Ive been curiously dabbling in N scale , and though I have had some 50/50 luck with buying used equipment in HO or for that matter NEW equipment being infact used, that said , how is the N scale when compared , is it a higher risk when buying used or the so called NEW from a private party that sometimes is used ?
I guess in short is it as fixable as HO OR should I just avoid all used or possible used ? ...Jerr
I doubt scale makes a difference. Reputible dealers and sleezy dealers exist in all walks of life. I have had good luck on ebay, but haven't purchased a lot. However, most of the more expensive items have come from dealers/hobby shops that offer items on line.
A risk is a risk, whatever catagory of online buying you are in.
Good luck,
Richard
BIG JERR Ive been curiously dabbling in N scale , and though I have had some 50/50 luck with buying used equipment in HO or for that matter NEW equipment being infact used, that said , how is the N scale when compared , is it a higher risk when buying used or the so called NEW from a private party that sometimes is used ? I guess in short is it as fixable as HO OR should I just avoid all used or possible used ? ...Jerr
For me, my eyes are getting old. I can work on HO, no problem, but N scale (which I don't do) seems awfully small and hard to see. On the other hand, if you are younger than me, (not unlikely) and have some good strong lighting in your workshop, you ought to be able to fix most anything that goes wrong.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
I will tell you straight up..90% of my N Scale was used and 70% of my HO was bought used. I never bought a lemon but,I dealt with e-Bay stores and N Scale Supply for my used N Scale.
A word of caution compare prices before buying used..I've seen used N Scale and used HO locomotives that cost more then a new one did at street.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
I bought a manageable fleet of cars and locomotives. But I do get the occasional bad diesel or two, sometimes a freight car.
With my experience on eBay it's like a 80/100% on good equipment.
Good luck!
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
thanks guys , I think I will avoid anything that looks used in N and try to stay with reputable seller/dealers for locos, my eyes are not that good and my luck sucks.
and I agree that the used N locos is selling for very near what the new ones are. thanks ...Jerr I well check out the spookshow
thats a nice site (spookshow n scale ) thanks Dave good info...Jerr
A lot of having good luck buying used is sticking with the better brands ATLAS,KATO, newer LifeLike/Walthers.The newer Bachmann can be pretty decent too.If your at a trainshow ask them to let you test run the unit.If they refuse walk away you won't be sorry.
Unlike O scale, there's no such thing as "The good old days" when it comes to N scale. Older N scale trains are lower in quality, and much less prototypical looking as more recently-manufactured N scale trains. I personally avoid buying any N scale loco or rolling stock manufactured before 1990. It's really not worth it for me.
The other factor is DCC-friendliness. I don't know whether you run or want to run DCC, but if you do, or plan to, you really want to avoid any loco that wasn't released in the 21st century, unless you're an electronics expert or want to see a world of hurt.
Nothing wrong with buying used, as long as it's recently-used, and was made within the past 20 years. A bunch of Bachmann or Life-Like N scale trains made in the early '80s is really just worthless junk; any sort of value to them would most likely be sentimental than anything else.
BRAKIE ...A word of caution compare prices before buying used..I've seen used N Scale and used HO locomotives that cost more then a new one did at street.
This ^^^ is sound advice. I know you posted that you were going to avoid buying used, but with patience and a good eye you can scoop up some great N scale equipment for very good prices off of the used market. I would guess that at least half of my rolling stock is...or was...used and quite a few of my locomotives were purchased on the pre-owned market. As another poster mentioned, Atlas, Kato, newer Rapido, Intermountain, and newer Life-Like (to name a few) are all solid companies.
Good luck and happy modeling!
Don.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that both engines have failed, and we will be stuck here for some time. The good news is that you decided to take the train and not fly."
Everything comes with a risk, even new items. I have bought several Atlas cars listed as new in box. Some of them had mismatched wheels and a pair of them had Accumate truck/couplers at one end and Micro-Trains truck/couplers at the other end. Just be prepared to make some repairs. If the Loco/car is something you want and can't find new I would go for it but don't pay more that you think it should be worth.
About buying on ebay, look at the price, look at the shipping charges ,check the sellers feedback,but first and foremost IMHO is look at the pictures.If the pictures are not clear ask for more better ones if the seller won't comply move on to the next one.