Best Place to sell my Postwar Lionel Trains??

[lionel2]

I was thinking of selling some of my Old postwar lionel trains.  Where is the best place to sell them so I get the most amount of money for them??  I know what I paid for my trains and would like at least that back and some more.  I feel people take advantage of the cheap prices on ebay and I am not letting them get away with it.  So I will be firm with my prices and go according to the book and what they are worth to me.  This hobby has turned into a buy and resell for more money hobby.  Let me know what you think.

[magicman710]

Generally, people on ebay will buy postwar trains at a fairly reasonable price.

You dont need to worry about people taking advatange of anything - just start your bid at the lowest amout your willing to sell the item for, or use Buy it Now.

I would try eBay before other things, IMHO its better.

[lionel2]

Okay thanks.  I mean i worked hard to get all this money to buy my collection and i hate to lose money, with the trains getting older, more rare, values going up i hope.  Why are the thing I have selling so cheap on ebay?  I bought a 2046 w/2046w tender boxed for $325 in 1994, my first engine, and they are going for like $175 to $225 on ebay with the boxes.  This confuses me. Also, no one is buying at trains shows anymore, when they can get it 50% off and stay home on ebay.  Because train shows sell at book price and no one wants to pay that.  I dunno, its just that people should redo the prices according to ebay or something, so train show dealers sell according to ebay prices so more people will go to train shows and buy.

[magicman710]

Your making a good point about the way ebay have changed the O Gauge market.

I think the primary reason is, not every collector out here has $15,000 in the bank ONLY to buy trains.... and eBay offers a cheap alternative.

Also, with ebay, its much, much easier to find those hard-to-find postwar and modern items. The demand is higher, and the supply is higher, so prices drop.

It also depends on the condition of the item, when you bought it a Ex+ plus item may be worth what a LN item is today...

I dont know the condition or your 2046 and 2046w tender, but it is possible that when you bought it the seller was over pricing you.

Good luck.

[ogauge]

I would hope to be wrong, but if you paid market or better for exc or better trains 10-15 years ago you may not get what you paid out of them now.  I could be and hope I am wrong, but that is why they do say to not rely on these trains for your retirement!

There are so many new trains on the market now plus the ease of using Ebay.  These both come together and make it difficult to extract the $$$ out of old trains you could 20 years ago.  You can't say "its rare" now since anyone can go on ebay and find 20 of them  instantly.  Instead of seeing items from one train show in chicago, I can see them from every household in America and beyond so as was stated the supply is up so to speak.  So don't expect to get what you paid in 1994 for that 2046 and tender off ebay, sorry to suggest that as it is not what you want to hear.  I will say good luck!!  If its worth anything, high quality stuff has retained its market share the best.

[lionel2]

So the bottom line is:  You think its a good idea to sell them now and get what i get or to keep the trains and try to get my monies worth out of them??  I guess what I am trying to say is that in 50 years from now, will postwar lionel be worth more or less in value??  When those trains reach 100 years old, will they be worth alot? or just another man's junk?  thanks.

[elvisp]

To sell now or later is up for debate. Postwar prices 10-15 years ago were skyhigh. Some argue that the baby boomers were coming to the age where they had disposable income to buy the toys they could not afford when young. In the past few years postwar prices have come down significantly. In the past two years with the ecomony so bad, prices of most postwar habe declined even furthur. Mint boxed pieces have retained more value.

 Regarding the future, many argue that when the baby boomers move on, the desire and prices of postwar will drop even firtuher. However, the number folks who owned prewar in their youth has diminished and the demand for O and Standard Gauge is still high.

Personally, I would not sell until the economy grows. If you need to sell soon, I would wait until the fall when the desire for Christmas items goes up. It seem as though train valuse are higher during that time. 

[SCD]

I agree with what elvisp said. If you don't have to sell them now, hold onto them until the economy is a little stronger. If you need to sell them sooner, I would suggest that you list a few pieces on ebay, with your reserve, and see what happens. Just bear in mind that buying and selling on ebay can be really unpredictable.

[n1vets333]

I f your observations on ebay show you that this is the most these particular cars are going for than that is what they are worth regaurless of what a book tells you. I for one would never go pay for something that I could get cheaper somewhere else. I don't believe anyone else would either. Try posting them on the buy and sell page on the forums.

[stubbsO]

Okay thanks.  I mean i worked hard to get all this money to buy my collection and i hate to lose money, with the trains getting older, more rare, values going up i hope.  Why are the thing I have selling so cheap on ebay?  I bought a 2046 w/2046w tender boxed for $325 in 1994, my first engine, and they are going for like $175 to $225 on ebay with the boxes.  This confuses me. Also, no one is buying at trains shows anymore, when they can get it 50% off and stay home on ebay. 

