Selling Train Stuff - Advice

I suspect as times get worse and it becomes much more difficult to provide for our families that many will be tempted to sell off their model railroad collections. I would advise reconsidering such a decision. And, yet I've been there myself.

Prices: What I've seen as of late, whether it be at swap meets, e-may and or our Train Store is you will find sellers, selling off their beloved items... for all but brand new prices. Ie., recently a seller priced used Kato Unitrack switches at $15.99 when you can buy new ones at $17.99. I understand the desire to re-coup looses but the train equipment is not new, most likely has been on a layout and as such is over priced.

Pictures: The seller would not post pictures of the equipment for sale. Pictures are a vital part of communicating the state and condition of a product. I won't buy what I can't see. That goes for the local hobby shops, internet hobby shops and those train ads that appear on the various internet media.

In today's world of digital camera's and the picture venues provided here there is no excuse for not providing pictures of said product.

Trust: I trust very little of what I hear, half of what I see and none of what I can't see. It's way to easy to scam folks if you don't provide the needed details to make a sale. What are they...you are asking? Have you read the above? Grin.

I would appeal to all sellers here and/or elsewhere to reconsider their pricing, provide pictures of evidence of said product. With today's spiraling cost of fuel, prescriptions price of food. Gosh I spent over $200.00 dollars for groceries that will last me two weeks. It wasn't five years ago I spent $150.00, for the same food items.

May I suggest: It's hard to take a loss when selling our train goodies. But in all fairness they do need to be priced attractive enough and friendly enough to move them. The all important cash flow that keep's our homes a float, deserves good stewardship. However, just like you I don't want to take a loss and I understand that. Just something to consider.

What do you think?

 

Since we are being blunt, when I see used trains for sale (and if you are selling your stuff and are not a hobby shop selling brand new, it IS used), I won't even look if it's priced at more than half MSRP. If I get it, and something isn't right, or damaged, I have to pay full price for the parts to make it right. There is no warranty on pre-owned trains.
It doesn't take many broken or missing parts to make something cost more than I could buy a brand new item for. Plus, new items would be covered by a warranty.
I looked at an ad for a locomotive advertised as brand new condition, for ten dollars less than full list price. Then, upon reading the rest of the ad, it turned out the locomotive was missing the little bags of detail parts. Let's see... You want me to pay $10 less than retail, pay $10 for you to ship it to me, then pay the manufacturer another $20 for all the parts that are missing, then pay another $8.85 to ship those parts to me? When I can go down the street and buy the same thing from my LHS for full retail, with no missing parts, and have a full warranty if I need it?
So, if you are offering anytging for sale, and "it's only missing a few parts", there is zero incentive for me to buy your used item. I'm not saying you should give your stuff away, but y'all need to be reasonable.

 

Pictures are a must!! I agree with Rick, I won't buy/or believe, what I can't see. As to pricing..........I understand wanting to get the most for something you sell, but I think people need to realize they aren't going to get "retail" for the stuff they sell. That is true in any hobby where the commodity is bought & sold........be it coins, stamps, trains, whatever. A lot of the time, "your" stuff is bought to be re-sold, and there is no profit to be made at "retail". For myself, I'm buying for my own layout & looking to get items at a savings. When I cruise "evil-bay", I always pass up the sellers who are asking "retail" + shipping automatically, as I can then do better at my local shop where I don't have shipping costs.

 

I think most of this stuff kinda takes care of itself in our "free market".

Without photos, price too high, overpriced shipping, payment method....all of these affect whether or not the item will sell. And, if it does then that probably means the item is in demand for some other reason....limited supply, collectability, etc.

Trying to dictate/educate people on how to market their items is usually about like trying to push string uphill or herd cats. And in some cases it is simply the buyer not willing to pay the market price, too. In some cases sellers are willing to capitalize and/or "wait it out", too....see if someone that needs it NOW, or doesn't have time to shop around, or is buying every one of an item they see regardless of price.

Personally, I normally only take PayPal simply because I don't want to have to deal with a check or money order. I have about a 50% problem rate with money order transactions and they have cost me big time in a couple of cases. There typically are enough folks that have PayPal that losing potential customers falls under an acceptable concession.

Sometimes, I don't have time to take photos, edit, post, etc. Especially for "trading post" items that are priced dime on the dollar, I figure at least one buyer will take the chance on the item without me having to take the time and effort. I always take photos for auctions though.

