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More eBay stupidity- check this one out!

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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, May 31, 2007 12:25 AM
 Deputy wrote:

I found this thread quite enjoyable. Lots of varied and strong opinions by everyone.

zeke: I'm with you. While some of what I own may be in the "collector" catagory, I run it ALL. Thumbs Up [tup]

Dep

 

Dep- I thought it was very interesting to see it go so many ways...i didnt think it would be that big of a deal ....

but no matter what i ever own i will run it all.....sure it can look pretty on a self but im all about running them...

 Toy Train Conductor

 

take care ......the zekeman is out 

 

 







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Posted by Deputy on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 8:34 PM

I found this thread quite enjoyable. Lots of varied and strong opinions by everyone.

BDT: I know the real Pennsy only had one S2 turbine. I will never have more than one on my tracks at one time Wink [;)]  But it sure is nice to pick and choose from a large variety which one I will run Big Smile [:D]

kpolak: $40 for shipping!!! Makes me wonder if they are shipping it in a wood crate!!! Smile [:)]

zeke: I'm with you. While some of what I own may be in the "collector" catagory, I run it ALL. Thumbs Up [tup]

Dep

 

 

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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 5:51 PM

wow i had no idea posting this would stir up so many interesting comments...myself am not a collector and thinks its alot of money but i understand the collectors point also..

 

 

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Posted by LS1Heli on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 4:49 PM

I do not think that anyone is really trying to "bash" the collector market. I am a collector and purchase the most expensive examples of Lionel postwar that I can find. I once paid $1,800 for a mint 313 Bascule bridge from 1948.

The point I was trying to make was that these people are selling JUNK at BEYOND collectors prices. Whether that auction was for a 763E, 700E, etc. in MY EYES from a collectors standpoint it was junk and nothing but junk (I don't care what it was). The crappy pictures, poor description, and ridiculous buy it now price didn't help the situation. 

Even if that engine was in pristine collector quality condition with the boxes, inserts, instructions, walnut base, etc. it STILL would not even of scratched the $10,000 mark.  

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Posted by Bob Keller on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 11:01 AM
I like the new feedback system because it allows you to make note of issues without having to leave an overall negative feedback.

I recently left a positive feedback with the notation of very slow shipping - "Paid on the 4th, shipped on the 21st."

You have to hope that if someone is on the border of bidding based on feedback, that they'll actually read the feedback.

Bob Keller

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Posted by DMUinCT on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 8:36 AM
When you leave "Feedback" on E-bay after a buy, you are now asked to rate the fairness of the "Shipping Charge".

Don U. TCA 73-5735

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Posted by kpolak on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 5:43 AM
 Deputy wrote:

Buying an empty cardboard box for $5000 IS a little strange no matter how you look at it. I'm still trying to figure out eZAK's excellent/amusing question of "how do you ship it?"

If you look down at the bottom of the listing it's a bonus $40 for shipping!

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Posted by BDT in Minnesota on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 10:52 PM

Hay Dep,,,,,I know that you like to Model the Pennsy,,, but the real Pennsy only had one S2 turbine!!

Do you have a long tunnel that you can hide these things in,,,Mrs Dep wouldn't think about checking the tunnels,  Would She????

still raining here....BDT

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Posted by Deputy on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 9:33 PM
 jimtrumpie wrote:

Dep,

         I saw that there is a 681 w/ a 2046W on ebay with a buy it now around $150.  Looks like its worth it.  Maybe if I wasn't saving to buy an Xbox 360...

Jim: I saw that one. It's okay. This one is much nicer but it may rise in price...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Lionel-681-PRR-Steam-Turbine-Locomotive-Tender-Nice_W0QQitemZ330127030252QQihZ014QQcategoryZ4146QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Any 681 I buy now I would most likely convert to 682 configuration. Big Smile [:D]

Dep

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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 8:59 PM

Dep,

         I saw that there is a 681 w/ a 2046W on ebay with a buy it now around $150.  Looks like its worth it.  Maybe if I wasn't saving to buy an Xbox 360...

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Posted by Deputy on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 12:02 PM
 jaabat wrote:
 Deputy wrote:

Jim: If I had 24 S2 Turbines I would be in divorce court Big Smile [:D]. No way I could justify to the wifey that kind of expense...

Dep

I guess denial isn't just a river in Egypt! Dep, admit you have an S2 addiction and we will help you! 

