LIONEL AS AN INVESTMENT??

[79harleyguy]

i plan on making some major purchases of both post war and modern items in the near future. what are your thoughts as far as buying and selling as a side business? is there money to be made asuming i am able to find high quality items at a fair price?im not looking to make a fortune just enought so that i can support my hobby(HABBIT?) i hope you all dont think im a sell out.seems like it could be interesting the trill of the hunt if you will. i plan on educating myself thoughly on the topic and hopefully to form freinds ships with those of you that have been around the hobby for a while.man this is fun anybody want to trade a custom chopper for some trains!!!!but seriously what looks good in the post war aside from the old stand bys like the f3 the 773the 6464 etc?as far as modern the vanderbilt looks good some are limited to 250 units.what do you think is going to happen to the mid 90s f3 since it looks as though the are going to be released?what units do you think are sleepers now that might take off in the future? i read that right now is a buyers market is this true?and how long has this been the case? how about newsletters that offer up to date info? your guidence is greatly appreicated great site and thank you all very much

[1688torpedo]

Hello Harleyguy ! Yes ,Right now it is a Buyers Market. Be Careful though. About the only Trains you'll ever make money on if at all are Pre-Postwar Trains MINT! in the box with all of the inserts,Instructions,warrenty cards,& individual boxes.Do not Invest anymore than you can lose financially. As a matter of fact, You'll be better off to just enjoy the trains as they are as opposed to making money off of them.And you have to remember one thing: The Toy Train Market is very fickle and volitile right now due to the number of Products in the marketplace and also that it is somewhat shrinking on account of the older Collectors are dying off and not too many younger ones are taking their place. So, My advice for what it's worth is this: Do not buy Toy Trains as a investment.Buy them because you enjoy them as this is the best way to go about it. Have fun.

[Anonymous]

I'm sure there are probably worse things to invest in, but off-hand, I can't think of any.

In short: There is probably no worse time than the present to consider investing in toy trains. Buy 'em to your heart's content if you're going to enjoy them as a hobby, but most definitely do not give a thought to viewing them as a viable investment. There are far more trains out there today--old and new--than there are people to buy those trains.

[Warburton]

You are getting good advice here, Harleyguy!! Any of us who were in during the heyday of Lionel collecting (70s and 80s) have seen many of the items we bought and thought would appreciate in price forever TANK. I well remember buying mint MPC Geeps in the box for $90-$100 at trains shows and seeing them go up $20 at the enet show a few weeks later back then. It was a "buy it now 'cause it will be higher next time." Then, around the mid 90s, the bottom fell out, and prices have not recovered to their earlier peaks since. Using trains as a semi-business to finance your hobby is almost impossible in today's oversupplied train world. Allan has it right: invest in something solid other than trains, and use your profits to buy the trains you really want to keep for good.

[Odd-d]

My late mother used to say, "Never play another man's game" Guys who talk like you are ripe repositories for other people's castoff items. Have you asked around how many people want old trains and how much they think they are worth if YOU are trying to sell? The general public has two separate ideas of how much old trains are worth depending on if they have them or want to buy them. I've been in this hobby fifty years and have never bought trains from strangers or non hobbyists. Most of my train dealing is done by outright trading. P. T. Barnun said, "There's a sucker born every minute." and some other fountain of wisdom said," A fool and his money are soon parted." So, Mr. Wheeler- Dealer, you better look before you leap, and you better have lots of storage room for all the unwanted unsaleable garbage youy are about to acquire. Oh, yeah, another wise philosopher once said, "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread". I'll bet you drive a hard bargain too. Odd-d

[3railguy]

The only way to really make money off buying and selling trains is to buy collections and break them up. This takes cash (at least $20,000) and experience. Their is no replacemant for experience and the only way to get it is to just go out and do it on a small scale and break even. It also takes time to make a name for yourself so people are willing to buy from you. By experience I mean you need to watch what moves and what it moves for so you know what to pay for collections. There is really no book or living soul that can tell you this. The only people making money are the ones writing the books.

[Bob Keller]

I would tend to agree with Allan.

Unless you have unlimited money to buy super-collector grade, mint-in-the-box-found-in-JLC's-personal-safety-deposit-box-untouched-by-human-hands trains, I wouldn't bother at this late date to get into the fray to make big money (note, I said big money).

Buy'em because you like'em, not because you think you can make a buck or even get your original money back.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Allan Miller

I'm sure there are probably worse things to invest in, but off-hand, I can't think of any.

Beanie Babies, Franklin Mint plates, or any other item that has "collector" in its description.

[79harleyguy]

wow all great advice still going to do a bunch of research and enjoy my 2065 passenger set

[trigtrax]

Buy trains to play with or to collect for your own enjoyment.. If you want to invest money seek some good financial advisors and put it in the stock market.

