BRAKIE I find the flat rate works quite well for my shipping needs and I will never pay shipping charges that exceed $12 (unless it a large shipment) since there is cheaper or free shipping from other sellers. One prime example is a pack of decals for $4.95 and shipping $14.95-right for a shipping envelope. Just below him was another seller same decals same price with $2.50 shipping-guess who got my money? Guys,I have purchase three cars,paint,magazines,KD couplers and wheel sets from MBK and the shipping was $8.55. I have two ACF coverhoppers coming from Washington State and the shipping was $6.95.
I find the flat rate works quite well for my shipping needs and I will never pay shipping charges that exceed $12 (unless it a large shipment) since there is cheaper or free shipping from other sellers. One prime example is a pack of decals for $4.95 and shipping $14.95-right for a shipping envelope. Just below him was another seller same decals same price with $2.50 shipping-guess who got my money?
Guys,I have purchase three cars,paint,magazines,KD couplers and wheel sets from MBK and the shipping was $8.55.
I have two ACF coverhoppers coming from Washington State and the shipping was $6.95.
You are using examples of new items where you can comparison shop for the lowest combined amount for purchase price plus shipping. But, when it comes to used items, eBay listings are a whole different matter.
First of all, if you see a used item that you like, say a used Athearn Genesis Santa Fe F7AB consist, it may be the only one up for auction. You like the price, but shipping is $13.00. Are you going to pass it up?
Second of all, shipping charges can easily exceed $12.00 based upon the destination and the size of the package.
If you go on the USPS website, there is a Postage Price Calculator. A medium flat rate box costs $13.45, and most locos won't even fit in a medium flat rate box. So, now, look at the large flat rate box in which most locos will fit, and it costs $18.75.
So, what most of us do is to avoid flat rate shipping in favor of actual cost based upon destination and size of box. In my experience, the actual shipping charge will range between approximately $6.00 and $15.00, depending upon the destination and the size of the box.
You need to stop trying to convince yourself that eBay auctions of used items by private sellers are somehow a giant ripoff when it comes to shipping charges.
Rich
Alton Junction
bigpianoguy A while back I thought it would be fun to assemble a 'chocolate train'; a whole bunch of Hershey tankers & maybe a few reefers. Well, now it's got a Sara Lee reefer, a couple of ice cream companies...anyway, while looking for the tankers, I found four within a day or so, Model Power units, all under $20. So I was gobsmacked to find a seller touting the Model Power as 'rare', and asking $69.95! And there was another, at $39.95 o.b.o. I offered $15 and got a haughty reply saying I didn't know how rare these are. Yeah, right...But with a shipping price around $20 & the total subject to the current exchange of 31%, I'm afraid I won't be ordering a lot through eBay for a while to come...
A while back I thought it would be fun to assemble a 'chocolate train'; a whole bunch of Hershey tankers & maybe a few reefers. Well, now it's got a Sara Lee reefer, a couple of ice cream companies...anyway, while looking for the tankers, I found four within a day or so, Model Power units, all under $20. So I was gobsmacked to find a seller touting the Model Power as 'rare', and asking $69.95! And there was another, at $39.95 o.b.o. I offered $15 and got a haughty reply saying I didn't know how rare these are. Yeah, right...But with a shipping price around $20 & the total subject to the current exchange of 31%, I'm afraid I won't be ordering a lot through eBay for a while to come...
what no operating M & M car? I bought the mine on Ebay $50 same price as MTH wants.
Joe Staten Island West
richhotrain Doughless BRAKIE richhotrain It can cost as much as $14.95 to ship a locomotive if it is well packed and sent to a distant location. Rich Not really. I shipped two Athearn CF7s from Ohio to Georgia for $6.95 and the Priority box was packed to the limit with shipping peanuts.Those engines arrived safe..I probably used 25 cents worth of shipping peanuts. The box was free and while I was out for breakfast I swung by the post office since it was on the way to the restaurant.I could have done all that at home and scheduled a pickup by my carrier. To Georgia is one thing. Indiana to California is a minimum 12 bucks Priority, no matter what size parcel. (unless the small flat rate stuff) Agreed. I have sold used HO scale locomotives on eBay, and I do all in my power to keep shipping charges low in an effort to sell such items. But there are plenty of times when the USPS shipping charges exceed $12. Rich
Doughless BRAKIE richhotrain It can cost as much as $14.95 to ship a locomotive if it is well packed and sent to a distant location. Rich Not really. I shipped two Athearn CF7s from Ohio to Georgia for $6.95 and the Priority box was packed to the limit with shipping peanuts.Those engines arrived safe..I probably used 25 cents worth of shipping peanuts. The box was free and while I was out for breakfast I swung by the post office since it was on the way to the restaurant.I could have done all that at home and scheduled a pickup by my carrier. To Georgia is one thing. Indiana to California is a minimum 12 bucks Priority, no matter what size parcel. (unless the small flat rate stuff)
BRAKIE richhotrain It can cost as much as $14.95 to ship a locomotive if it is well packed and sent to a distant location. Rich Not really. I shipped two Athearn CF7s from Ohio to Georgia for $6.95 and the Priority box was packed to the limit with shipping peanuts.Those engines arrived safe..I probably used 25 cents worth of shipping peanuts. The box was free and while I was out for breakfast I swung by the post office since it was on the way to the restaurant.I could have done all that at home and scheduled a pickup by my carrier.
