Here is a nice one , of course it is Brass and my favorite road name. I just can’t see how people can pay this kind of price for it!!!
http://cgi.ebay.com/BRASS-HO-SP-C-30-6-Caboose-by-Challenger-Imports-F-P_W0QQitemZ6008865717QQcategoryZ78178QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
i wonder if it will ever see the rear end of a train or if it will end up in a display case . nice model , but about $200 more than i really want to spend for a caboose . any idea what it sold for new ?
The same can be said for folks that buy just about anything. Those that own Tahoes say that about the Hummer, those that own Explorers say that about Tahoes and those that own Neons say that about Explorers. I dare say there are those that say that about Kato locomotives. Each person decides what they want and what they can afford. While I certainly cannot justify this caboose, I’m sure that there is someone that has been looking for this for awhile and wants it. The cool thing about this hobby is that there are many price points out there - some high, some low. $200 for a caboose does seem steep, but swing buy the local high school and see how many students are walking around with $200 cell phones. It’s a matter of what we want to spend our money on.
I have noticed that the painted SP bay window cabeese from any importer seems to get some nice coin on eBay. To each their own.
I’d say it’s a combination of two factors- First, a nice F/P caboose in brass, probably a limited run. Second, look at the feedback numbers of the top three bidders- low numbers are usually high bidders! If they haven’t seen one on eBay before, they figure now’s their chance- bid away!
I was an E-bay fan/buyer for many, many years starting when I live in San Francisco and it was still basicaly a local outfit… But in the last six months to a year, some sort of threshhold has been crossed. The deals aren’t nearly there as they used to be - most of the product is new product, sold by ‘business’ sellers rather than individuals, and the prices are often higher than what you can order it directly from the discount houses for. Victim of their own success, I suppose. But, the truth is that most of those auctions do end up with a buyer and as long as you have groups of folks who don’t take the time to discover they can order it from XXX.com for less money, less shipping and with “real” customer service like returns/refunds, then it’ll continue to be hot.
I still browse around it occasionally, but the only things I buy nowadays are the unusual or rare items, usually being sold by individuals, that simply aren’t available anywhere else. Items from the “dealers” are simply not price-competitive 99% of the time.
Factory painted brass cabooses that are prototype specific usually have been in the $200 + range for some time. I model the Milwaukee Road and rib side cabooses usually go for about $240 and up; either from a dealer or on eBay. What ever the market will bear!
Jim
DaveK; you hit it on the head, I learned this lesson a hundred years ago in the late 1950’s when my Dad gave me 25 cents on Friday as an allowance and we had a blast, but, there was one kid in the neighbourhood who’s parents were farmers (they also owned a car–a Packard) he got 5 dollars ! ! Can you imagine ! that’s 19 times as much as us other kids, the above topic relates directly to this topic, by the way, he never thought this was excessive and NEVER , ever once shared his windfall with anyone, this would relate directly to $200.00 cabooses and $2300.00 brass engines, to each his own eh ?
Someone needs to do some homework. That price is very good for a caboose like that. In fact I wouldn’t be supprised to see it close to the $300.00 mark. It’s priced VERY good.
Have you also noticed that their is, in many hobby areas, a lot less product now than their was? I certainly have. And in many cases the prices have gone down so far that the private traders who were there can’t make anything now so they have gone back to the flea markets. Or at least that is true in the US and Canada.
In the UK and Europe the bargains are still to be had. Many dealers in the UK use eBay as a way of clearing out their ‘clearance’ items without having them in the store. So just recently I picked up a ‘clearance’ item for £40 which had a loco and a passenger coach. The same item on the stores own web site was £42 for the loco and £15 for the passenger coach. For that particular loco they were the cheapest of the internet sellers, the others being generally £45. So the deals are still out there, you just have to work harder to find them.
I am also noticing th
There were several cabooses that turned out to be very reasonable in cost. I think this is a rather good price for this caboose. If it was me that bought it… it wont rust in a display case… it would be run all over…
Get on it boys!!
the cabbose ended up selling for $222!!! But foe everything there is a buyer.[2c] Tim
If anybody should know, it would be you. I’ve seen you sneaking brass here and there, between the weathered cars…[swg]
MATT,
You got me on that one [8D]
There are very few plastic, accurate SP cabooses, so if you want a good one you have to go brass…I would say that this one closed in the going price range for these cabooses…
The other point to consider about prices on ebay: what is the availability of the item in the buyers area, sure you might be able to get it cheaper at “Big Joe’s Bargain Hobbies” , if you live within a short enough distance where you can or will make the trip to that shop(yes there are online hobby shops and websites for many local shops). Your local shop(s) might not be willing or able to tie up a fair amount of their money in a such a specialized niche of the hobby as brass, then ebay and it’s price range doesn’t necessarily look so "outrageous if you consider this. I live in Edmonton Alberta pop. 800,000, there are only five hobby shops (out of seven) in town that stock anything for model railroading or will order same. Only one has any brass, will talk about brass , there prices for an example a 2-8-0 Consolidation that barely runs has a price tag of CDN $750.00 (aprox $635.00 USD) , via ebay I have bought a 2-6-6-6 Virginian Blue Ridge (C&O Allegheny) for a litlle less, it’s a bit scruffy, runs like a charm. If I could have bought it locally I probably couldn’t even look at it for less than $1,000.00- $1,400 locally. I apologize for rambling and comparing apples (cabooses?) to oranges (locomotives).