[79harleyguy]

yee odd-d your mother sounds like a wise women

[Odd-d]

79harleyguy------Thank you, she was.....and I still miss her. Odd-d

[3railguy]

Despite what others are saying, you can make some money buying and selling trains as a sideline. People are doing it. You have to buy low and the only real way to buy low is buying collections. This takes lots of cash and experience along with time and expenses breaking up the collections and selling off the individual items.

[pbjwilson]

I say give it a try. I sell trains and other "stuff" on e-bay all the time. Sometimes I make a few bucks, sometimes I loose a few bucks.

My best return on my money has been Marklin Z gauge trains. Look for good deals throughout the year and then sell them at Christmas time.

Another money maker was selling my old Hot Wheels cars. Collectors pay big for the redline Hot Wheels.

Check garage sales and estate sales for collectibles and see what they bring at auction. Good-luck!

[Dr. John]

Trains are a lot of fun . . . as a hobby. As a business venture, well, how many people do you know that could quit their day job and / or retire by buying and selling trains?

Buy them, sell them, collect them, run them and have fun with them. But don't expect to make a great return monetarily. Just my humble opinion.

[Anonymous]

I agree. There's no money to be had in buying retail and selling wholesale; and while E-bay has opened up the market for 'most anything and made buying and selling more accessible, it has also "rationalized" the market by tending toward making items that are specialties at home mere commodities in a national market.

The result is that, with few exceptions, buying, selling and trading any kind of collectible is almost often just an occasionally happy sideline to love of the craft. Trains are mass-produced, paintings aren't -- and even people who collect paintings usually do better for the love of it and the prospect of the occasional windfall. But it sure ain't a going business unless you devote all your time to the market as an expert; i.e., own an art gallery, hobby-model shop, antiquing or whatever. Love first, then money if at all. [:D]

[Anonymous]

If your buying for an investment, go for the Prewar rare pieces that will never be duplicated or reproduced. I have been collecting and operating for around 25 years now and have sunk a fast amount of money into this. I was a motorcycle fabricator out of NC for 10 years and spent all the money I made on my second hobby Trains. The last I had my collection appraised it was ahealthy mid 6 digit figure, but with todays market and the new reproductions of alot of postwar and prewar lionel, the markey value has dropped on alot. I have several Carlisle and Finch trolleys that the value will never fall and Prewar State car sets that are still to this day going up in value. There is no sure investments these days, but if your going to try trains, go for the rare stuff, in the best condition you can find. Spike

[79harleyguy]

thanks all great advice spike thats what i doing now just finished a shoveltail chopper and starting to restore a 58 servi-car ive notice the bike market really dropped off in recent years i broke my back and can no longer ride thats why i turned to trains i sold a bike to a guy several years ago that says thats what he did bought and sold trains till he had enought to hand me over 12grand cash but like i said that was several years ago thats what made me think i could do it sure glad i asked still a fun hobby all the same

[eZAK]

If your looking for something to buy check here;
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=47977

[Anonymous]

79HARLEYGUY Contact me off post. I have been making money buying and selling for the last 2 years now and my website has grow larger then ever. Wish I had done this years ago but would never have done the biker build off circuit then. Spike

[Anonymous]

You will lose you shirt investing in new, high tech trains as they are high cost and being obsoleted by new technology and will not hold their value in the future as parts will not be available to keep them running (circuit boards etc and low production numbers make after market part making a loser too).

On the old stuff, it is a mature market, with only mint having a chance to hold value. But the biggest problem is the future buyers are dieing off. Old guys in there 50 and 60's that had or wanted them are the main buyers and they are shrinking in numbers.

Charlie

[Anonymous]

Well Charlie I tend to disagree with you. I have been selling and buying for around a year now, and am also a show promotor for the York,Pa area. I have sold thousands of dollars of Items to people all around my age, mid 30's to mid 40's that buy more prewar and post war then new. There will always be a fix to the new technology, circuit boards are easily repairable and the parts are available at most any supply company. I have a repair restoration shop also and do alot of this. It s all in your preference in madel railroading, either new with all the bells and whistles or old tin plate such as I.
Spike

[Anonymous]

Spike

I hope you are right and I am wrong. It will be good for the hobby. And I hope you investers and sellers enjoy the hobby and as a bonus can make a buck.

If you try to make it promoting trains in the south you will go broke. The east and PA York are not typical of much of the country for trains. Gun and boat and ATV shows are big down here!.

A for me I can make more money picking a good stock and learning when to sell!

Charlie

[Anonymous]

Charlie, I'm from Sanford, North Carolina, Lee County. I was buying and selling trains down there long before I turned it into a business. If you've ever watched the Biker Build off series I'm the builder from NC. I've only lived here in Pa 2 years now and because this is York and a huge train area, I'm able to take my hobby and turn it into a business. But I could have done the same down there.Theres more and more people these days that are my age getting into the hobby and children alike are interested in it too. They lean more towards the operateing items and that but thats cool, beats the hell out of video games anyday. Alot of people today are happy with the simplicity of the prewar postwar era items, they're basic and easy to set up and run, but also bring back Dads nostelgia of days past and him and his father. Spike