The virtues of being recently retired on disability. I’ve been collecting stuff for an HO layout for nearly 30 years, and thought I was at a point where I might actually be able to build. But so many false starts, and the experience of trying to heat my shop building this winter are very discouraging.
It would be really useful, and I would be really grateful to hear from others any observations and info they might have about breaking up an HO collection in ways that might let me get as much back for it as possible. I know I’ll take a loss, so I’m not concerned about break-even or profit. Wouldn’t mind, though, getting as much out of it as I can.
I’ve purchased on eBay, but never sold there. Anyone willing to share their experience, that would be useful. If others have sold items in other places that would be too. Does anyone have experiences to relate, with those outfits that regularly advertize about buying collections in the MR classifieds?
I hate having to do this but I guess it’s about time. All advice and experience will really be appreciated. Wouldn’t mind having this over with as soon as practicable. Thanks, all.
From what I’ve been told, you would be lucky to get 25 cents on the dollar from those outfits that offer to buy collections.
If you list on EBAY, you will get a big audience for what you have to sell, but then there are the EBAY fees that will eat into your return.
You might wish to look into the Yahoo groups (groups.yahoo.com) HOInterchange and HOSwap. Costs nothing to join, and there are no fees involved. From what I can see there, folks are getting a pretty good ret
I’ve sold some items over ebay. Yes, there are fees, but it’s the one place that will get you the best return if you decide to dispose of it. It is a bit of work if you’re talking about a number of items, but worth the return.
One thing to keep in mind is that we’re nearing the end of “model railroad season.” Prices tend to be a little lower over the summer, but they pick up again in the fall if you can wait that long, say September, before listing them.
This is never an easy thing to do - emotionally and physically. Once you get past the emotional stage of parting with your collection, you have to determine what you are willing to accept for what you have.
Selling your entire collection as one big lot will guarantee it’s all gone and out of your site, but your financial return will be no where near as great. People that buy entire collections aren’t interested in taking it all and building a layout - they are after it as an investment to flip and make some money themselves. That being the case, you would end up getting pennies on the dollar for your collection.
On the flip side, to get the most out of your collection, you will have to do the leg work yourself. Ebay is still a good resource for maximum exposure in advertising - even if they do end up with about 10% of your selling price. There are other venues like the few Yahoo Groups, which also have Facebook pages for selling where you list your item with your price and hope somebody is interested.
The drawback to these is that it could drag on for months or even years before it’s all gone. A couple friends of mine have bought complete collections from estates for dirt cheap with the intentions of flipping them for profit. Four years later, they still have boxes of stuff they can’t even give away. The good stuff went quick, but like any collection, not every single piece will have a potential buyer.
You say you’ve been collecting for 30 years - no offence, but that tells me you have a lot of items that there just won’t be much interest in … unless that collection consists primarily of brass ! Don’t count on making a profit on your initial investment, or even breaking even for that matter.
My suggestion would be to give ebay a whirl with maybe half a dozen items, just to get the feel for it, and see what happens. You will also see how time consuming it is as well - you have to list the item (good ads with good pictures go a long way to pr
Some suggestions for selling on Ebay.One take very good pictures of clean items.Be sure to list the scale.Find some one who will give you a fair estimate of what an item is really .Show them the clean item so they can see what it’s condition really is.Actually these tips work on Facebook and Yahoo too.
One last tip,make sure the item is clean.It may run like the finest KATO made but if it looks like you pulled it out the sand box in the back yard your going to keep it.
E-bay is all over the place as far as a place to sell but overall I sold all of my unwanted collection parts(narrowed my collection) and since I was usually very careful of getting a good deal when I bought and bought mostly good stuff, I made money, more than enough to finish my layout, get new needed items and pay for a few vacations. As a side note brass is way down in price, saw a HOn3 K-27 in great condition go for around $150, used to go for over $250 on a bad day, same with alot of other brass though there are some pieces that still get a real premium.
I’ve sold literally hundreds of items on Ebay and for model trains, its the only way to go. Assuming your stuff is in good condition and you have boxes/papers, you should do all right. A few things to keep in mind… Selling on Ebay is work, but it can be worth it. I ordered supplies of priority boxes from the USPS (free) and sell in small lots, or individual items depending on value. The best time of year to sell is from Thanksgiving to March or so, but really good stuff will sell any time.
Selling on Ebay is a learning process, and best done “mass production” style. Of course you don’t want to flood the site with the same items at the same time, for you will be competing with yourself.
This topic has come up before, and you may want to do a search on it.
I can respond from a buyer’s point of view. If you are going to sell off on eBay, make the purchases appeal to specific interest buyers. If you are selling freight cars, sell them in lots with the same roadnames. I notice that when all items in a lot sell this way they get more than a random assortment. Selling small items singly will get you less because buyers considder shipping charges. Group your vehicles into time eras…
I think the same goes for locomotives. Sell dummy units with powered ones, same road names, etc. Be brand specific, and in your pictures, show the bottoms of the locomotives along with other angles. This proves they are powered units to those in the know. Note if they are DC, DCC, or DCC ready. If they are BB Athearn, show the motors with flywheels. Anything in the last 30 years will have the upgraded motor and brass flywheels. These always get higher prices than gray-motor-gray-flywheel locos.
Don’t exagerate, stuff like “Extremely Rare” tells the buyer that the seller thinks he has gold.
“Buy It Now”? If you paid $30.00 for an item in the mid 90s, and sell it for that now, you may get it due to inflation factor. I do pay “buy it now” on items that have fair prices. By that, I mean close to what I’d pay in a store, but considdering shipping too. (Pretty much New in box items)
There are those of us to whom “obsolete” items do have an appeal. Recent threads show many still like the old “blue box” items and will pay decent prices for them. Obviously you won’t get top retail prices, but the better your descriptions, and the better your pictures are, the bids are better. Make closing times in the hours people are watching. Sniper bids usually come flying in at the last moments of an auction. I’ve snagged some good deals cuz the item closed at 3:00 AM. Who’s around then? (besides me)
Life’s circumstances forced me to sell most of what I had, train-wise, on eBay some years back. (Later on, life’s circumstances allowed me to re-enter the hobby. Such is life…). I found that some things went for less than I would have liked, and some went for more. It kind of averaged out for me. Yes, there are fees, but try to consider these up front when you select the starting price. There are some good suggestions above for listing your items.
A couple of unanticipated things came out of this experience for me - I found that I actually enjoyed selling on eBay! It was kind of a hobby in itself, for a while. Yes, it’s work, but of course, so is model railroading. It was kind of fun work. Couldn’t wait to check to see how my listings were doing. Some people actually make a living at it. And it was liberating, in a way, to be able to sell everything I had to sell, in a pretty short time. I don’t think you can find a larger audience. Everything will sell, assuming you price and promote it right.
I have noticed that items on a piece of track with scenery seem to draw more and higher bids. May be easier for the buyer to visualize. A small module might be in order.
That’s a great point. Even if you don’t have a scenicked layout, put the item in attractive surroundings. Not on a cluttered bench or on the buffet with the family pictures. On a clean white table cloth or sheet keeps the visual clutter down. Don’t have anything in the picture that isn’t included in the auction.