rrebell Yeah, I remember a person trying to sell an Athearn engine for $10,000. A forum buddy even e-mailed him as did others and i guess to him it was very valuable. Also one person was trying to sell dryer lint.
Yeah, I remember a person trying to sell an Athearn engine for $10,000. A forum buddy even e-mailed him as did others and i guess to him it was very valuable. Also one person was trying to sell dryer lint.
As a former ebay seller before they required an SSN (a thousand curses, I had quite a lucrative pocket money gig going, and thats information I refuse to supply them) all I could think in response to that last sentence was "what in the actual..."
Something like the OP's post recently happened to me. I somewhat fouled my laptop motherboard using Alienware's special eGPU and replacements for said MB were going for $475 on ebay. I made an offer to a seller for $375, he never even counteroffered (which by ebay seller standards not responding to an offer in any way shape or form is quite rude) so I made the same offer to another seller and he accepted without even a counteroffer. This, in the present nasty market that is computer parts (where one is buying a part for an expensive alienware laptop) is like being handed one of willy wonka's golden tickets or winning a lotto. Needless to say I was quite proud of myself
The riculous part was that seller #1 had the audacity to come back to me later and make a special personal offer of $425, which I declined, proudly adding a message in the refusal letting him know I already got what I wanted for the price I'd origionally offered HIM. He would have probably gotten my $425 too if he hadn't ignored my offer completely.
Ya can't fix stupid
I'm beginning to realize that Windows 10 and sound decoders have a lot in common. There are so many things you have to change in order to get them to work the way you want.
ATSFGuyRegarding older stock like Walthers Goldline Autoracks, BLI California Zephyr Cars, yes prices can range anywhere from $50-100. Or $100-$300. It makes me cringe to this day. Other auctions are in the $50-$100 range I usually go for.
Yep, and Walthers Superliner cars that used to go for $25 or $30 are now priced at $100 - $150 on the bay. Example:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&_nkw=Walthers+superliner&_sacat=0
They are not selling btw, nor should they. I guess these idiot's don't want to sell stuff or think maybe, just maybe some one stupid enough will buy one. So far no buyers after many months. Some sellers are idiots.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Regarding older stock like Walthers Goldline Autoracks, BLI California Zephyr Cars, yes prices can range anywhere from $50-100. Or $100-$300. It makes me cringe to this day.
Other auctions are in the $50-$100 range I usually go for.
Sometimes ebay will have HO Scale custom items listed. They could be trailers, trucks, cars, and locomotives. I one bought a customized Athearn 53' trailer that started out as an Xtra Lease, but had been repainted/decaled for Amazon.
John-NYBWI'm upgrading a number of vintage Rivarossi passenger cars with interiors, body mounted KD couplers, diaphragms, weights and metal wheels. I needed to get some interiors for a couple of 1930 lightweight coaches. I went out to ebay and there were a number of listings for the old IHC interiors, all in mid twenty price range. Then I came across two different listings for 1930 lightweight coaches with interiors, both selling for $15.99 plus shipping including one which is a duplicate of a car I am upgrading.
The old Rivarossi car interiors were one-piece tan plastic. IHC interiors had a more detailed / complicated interior, with the floor cast in one color and different colored add-on parts for like dining car tables, wall dividers, lounge seats etc. so it's not surprising they'd cost more.
If you search ebay, you can find recent 3D printed interiors for Rivarossi, Athearn, and other cars at reasonable prices.
BTW AHM/Rivarossi cars are not the same as IHC cars. An IHC interior's seats, walls etc. normally aren't going to line up correctly with an AHM/Rivarossi car.
John-NYBWIt's amazing how many sellers will mark an item down but then charge an exorbitant shipping cost.
I would not assume the seller is trying to gouge people on shipping. I've sold some items and in the end lost money because I miscalculated shipping costs, including the shipping materials. The cost of shipping has gone up.
FRRYKid rrebell Add another wrinkle, if you put a watch on something and it dosn't sell the seller will start sending out e-mails to buyers with a lower price on buy it now, got a few things that way. Sometimes they offer 5% off and other times it is like 30%. Very true. I've gotten a few things that way myself. As to supporting your LHS, I would if I had one.
rrebell Add another wrinkle, if you put a watch on something and it dosn't sell the seller will start sending out e-mails to buyers with a lower price on buy it now, got a few things that way. Sometimes they offer 5% off and other times it is like 30%.
