you actually end up with?
This is a project I would be extremely interested in both as an N Scaler and an eBay Trading Assistant. I am retired so I have the time and inclination to negotiate a rate fair to both of us. I also operate a website www.scale-modelers-handbook.com which provides another sales avenue. You can reach me by email at: reg@billiardscrossing.com .
I was curious about this in a matter unrelated to model railroading so I checked around some local "eBay sellers" who have storefronts for dropoff of items. Your experience may vary of course. I found that their take is in the range of 30 to 40 percent of the final value fee. Some add on other charges. This is in addition to what is often an off-putting "shipping and handling" charge to the seller which in my opinion reduces the final value, sometimes significantly. This can be compounded by refusal to combine shipping ("our systems are not set up to handle this" is an incredibly lame excuse). Exceptions exist, as they always do, but my view is that the aftermarket for "ordinary N Scale" is rather soft right now. I feel for the original poster but I believe that pennies on the originally paid dollar is not an out of line estimate.
There is quite a lot of variability among trading assistants & other estate brokers, so it certainly pays to shop around. I'd start with the people who have posted to this thread who have explicitly offered their services ; since they're TrainBoard members, I would think they'd be most accountable and - hopefully - responsive. [N.B.: I'm not trying to promote myself with this comment - my business comes mainly from referrals and a few estate brokers.] The aftermarket for "low-end" or "ordinary" HO (Accurail, Athearn blue box, etc.) is also very soft right now -- are we getting pickier? do we have more money to spend on better quality stuff? or are we just willing to buy fewer but better-quality items for our hobby?
Do you have any brass steam. I'd be very interested if you had any SP steam locos in your collection. If you go the ebay route, don't skimp on pictures and make sure they are categorized correctly. The wrong category (even within N scale) will cost you 10-50 percent of total value. An example, I purchased a Key MT-1 4-8-2 that was not in brass imports category for 40% less than one that sold a week earlier in the brass imports category. The description is the key, make sure each item is described correctly and listed with a common search title. If buyers can find it without having to do an extensive search, your success rate will increase.