Oh, I kinda look at the accidents for the gore...saw a severed head once.  Dead [xx(]

Jim 

Noooooooo...I don't want a cure. I just need the stuff to satisfy my addiction Laugh [(-D]

I saw too much gore working for Uncle Sammie back in the late 60s. I just want to put blinders on and get past accident scenes as quickly as possible. Sad [:(]

Dep

 

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Posted by Jumijo on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 11:56 AM
 Deputy wrote:

Jim: If I had 24 S2 Turbines I would be in divorce court Big Smile [:D]. No way I could justify to the wifey that kind of expense...

Dep

I guess denial isn't just a river in Egypt! Dep, admit you have an S2 addiction and we will help you! 

Oh, I kinda look at the accidents for the gore...saw a severed head once.  Dead [xx(]

Jim 

Modeling the Baltimore waterfront in HO scale

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Posted by Deputy on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 11:30 AM
This whole box thing reminds me of a song from back in the 60s...

Little Boxes

by Malvina Reynolds

Little boxes on the hillside, Little boxes made of tickytacky
Little boxes on the hillside, little boxes all the same
There's a green one and a pink one and a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky tacky and they all look just the same.

Laugh [(-D]

 

Dep

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Posted by palallin on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 11:19 AM

 elvisp wrote:
How many times do we have to hear that people on this forum don't like boxes? 

 

Until all those silly, silly people who buy boxes remember to take their Thorazine and stop wasting their money like that.  It doesn't matter what those collectors want:  they pay too much for it and therefore need to be forced into taking mind-altering chemicals until they follow in lock-step the agenda of the smart-'n-same folks who simply throw the old boxes away and sneer at anyone else's enjoyment of the hobby.

And I have to confess my guilt.  I bought swome boxes once to go with my trains.  But the doctor syas I'm getting better.  I may get out of this straight-jacket next month!

 

Laugh [(-D]Laugh [(-D]Laugh [(-D]  <----Laughing maniacally at myself, as per the current recommended operating procedures.

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Posted by Jumijo on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 11:18 AM

Hey Elvis,

Thank you. Thank you very much for your opinion! TCB, man!  Laugh [(-D]

Jim 

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Posted by Deputy on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 11:17 AM

Jim: If I had 24 S2 Turbines I would be in divorce court Big Smile [:D]. No way I could justify to the wifey that kind of expense.

Elvis: again...you are taking these comments WAY too seriously. Guys aren't disrespecting anyone. Buying an empty cardboard box for $5000 IS a little strange no matter how you look at it. I'm still trying to figure out eZAK's excellent/amusing question of "how do you ship it?" That thought alone brings a grin to my face Big Smile [:D] An empty cardboard box that is worth $5000 being shipped by UPS in a cardboard box that costs $6.00 and explaining that you want to insure the empty cardboard box for $5000. Imagine the look on the poor UPS clerk's face when he tries to fill out then shipping form!!! Laugh [(-D] 

Seriously, I really don't care if Lionel collectors want to pay a gazillion dollars for boxes or the sink used by employees to wash their faces in at the original Lionel factory. It seems collectors know no bounds as far as what they will collect and what price they will pay to get it. But you certainly can't expect the average Lionel owner/operator to watch these E-Bay sales and not comment on them. That is just plain human nature. Like slowing up at a car wreck to see what happened. They aren't staring to see the gore...they're staring because they are thinking "I'm glad it didn't happen to us".

Dep


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Posted by elvisp on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 10:41 AM
This isn't about being PC, being sensitive or not speaking your mind. It is about respect to others who share the same hobby. You should speak your mind. I laughed when I saw the price of the box. However, this doesn't mean that you have to bash somebody who has a different view. This thread had over 70 posts thrashing the purchaser and collector hobby. It goes beyond just laughing at onself or expressing ones view.  It is not one person nor one thread. It seems this occurs anytime a pre/post war item sells for large amount. How many times do we have to hear that people on this forum don't like boxes? 
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Posted by DMUinCT on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 10:23 AM

Remember, if you collect, the condition of the item is eveything!  If the item has the Original Boxes, with wrapping paper and inserts, it can add 20 to 50 % to the value depending, again, on condition of the Box.

