Great American Train Show-Clearwater Florida. Tips on this thread for bargain hunting at GATS.

[simon1966]

You have to have a plan!

I try to maintain a list of needs. Recently this has been structures and detail parts. I research the web. Step 1 get the Walthers price. Step 2 check out the better web based discount stores. At this point I know the range of prices for any particular want. Armed with this information I will go round each dealer looking for the specific needs. More often than not I will get a deal on what I am looking for at a GATS show. There is a good LHS in my immidiate area and I see no point in paying a GATS retailer for something I can get for close to the same price at the LHS. The other things I like to look at are "used" rolling stock and the odd clearance sale. Overstock Proto 2000 locomotives often show up with very large discounts at these shows. All my E units were purchased with big dicounts in this way. I find the chase to be more fun than the actual kill! Have fun

[Jetrock]

I never went to train shows as a teen (never went at all until two years ago) but I was a model railroader, and had no compunctions about going to hobby shops, or bringing copies of Model Railroader to school. Of course, I wasn't one of the popular kids, and if I didn't bring MR it would be an issue of THE DRAGON or BYTE, which were equally geeky (neither roleplaying games nor computers being considered "cool.") I didn't give a damn, frankly, and neither should you.

[BRAKIE]

Guys,Here is the way I work a Train Show..First thing I do is get a cup of coffee and RELAX..Then I slowly work my way around the dealers tables looking on top as well as UNDER the table noting the prices of the items I am interested in..I then go and look over the display layouts while I am thinking about the prices and if I can get them for less.Now,time for coffee.After I drink my second cup I proceed to start wheeling and dealing and yes I will haggle on the price if needed..
Notes:
1.Take your time Relax.
2.Always be sure to look under the tables..You see the dealers will put their "eye candy" (new higher price items) on top and the older stock on the floor.You see everybody is interested in the newest locomotives and cars while they *may* not be interested in the older stock which may be at deep discount..I once pickup a Atlas/Rocco Alco S4 for $30.00 brand new in Chessie(B&O).How about some use Athearn cars with KD coupler for $3.00? Older Atlas cars for $5.50-7.00? Athearn Blue Box locomotivesfor $21.95-27.50 see what I mean? Always look under the table.
3.Haggle over the price but be reasonable..Most dealers know what their stuff is worth and what they sell for on the internet and mail orders.
The main thing is to have fun and enjoy the day.[:D]

[fmilhaupt]

'sounds as if GATS is doing much better in Florida than it is in Michigan and Northern Ohio. Their shows up here haven't been worth the price of parking, much less gas, parking and admission, for at least ten years-- too few dealers, and those who are there are all pretty much carrying the same stuff as each other. Up here, GATS is the sickly cousin.

There's no point in being willing to haggle if the few dealers who are there don't have what you want-- GATS just doesn't compete well in this market. Perhaps that's the problem- there are many much better shows up here each year.

-Fritz Milhaupt
http://www.wyomingyard.com

[Anonymous]

dude Hawks05 dont worry bout what other people think. honesly what kinda differnence is it going to make to you? it dosent matter what they think as long as you are having a good time and not hurting any one.

that said i do know the feeling. im 19 and dont give a .... bout what people think now, but when i was younger i used to feel some what intimadated by what i thought people would think, but nothing that would get in the way of my excitment for an upcomming show a week ahead of time. =P but honesly theres nothing to worry about. my freinds all my freinds smile and nod and roll their eyes when i start talking trains (or many other subjects that they arent perticularly interestood in). but any of them that have actualy seen a layout they seem to be much more open or interesting in it. i've had quite a few people that have enjoyed my layout.

actualy one of my friends who i never thought would be interestood in trains is comming railfanning with me to a local yard tomarow. honestly people are diffent than you would often expect. =)

... well a lil off topic but ehhhh what ever =P

[RMax1]

The last GATS I went to in Ft. Worth all the vendors were standing around complaining that everyone was cheap and no one was buying. Everything I looked at at Walthers list price. Well DUH? No wonder no one is buying. I could stay home and get that price from my local dealer. Why pay to get in to shop and pay list? Did pick up a few used things but very few. Buy the time I spent gas for the 60 mile round trip and enterance for 2 I'm already down $30 or so. That's an engine right there. I like to go to look around and see the layouts but the lack of good prices in our area and the griping by the dealers makes me mail order. The best show here is a memoribilia show that has a guy that sells closeouts really cheap. I usually buy a couple hundred dollars of just undec. box cars and misc. from him.

