Sorry this has turned into something more of a question.
I have a question for all of us who are older than dirt, on a fixed income by no fault of our own or retired. How do you go about paying for newer trains? I only ask as for the first time in a long time I found something I would really like to have but their layaway terms do not fit for a fixed retired income. And when I call and leave a message or send an email it would seem that it is a non starter for a conversation.
It is just a thought has been going through my mind. Face it a lot of us are there already and some of us will be there. Folks on social security or a slim retirement just simply wont or will not be able to afford high dollar items. The item I want is $500 but the layaway plan calls for $160 down and 2 payments of $170 Not sure about the rest of you but that is just something affordable in this guys wheel house. This is on a $500 item what would someone do on a $2,000+ item. The prices for items simply do not reflect a good number of us who really enjoy/love our hobby
Wait 10 years and that $1,000 engine will be $385 on eBay.
I suppose most everyone here has several expensive command control engines. I overdid it years ago when I had the buying frenzy like so many get caught up in and now well into retirement age I just can’t see continuing to buy. And now no more room to store all this stuff.
I never got into command control because I have a lot of conventual engines.
I have a lot of money in toy trains but mine is due to volume. As I watch layout vidos I see many have a lot of money in late model engines,
I’m kind of in the same boat you are, retired, fixed income. Not complaining, it’s where I’m at right now and content.
I suppose as far as the collecting’s concerned it all depends on what you want. The new stuff has all the electronic wizardry in it whether you want it or not. In my case I don’t want it and don’t need it and have a hard time justifying paying for it. I’m a conventional runner. With only enough room for a 4X8 layout the command control’s a waste as far as I’m concerned.
So, I pretty much play the waiting game. I wait for the shows (they’ll start up again) and cruise the tables. Typically I buy used, which saves me quite a bit. I’ve only had a problem with one used engine which I was able to fix easily. Post-wars are dropping in price and will probably drop more.
Also, like Vega, I’ve run out of room! For something to come in something has to go OUT, so I buy a couple of tables at a local show and reduce stock and raise cash that way.
So it all depends. Right now there’s nothing I can’t live without, unless a really good deal comes along, so I’m good.
And I always keep in my mind this is a hobby, it’s not a matter of life or death.
Manufacturers price their products according to what the market will bear. As long as their products are selling at the prices they’ve set for their products, they won’t lower them. They’re capitalists. They’re in business to make the most money they can. It’s the American way. Unfortunately for customers, retailers have to pay overhead costs, so their wiggle room on prices are very limited. They can’t be expected to give deep discounts and accept whatever people have in their pockets.
Having stated that, I agree the prices for brand new items seem very high at this time. I’m a toy train guy, so my purchases are mainly limited to Lionel, MTH, and K-Line products. It’s been a long time since I bought brand new products in the same year they were first offered. Instead, I’ve been buying new, old stock (NOS). In case you don’t know what that is, it’s new items that have never been used/run that were issued in previous years.
Here’s an example: My last purchase was a Lionel Railroader Club Animated Aquarium Car 6-19965 Pete’s Place Freshwater Fish Farm for $19.98 ($9.99 item + $9.99 S/H) through an auction site. I don’t know what its MSRP was when it was issued, but I’m sure it was a bit more. (One web-site states it was issued in 1999 for $69.99, but I don’t know if that site is reliable.) It was advertised as being in “New” condition. The box looked new, wheels had no sign of dirt nor wear, the body had no chips nor cracks, and all of the paperwork that it was packed with originally was included. I ran it on a track, and it operated flawlessly. I recommend auction sites, because the selection of items available is massive for most items. If someone outbids you, there’s a good chance an identical item is being offered by someone else.
Apart from complete train sets, I’ve never paid over $100 f
I’m at a point I’m wanting to sell but if your not careful and sell a lot of my collection, not because I need the money but it makes no sense to keep if there going to be boxes under the train table for the rest of my life. I have basically stopped buying. I do have to thou about the ways things are going with selling on eBay, I’m going to need to watch how much I sell as it will get reported as income now. Read their rules, they are now required to report everything you have sold.
I see stuff I would like to have but then go where are you going to put it? What’s going to go under the train table.
I understand where your coming from thou. I have stopped buying new items years ago, I buy items used, Mainly eBay as they have the buyers back at this point ( and has been for years) and mainly to h#!! with the seller. I’m not in a position where I feel comfortable to go to a train show and sell at present but that is going to be in near future. I will not put something on eBay or any of the forums that you can sell, that I know the shipping is going to be outrageous. As it probably will not sell for that reason. I know myself I will not pay ridiculous prices to have something shipped to me.
I know your question was how do I do it on a fixed income. Well my income is fixed, and to me personally, I can not see paying the price they want for a new engine even if I could afford it ( which in most cases I can’t. ) I personally think the Model railroad industry is going to be if they haven’t already, are pricing themselves out of business. This all started to my feelings back when they started bui
There it is, my thoughts exactly. If I can’t display it, what’s the point of owning it?
Go ahead! Do it! It’s fun to be part of the festival atmosphere! At least I think so! The small local-club sponsored shows anyway, I don’t bother with the big Greenberg-type shows myself.
Look for trains that were released 10+ years ago. You can now buy most anything from pre 2010, such as Lionel TMCC releases, for less than .50 on the dollar new or like new.
There are a lot of Legacy offerings I would love to purchase but I’m not going to pay $1-2,000 for trains. But I can find very nice trains from the late 90s and early 00s that cost $1-300.
As long as you have budget, PayPal offers 6 months sames as cash financing. It’s kind of like layaway but you get the trains now.
I’m not on a fixed income, but I am on a budget. And having a significant other that is into N and Z Scale doesn’t help, but I digress.
I ALWAYS buy used. Or older. Case in point, I bought a K Line GG1 (new in the box!) that was upgradable to TMCC for $100. Later on, I had the TMCC board installed for another $100. I’ll eventually get a sound board for it and install it myself. So I have a modern engine for $200 with TMCC. And I didn’t spend all $200 at one shot.
Train shows are your best bet, even though there aren’t many because of the China Virus, but that’s where some of the best bargains are. You can troll ebay or Craigslist (up here, Craigslist is tough), local hobby stores as well. I bought a few LionChief engines sub $300 on layaway. Some stores have used inventory so, yeah, I troll them as well. MANY bargains to be had, just have to look and be patient.
It’s not the part of kinda afraid it’s the point of the corvid-19 and wife and I are consider high risk if we get it. Now we both have had both shots ( mine last Friday ( the 19th ) but I’m considering a show in October, in Columbia, S.C. It is time to let some of this go big time.
Since my retirement, I don’t even think of laying out 500 clams for an engine. I’ve also avoided the “heartache” of sticker shock by staying conventional.
But I do want layout items from time to time, so I pick them out in advance. Then when I hear, “Daddy, what do you want for your birthday/Father’s day/Christmas…”, I simply point-click-send to my loved ones. They know they are giving me what I want, and enjoy seeing their acquisitions on the layout. No fuss, no muss, win-win.
This is a good question. Like several others here, I run conventional. I have a 4x8 layout and more cars and engines than I will ever need. On occasion I will buy a SF or Alaska item if the price is right. Not yet retired, but soon will be. Income hopefully will not be an issue but you never know. I stll can display all my collection but am almost out of room. My problem with the new stuff is that any Lionel RTR sets require one of those LionChief controllers with no provison for conventional control. You have to go to the + level to get a locomotive only and that is ridiculous. Makes my decision process easier as well. I hope everyone has a good day.