Add another wrinkle, if you put a watch on something and it dosn't sell the seller will start sending out e-mails to buyers with a lower price on buy it now, got a few things that way. Sometimes they offer 5% off and other times it is like 30%.
Very true. I've gotten a few things that way myself.
As to supporting your LHS, I would if I had one.
Yep. I live in an area large enough for a NFL team, yet there is not a hobby shop around that carries model railroad stuff around. The closes one is over 100 miles away. So my money goes to the cheapest one on the internet. If it is a brick and mortar store selling on the internet, great. If not, oh well.
An "expensive model collector"
My favorite one on EBay was 10 Tyco Couplers that started out at $1 and ended up selling for $39.95
Rick Jesionowski
Rule 1: This is my railroad.
Rule 2: I make the rules.
Rule 3: Illuminating discussion of prototype history, equipment and operating practices is always welcome, but in the event of visitor-perceived anacronisms, detail descrepancies or operating errors, consult RULE 1!
Ah memories. Back in 2005 or so I was buying (used) Proto 2000 and 1000 locos for giveaway prices on ebay, nobody wanted them, so I built up a large roster for cheap. They're high now.
The biggest curiousity I see these days is HO turntables at sky-high prices, I mean even the manual ones with no motor or DCC. Won't mention the brands but some of these don't even work very well. I am going to construct a homemade one using that 1/4" phone jack method.
NVSRRSomebody on the is trying to sell stuff for something called a sand table. I guess mr stuff could be used on one. Not sure what that is though.
Google it and you'll see. It's for kids to play with indoors.
Wouldn't want to put any trains in it, unless you are modeling a train attack scene from Lawrence of Arabia.
Navel lint is much more valuable.
Somebody on the is trying to sell stuff for something called a sand table. I guess mr stuff could be used on one. Not sure what that is though.
The Tyco pulpwood car. Saw one for the awesome low price 200 because it was so hard to find and rare. And he was giving it away at that price. According to him. There is what 20 pages of them on there at any given time.
remember the guy that would come beat you up for a price
A pessimist sees a dark tunnel
An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel
A realist sees a frieght train
An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space
I must be 'sitting on a goldmine' according to one EBay seller.
He is selling a signed copy of a book for £500 (nearly $700).
The author is a friend of the family and I have 14 of his books all signed.
Though I have been given the books by him, the books can be bought (by anyone) at regular selling price, signed.
Needless to say the EBayer is still trying to sell the book.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
E-bay has nothing to do with pricing. Most are reasonible, some are outlandish.
Take for example power supplies for my servers. They are obsolete and so the manufacturer does not have them, and if they did the price for a gnu one would be just over $200.
So I looked on e-bay and bought some used for about $40. each. But there on e-bay was an ad for the same power supplies for $2000.
Isuspect that some dude bought them for $40.00, listed them for $2000, and bought them for his employer at that price, keeping the rest of the money.
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
rrebellWhy support your local shop, used to go all the time and they were ussually very rude (being kind here) for the last 20 years or so. In my youth you got help but not anymore and their prices are much higher to boot!
Hi rrebell,
I think that you might be painting with a rather broad brush when you ask "Why support your local shop". Obviously you have had a lot of bad experiences with your local shop, but not all shops are the same. My 'local' hobby shop is always a pleasure to do business with. They are very friendly, helpful and patient, and their prices are good when compared to bringing items into Canada by ordering directly from the USA.
When I say 'patient', I have a (bad) habit of adding several items, often one at a time, to an outstanding order. It doesn't seem to annoy them, although I may be looking through rose coloured glasses at that. When I say 'local' that is a figure of speech. They are 4 1/2 hrs. away but shipping is cheap so I really have no need to visit the shop in person. I have a good rapport with the person who handles the orders (Mark R on the forums if you are interested). Our relationship is very similar to the hobby shop banter of days past, although perhaps not as frequent.
No offense intended rrebell. Just my worth.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
snjroy maxman What is kijiji? I googled it and it comes up as ebay classifieds. Ah, I just realized it's only a Canadian thing. It's basically a used items selling site. Very similar to Marketplace.
maxman
What is kijiji? I googled it and it comes up as ebay classifieds. Ah, I just realized it's only a Canadian thing. It's basically a used items selling site. Very similar to Marketplace.