richhotrain It can cost as much as $14.95 to ship a locomotive if it is well packed and sent to a distant location. Rich
Not really. I shipped two Athearn CF7s from Ohio to Georgia for $6.95 and the Priority box was packed to the limit with shipping peanuts.Those engines arrived safe..I probably used 25 cents worth of shipping peanuts. The box was free and while I was out for breakfast I swung by the post office since it was on the way to the restaurant.I could have done all that at home and scheduled a pickup by my carrier.
To Georgia is one thing. Indiana to California is a minimum 12 bucks Priority, no matter what size parcel. (unless the small flat rate stuff)
Agreed. I have sold used HO scale locomotives on eBay, and I do all in my power to keep shipping charges low in an effort to sell such items. But there are plenty of times when the USPS shipping charges exceed $12.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Certain prospectors seem to view their gems as "rare" or "vintage"; much overused and abused terms on places like eBay these days. Some gems aren't quite as rare as some claim them to be; nor are they worth the exorbinant profit of the asking price.
Again, to each is own - i.e. those willing to ask what they ask for an item...and those willing to pay for that asking price.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
- Douglas
richhotrainIt can cost as much as $14.95 to ship a locomotive if it is well packed and sent to a distant location. Rich
tstage riogrande5761 Most of the items I see for insane prices are long out of stock items, many of them Athearn RTR items; I check regularly and have managed to find many of those items for much better prices by patiently checking and waiting. For example, people have been listing 5-packs of certain coal gondola's for $159; they MRSP'd for $89 when first on the market - so pretty high. I picked up a set of the same ones for $85 recently to fill out a train of those coal gons. Yea, I saw certain discontinued Walthers passenger cars going for $160 when others were selling the exact same ones/same condition for $60-80. So it wasn't like there were only one or two available. It's no skin off my back. Folks can pay whatever and to whomever they wish. I just wait patiently for a right & fair price and buy or bid on an item within that price window. And sometimes I've skipped eBay altogether because I found a better deal from an online vendor. Tom
riogrande5761 Most of the items I see for insane prices are long out of stock items, many of them Athearn RTR items; I check regularly and have managed to find many of those items for much better prices by patiently checking and waiting. For example, people have been listing 5-packs of certain coal gondola's for $159; they MRSP'd for $89 when first on the market - so pretty high. I picked up a set of the same ones for $85 recently to fill out a train of those coal gons.
Most of the items I see for insane prices are long out of stock items, many of them Athearn RTR items; I check regularly and have managed to find many of those items for much better prices by patiently checking and waiting. For example, people have been listing 5-packs of certain coal gondola's for $159; they MRSP'd for $89 when first on the market - so pretty high. I picked up a set of the same ones for $85 recently to fill out a train of those coal gons.
Yea, I saw certain discontinued Walthers passenger cars going for $160 when others were selling the exact same ones/same condition for $60-80. So it wasn't like there were only one or two available.
It's no skin off my back. Folks can pay whatever and to whomever they wish. I just wait patiently for a right & fair price and buy or bid on an item within that price window. And sometimes I've skipped eBay altogether because I found a better deal from an online vendor.
Thats the good thing about competition. I was listening to the radio and come pharmaceutical company marked up the cost of Epipens for 400% and it's causing a lot of consternation. There simply need to be another produce them at the previously normal profitable price and the other company will be out in the cold. Same for Ebay. Of course the reason why some of these items are at insane prices is generally, they are hard to find.
The key is patience and it's usually a matter of watching carefully and in a matter of weeks, sometimes months, the same item(s) will show up at much more reasonable prices. I don't really think there are that many people who are that impatient that they are willing to pay double MRSP (give or take) for items. Somewhere between 95 and 100% of those items never sell at those prices. Those dafty's can try as they might, but they are just sitting on stuff that could actually be generating cash; or else someone else will sell that stuff or less when the proprietor finally dies of old age trying!
