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Post by rails4dmv on Apr 15, 2014 9:13:34 GMT -8
Has anybody noticed that as of late, eBay listings for HO has been awful?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2014 9:14:54 GMT -8
Awful in what way?
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Post by rails4dmv on Apr 15, 2014 9:41:01 GMT -8
For instance,
Noticing the same items (old & new) being relisted over & over again with no buyers. Seems like there was a time you would find the occasional buy of the day, now seems like the same old stuff.
I know someone else's junk is someone else's treasure but there is a ton of old Tyco and 70's Bachmann & Life-Like items being listed as of late for crazy starting prices.
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Post by spookyac47 on Apr 15, 2014 9:50:31 GMT -8
For instance, Noticing the same items (old & new) being relisted over & over again with no buyers. Seems like there was a time you would find the occasional buy of the day, now seems like the same old stuff. I know someone else's junk is someone else's treasure but there is a ton of old Tyco and 70's Bachmann & Life-Like items being listed as of late for crazy starting prices. Just a thought, as older model railroaders pass away, many of them may have had the Tyco, Bachmann and Life-Like items you are referring to and they are being sold as part of estate sales. Folks would like to think they are worth more than they actually are and list them for unrealistic prices on our favorite auction site and put them on automatic relist if they don't sell.
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Post by valenciajim on Apr 15, 2014 9:55:58 GMT -8
Don,
I am sure that is what is going on. You are spot on.
Jim
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Post by alcoc430 on Apr 15, 2014 10:39:03 GMT -8
I just unloaded a lot of old tyco ahm & 70s athearn stuff there is definitely a demand for it based on the watch counts and number of views I received. Some of these old things get more action then the new stuff that I sold. My average prices for the Tyco and Ahm ranged from $10 to 25 depending on the particular item. The 70s athearn stuff that I had included some switcher chassis and PAs really sold well.
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Post by rails4dmv on Apr 15, 2014 11:01:42 GMT -8
I just unloaded a lot of old tyco ahm & 70s athearn stuff there is definitely a demand for it based on the watch counts and number of views I received. Some of these old things get more action then the new stuff that I sold. My average prices for the Tyco and Ahm ranged from $10 to 25 depending on the particular item. The 70s athearn stuff that I had included some switcher chassis and PAs really sold well. I know the Athearn Blue Box items sell really well, as they should. But I do have a question, and maybe all forum members can school me on this, is there really THAT big a market for old 60-70's AHM, Life Like & especially old Bachmann items? If so, I'm surprised! FYI, just the other day I seen an obscene amount of old brass track & switches sell for over $150! Is there something I'm missing?
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Post by riogrande on Apr 15, 2014 11:17:53 GMT -8
Yes, I've noticed in the last few months it's gotten to be a lot of the same ol same ol, stuff just recycled. It used to be if you watched often you'd see more variety show up - now Ebay seems to be giving people an incentive to take a vacation from them and check back less often. In the Timonium topic people were saying how train shows were less relevant with online and Ebay but EBay's current trend seems to give me more of a reason to have another market to check for new and used stuff. The variety as of late has been greatly diminished so it seems.
That being said, I've found a few things I wanted like some 45' trailers I've been trying to find for a while and got a great deal on a Centralia CA-3 UP caboose for my D&RGW/UP Joint Kaiser coal train.
Personally I wouldn't see that much of a market for old "junk" toy trains - but who knows?
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Post by mlehman on Apr 15, 2014 11:35:00 GMT -8
It's been a trend for sometime for ebay to offer free relistings to sellers, a policy which is all but semi-permanent now. So stuff that doesn't sell because it's priced too high tends to hang around longer. The good stuff gets pumped in, but is sold quickly, too. So it looks like a lot of the same stuff if you only check in once a week or so. If you really want to find something, best to put a saved search in to notify you when an item comes up with an email or text. Otherwise, it's gone...
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Post by surlyknuckle on Apr 15, 2014 12:01:24 GMT -8
Ebay is a mixed bag for me; It sure feels like there's less deals on there than there used to be. Aside from tons of the "junky" HO type stuff, I see a lot of new stock at or slightly above MSRP. Factor in the shipping, and it's like "why the heck would I wanna buy that on ebay?". Primarily, I use ebay for the one-off, type items I'm missing, rather than going on "shopping sprees". I've had some success.
It's puzzling, at least to me, how well some of that older stuff sells. Things like ancient MDC bulkhead flat kits lettered for Trailer-Train, and Athearn blue-box GP38-2s/40-s are going for more than I remember them at trainshows selling for. Maybe the "out of production" mindset is finally kicking in, since none of this stuff is being made anymore.
