the ebay market place in interesting to watch. For months I was regularly checking on Wisconsin Central SD-45s. Used athearn BB’s would go for as muc has $60-80 a pop. Katos were $150+. I broke down and bought a kato at my LHS for $115. A week later the bottom fell out of the used locomotive market and I snapped up 3 detailed athearn WC SD-45’s for $65 and some change. I tried to sell my Kato for $85 with at cost shipping, and listed it 3 times and got one bid. I was offered a decent trade here, so I yanked the auction and got 2 rebuilt FP-45s for it.
Ebay is interesting to watch soem times. what gets me is the folks with Buy it now for $100_ when the item is up with acutions closing at less than $50
I feel I must respond on the behalf of the really good ebay sellers out there, I have had some great service from sellers and only one bozo who may have been having some problems. Seems strange you can receive an item from one person and the S&H is $6.00 then some else decides the equivalent item should charge $22.00, so good on you fair sellers out there, keep up the good work.
I keep an eye on items that interest me.My other hobby is RC model airplanes, and old time vintage kit collecting and selling.
Last year I watched an auction for a very rare kit, start out at 99 cents
It stayed there and a few bids were placed , pushing it up to around ten dollars. It’s actual antique value was 700 dollars.
I used a bidding service and placed a bid of 500 dollars on as my maximum bid.
I actualy won the auction for 15 dollars.Sold it at a model meet for 700 dollars!
Why?
Becuase I already have 5 of the very same aintique kit on my shop shelves.EASY MONEY when you know how to do it!
Surprisingly there are people who sell items on Ebay who have no idea of their real value.They buy something at an estate sale and put it on Ebay to make a quick dollar, and guys like me, do a little research and know a good deal when it comes along
K4Kid: You are right, I saw an auction of hundreds of brass locomotives where no one had any idea what they were, B units were sold as boxcars, 5 brass locomotives for $5.00, I emailed the auctioneer after the sale he said an old rail engineer had a house full and 2 ship containers filled, he said he spent 2 weeks just trying to catalogue the stuff, he had no idea of the value, and the bidders had no idea, they thought they were just kids toys, I got a brass berkshire for $45.00. He also added they were just trying to get rid of the stuff for the widow and she made very little money on the auction. Just a quick question K4: what are you going to do with 5 antique model kits???
I’ll keep one,maybe two, sell the rest, meantime, wait as they increase in value. Like buying stock. Buy low, sell high.
Right now, watching a model airplane kit selling for under one hundred dollars.Manufacturers price( but now no longer made, was $279.)
Collector value is about $350 to $450 right now
Bought a autographed photo,8by10 ( authentic signature) of an Aero Commanderairplane
for$350.00 plus $4.95 shipping.
Autgraph was by Presdent Dwight D. Eisenhower .
I had it appraised by a friend of mine who is a very well known aviation artist-collector and owns her own gallery.
Appraisal was $1,250.00