Choice is a good thing; scroll past those silly Ebay listing just like you walk out of those LHS shops with full price items. Same thing only a bit more extreme.
I have passed by many a table at train shows where a vendor has an array of Tyco, Model Power, AHM and other "train set" variety items for sale at what most of us would consider "outrageous" prices.
Sure, gougers have been around for a long time; Ebay is just a more recent "modern" place you can find them. But the ones at train shows are having to pay rent for table space to sit on their stuff, pay for hotel, food, travel, gas etc. So they won't be able to not sell overpriced stuff for as long I suspect.
And yes, train shows have their examples. There is a guy in the Maryland/Virginia area who regularly has shelves of trains that have extemely worn boxes from constant trips back and forth. I saw an Intermountain ice reefer in the old style box they haven't shipped rolling stock in since around 2005/6 time frame. He wanted MRSP for that car saying it was a rare item and long out of stock item. No kidding! But I know full well Intermountain has re-ran that ice reefer umpteen times and in newer style boxes and more are coming and the street price will be for less. Many know this and thats why the shelfware. A large percentage of this vendors stock will likely be in his possession when he retires or passes away. His choice of course.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Ebay is not necessarily the culprit here.
I recall stopping by one of these tables once and the seller had the tiny white tags on a string like a jewelery store would use hanging from every item. Curious, I picked up an AHM "C-liner" lettered for Corky's Railway. The tag only had a number on it. This was years before anybody had even heard the word Ebay.
Seeing my "interest" he seller then pulled out a 3-ring binder and looked up the "market price" of that fine specimen. He had every piece of stock inventoried, graded and priced accordingly. I thought I was at Tiffany's or a Sotheby's auction. Truly, this stuff came right out of a junk box with parts missing and definite signs of careless handling.
Again, these are just marketing strategies that these particular sellers prefer to use. They must have at least some success at it.
Regards, Ed
BRAKIE Heartland Division CB&Q The seller must get the money for those high fees from the buyer one way or another. ... If there is free shipping, the item price must be bumped up. Or hoping the buyer is stupid enough to believe it cost $14.95 to ship a car or locomotive-who gets the shipping refund?
Heartland Division CB&Q The seller must get the money for those high fees from the buyer one way or another. ... If there is free shipping, the item price must be bumped up.
Or hoping the buyer is stupid enough to believe it cost $14.95 to ship a car or locomotive-who gets the shipping refund?
The sellers are waiting for when places like MBKlein, Trainworld, etc. run out of stock, until the buyers have little choice or patience. These ebay stores just keep automatically relisting the item...forever. I hope they get charged fees for every relist, but I suspect they don't.
They don't get charged for relistings up to a certain number, as someone pointed out. And it was when Ebay changed their policy to allow relistings for free that we began to see the insane prices that were double or triple MSRP.
I'm probably considered a cheapskate relative to many, but I find my price threshold creeps up as the available inventory dwindles.
The above case is one of those examples of where your price threshold can creep up; back when those coal gons came out, I found them at street prices of ~ $60 for the 5-pack (MSRP $89.98). In fact I bought four 5-packs of them when first on the market. At that time I wouldn't have paid more than maybe $70 per 5-pack but 10 years later they are pretty hard to find and with the overall increase of RTR products, $85 was something I considered a decent price now.
New runs of those gons are now priced at $79.98 and they have been reduced from 5-pack to 3-pack. Do the math it comes out to $133 for 5 of those cars (MSRP). So $85 for a 5-pack on Ebay was by todays standards a decent price. Other certain Athearn RTR items (it does matter which) tend to be priced at even more insane prices.
So I do pay higher prices than I would have tolerated 10 years ago, but usually it's because I'm searching for items long out of stock and the current day costs are much higher so if that same item was produced to day, new, you would certainly pay alot more - it helps you justify paying higher for an older item - up to a point of course. The prices being asked on Ebay are totally unacceptable to the vast majority of us which is why they stay listed for many weeks; eventually you will see the Ebay price creep ever so gradually down on some items because the seller does want to sell those items within their life time Basically you have to be patient. I've found over a period of months or perhaps a year, you will eventually find most of the items you want while the greed-items collect electron dust.
DAVID FORTNEY I find if I'm interested in an item I just buy it when it first comes out. I never buy
I find if I'm interested in an item I just buy it when it first comes out. I never buy
Easier said than done; Sure, I do the same thing, IF I can afford to buy items when they come out. But as often is the case, more product is hitting the market than I have budget for, so something have to go by the way side.