 

Dude, Have you REALLY looked at what's been happening in America lately, High gas prices that trickledown to every last good and service, foreclosures, etc. etc.? I guess not by your statement! I have a feeling that trains on e-bay won't even go up during the holidays as they normally do that time of year. People just don't have the disposable income anymore like a year ago. I think you really need a reality check!

[lionel2]

Ok whatever dude.  Just makes me sick people taking advantage of other people just for trains.  Its pretty low in my book.  Yeah the economy is bad, then why are people still buying like crazy on ebay, its not just trains, its everything.  I dunno.  Maybe i will just hang on to my trains and pass them down or something.  Thanks everyone, except stubbs

[mobilman44]

Hi!

I have a large postwar Lionel collection and have bought from shops all over the country and Ebay.  I have sold to an individual and on Ebay.  Your question especially interests me as I am in a similar situation - contemplating selling off my Lionel.

Most of my "stuff" was bought in the '90s and early 2000s.  These were heady days for collectors, and there was a lot of money and competition around.  Thus, prices tended to be pretty darn high.  After September 11, 2001, and for that event and other reasons, the postwar market went down dramatically.  I paid those high market prices for my stuff, but today I would be lucky to get 50% of that.  Almost all of my pieces are excellent condition, but few have boxes.  This is the stuff that really got affected by today's market. 

The exception to the above is "mint in the box" or extremely rare pieces.  Those have held their value or increased.

If/when I decide to sell out, it will be on Ebay.  I've had a lot of positive experience there both buying and selling, and know it very well.  Make no mistake about it, selling on Ebay is work, and can be very difficult if you have a lot of auctions going.  Last winter I held 100 auctions and 85 sold, and I speak from experience.  Ha, as others have told me, you might be better off just holding on to them.

Oh, one more thing...... those "I buy collections" or "Lionel wanted" ads will not bring you anywhere near the money you could get on Ebay (especially prior to Christmas). 

Sorry for any negativity here, but the situation is what it is.

Mobilman44

[Berk765]

Don't sell them!!! You might regret it one day. You can't put a price tag on memories. Just put them away for another day if you get tired of running them.

[lionel2]

Yeah, thats what I had in mind.  Memories are more important.  What would xmas be without trains.  I think i will hold on to them.  Thanks for all the help guys. 

[Kooljock1]

"I know what I paid for my trains and would like at least that back and some more. I feel people take advantage of the cheap prices on ebay and I am not letting them get away with it. So I will be firm with my prices and go according to the book..."

1. Unless you purchased Mint In Box (and crisp boxes at that!) you'll never get what you purchased them for, so you might as well get that out of your head right now.

2. Nobody is taking advantage of anybody on eBay. EBay is the market. The market price is set by supply and demand. There is a much larger supply than demand. Some items, such as the aforementioned Mint in Box, and actually rare samples will rise in value, but since you purchased your trains, Lionel, M-T-H, K-Line, Atlas-O, Bachman and others have been importing really beautiful trains that run really well and make really nice sounds for less than you paid.

3. Nobody pays "book". Around these parts (Vermont) you'd be lucky to get 50 cents on the dollar. But remember: 50 cents on the dollar is always better than 50 Cent on the Boom Box!

Jon

[RockIsland52]

I do not fall into the categories of folks on this Forum who buy and sell; who have large collections and wish to thin out the herd; or who simply want out.  Your decision is what counts.  I expect to be buried with my postwar stuff. 

I agree with Jon that Ebay is "the market" for most, if only because of the sheer volume of listed items and the ease of acquiring.  You will find the price "range" but not necessarily the relative price "condition."  You are dependent on the vagaries of the photos, description, Q&A, and the satisfaction rating of the seller, and your bidders.

Last week I was prepared to bid on an AA engine pair on Ebay (what is irrelevant) from Ambrose where I would be competing with live floor bidders.  The items were listed as excellent plus with boxes and "in our opinion totally original."  Pictures were very good except the color looked off, not uncommon. However, I noticed nose decals missing on both of the A units.  So I sent off an inquiry regarding the missing decals and asked if they were perhaps repaints.  My Q was not posted nor was there a private response.  Of all the bids, only one was from a live floor bidder, and that person outbid the rest by over 150%. 

My point is that market averages may drive the routine prices for the knowledgeable, but "who shows up" on any given day can skew the prices a ton.

My wife's take, who is an avid Ebay shopper, was that the seller would be stupid to post and answer my question and raise any doubt about the originality.  If the buyer was unhappy, they would make him whole.  If the buyer was emotional or uninformed, the high price would hold.

Ebay is not only market driven, it can be widely speculative outside the averages. 

Jack