Don U. TCA 73-5735

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Posted by eZAK on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 8:08 AM

Excellent observation, Dep! And when it comes to laughing at yourself, I'm a pro! Lighten up and enjoy life for Pete's sake, guys! Wait a minute...you have 24 S2 turbines, Dep?! Dude, you really need to get a life!!! That is insane! 24? Have you ever considered a 12 step program? I had no idea you were that far gone... Wink [;)] Thumbs Up [tup]

Jim 

Now, all he needs are the Boxes for each of them and the original case Box! Smile,Wink, & Grin [swg]

Relax, Don't Worry, Have a Home Brew!</font id="size2"> Pat Zak</font id="size3">
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Posted by Jumijo on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 6:59 AM
 Deputy wrote:
 yallaen wrote:

I don't see this as ridiculing anyone..it's just pointing out some of the "overeagerness" of people to try and collect money in odd things. Is that PC enuff for you sensitive types?

I'm so sick of PC...

Ditto. Seems like some folks come on a forum wearing their emotions on their sleeves. Turn down the sensitivity levels and learn to laugh at yourselves. You'll go through life with a smile on your face instead of a frown. I sure didn't get all testy when Ben made the comment about me collecting 24 S2 Turbines. I went along with it and laughed WITH it. Big Smile [:D]

Dep    

 

Excellent observation, Dep! And when it comes to laughing at yourself, I'm a pro! Lighten up and enjoy life for Pete's sake, guys! Wait a minute...you have 24 S2 turbines, Dep?! Dude, you really need to get a life!!! That is insane! 24? Have you ever considered a 12 step program? I had no idea you were that far gone... Wink [;)] Thumbs Up [tup]

Jim 

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Posted by Deputy on Sunday, May 27, 2007 10:33 AM
 yallaen wrote:

I don't see this as ridiculing anyone..it's just pointing out some of the "overeagerness" of people to try and collect money in odd things. Is that PC enuff for you sensitive types?

I'm so sick of PC...

Ditto. Seems like some folks come on a forum wearing their emotions on their sleeves. Turn down the sensitivity levels and learn to laugh at yourselves. You'll go through life with a smile on your face instead of a frown. I sure didn't get all testy when Ben made the comment about me collecting 24 S2 Turbines. I went along with it and laughed WITH it. Big Smile [:D]

Dep    

 

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Posted by yallaen on Sunday, May 27, 2007 9:13 AM

I don't see this as ridiculing anyone..it's just pointing out some of the "overeagerness" of people to try and collect money in odd things. Is that PC enuff for you sensitive types?

I'm so sick of PC...

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Posted by cwburfle on Sunday, May 27, 2007 6:09 AM

I can't speak for anyone else in the thread, but I wasn't "bashing" anyone with my comments.
I was more joking about the whole "precious boxes" idea that seems to affect part of the collecting group

Balony, go back and read what you wrote. Most of it ridiculing the person who bought the box,, and collectors in general.

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Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, May 26, 2007 7:02 PM

   While I fully understand both sides of the debate mabey I can shed a humorous explanation of this phenominon.

   A friend of mine brought over his five year old and three year old to help another friend move. I laughed at the amount of fun those two were having with the boxes (remembering this thread). Many people collect the trains as a way to remember their childhood. Box collectors may collect the boxes to remember what they might have had even more fun with at an earlier age. Mabey not, I am not a box collector.

 All kidding aside, if I had no limit on my train purchasing, you would ridicule my purchases as I would by anything and everything. I am sure many of you would do the same.. It is still fun to see stuff like this.

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Posted by Deputy on Saturday, May 26, 2007 6:38 PM
 elvisp wrote:

I know that the majority of people on this form are operators, but let's stop bashing the postwar/prewar collectors. I operate and collect post and prewar. I mainly collect items in their origianl boxes. I get as much enjoyment looking at my collection displayed with their boxes than I do running trains on my layout. It is quite rare for a 40+yr old toy to come complete with its original package. As stated before, most kids tossed away the boxes when they opened the trains. For a rare set box to exist in that conition is amazing. While the buyer may have paid a large sum on the box, if he has or will get the components, he will have a rare and valuable set. It will probably the center of his collection. The box significantly increased the value of the set. I am not saying that that price wasn't outragous, only that to that collector it was worth the amount paid.

 I bet that many collectors would think it is outragous to pay $500, $1K or $2k new engine. (especially when many thread compliant that the did not work out of the box) While I appreciate the modern engines, I would rather have the mint 682 (that most people bashed) in stead of a modern loco of the same price. Does that make me "stupid"? Keep in mind: how "stupid" you are depends on what side of the fence (tracks) your standing. On persons junk is anothers treasure. Can we appreciate all the aspects of this hoppy instead of complaining about  each other.

