$$$ Trains

[ModelTrainLover]

Wow. For me though Any thing I find on the gound that has to do with trains IT COMES HOME WITH ME. Rails spikes rail joiners washers etc I even have a pice of rail at my house A side from that any time my mom and I go to walmart and I A John Deer HO model train set I beg her to by it for me... No lie... LOL.
I am scerous train buff For 9 years. From Thomas The Tank Engien to the real thing ..... But hey that's just me.[^]

[brianel027]

Add to all of the above one simple word: greed. The sins of the this world have been the same since square one, but some of them have newer less incrimiinating names now.

During the past 15 years that I've been in the hobby, Lionel trains don't get much mention in the news, outside of indiviual's layouts, train shows or specfic company news. But one time I've noticed they do get mentions is when some train item sells for a record price. That makes the newspapers. And the word speads quickly at the auction houses too.

Remember at one time Lionel was the most recognized toy name in America. There are still loads and loads of Lionel sets out there buried in folks basements and attics. Just yesterday I talked to a guy who has 3 Lionel sets in his attic that he hasn't run or looked at in years, including a standard gauge set from the 1920's. I just mentioned to him that I was into Lionel trains and then he told me about his.

Now imagine this conversation between two neighbors:
"So how'd your yard sale go?"
"Well, it went okay. Some items I thought would sell didn't."
"How about that washing machine for $20?"
"Nope, didn't sell it which surprised me. We just bought it new 2 years ago. But get this... I made almost a grand selling off all the Lionel trains we had!"
"You're kidding? A thousand dollars on old Lionel trains?"
"Yeah, a couple guys came, no quibbling and happily paid for them. I don't even know if any of them worked. A couple were pretty rusted."
"Man, I'm getting out my old Lionel's.... I haven't looked at them in over 30 years! I could sure use the money right now."

There lies part of the problem. Most novices have no clue what is valuable, and what isn't. Even if they bother to look at a price guide, they tend to ignore the values based on condition and head straight to the mint price column. They have no clue what is and isn't common: how many times have you seen the word "Rare" used to describe some Lionel train car for sale, only to see 5 others for sale on eBay at the same exact time? Hmmm, even an idiot should be able to take a clue from that.

The guy that comes along and pays the price could potentially be just a clueless. He may not know anything about trains either, other than knowing that Lionel's are worth money. He probably figures he can make more than a grand on the trains he just bought at a yard sale re-selling the trains on eBay with the word "Rare" in every description line.

People that are hard up for money will look at what they have to sell. There's a good chance if they have Lionel trains around, there's also a good chance they've heard that old Lionel trains are worth a lot of money. So instead of considering what the trains are really worth, they consider how many bills are unpaid and how much they would like to get out of the trains.

This is true of almost any supposedly collectible item. And yes, sometimes a seeminlgly ridiculous price is paid for some train item. So obviously someone had money to burn and was more than willing to spend it for that one item that they felt was worth it. Some folks don't get on eBay as much or go to train shows, and might be willing to pay more for something only because they don't see for sale as often. Or they don't have the time to hunt around for the item they are seeking.

The old rule of thumb still applies: any item is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it. Of course, finding the "right" buyer is a key in that financial equasion. As said above, an educated consumer is probably more important that an educated seller... and uneducated sellers are as common as the most common of trains.

[ModelTrainLover]

Ok. Ok.

[Anonymous]

The seller has no real obligation to "prove" anything. It's up to the potential buyer to do his homework, ask the right questions, be satisfied with the answers he receives, and then make a decision to buy or not buy. "Buyer beware" has long been the standard in the antiques and collectibles field. I've never heard it stated as "seller be fully informed." Knowledge is power, and it sure saves money and frustration in the long run!

[ModelTrainLover]

Well I gess you guys are right but what if the seller has no proof that what he/she is selling. but clams to do so on the site that they are selling the item on??? That is my question......[}:)][:D][^][?]

[mitchelr]

Speaking of looking for a sucker...

I just noticed a Lionel Dealer display from the 1970's listed on eBay for $1950.00 plus shipping. Doing some checking, this guy just bought it off eBay for $204.

Pretty good profit if he can get someone to bite.[;)][;)][;)]

Mitch [:D]

[Anonymous]

Well, I'm sure you are referring to the Lionel boxcar listed on ebay that was discussed in a recent topic. In that case, it was an original factroy pre-porduction prototype and so a one-of-a-kind piece of Lionel's history. If it was simply a regular production version of it, there is no way the seller would charge a price like that! If someone was to pay that price, it wouldn't be so they could get another boxcar to run on their layout! Whether or not it is worth $40K is debatable, but it is certainly worth WAAAY more than a normal one.

However, having said that, there are a lot of people on ebay who list items at exorbitant prices. The reason for this is simply because they are either ignorant of the item's true value or else that they are greedy and looking for a sucker-usually the latter!

[Anonymous]

i agree, there are alot of trains out there that if i had the money i would definatly pay the price especialy for mint post war. my collecting goal is to some day buy a set of unrun postwar f3's and run them like crazy!

[darianj]

Simple...because someone out there will pay it. If no one pays the seller's price, then the price will be reduced. I see nothing wrong with it as long as the seller describes the item accurately; telling the buyer exactly what they are getting and answering all questions honestly. It's the buyers job to shop around and see what others are charging for the same item. The buyer has every right to negotiate, buy the item somewhere else, or not to buy it at all. As the saying goes...Buyer Beware.

I think the real question should be: Why would someone BUY such an item.

[pbjwilson]

Because old trains are worth alot of money. And if it says Lionel on it somewhere its really worthy alot of money.

[ModelTrainLover]

Why do people sell cheep trains for 40 K+ ON eBAY? Including a $25.00 shipping charge??

Open to all....................
What do you have to say?