I have been looking around for a new engine to run cause the old old not worth the coast to repair. It will still have a spot on the layout though. So, I have been looking around places like craigslist, ebay and whereever else I can think of looking for a new one. Much to much dismay, I can’t believe how much some of the people are asking for such. Items. The pics they post makes the items looks like they were just thrown into boxes, not takes care of, and who knows what else,and they want top dollar (some I seen they wanted$ 100 plus)for a basic engine such as a 30 year old bachman. I would like to know where I can go for good used quality items. Any suggestion.
What type of loco are you looking for?
eBay has all kinds of new and used locos, some cheap, some expensive.
You just need to know how to search the site properly.
Rich
Try a few local train shows where they usually have test tracks and ask questions while you are there. Most dealers are club members so they will give you the lowdown. It seems like you have an eye for the ones out to take buyers with one of a kind , rare , # 10 of 100. It dosen’t hurt to ask here on the forum and maybe post what you are looking at to see if it is worth the price.If you go to the bottom of this page and look under Railroad groups or attractions you can find a local show or club, Jim.
Well the key word there is “asking.” The only interesting fact is what they are getting. When you go to a really large swap meet – and by that I mean a meet that features a significant amount of used stuff (Trainfest in Milwaukee pointedly advertises that it is NOT a swap meet for example) – you often see the exact same thing being offered for wildly different prices. And one reason is that one seller might be determined to sell that day and never return, while another has no problem whatever packing the stuff up and trying again at the next swap meet.
I think the advent of DCC, the growing popularity of Code 83 HO track (and perhaps the parallel growth of Code 55 in N scale), and the now dominance of Kadee compatible couplers in both HO and N, has created a sort of bifurcated used train market. The stuff that is hard to convert to DCC, or has the older flanges, or is more difficult to convert to KDs than the effort is worth, can be found very cheaply at swap meets. I am not saying those are necessarily the causes for the cheapness; another reason might be that they are older models and with the aging of the hobby, many of the swap meet deals are actually estate sales by motivated sellers who really do not want to be there.
Buying used trains has an element of risk and buying them off the internet, to my way of thinking, adds to that risk. At least at many swap meets if you say “prove to me it runs” they can do so.
Dave Nelson
I think prices on Ebay were artificially high prior to Christmas and may remain for a few more weeks as people add to their Christmas lists. You can find good buys if you are patient and are willing to walk away from auctions that come too close to retail price or even go over retail price. Athearn is a good middle of the road locomotive can be had for under $75 depending on what road you are looking for. Also, consider buying any road, stripping it and repainting in your road’s color.
I’ve noticed e-Bay prices going up and old, old rolling stock being offered since Christmas. Probably sellers cleaning out leftover Christmas merchandise and hobby shops or individuals trying to take advantage of new users who have just received a train set for Christmas and are looking to add to it, but don’t yet know the true value of the items…
I am interested in shark nose styles and the F-3 Diesel Locomotive styles. I prefer the sante fe and baltimore and ohio lines. I would take other lines and have them painted to those if i could find someone to paint them.
The only club is over an 75 minutes away and meets maybe once a month. The rest of the model tran people who have layout(s), usually wanna stay to them selves from what I have been able to gather. My local hobby store carries limited train things but can order alot of what you need, but his knowledge is in rc cars and not trains. There a better one about an hour away with more trains, and someone on staff thats more knowledgable in trains cause he has his own layout.
I would look at online dealers like M.B. Klein or Trainworld. In addition to discounted prices they usually have a few locomotives on sale for a pretty good price.
For used locomotives, train shows are a good the place to go. The larger ones have more selection, the smaller ones frequently have better prices for used items.
As others have noted, be prepared to not buy. Good deals are there for those who are patient.
Enjoy
Paul
I have several “saved searches” on ebay. By watching an item for a while one gets the sense of a “going” price. Obviously condition makes a difference, but a little patience can pay off. I have seen “new” items go for considerably over MSRP and others go for 1/2 MSRP. Some of the asking price may be the desire of the seller to move items out of the way or to make money. The other variable is how many people are looking for that item at the time. If there are several folks bidding, it can go much higher than when only one or two are interested. It will also depend on how often the item seems to appear and how many are up for auction at the same time. (I have noticed that if there are several, two things happen. Either the first one sells high and the last may go very reasonably, as probably only one bidder is left. The other end is that no one bids very high on the first one, hoping, and the last one goes high, as all those that want it put in some unrealistically high bids. Makes for a tough call.)