RMax1

[Hawks05]

i've never seen any girl my age at a train show so i don't know if that will ever happen. i was talking about like walking into the place or eating or something like that. i don't know. guess its how i am. i don't want to turn this into one of those love conversation things.

what are good prices at shows to buy movies at?

[Anonymous]

Sounds like I missed out on some good deals.

[AntonioFP45]

Hawks05,

I'm not a teen but I hope you don't mind my comment as I've been in similar situations. [8)]

One nice thing that you need to really consider:

When you're at a train show, Relax; it's YOUR HOBBY, your "cool thing". You should feel right at home at any train show just as a football player feels at home in a stadium. If a "hot chick" sees you, well then, she's at the train show too, whether with family or friends. Don't be embarassed by your hobby. I was a teen modeler. My response to would be taunters was something along: Unlike "smoking weed", getting drunk until I puke , or bed hopping with hygeine questionable females, I get to: keep what I paid for, develop my creativity, and maintain a healthy body". Taunters quickly changed their tune and would even be supportive! [:D][8D]

Remember; your target is Model Railroading "stuff, so don't worry about the girls or anyone else. If you happen to make eye contact with a young lady, just smile. You are in control, there to enjoy yourself. If you get a return smile or response; a quick "hi" works even works for shy people. If you get no response, don't let it bug you. Move forward. [:)][:D][8)]

Cheers to you! Keep asking questions and enjoy this rewarding hobby!

[Hawks05]

the next show i go to i plan on buying some books and videos about different railroads to get started on a collection of those.

i'm one of those people that will try and haggle a little but is to shy to walk away. i know if i like something i'll probably end up buying it.

going with a group is usually pretty fun. most of the shows i've gone to i've been the youngest of the bunch. most are either 40 and older so i add youth to the group.

i just have a question since we're talking about shows.

i don't know how old most of your are but for the ones that are teenagers how do you feel when you walk into a show. i feel kind of stupid going in there, but once i'm in a show i don't feel that bad. i mean i just got into this hobby and i'm kind of in the popular crowd but not a star athlete so i'm not the elite popular kid in school. i feel really stupid if i walk into a show and some hot chick or something sees me. i don't know why either. how do you feel walking into a show if you are a teenager? i guess its a self concious thing.

[Anonymous]

Go over your collection. Make a list of items that may have numbers so you dont end up buying duplicate road numbers. Keep a list of gotta haves on hand.

Look over all the tables in the show first and mark in your head promising items. Some dealers are interested in "Not" taking all the stuff back home so consider a few peices of junk to be used as "Fodder" that may be able to reduced the price on the item you really want.

Be very careful with locomotives, the last show I went to had locomotives that are vintage 50', 60' and 70's that are being offered at really close to today's current retail offerings.

I tend to ignore the Hats, shirts and banners section of the show. I would try to find the few diamonds in the "rough" and take them home. Sometimes I come up empty because that prices are similar to the local hobby shop. The real fun is in the layouts and the people. The books and really neat stuff that they introduce sometimes is a whole show in itself.

[AntonioFP45]

Thanks Phil!

It should be even bigger than the one that we just had in Clearwater. If he's there, make sure you stop by the "Trrific Trains" booth. He had HO Genesis, Proto and Atlas locomotives and freight cars. I believe he also had N Scale equipment. If you're serious, he'll negotiate.

Be careful before buying any Athearns. Some of the vendors had very good prices, while a couple had Blue Box units that were "Way Overpriced". Before going, look through a Walther's catalog at your local hobby shop to get fundamental price ideas on items you may be interested in.

Hope you enjoy yourself!

[fec153]

AntonioFP45- Good tips. I'll be at the Orlando show because my not so Social
Security check will be in the bank.
Phil

[Jetrock]

Some folks aren't willing to haggle, and that's fine if what they're selling is already a fair price. One rule of thumb in knocking down prices is that the more you buy, the more you can get them to knock down the price--if you're buying a dozen $1 items, you'll have an easier time getting the dealer to take $10 for the dozen than knocking the price of one $1 item down to 80 cents.

Rather than a plastic bag, I normally carry a comfortable book-bag or backpack that I can sling over my shoulder if I want both hands free.