I wonder what some of the reasons are for buying items like that? For me, it's about sentimental-ness as I piece together favorite trains I had as a child. It seems odd to me, why they sell for $50+, considering a blue blox SD40-2 is...well, obsolete these days.
Anyway, I have to stay-away from ebay...occasionally, I behave very badly. Especially when looking at those brass steam-engines...
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Post by bigblow69 on Apr 15, 2014 12:08:20 GMT -8
I buy a lot on ebay when it comes to train items but as of late there has been slim pickens(not the actor) YEE HAW!
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Post by WP 257 on Apr 15, 2014 12:15:30 GMT -8
I just had 5 listings close that were actually high quality items, not junk, and they didn't do well at all. After trying "buy it now" for a couple days with no interest, and a reasonable price structure, I slashed my prices to $9.95 starting bid on those auctions (less than 10% of value).
The items sold for about 40% of what they were worth (not retail value but street or "sale price" value).
I think less people are shopping for trains on Ebay, period, or else it's just too late in the spring for anything to do well. People are playing outside now.
If less people are shopping, fewer sellers will bother listing trains there.
As a long term occasional seller, I can say the rate of return has been slipping. I hope to be done selling now, forever, on Ebay. All my items to sell, except perhaps one or two, are gone.
Not all of us were "junk" sellers.
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Post by nebrzephyr on Apr 15, 2014 12:33:52 GMT -8
snip "or else it's just too late in the spring for anything to do well. People are playing outside now. My experience over the last 6-7 years is this. The best time to sell model railroad stuff is the winter months. Before I figured this out I would list items in the summer months and they would not sell, then list them in the winter and there would many times be a bidding war. Bob
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Post by riogrande on Apr 15, 2014 12:36:26 GMT -8
I haven't sold on Ebay for years - and by the sounds of things shouldn't bother trying. I have managed to sell most of what I've needed on Yahoo Groups email lists I belong to (RR specific or HOI, HOSwap). If some things don't sell I take break and try again later, eventually most things have sold.
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Post by rails4dmv on Apr 15, 2014 12:46:10 GMT -8
I just had 5 listings close that were actually high quality items, not junk, and they didn't do well at all. After trying "buy it now" for a couple days with no interest, and a reasonable price structure, I slashed my prices to $9.95 starting bid on those auctions (less than 10% of value). The items sold for about 40% of what they were worth (not retail value but street or "sale price" value). I think less people are shopping for trains on Ebay, period, or else it's just too late in the spring for anything to do well. People are playing outside now. If less people are shopping, fewer sellers will bother listing trains there. As a long term occasional seller, I can say the rate of return has been slipping. I hope to be done selling now, forever, on Ebay. All my items to sell, except perhaps one or two, are gone. I had a conversation with another seller on eBay who sells trains and he stated things were extremely slow. Most new items he listed were getting past over for the older "70's junk" items. Which had me wondering if a trend might be coming...
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Post by Brakie on Apr 15, 2014 12:48:57 GMT -8
I suppose it depends on what you are looking for and the way you shop..I have a list of several e-bay stores and I check at least 20 pages or I cut to the chase and type in what I'm looking for.I also use US only and BIN instead of placing my highest bid since there is way to many nut jobs that wants to win the auction regardless of the final cost.
There are still lots of excellent buys on e-Bay but,yas gotta know where to look.
Of course as I mention elsewhere tax refund time and Christmas will cause some sellers to jack their prices.
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Post by marknycfan on Apr 15, 2014 13:24:05 GMT -8
Or as a seller no one is buying new items at great prices but they're snatching up all the 2nd & 3rd rate used items you can post...
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2014 14:28:52 GMT -8
Has anyone considered that the glut of new product hitting the shores from Athearn, BLI, Walthers, etc. is having an effect on the secondary market?
I get nearly DAILY e-mails from various outlets about "Orders due Friday!" or whatever for products from Athearn, BLI, Walthers, etc. If you are buying the latest and the greatest and are not independently wealth, something has to give......and that would be the secondary models.
Mark my word, if John(OnequickChevy) were to put his fabulous Rock Island E7A on e-Bay, he'd easily be getting five to six HUNDRED dollars or more! John's Rock Island AB6 would fetch six, seven maybe even eight HUNDRED dollars! THE RARE OR SPECIAL MODEL WILL ALWAYS SELL AND GENERALLY ALWAYS GET TOP DOLLAR.
