I have ranted about ridiculous eBay asking prices a couple of times before, but this time what’s ridiculous is the low price I paid.
I was bidding on a CMW IH R-190 tandem axle tractor with an aero trailer (I need more vehicles like a hole in the head!). The usual selling price for tandem axle tractors is over $30.00 USD and there are a couple listed right now on eBay for $40.00 USD, and those are without trailers. The asking price for my little steal was $9.95 USD and that is exactly what I paid. No other bids. Even the shipping was lower than usual![:D][:D][:D]
So, to those of you who, like me, are in a love/hate relationship with eBay, tell us about your bargains!
Picked up 10 Campbell Scale Models NOS for a mere $265. That included shipping. Have paid as much as $105 for just one of these that was part of this deal. Will take and sell rest when we figure which ones we won’t use. That’s the hard part as now trying to plan around using them.
I am usually happy to pick an item up for a price which would be in the range of a modest discount off of MRSP.
I did get what seemed like a bargain recently with an Athearn RTR 60’ bulkhead flat with a wrapped gypsum board load $20 plus 8 shipping and change ($28.xx). The flat car alone discount is usually in the $22/24 so combined it seemed pretty good.
For some reason this time of year, mid August through mid November is a slow time for train sales on eBay. Items sell, but the demand is softer.
In addition, buyers come in all sizes. My experience says you can not find logic in what they will pay at one moment compared to the next. However, for every item that sells for a crazy figure, there are several similar items that don’t get any buyers at all.
It is all the right time, right item and most important the right buyer.
I’ve noticed a lot of items I’ve watched going for the lowest asking price or only a little more so it does seem demand is soft in general. Of course certain items, as usual, if in demand get bid up. I was looking at a 3 pack of 40’ IMR SP/UP shield reefers to pull behind a Cab Forward priced at $45 + $11.xx shipping. Thought I would watch them and maybe bid - Intermountain had new ones listed as coming in a couple months - I see it’s changed on their website to “Reserve Now” meaning they’ve delayed production - that must explain why the 3 pack got bid up to $99, which is basically MSRP. I’ll wait until they produce more, maybe next year or watch shows.
There are always bargains on eBay. I buy a lot (and sell things as well). It’s important to set a max price and stick to it. The problem is that so many of the listings are by people trying to make a living selling on eBay. I have noticed a marked increase in listing prices for early Proto 2000 diesels, $70.00 and up. Look at the sold listing and see what most people are willing to pay. EBay offers free listing to most sellers. Since it is free, some sellers will list an item thats selling for $35 for $70. Maybe it will sell, but if it doesn’t, they aren’t out the listing fee. I see the same “sellers” relisting the same overpriced items for months. They aren’t really sellers.
Yes, thats really the only way to do it. Sure, sometimes you get out-bid and its disappointing, but often you get an items for a decent price and thats nice. If you watch items, you’ll see people get them very often with no competition at all. You just have to be patient and over the course of a year or a couple years you often find you end up with what you need, and can fill in from train shows too.
Thats for sure. I’ve noticed certain items like Athearn Fruehauf trailers are listed at double or almost triple the original MRSP price set by the manufacturer. Totally nuts and of course it just gets relisted over and over and most never sell. How can you call them sellers when they aren’t really selling, unless a celebrity or rich doctor comes where money is no object - which rare. Certainly the average person is going to pass by those crazy listing - all I can do is shake my head and scroll on by.
While I have had several good buys over the years I still like the Roundhouse bulkhead flatcar with pipe load for $14.55 (BIN) with free shipping.That was still cheaper then the Athearn(exRoundhouse) RTR bulkhead with pipe load…
You should have been looking for a R-190 back in May, I stole one for $5.60 Free S&H, it slipped through with no bidders.
As you probably know I’m a Restore Guy and love old Model Power locomotives, I picked up an E7A last Saturday new in the box never run for $16.99. It slipped through and I got it with a token bid.
Model Railroading is the Greatest Hobby in the Wor
A few years ago I found a Precision Scale brass HOn3 model D&RGW C-16 #268 in the famous “bumblebee” paint scheme for an absurd buy-it-now price of $165. Either the seller was EXTREMELY motivated or they just didn’t know what they had - I sold her a few years later (as much as I liked the engine, she was about 40 years outside my era) for about 3 times what I paid. It financed about 1.5 Blackstone C-19s, which are more fitting for my timeframe.
About a month ago I bought 2 Walthers / Shinohara code 83 #6 double crossovers for $29.99 each with free shipping. Normally they are ~$80.00 and up. They were brand new and DCC ready. He had more but when I went back, they were gone.
I have a list of items that I check every day. Sometimes it takes a week or maybe a couple years, but if your patient you will get a good deal. Eventually your item will go unnoticed and you will get it. I recently won a Vollmer, 3 stall roundhouse, nicely built, for under $40 including shipping. I’ve be watching them for 3 years.
You are absolutely correct, it took me two years to pick up my Alps printer for printing decals. I really lucked out because it came with about 25 ink cartridges and about a hundred sheets of very good decal paper.
Used Alps printers were selling for $450 and up at the time and I got mine for $225 with all the goodies.
Mel
Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951
Probably the best one I ever got off eBay has to be my Walthers SW1 (1st production). They can run over $100 from what I recall. If memory serves (it’s been a few years), I ended up getting it for somewhere around $60. Even with putting in the drive conversion (it had the rubber tube in it), it still ended up less than $80.
Building a cement batch plant, I’d been hunting for mixers, especially Mack B from Athearn. Snapped up 3 Macks in my colors, along with 3 different Ford C cabs; 2 tractors and the JD flatbed. $54 incl shipping. Not bad when a single B61 goes for around 30 something plus shipping.(or buy-it-now, more than I paid for the batch) Can always use those great little Ford Cs!
Got a BB GP35 with the brass flywheels for $11.50 incl ship.
And a nasty looking bachman GP30 cobbed on an athearn frame, with a Sagami Can for about half of what the motor goes for. Put it in a Hustler. SMOOOOTH!
Best deal though, a box of 3 Namika and 11 Minimotor coreless motor gearheads, 2 larger coreless cans, and lots of hardware and doo-dads for under 40, incl ship. Well worth over 250.
I look for bargains all the time on Ebay and then try to sell them at a profit to finance my RR empire. Being retired I can’t use household funding for my hobby. I enjoy building and weathering structures, so that is what I concentrate on. I have sold over 34 coaling towers that I built and weathered, so others can enjoy the finished model on their layout. Ebay has provided me with a steady source of financial aid for my hobby.
I just bought 4 Monogram Big Boy kits for $32 (3 weeks ago) and built and weathered them and sold all 4 at $50 to $75 each. This is not ‘rip off’ prices as each model took 1-2 days to finish and they really look nice sitting on the layout or shelf, plus the kits retail for $24.95 alone. I have had some of my models go for much more than I expected, but as was mentioned you should put a ‘max’ on what you are willing to pay for something, and some value an item more than others.