[Anonymous]

yeah good tips. i cant stress the circle around multiple times thing enough. also the dont buy on the first time pass, especialy for new stuff. for used stuff i try to live by it too but if i see an item that i want and its a good deal then i will usualy go for it. going around more than once is especialy good b/c sellers will some times put more stuff out. at one of the last shows i went to i got a couple blue box athearn cars with kadee couplers on em for $2 and $3 a peice. later when i stoped back at that same stand the guy had more out. so i picked up some extras.

as for going with a group of people it make the experience much funner. i usualy go with my dad and my two younger brothers. we all like differnt railroads so we will all keep a look out for stuff that each other may like, and we have a good time chatting about the different things we see. it also gives you more buying power. if me and a brother are both interestood in buying some thing then sellers will often be more resonable in lowering prices. talking about lowering prices, if they dont want to lower the price on a peice of equitment then walk off and come back later. some times as your leaveing they will even offer you a better deal. last show i was at there was a guy selling a walthers H-10-44 for $40 which was a lil more than i wanted to pay for it. i tryed to bargin him down but he didnt wanna go down. My little brother found a front range products GP-9 that was put together all wrong for $5.00 that he wanted. after the guy still wouldent give us a discount i told my brother that we would come back later for his engine. as we were walking off the guy offered s both for $40. i figured this was a lil better, and since i really wanted a H-10-44 we went for it. but i saved 5 bucks by being stuborn.

as for carrying our purchases we ususaly bring at least one back pack. in it we put some lunch and paper towels and bags to wrap trains in if they dont come wraped or in a box.

but yeah... just go to shows to have fun, and know that you wount always come back with anything good, but you may =)

[Hawks05]

at some of the shows i've been to there have been a lot of things i really liked but then asked if the seller could lower the price and got rejected. the last show i saw a BNSF AC4400 for about $70, i asked if he would lower to $50 thinking maybe seeing a kid who is really interested he would do something like that, he didn't, only said he'd go to $65. there was also one guy that i've seen at a few shows that i've bought from. i've bought to locos from him both for $45, 2 hoppers both for $20 (trinity hoppers), so when i went back to buy the last hopper he threw in another car for free because he saw the interest i had in his stuff.

i've learned to walk around, make sure you remember stuff you like, and always go back and ask if the seller will lower the price or something.

the plastic bag thing is a great idea as well. the first show i went to i didn't have one, needless to say i didn't have any hands to look at stuff closely.

[Anonymous]

Jetrock--Great tips. Your experience at GATS is similar to mine.

[Jetrock]

I was unimpressed with the GATS show in Sacramento, but that was mostly because a large percentage of it was either toy-train, Thomas, or die-cast car & tractor stuff, with a minimum of trains...it felt a bit like gun shows in Sacramento, where a "gun show" typically features more vendors of beef jerky, T-shirts, bumper stickers and dreamcatchers than sellers of guns!

I did find a few good deals, but most of the dealers were selling new merchandise at the Walthers catalog price--which I would prefer to do at my local hobby shop. For me the best things about train shows are the great deals on used items and oddball sit-on-the-shelf stuff selling for a fraction of its original price.

My favorite train-show tips:
*Never buy anything on the first pass--give yourself time to make sure that great deal really IS a great deal. You might miss an item or two, and sometimes this is a rule that just BEGS to be broken, but if it isn't something UTTERLY unique or something you KNOW is too good of a deal to pass up, give it a look and come back later.

* Carry a bag to hold all your purchases. Nothing more annoying than trying to juggle a dozen plastic shopping bags while you're navigating the aisles.

* Bring lots of small bills. Especially with used-stuff dealers, you can often knock a few bucks off the total by paying cash, especially if you're willing to haggle--but when I haggle I really prefer to pay in exact change. If I talk a dealer into selling me an item for three bucks instead of five, I'd really prefer to hand him $3 in ones than have to hand him a five and ask for change.

*Have some idea what you're looking for and what it's worth. This can be a learning process but one that is worthwhile and fun in its own right...I usually bring my file folder of prototype pictures & information so I can compare something on a vendor's table to the sort of thing I'm looking for.

[Anonymous]

There hasn't been a decent GATS show in southern California for a couple of years. I am glad to hear that people are getting bargains. At the train show in Seattle, I picked up a UP Kato AC-4400 for $85. I would go to another GATS show if I heard that they have improved. If anyone has been to a good GATS show in southern California, please post to this thread.