I can't speak for anyone else in the thread, but I wasn't "bashing" anyone with my comments.
I was more joking about the whole "precious boxes" idea that seems to affect part of the collecting group. I would also like to have a mint 682. But I'm not gonna pay a gazillion dollars for it. And I'm certainly not going to pay double (or more) of the loco's value just because it comes in the original box. And I WILL run it. One thing I've learned from being an old gezeer is that life's too short to keep a beautiful loco sealed up in some box on a shelf or to will it to a relative or kid that will most likely sell it at a loss to get the cash to buy an MP3 player. Do collectors think I am crazy for buying a loco that cost $1000+. Probably. I've got a bunch of them and like them all. NONE of them are going to be "wallhangers", although they are certainly nicely made machines with a lot more detail than the postwar stuff. Do I care if they laugh at me? Nope. If we can't laugh at the weirdness of our hobby, what's the point? Big Smile [:D]

Dep

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Posted by elvisp on Saturday, May 26, 2007 3:48 PM

I know that the majority of people on this form are operators, but let's stop bashing the postwar/prewar collectors. I operate and collect post and prewar. I mainly collect items in their origianl boxes. I get as much enjoyment looking at my collection displayed with their boxes than I do running trains on my layout. It is quite rare for a 40+yr old toy to come complete with its original package. As stated before, most kids tossed away the boxes when they opened the trains. For a rare set box to exist in that conition is amazing. While the buyer may have paid a large sum on the box, if he has or will get the components, he will have a rare and valuable set. It will probably the center of his collection. The box significantly increased the value of the set. I am not saying that that price wasn't outragous, only that to that collector it was worth the amount paid.

 I bet that many collectors would think it is outragous to pay $500, $1K or $2k new engine. (especially when many thread compliant that the did not work out of the box) While I appreciate the modern engines, I would rather have the mint 682 (that most people bashed) in stead of a modern loco of the same price. Does that make me "stupid"? Keep in mind: how "stupid" you are depends on what side of the fence (tracks) your standing. On persons junk is anothers treasure. Can we appreciate all the aspects of this hoppy instead of complaining about  each other.

 

 

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Posted by Deputy on Saturday, May 26, 2007 2:01 PM

Here's a thought...if I throw away my U-Haul box, then tomorrow go back to the garbage and get it, will it be worth MORE than before I threw it away???? Heck, if I keep throwing it away and retrieving it, it may get REAL valuable after a short period of time. Big Smile [:D]

And what about all those Christmas presents we got last year that were boxed. Would they go up in value if I KEPT the box? I wonder if there is a hobby of JUST collecting the box and throwing away what's inside???? Is there a Rare Box Collecting Society? Shock [:O]

eZAK: Those are some EXCELLENT questions!!!! If it were me and I just went off my Thorazine and bought a $5,100 empty box, I think I would have to make a special trip to the seller and pick it up in person. No way I would trust any shipping outfit to not squash my precious piece of cardboard filled with 1950s air. Imagine spending all that money and when it arrives it looks like Uncle Sam was using it for a target for an Abrams tank!!!! And just HOW are they going to verify that this box IS what the seller says it is??? We know full well there are fake Lionel boxes out there for individual items like box cars and locos. But those have paint and printing and all kinds of quirks that an experienced collector would be able to verify. Are we now to believe that collectors can verify that a plain brown cardboard box is an original made in the 50s as opposed to today??? I doubt very much the seller was willing to tear off a section to send in for chemical analysis or allow the buyer to inspect it before purchase. For insurance, perhaps Lloyds of London would insure it. But considering the reputation of US shipping companies, I kinda doubt it. Laugh [(-D]
And what do you do with this rare item once you take possession of it? Toss a bunch of train stuff into it and store it in the cellar or attic??? I think not. You'd have to insure it (Lloyds again) and then you'd have to get some kind of airtight temperature-controlled container to store it in. Oh man...a box protecting an empty box. Does it never end??? Banged Head [banghead]

Dep

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Posted by eZAK on Saturday, May 26, 2007 10:30 AM

How does one ship a $5,100 box?

Do you bubble wrap it and put it in an even larger box?

Do you tell the shipping co. that your shipping a box and whould like to insure it for $5100?

It must be nice to have money!

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Posted by 3railguy on Saturday, May 26, 2007 9:27 AM
The only stupidity is this thread. And they say AOL is whacko. This takes the cake. LMAO.
John Long Give me Magnetraction or give me Death.

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