There is a lot of competition for new merchandise, and you have MANY OPPORTUNISTIC sellers on e-Bay that don't mind sitting on that complete set Walthers passenger cars at three times the MSRP. It may take YEARS before they sell, but again GENERALLY someone can't live without that set and will hit the Buy-It-Know.
There is a lot of OLD models from estates, yard sales, etc. being sold be some that wouldn't know a diesel from a steam engine.
There are a many models that are seldom seen on e-Bay, like undecorated Athearn RTR SD45T-2's and SD40T-2's. Sit down, buckle up and make sure that wallet is FAT WITH CASH for your going to pay some BUCKS for that model.
Just like a train show, you need to have an idea of what you want and what you are willing to pay when you work the pages of e-Bay. You can do searches so you can eliminate the bulk of the stuff you have no interest. Another key is to keep checking e-Bay on a daily basis, using your searches. This will guarantee you don't miss out on that RARE Athearn RTR undecorated SD45T-2.
Today you may sell an item on e-Bay for a fraction of what you expected. Next week the same item may sell for an amount that will make you smile all the way to the bank. The fish in the e-Bay pond today, will or may not be the same people in the e-Bay pond next week. Timing is everything.
You can also make browsing e-Bay difficult or easy. Saving searches in your bookmarks on your browser and looking every day or at least every other day will help you get through less desirable models as you look for something.
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Post by Brakie on Apr 15, 2014 14:45:48 GMT -8
Or as a seller no one is buying new items at great prices but they're snatching up all the 2nd & 3rd rate used items you can post... I was told by several dealers that is where the money's at.A lot of modelers missed out on (say)Hooten Hollow & Western GP9 #312 because of troubled times now they have the wherewithal and they want it. Nothing second or third rate about that..Its what the modeler is looking for that counts. Since last August I bought several P2K and Athearn SCL, Family Lines and Seaboard System locomotives--nothing second rate about that.I decided to model the prototype I been wanting to do for decades and at 65 it was do it now or forget the idea..I don't regret my choice.
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Post by carrman on Apr 15, 2014 16:13:00 GMT -8
Atlas billboard scheme MILW GP40's sell well when they show up. Undec tunnel motors? Good luck when you do find them.
Dave
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Post by Chad on Apr 15, 2014 16:39:34 GMT -8
I can tell you that Southern Pacific sells well. Last year I sold a couple of Athearn SP SD45T-2's that I had put Tsunami decoders in and weathered them. I thought maybe $150.00 mostly because I had weathered them. They sold for over $300.00. I was shocked. I watch eBay for SP items and most seem to sell pretty well. Makes me glad I model SP just in case I need ever need cash..........
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Post by riogrande on Apr 15, 2014 17:06:03 GMT -8
I can tell you that Southern Pacific sells well. Last year I sold a couple of Athearn SP SD45T-2's that I had put Tsunami decoders in and weathered them. I thought maybe $150.00 mostly because I had weathered them. They sold for over $300.00. I was shocked. I watch eBay for SP items and most seem to sell pretty well. Makes me glad I model SP just in case I need ever need cash.......... Yes, which is why I don't understand why Athearn doesn't run more!!! I tried for an SP SD40T-2 that missed out on and it went for $150. Tsunami's are about $90 by themselves so add that on to the more than $100 selling price, it shouldn't be surprising an equipped tunnel motor would go for more than the combined price, esp well weathered. I've noticed most of the good SP stuff is sold out on Ebay save the remaining stock of Genesis cabooses that are still out there.
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Post by MONSTERRAILROAD on Apr 15, 2014 19:09:00 GMT -8
My MONSTER LED sales are certainly selling very well on Ebay. I will admit that last month I took a small hit in sales compared to the previous 5 months. I sold 52 Kits for the month of November, 58 kits for the month of December, 66 kits for the month of January and February but for the month of March I sold only 44 kits. I think that 44 is a good month but certainly not like the last 5 months. I am happy with the sales at 30+ really. But the month of January and February were great months. fortunately for this month of April I am already up to 33 kits sold and I have 15 days left. So the Monster HO scale kits are doing well and I am very pleased with the business. I OFTEN use much of the money from my sales to buy fun HO scale items that I want. Then again I do put enough of the profit back into the business for products. I find myself buying way more items than I normally would of course. I also collect toys from the 1980's so I have been buying all sorts of toys and even sneakers! I am just having fun all around.
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Post by dti406 on Apr 16, 2014 4:11:06 GMT -8
I was bidding on 4 cars, 2 IMWX Undec Boxcars and 2 Red Caboose 1937 Undec Boxcars, I dropped out when the price exceeded with shipping new cars from Red Caboose, and they ended up going for over $135.00.