[AntonioFP45]

AC44CTE - Good deal!
Mr_mathyou you are correct!

Three basic "Rules of Thumb" that should be stressed about GATS. When you see something you like that's a common model or kit (like a Kato, Walther's, Genesis, Marklin, or Atlas) [8)]

[1] Don't buy right away;
[2] Don't give up if the item seems too expensive!
[3] Go with friends or group that are modelers. Those of you that are lone
modelers, I know how difficult it can be. This is why it's good to establish a
friendly "rapport" with the regulars at the local hobby shop. Always be careful[:)][:D]

Walk around the entire show and talk to the vendors. Sometimes you'll wind up with a much better deal! Last year I eagerly purchased a new Proto 1000 New Haven RDC for $45 at the Tampa GATS. Not bad! BUT, if I would have walked down the aisle, I would have seen another vendor selling the same type of RDC for $40! [:0][:p]

Going with friends or even a group! If a vendor has several items that you and your friends "are looking at", he or she may be willing to negotiate since there is a potential for "multiple sales".[;)]

When I was at the the Trrific Trains booth, the rep noticed that I had my friends with me as I stared at the Proto E unit marked at $49. So he gave me the sweet deal on the brand new Proto E7 to entice them to buy something. It worked! My wife's cousin bought a new Genesis SD75M from him, also at a bargain. That was good marketing!

If a vendor has a rare item along with other items that your friends might like, try negotiating with the intent that your group members may buy some of the other items on the table.

Those of you that have had bad experiences at GATS shows, consider trying the above strategy when looking for bargains. Keep a positive attitude. If you do run into a stone cold vendor--just say "thanks" and move on.

I'm already looking forward to the December GATS![:)][:D][8D][;)][8)]

Hope this is helpful! Peace out!

[Anonymous]

Maybe somebody is listening!

Nice deal on the 23 oz E7. Doesn't get any cheaper.

[Anonymous]

i went to GATS back on June 26th-27th it was awesome! pick up an Kato AC4400CW for $90

[Anonymous]

i have had some good and some bad experices with GATS shows. i usualy only look at used stuff since that fits into my small budget better. at some shows i'll come home with a locomotive and a good bunch of cars, while at others it will only be one or two cars. i've come to the conclution thats its all just luck of the draw on who is selling and what not. but glad ya got some good stuff =)

[AntonioFP45]

Hello crew!

Went to the Great American Train show.

Five layouts. Impressive mountain N scale layout, HO lumber theme layout, G scale layout, a Lego system, and a neat S-scale layout with a "camera" mounted in a steam locomotive's front. It was wild watching the color monitor as the steamer flew down the track at about 80 scale mph! [8D]

Got a "Brand New" Proto 2000 E7 in Southern for exactly $39 from the "TRRIFIC TRAINS" vendor. What a sweet deal! Cheaper than E-Bay! This pleasant gentleman, who is a Christian, even dropped a thank you card in my bag. That's service!Additionally, he has stocks of Scale Coat and Floquil paint. Nothing wrong with them. He's currently selling them for $1.00 a piece! [:)]

For those interested, the e-mail address is:
[e-mail]

My wife's cousin got a Genesis SD75M for $70 and a good friend of mine got several Proto and Atlas units with savings up to $35 a piece off the regular LHS price.[:p][:D]

Saw a lot of Athearn Genesis, Atlas, Intermountain, Accurail and Kadee equipment. Price savings ranged from $5 to $15 off the hobby shop prices. When you figure in shipping and handling on EBay, these were a good deal![;)]

Interesting note: Combined together, there were literally hundreds of Athearn Blue Box freight cars, passenger cars, and locomotives at various tables: They didn't appear to be moving! I'm sure that ten years ago, many of these models have been likely cleared out!------ How things change in just a decade!

There was some junk, but that's normal. (Good airbrush practice fodder)

I'm writing this because in the past there has been a lot of criticism of the GATS shows on this forum. I guess it depends on what part of the U.S.A you're in and what you're seeking. So far, my overall experience has been quite positive here in the Tampa Bay area. [4:-)][tup][swg][tup]

The GATS will move on to Orlando, Florida next weekend. I hope that those attending enjoy good experiences!

Cheers with an E7 in Run 8!