Lionel selling - where to begin?

[BigAl 956]

Welcome to the world of toy train collecting. Sorry for your loss.

Selling starts with an inventory and maybe setting aside some keepers. Ebay is a good way to liquidate trains. But it's a painstakingly slow operation. Although there are some very rare trains in mintlike condition that will fetch a good price, these days if you have average to below average trains the best you can do is 50% on the book-value dollar. Also ebay is taking 10% + in fees these days. With PayPal added in you give up about 15% of sales in fees.

You can try an auction house. 3rd party auctioneers will leave you with maybe 25% on the BVD. Unfortunately the market is swamped. 

To get started, trainzauctions.com has a nice cloud inventory software where you can post your collection inventory. The paid version feeds realtime auction results in so you can value your collection in realtime. 

Good luck. Hopfully you'll find that ultra rare, one in a million piece, like new in the box.

[Billwiz]

If you want to test the trains before selling, there are clubs that may allow you to do this, or the rest of us who have layouts in home.  Even a basic clean up and lube can add value to the selling price, as well as saying "runs" vs. "dont know if it runs".

 

[emdmike]

I can vouch for Charlie Siegal(Train City). Back when he was out of Erie, PA, I handled his repair work while I lived there.  Yes you wont get as much going thru a reseller like him or one of the many others that buy collections outright.  But it does simplify things.  Remember you loose 20% or more to Ebay fees and shipping costs if you misjudge the cost to ship, along with the hassles of dealing with shipping multipule packages.   It can be overwhelming to deal with a large estate of trains when you have no idea of worth, if they run and such.  Not being train people, setting them up and getting them running again is probably not an option.   If you do have a local hobby shop that sells O gauge trains, you might inquire if they have someone that can help with disposing of the collection.  Many of them do or know of a local club that is able to help the family take care of it.  Some shops take trains on consignment, and the fees involved are about the same as Ebay but without the shipping hassles.  Good luck in finding new homes for the trains.    Mike

[Flintlock76]

And it's a good thought Firesteel, I'm sorry I didn't think of it myself.

Those toy trains make pretty good heirlooms to pass from one generation to the next, in addition to providing some action under the Christmas tree!

This is a strange thing to say, but a lot of us will tell you its' true.  You may not be interested in the trains, but they  may be interested in you.  By this I mean if you set them up and start running them  they do have a way of pulling you into their little world.  And that's not a bad thing, trust me!  

[Firesteel]

I realize this isn't your current objective, but if you haven't done so already, you may wish to set up some track and a transformer and try running some of the trains. Once you begin experiencing and learning more about the toy train hobby, you may find it extremely fascinating. Reading some issues of Classic Toy Trains magazine as well as some special issues and books authored by Roger Carp would be great choices. In the end, you might decide to keep some or all of the trains. You may very well get started in a hobby you previously had no intentions of being involved in. This probably isn't what you wanted to hear, but it might be worth considering. Just a thought.

Karl

[Dogdoc1]

eBay for sure. Any resaler will only give you a fraction of what you can sell it for. Let the market price it. Price guides are often not accurate. List it on eBay with no reserve or a modest starting price(min you will take.

 

 

[Penny Trains]

aboard!

Also, click on the "OUR MAGAZINE" tab in the black bar above and select "Advertiser Links" to see buyers as well as sellers of vintage toy train s.  The 3 buyers that pop into my head are Trainz, Texas Trains and Diecast and Charles P. Siegel (Train City).

Becky

[Flintlock76]

Good suggestions Tarheeltracks!

Let me add to find any upcoming train shows in your area click on "Resources" at the top of this website, then click on "Coming Events."  Follow the directions from there.  You can use this to find any train shows coming your way, and it's accurate.

Also, the organizers of the shows can advise you if there are going to be any toy train dealers in attendence who might be interested in what you have.  

[tarheeltracks]

If you live in a area or close to a location that has a model train show it's possible you may find someone there to buy the collection or help you with figuring out the pricing of your father's collection.

[Rene Schweitzer]

I'm not trying to sell a product (though that's what we do here, wink), but Kalmbach has long sold the "Pocket Price Guide" for Lionel trains. Because it covers 120 years' worth of product, it's hardly "pocket" sized anymore, but it can give you a starting point for prices.

Check your local hobby shop, Amazon, or in our store if you'd like to order.

[Flintlock76]

  aboard!

Good advice from Mr. Maggi.  I would add you might want to pick up a copy of "Classic Toy Trains" and "O Gauge Railroading" magazines, they carry adds from people who buy toy train collections.  If the collection's big enough they do make "house calls" to see them. 

You don't say what part of the country you live in, but both magazines also have sections listing train stores around the country.  One or more may be near you, and again, if the collection's big enough they'll make a "house call."  If they're not interested in taking the trains on consignment they may be willing to purchase them outright.

One thing though, don't expect to retire on what you'll get for the trains and accessories!

[Benjamin Maggi]

I would suggest visiting a local train store that sells similar trains and discussing the situation with them. They might offer to sell yours (for a fee, of course) or be able to recommend local people to you that are collectors that could advise you more. Ebay prices are all over the map and if you mis-describe an item (and it can happen if you don't notice every last spot of rust, nick, scratch, etc.) you likely will lose sales or end up with disappointed buyers who want a refund.

[creekgirl]

Hi,

My sister and I inherited my father's collection of vintage Lionel trains.  We would like to start listing them on Ebay, something we've put off for years as we've sensed it could get complicated. 

To finally get started, today I randomly selected a small set (a green + black O series locomotive and tender set No260-E) and checked the "what it sold for" listings on CheckAFlip.  The ones I saw appeared restored or in excellent preserved condition.  The one I have is unrestored with some minor rust.  Also, I have no idea if it runs.  Naturally "what it sold for" would depend on condition, if it runs, etc.  

We have a number of train sets of varying condition, plus boxes, accessories......I hardly know how to begin putting a price on them.  Is it less complicated than it appears?  As collectors I assume you probably sell as well as buy.  Is there any advice you can offer?

thank you,

creekgirl