I quit getting worked up on this kind of stuff long ago. Not something I can control, and at the end of the day sometimes you just have to pay a little more than you would like if you really truly want an item that is hard to find.

 

The value of anything is this world is precisely what someone is willing to pay for it. A good salesperson (seller) will be able to increase that value, and a numpty buyer can increase it way over the odds but to a large extent its down to supply, demand, and unfortunately, luck

As to Rick's first paragraph - yes, when times are bad everywhere it is the worst possible time to start liquidating assets. Demand is down for the same reason you are selling, so obviously prices will be down too. No, I don't have a solution - if I did I'd be out making my first few $million

 

Hear, hear!

Talk about optimistic: A few months ago, I came across a seller on eBay who was unloading his entire HO collection, as I recall. All his locomotives he'd listed were put up with a starting bid of the MSRP! I can only presume he was "trying to recoup his investment," or words to that effect, per his item descriptions.

Hmm... I guess he wondered why he wasn't getting any bids.

Dieter Zakas

 

I am little by little trying to ndispose of surplus stuff that doesn't fit my plans. Good thing I am not trying to "recoup costs and nsupport the family." I am just trying to GET INTO THE TRAIN ROOM so I can play with what I am keeping.


(This is an old picture. It is now piled higher and deeper...)

 

The Market Works

I agree with Doug A that the free market sorts this stuff out.

One of my favorite sellers never posts photos, just lists of items with basic info and prices. I can't bring myself to sell something without photos, because I never get a good price when I don't.

I don't like checks or money orders, because it's really not worth my time to drive to the bank and stand in line at the bank to cash them. So PayPal it is, if you don't do PayPal, sorry we are in a different marketplace.

 

I also agree that the market will sort most of this out. I often prefer using PayPal to pay because I don't like sending personal checks in the mail to people I don't know and there is no kind of aggravation like going to the post office near my office to stand in line for anything, postal money orders included. I understand that not everyone wants to use PayPal, so if it's something I am buying and I really want it I figure it out.

There were questions about WTB in another thread. WTB is "want to buy." It's a pretty commonly used acronym.

Pictures are better than no pictures, but again, those ads without pictures tend to sit longer or go through rounds of price decreases. The market sorts those out, too.

Adam

 

Mike and of course all tuned in,

Your last paragraph and last sentence...isn't that the truth. Grin!

Heck, talking about markets... the market I shop at just keeps getting more and more expensive. They don't sort out anything and it all goes up in price. Grrrrr!

 

I'm not sure what the original posters point is.

I am inclined to think that selling the trains to keep the house is a good option. I got laid off a few years ago and sold off most of my collection. Almost my entire N scale collection over 30 locos and around 130 cars. All my ho scale stuff except for a steam engine that wouldn't sell.

I found the experience rather cleansing. I still love trains and have my smaller collection now. It is all my very favorite stuff.

When I bought my train stuff I had thought it would appreciate in value; I quickly learned that I was making maybe 30% of what I had paid for it.

My strategy was too list everything starting at a dollar. It generated activity in bidding wars. Listing at what you want isn't exciting for the bidders. Everyone is looking for a deal.

I salvaged what I could of my track from the medium sized layout and am building a 2x3 foot switching oval. It's great fun and I find I am back to enjoying model railroading despite the setback. In fact I am inclined to view the whole experience as good.

 

Guys,As far as used prices there are ways to get a good price and the number one way is rarity of the item..

A quick lesson.

How many think this is a common Athearn RTR car?




You thought wrong..

Its a rare car because there was one run back in '05 and can bring top dollar-I seen one sell for $55.00 at a show while the match set was $100.00.

Now there are common cars that should bring $3.00-8.00 used with KD couplers.

I agree a photo can sell a product as long as its clear and bright..Both sides and ends should be shown.

A dark photo is a warning flag as far as I'm concerned and I'll pass you by.

 

Since I have been selling some items, I have been making pictures available upon request. Some people request them, others dont. I have a disclaimer in my posts that I prefer paypal, but also accept cashiers check and money orders. Most people use paypal, however, I had one gentleman that bought some cars from me that sent me a money order. Yes, it wasn't as fast as a paypal transaction, but it worked for both of us.