What is kijiji?
I googled it and it comes up as ebay classifieds.
Ah, I just realized it's only a Canadian thing. It's basically a used items selling site. Very similar to Marketplace.
Doughless John-NYBW Doughless I say support your local LHS. We now have at least a dozen within reach of your Tablet. Supporting the LHS is easier said than done for many of us. My favorite LHS is almost an hour drive one way. I used to drive into town twice a week to bowl but since the pandemic, our bowling alley is on restricted hours and our bowling group is on hold until further notice. We don't even know if they will ever return to normal hours. This past week, I had to take my dogs in to the vet so I took advantage to stop by the LHS and I picked up a few items. If I have to make a special trip, I figure in the cost of the gas as well as the value of my time when deciding where to buy. Usually that means buying online. The LHS and the online seller are both in competition for my business. I'll go with the one that gives me the best value for my money. If it's a toss up, I'll probably go with the LHS but if I can save signicant time or money buying online, whether that's ebay or an e-tailer, that's the route I will go. Businesses have to learn to adjust to changing times. That's always been the case. Those that do that well will stay in business. Those that can't won't. I was using the term LHS in a certain way. I can sit at my desk and visit a dozen brick and mortar sites that give me access to their inventory as if I was going to drive 10 miles to my own LHS. In that sense, they are local. They are a B&M shop that are within 10 miles away from a lot of people, just not me, but give me access to their inventory as if I was. I prefer those sellers over the ebay sellers, although some of the ebay sellers can be tied back to a LHS too. Not wanting to paint with too broad of a brush here.
John-NYBW Doughless I say support your local LHS. We now have at least a dozen within reach of your Tablet. Supporting the LHS is easier said than done for many of us. My favorite LHS is almost an hour drive one way. I used to drive into town twice a week to bowl but since the pandemic, our bowling alley is on restricted hours and our bowling group is on hold until further notice. We don't even know if they will ever return to normal hours. This past week, I had to take my dogs in to the vet so I took advantage to stop by the LHS and I picked up a few items. If I have to make a special trip, I figure in the cost of the gas as well as the value of my time when deciding where to buy. Usually that means buying online. The LHS and the online seller are both in competition for my business. I'll go with the one that gives me the best value for my money. If it's a toss up, I'll probably go with the LHS but if I can save signicant time or money buying online, whether that's ebay or an e-tailer, that's the route I will go. Businesses have to learn to adjust to changing times. That's always been the case. Those that do that well will stay in business. Those that can't won't.
Doughless I say support your local LHS. We now have at least a dozen within reach of your Tablet.
I say support your local LHS. We now have at least a dozen within reach of your Tablet.
I was using the term LHS in a certain way. I can sit at my desk and visit a dozen brick and mortar sites that give me access to their inventory as if I was going to drive 10 miles to my own LHS. In that sense, they are local. They are a B&M shop that are within 10 miles away from a lot of people, just not me, but give me access to their inventory as if I was.
I prefer those sellers over the ebay sellers, although some of the ebay sellers can be tied back to a LHS too. Not wanting to paint with too broad of a brush here.
My favorite LHS has an ebay store and an Amazon store although I find them difficult to find what I am looking for. Generally when I'm looking on ebay it is for a vintage or other discontinued item, not for something readily available new. The advantage of buying from Amazon is I can get it the next day if it is an item they stock. If it comes from a third party vendor, it can sometimes take a week or more. If it's coming from China, it might be a month or more.
My most recent Amazon purchase was for a turnout which I got the next day. Had I ordered through my LHS's Amazon store, it would have taken longer and slowed the progress on my layout. I consider both price and convenience in deciding from whom I will purchase.
maxman What is kijiji? I googled it and it comes up as ebay classifieds.
- Douglas
Ebay is still a good source, although I also share the view that it's not the "garage sale" place it used to be. Used engines used to be available at a reasonable price. Forget that. And some sellers are just abusive - I sent a few messages to some to point out that their information about an engine was wrong, and some just totally ignored me.
I bought some REALLY nice brass engines this year at a low price, but none were from Ebay. They were all from generic online sites with a strong local presence (Kijiji and Marketplace). The sellers were all private owners who were happy to sell them at a low price. With the LHS disappearing, it's getting complicated for someone selling used brass.