Heartland Division CB&QAlso, the seller may need to drive to the post office, and his car expenses would have to be considered. (However, postal carriers do pick up Priority Mail from a business or residence).
Correct and you can order the Priority boxes for free and your carrier will drop them off on your door step.Going to the post office is old school that many still do.You can pay on line and print your shipping costs and place it on the box.Very handy.A extra large bag of shipping peanuts/popcorn(around $25.00 locally) doesn't cost much per shipment.
I suspect he wanted $50.00(that's local train show prices) for that GP18 and figured $65.00 covers all bases. I've done that myself. No foul.He got his price and I got my SCL GP18 at a price I was willing to go with "free" shipping and IMHO it was a win/win.
It would cost me at least $15.00(lunch,parking and admittance) plus gas to go to a show and still may not find a SCL GP18.
BRAKIE Heartland Division CB&Q The seller must get the money for those high fees from the buyer one way or another. ... If there is free shipping, the item price must be bumped up. Or hoping the buyer is stupid enough to believe it cost $14.95 to ship a car or locomotive-who gets the shipping refund? Most of the items I buy has free shipping and the price is very competitive for a new or use locomotive. Like my P2K SCL GP18 it was $65.00 with free shipping while the other three was around $89.00 with $11.55 shipping. You are correct about bumping the price up though but,it pays to shop around before buying especially on e-Bay.
Most of the items I buy has free shipping and the price is very competitive for a new or use locomotive.
Like my P2K SCL GP18 it was $65.00 with free shipping while the other three was around $89.00 with $11.55 shipping.
You are correct about bumping the price up though but,it pays to shop around before buying especially on e-Bay.
Larry ... The seller paid fees to Ebay and to Paypal totalling roughly $15.00 on your $65.00 purchase. So he took in a net of about $50.00. .... Most sellers pay for the excessive fees of Ebay and PayPal by charging a high enough Shipping and Handling to cover it.
Note the phrase "shipping and handling" is not simply "shipping" ...... Also, the seller may need to drive to the post office, and his car expenses would have to be considered. (However, postal carriers do pick up Priority Mail from a business or residence).
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
At least one of the "high priced sellers" is a very reputable brass dealer whose primary business is consignment sales of typically higher end brass models. These are the very models that others outside the United States will typically spend a lot of money for. Also, the dealer has a financial incentive to get the most he possibly can for his clients, as his fee is then also larger. The clients are often not in a hurry to sell today; they are "maximizing their investment".
One of the aspects here is that the descendants of the Japanese brass builders want to obtain and collect fine examples of their parents' or grandparents' modelmaking. Somewhat unlike some of the production in South Korea, the Japanese always took great pride in the models they made, getting together weekly with fellow builders to show off their art. So the descendants are willing to pay big bucks for premium models, which has also crossed over into the same or other international customers paying big bucks for the better Korean stuff, too.
So when you see the high minimum bid prices on certain rare or higher end brass, you need to realize that price is based on the international market for HO brass, where some customers still have American prototypes on a relative pedestal, along with Elvis, genuine American muscle cars, etc. etc.
According to one semi-retired brass dealer on these forums, for items above about $1200 in value, 90% of the HO brass sales on forums like Ebay are models moving from the U.S. to international clients.
John
Ebay offers free listing fees to sellers. I sell the items I have that no longer fit my layout. I get 50 free listings a month. If I had an eBay "store" that number goes to 200! For many sellers, that thakes away the incentive to price items to sell. Check the high opening bid sellers, sold listings. Most don't sell that much.
richhotrain Tom, it sounds to me like your bewilderment is not with eBay but, rather, with buyers who pay too high a price in your estimation. Two totally different things. As for eBay, for all of its flaws, it has two extremely positive advantages. One , it reaches a truly national audience. Two, it is the place to find hard to find items. Rich
Tom, it sounds to me like your bewilderment is not with eBay but, rather, with buyers who pay too high a price in your estimation. Two totally different things.
As for eBay, for all of its flaws, it has two extremely positive advantages. One , it reaches a truly national audience. Two, it is the place to find hard to find items.
Rich,
The bewilderment is mainly a combination of two musings:
As mentioned, sellers have the liberty to sell any item they want at any price they think a buyer is willing to pay for it. And buyers have the liberty to purchase that same item for the selling price if they deem it a "value" to them; whatever that entails.