I have been interested in some items before and purchased off of ebay without pictures and got burned. So with that being said, I dont buy without a picture anymore. The one transaction that I did get burned on, I should have suspected something when the seller (whom was local) refused to meet me for the final transaction saving me some $$$ on shipping. Long story short, it was described as an Atlas classic GP 35 in GN that had been test run only. I bought it for $55. When I got the item, it was a GN GP35 shell alright but it had an old Atlas/Kato drive GP 35 chasis under it with wheels that were so dirty I had to take loco completely apart just to scrape all the gunk off of them. Lesson learned for me thats for sure.

 

Concerning selling your stuff, unless it's a very rare item that has generated a lot of interest, there is really no sense in selling your equipment, especially if you plan on rejoining the hobby when things are better. Your not going to come anywhere close to recouping your investment.

As far as Paypal, I will always require it, and if I lose a potential bidder that's okay with me. With Paypal I have access to the funds immediately. I do not wish to wait for a check in the mail, go to the bank and deposit it, and then hope it clears.
Sorry guys, it makes no sense to me to accept anything else, especially on something that most of the time has a very thin margin.

 

I have gotten burned by bad checks. I only accept them from people I know.

 

What did he mean?

I was wondering what he meant as well. In case you hadn't noticed...I'm sitting right here and I can hear you. COL

Your assignment will be to go back and read it again. Still don't get it? Well...read on. Grin.

There isn't enough money in most train collections to save you from loosing your house. Better to hang on to the collection in hopes things will improve and you will once again be able to set-up a layout and operate trains.

I have sold off pieces to provide food for my family. That backfired in my face but that's another story for another time and place.

The one constant in my life has been my train collection. Not overly expensive, not collectors items but valuable to me. Always there when I need a diversion or distraction from the less then fortunate realities of the moment.

I've spent years collecting certain pieces of equipment. To part with them would be like parting with an old friend.

Now, if all I had was junk then that's another story. Typically, I won't sell off junk. I will give it away to someone that wants to fiddle, recycle or restore it back into service. There's no need for someone to suffer the embarrassment of purchasing junk and then realize they've over spent. Thanks anyways but, I've already been there...done that.

For some getting the best price on a piece of junk is a big game. Or getting a pile of junk for next to nothing and hoping there are some good finds mixed in. Some get off on suckering someone into over paying for a pile of shifting sand. Whatever, is your thing... it will most likely become your reputation.

Times will tell and I suspect there will truly be N Scale items that will become collectible and perhaps in later years...considered to be "Collector's Items". We are a ways off from having N scale Collectors Items. There are "Finds" and for example the original Kadee N scale cars, Kato-Atlas combo's, ConCor-Kato combo's, and early Micro-Trains cars and as Brakie pointed out those one time runs. Just to name a few.

I have a Micro-Trains "St. Mary" box car I won't part with. My best working experience was working for a hospital with the same name. So, I have a sentimental attachment to it. The same could be said of train equipment my dad purchased and is still operating today. I wouldn't part with it.

That's enough for now. This should stimulate some discussion. At least for those who enjoy picking apart what I say. But, look at all the fun they are missing out on... if they don't. laugh:

Did you figure out what I meant? Still clear as mud...right? Just as I thought.

COL

 

BoxcabE50,

I don't think anyone has said PayPal is "failsafe". But personally, I've had zero problems with it versus mega problems with Money Orders (and checks, although I've seldom dealt with them) so it's obviously what you are comfortable with. At this point, even if I did have a problem with PP the score would be Check/MO's 9, PP 1.

As many transactions as I've done, I wouldn't even want to think about the time I've saved using PayPal. Not to mention the lost sales or lower final auction values if I didn't take it. My credit union is 30-75 minutes away (and worse yet...very close to my LHS...lol) so I'm faced with a serious drive or mail to deposit checks and MO's. Mail = no thanks....and that might be the first time I ever heard anyone use the adjective "quickly" to describe the USPS...lol The closest post office to me closes anywhere from 20 minutes (minimum) to 5 hours early versus posted hours on any given day. If you are "lucky" enough to make it in, you have a 20 minute wait, minimum. If it weren't for e-postage, the postman wouldn't have to shoot me...I would have offed myself a long time ago waiting in line.

Anyway, not trying to say PayPal is perfect, and I've heard the horror stories and don't doubt them. Just a differing perspective.