Simon
richhotrain Unfortunately, right now, that is often the case on eBay, that is buying a used or nearly new item at close to its original MSRP or even above the original MSRP. The current situation is sure good for sellers though. Rich
Unfortunately, right now, that is often the case on eBay, that is buying a used or nearly new item at close to its original MSRP or even above the original MSRP. The current situation is sure good for sellers though.
Rich
richhotrainWell, yes and no. I do see a lot of stuff on eBay that sits there for what seems like forever, and that tells me that potential buyers are informed.
Agreed. My reference is directed more at the sellers. It seemed like during and post-covid, a lot of sellers started to ask very high prices. That's where I was seeing this remarkable asking price inflation all of a sudden. Makes me wonder how so many could jump on the rising price bandwagon so quickly.
Actual sales prices have not inflated more than the new internet Hobby Shop website offerings, which haven't been huge, IMO, yet ebay sellers are keying off of something.
Maybe ebay should start charging fees for simply holding an item on its bandwidth. It seems now that the guy can simply list those MONON coaches for years and never get charged a fee. He has no overhead costs to force his price down to reasonableness. Ebay bears the overhead cost for his 2 year old listing.
It's not a serious listing, IMO, if the seller is simply willing to wait a long time for one uninformed or desperate buyer to show up.
Doughless The price increases on ebay are far higher than the price increases on individual LHS websites. And they happened very suddenly.
The price increases on ebay are far higher than the price increases on individual LHS websites. And they happened very suddenly.
Doughless I think its become a place for sellers to try to take advantage of uninformed buyers, where before it seemed more like a close-knit family of informed buyers and sellers bidding and asking prices in a pretty defined range.
I think its become a place for sellers to try to take advantage of uninformed buyers, where before it seemed more like a close-knit family of informed buyers and sellers bidding and asking prices in a pretty defined range.
Doughless When I see the experienced retailers trying and not succeeding in selling a used 15 year old Atlas MP15 with QSI sound for $145, I think of modest price increases. When I see another retailer or individual trying to sell the same basice loco for $225, methinks a lot of turds have dropped into the punchbowl.
When I see the experienced retailers trying and not succeeding in selling a used 15 year old Atlas MP15 with QSI sound for $145, I think of modest price increases. When I see another retailer or individual trying to sell the same basice loco for $225, methinks a lot of turds have dropped into the punchbowl.
I use that Rapido Monon coach car as a good example. $219??? But, eventually, I won't be surprised to see that it is sold. Meanwhile, it has 13 Watchers. In my experience, Watchers on Buy It Now listings are just curious onlookers that have no intention of buying that item, at least not at its current price.
Alton Junction
richhotrain Doughless With shipping prices rising, and with them pushing out the small garage sales guys willing to sell their items at a loss, I find Ebay to not be a very desireable place to buy. Yep, the cost of shipping has become a barrier for selling even smaller items, and the cost of shipping applies everywhere, not only on eBay. But, eBay still is the place to buy and sell a lot of model railroading stuff, especially discontinued items. Doughless I'm not interested in buying a used or nearly new item at close to its original MSRP. Unfortunately, right now, that is often the case on eBay, that is buying a used or nearly new item at close to its original MSRP or even above the original MSRP. The current situation is sure good for sellers though. Rich
Doughless With shipping prices rising, and with them pushing out the small garage sales guys willing to sell their items at a loss, I find Ebay to not be a very desireable place to buy.
With shipping prices rising, and with them pushing out the small garage sales guys willing to sell their items at a loss, I find Ebay to not be a very desireable place to buy.
Yep, the cost of shipping has become a barrier for selling even smaller items, and the cost of shipping applies everywhere, not only on eBay. But, eBay still is the place to buy and sell a lot of model railroading stuff, especially discontinued items.
Doughless I'm not interested in buying a used or nearly new item at close to its original MSRP.
I'm not interested in buying a used or nearly new item at close to its original MSRP.
I think its become a place for sellers to try to take advantage of uninformed buyers, where before it seemed more like a close-knit family of informed buyers and sellers bidding and asking prices within a pretty well-defined range.
When I see the experienced retailers trying and not succeeding in selling a used 15 year old Atlas MP15 with QSI sound for $145, I think of modest price increases. When I see another retailer or individual trying to sell the same basic loco for $225, methinks a lot of turds have dropped into the punchbowl.