It's more an economical musing than a philosophical one, Rich. I just don't see how these few successful (e.g. Top Rate Plus), well-established sellers continue to stay in business asking the prices that they are asking for not-so-rare items. Perhaps the best answer would come from the buyers themselves...
Heartland Division CB&QThe seller must get the money for those high fees from the buyer one way or another. ... If there is free shipping, the item price must be bumped up.
I have curtailed my e-Bay buying significantly in the past few months. The main reason are the shipping costs to Canada from the USA. Even at First Class rates the shipping costs usually negate any bargains. I refuse to buy if the seller is demanding Priority shipping or the Global Shipping Program.
I have spent a fair bit on Amazon recently. As somebody said, the shipping is usually pretty reasonable and it is often free.
What I find interesting is that items from England and Europe cost much less to ship, and the shipping is fast.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Heartland Division CB&QEbay will keep getting worse if they keep raising their fees....
That probably explains why I found the same locomotive from the same seller that also had listed it on Amazon. Lower selling price and free shipping. Overall I saved about 15% by using Amazon.
Not in every case, mind you, but it pays to do an extensive Google search for the particular item you are looking for and exploring all your options.
Ebay will keep getting worse if they keep raising their fees.... The seller pays big fees to both Ebay and to PayPal... It may be a total of as much as 25% of the sum paid by the buyer for both the item and for shipping & Handling.
The seller must get the money for those high fees from the buyer one way or another. ... If there is free shipping, the item price must be bumped up.
I find if I'm interested in an item I just buy it when it first comes out. I never buy new on eBay.
I can pick up some good deals on older items on eBay, you have to patient and know what the item is worth.
riogrande5761 Yep yep yep. Seen lots of the insanely priced items. Whatever. Move along, move along. Just like other examples similar to this in other venues, they are waiting for the really desperate person who has more money than sense, which by watching this stuff there aren't very many of them out there. It would be interesting to see the percentage of those items priced at insane 2x or 3x MSRP prices, what percentage actually sells. All I know is they are beyond what I would pay and sometimes I have paid near MSRP prices or in one or two cases a bit more. Best thing is to just scroll past that nonsense and let your brain go dead. It's a lot easier on your blood pressure. Don't let them get to you. They are the loonies, not you.
Yep yep yep. Seen lots of the insanely priced items. Whatever. Move along, move along.
Just like other examples similar to this in other venues, they are waiting for the really desperate person who has more money than sense, which by watching this stuff there aren't very many of them out there. It would be interesting to see the percentage of those items priced at insane 2x or 3x MSRP prices, what percentage actually sells. All I know is they are beyond what I would pay and sometimes I have paid near MSRP prices or in one or two cases a bit more.
Best thing is to just scroll past that nonsense and let your brain go dead. It's a lot easier on your blood pressure. Don't let them get to you. They are the loonies, not you.
It is what it is. I just received a shipment of 8 HO Intermountain Santa Fe stock cars; rare items that may or may not be produced again in my lifetime. I have been watching for a while so I could get several of these cars; I ended up with eight individual buy it nows for a fair price, got a shipping rebate to boot. I now can string together a 14 car stock train, something that was typical for the branch line I want to model.
BRAKIE Another thing the buyer may do is buy within the first 5 pages. I usually go 25-30 pages if I'm browsing e-Bay.If I do a search for a specific item then I will look through every page that was returned in the search. A prime example is my LL P2K SCL GP38-2.On the first three pages the prices was around $80-90.00 but,on page 4 of 6 there she was #509 BIN for $55.00 with free shipping from the same shop I bought #500 from at the same price with free shipping..
Another thing the buyer may do is buy within the first 5 pages. I usually go 25-30 pages if I'm browsing e-Bay.If I do a search for a specific item then I will look through every page that was returned in the search.
A prime example is my LL P2K SCL GP38-2.On the first three pages the prices was around $80-90.00 but,on page 4 of 6 there she was #509 BIN for $55.00 with free shipping from the same shop I bought #500 from at the same price with free shipping..
And the true bargains come when youdon't care about roadname.
One must look at the buyer, there are people out there that could care less about the price, if they want it they get it, their ship has come in so to speak.
Sometimes it is hard to judge. I have a bid right in now on a vintage item that will go well with my layout. I have nothing to compare it to as it is the only one I have found. So my rule is set a limit so you don't get into an indefinate bidding war at the end and stick to it.
In case I am hoping no one else knows about or bids on the item currently listed at $14.95 but in any event my upper limit is $20, My life will not be ruined if I am out bid.
Mostly I use Ebay for used vintage items. I have not found much savings on new stuff that I can purchase online or at a b & m.