After watching an item for a while and getting a sense of going prices, I decide what the maximum I want to pay is and stick to that price. I may adjust that figure some if it is a new in the OB or if used, it looks particularly good or bad. I don’t always use the same amount, I may adjust my bid a few cents up or down, as there are those that watch to watch for bidders that always bid by the same increments (.10, .25, .50) By following this method I feel I have made some good buys and have not been taken. Before I started this method, I do think I paid a bit more than necessary for a couple items.
There is also the item that seldom comes up, then it is up to you if you want to bid and just how much you want to bid, right then. That can be a tough call too,as sometimes it’s a long time before another one comes up and at other times one of a kind
[quote user=“cowman”]
I have several “saved searches” on ebay. By watching an item for a while one gets the sense of a “going” price. Obviously condition makes a difference, but a little patience can pay off. I have seen “new” items go for considerably over MSRP and others go for 1/2 MSRP. Some of the asking price may be the desire of the seller to move items out of the way or to make money. The other variable is how many people are looking for that item at the time. If there are several folks bidding, it can go much higher than when only one or two are interested. It will also depend on how often the item seems to appear and how many are up for auction at the same time. (I have noticed that if there are several, two things happen. Either the first one sells high and the last may go very reasonably, as probably only one bidder is left. The other end is that no one bids very high on the first one, hoping, and the last one goes high, as all those that want it put in some unrealistically high bids. Makes for a tough call.)
After watching an item for a while and getting a sense of going prices, I decide what the maximum I want to pay is and stick to that price. I may adjust that figure some if it is a new in the OB or if used, it looks particularly good or bad. I don’t always use the same amount, I may adjust my bid a few cents up or down, as there are those that watch to watch for bidders that always bid by the same increments (.10, .25, .50) By following this method I feel I have made some good buys and have not been taken. Before I started this method, I do think I paid a bit more than necessary for a couple items.
There is also the item that seldom comes up, then it is up to you if you want to bid and just how much you want to bid, right then. That can be a tough call too,as sometimes it’s a long time before another one co
If you are looking for something used and in good shape, a train show is probably your best bet. Look around some RR club displays, they may be selling used stuff. For used it is best to be able to look at it firsthand and to run it on a test track. You can not do that on eBay, and you could get burned.
Speakiing from the other side of the aisle, I volunteer with the model RR group at the Boothaby Railway Village. We accept donations of model RR stuff (all kinds and scales) to sell at RR shows to raise funds to continue construction of out layout. Over the years, we have had all kinds of locomotives and rolling stock donated ranging from quality, custom painted locomotives to pure junk that does not run at all. We asked $40 or $50 for the custom painted ones and a couple bucks for the basket cases. IN the low range, we get a lot of old Tyco, BAchmann abd stuff just marked “China” that run, but never ran well and never will, these go for $10 to $15. We try to label what we have by manufacturer and if it runs or not - most groups do not do this.
Hi!
I’ve been a buyer/seller on Ebay for 12 years, with almost 1000 100% positive feedback. My point is I’ve been around the site quite a bit.
There will always be folks putting stuff out there for top dollar or just plain outrageous dollars. Ignore them.
Find the type item you want and to a couple of search sorts. The first is for auctions only, and sort with ending soonest first. Its possible that what you want is very near at hand and you can do a winning bid. On bidding, if you possibly can do it, wait for the last 5 seconds and bid the most you care to spend. As a seller I hate this tactic, but as a buyer, it often works out great for me.
The second sort is for “buy it now”, and sort lowest price first. NOTE that the lowest price is not necessarily the best deal - especially on used items. Check the feedbacks - they should be 100 percent or 99 - but only if there are an awful lot of feedbacks for the seller. Sometimes you can find the lousy feedback item and determine if it was serious or not.
READ ALL THE FINE PRINT of the auction, and ASSUME NOTHING. Ask questions if you have concerns. And if it seems like too good of a deal, move on.
“Trust me”…
Bachmann has a nice new version of the B&O sharks. They can be bought for a reasonable price on Ebay, and they operate in DC or DCC. Watch for sales or just place a bid on one with a price that you’re comfortable with. Unfortunately, the Santa Fe never owned a Baldwin shark. It would have been interesting to see them with the silver, red gold and black Warbonnet paint! The D&H did paint them with a blue warbonnet. I just jumped over to Ebay and found a new in box bachmann B&O shark for $54.00 plus $8.00 shipping. That sounds pretty reasonable to me. If I didn’t have a set already, I’d jump on it!
-Stan