I have noticed that the Buy It Now price on stuff is awfully high and stay away as the sellers all mark it RARE when there are tons of it, just look for the bargains. But have noticed that when a good item starts out low the bidding gets it up over the Buy it Now price in a hurry. But I have managed to pick up three Genesis GP9's for an average price of $70.00 so it depends!
Rick J
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Post by riogrande on Apr 16, 2014 4:36:36 GMT -8
Sometimes Buy It Now works for me - it just depends. The key for getting what you want for decent prices is patience patience patience. Most things I've had on my want list have come along as long as I check regularly; it may take months of watching and yes lately fewer choices but keep at it and eventually many things will come along.
As for things marked RARE - its a joke. Most of us who know our products take that with a large box car of salt! That's great Genesis GP9's for $70 - awesome.
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Post by Brakie on Apr 16, 2014 5:09:07 GMT -8
I have noticed that the Buy It Now price on stuff is awfully high and stay away as the sellers all mark it RARE when there are tons of it, just look for the bargains. Rick J Rick,Some of my best deals have been BIN.. I avoid the following: Bidding..Like I said to many nut jobs wanting to win regardless of the final price. "Rare" is a word I skip since it usually has a higher BIN or idiot type bidding.A example would be a Bev-Bel/Athearn MEC/Guliford gray 50' boxcar-you know the type the "Railbox"- selling for $40 some dollars..Going price around $20.00 but,no where near the 40 plus dollar bid war.
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Post by bigb6flyer on Apr 16, 2014 6:00:13 GMT -8
Most people who know what they heck they are bidding for and know what the approximate value of an item in the hobby is know whether an item is "RARE" or not. I don't sell a lot, but I never include such lame statements in my descriptions.
I, for one, sure wish Kato would hurry up and come out with another run of their HO maxi 53' well cars. I'm tired of them going for $160 when they are about $70 when they are in supply. But they are "rare" and "hard to find" lol.
Brad
Ps I replied to one of their YouTube videos and Kato replied saying they would run them again this year. Fyi
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Post by rails4dmv on Apr 16, 2014 6:15:22 GMT -8
Most people who know what they heck they are bidding for and know what the approximate value of an item in the hobby is know whether an item is "RARE" or not. I don't sell a lot, but I never include such lame statements in my descriptions. I, for one, sure wish Kato would hurry up and come out with another run of their HO maxi 53' well cars. I'm tired of them going for $160 when they are about $70 when they are in supply. But they are "rare" and "hard to find" lol. Brad Ps I replied to one of their YouTube videos and Kato replied saying they would run them again this year. Fyi I have the same wish for a re-release of Walthers Horizon Cars. I've seen "Buy It Now" prices or starting auction prices for those old cars rival the new Walthers Amfleets!
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Post by bigblow69 on Apr 16, 2014 6:45:20 GMT -8
Most people who know what they heck they are bidding for and know what the approximate value of an item in the hobby is know whether an item is "RARE" or not. I don't sell a lot, but I never include such lame statements in my descriptions. I, for one, sure wish Kato would hurry up and come out with another run of their HO maxi 53' well cars. I'm tired of them going for $160 when they are about $70 when they are in supply. But they are "rare" and "hard to find" lol. Brad Ps I replied to one of their YouTube videos and Kato replied saying they would run them again this year. Fyi I have the same wish for a re-release of Walthers Horizon Cars. I've seen "Buy It Now" prices or starting auction prices for those old cars rival the new Walthers Amfleets! Kato should also do a stand alone well car along with "steerable truck" AC4400CW'S and a "Dark Future" CSX AC4400CW. I have over 200 containers and could always use more well cars. Most I payed for one set was $125(Kato well cars). Well Cars should be with new TTX logo. Amazes me how a company does such really great and innovative products isn't all that aggressive in the marketplace.
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Post by drolsen on Apr 16, 2014 8:04:56 GMT -8
Saving searches in your bookmarks on your browser and looking every day or at least every other day will help you get through less desirable models as you look for something. You can also save your searches in your eBay account and receive automatic email notifications when a new item meets the parameters. I have about two dozen searches saved. There seems to be some glitch in the system though - some of the searches don't notify me automatically even though I've set it that way. I seem to have bad luck with wanting things that everyone else does. I paid a little too much for a Walthers Amtrak diner (near list) last week. One thing I sometimes forget to do is make sure there isn't an online dealer somewhere that still has an item for a decent price before bidding on one on eBay. Dave
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