I just noticed an HO scale AHM boxcar auction on Ebay in the New Haven black/orange paint scheme that ended at $39.99. Could someone please tell me why anyone would pay that much for an ordinary boxcar? For that amount of money, you could get 2 Intermountain boxcars that have much more detail and steps etc. that look a lot more prototypical.
With all the complaining about prices in this hobby, I guess people should ask themselves who is driving up the prices, especially on Ebay.
Why?
Mondo
WHY? WHY WOULD YOU BE ASKING US THAT DUMB QUESTION? Why? We do not know why someone bidded $39.99. Why was Michael Jackson wearing womens clothes in that Middle East country? Why did George Bush get an engine dedicated to him? Why did Mike Tyson bite the crap out of Hollyfield? Answer those questions.
Singalong…I think you better take a chill pill and calm down a little. There are no dumb questions. Period.
Mondo, I can’t help you on why there is a demand for AHM boxcars. Seems odd to me as well.
Some people don’t know what stuff is worth. Especially if it’s someone buying a gift for a person they know who likes trains.
I’ve seen some real junk go for big money because the seller dress up a pig with golden words.
For example. My company need a brake pedal hanger from a 1966 Ford Mustang for a display. There were a few to pick from on eBay, but one was listed as a pedal hanger for a Shelby Mustang. They are the same hanger (either automatic or stick shift). There is no way of telling if a pedal hanger came off a stock Mustang or a Shelby Mustang.
I paid $90 for one. The Shelby sold for over $400. Just because the seller claimed it was removed from a Shelby Mustang.
But there ARE a lot of inquisitive idiots…[:D]
I think sometimes people are determined to have a replacement for the model they had as a kid (the only explanation I can come up with - assuming this is quite an old AHM car?). Put two or more of these people together and you have a bidding war. My favourite crazy price of recent months has to be an LGB baggage car. I have the exact same car (40840 Alpine Classic baggage) for which I paid £67 new. I’ve since added about £30 worth of lights and ballraced/pickup fitted wheelsets to it. The week before Christmas one on ebay UK went for over £100 - this was an unused, boxed example going for more than the price of a new one plus lighting!
In selling off my Dad’s collection on eBay - I model a much older era, he wanted the money to start over in N after relocating to their retirement apartment, and doesn’t own a computer - I’ve noticed that some road names fetch much higher prices than others.
As gsetter said, it could be easily be somebody getting a gift for an MR they know that models New Haven. Or could be that particular AHM paint/lettering scheme was fairly rare. Or somebody wanted to fill in a hole in train set, or replace a damaged model.
I really don’t worry about motivations of others as seller or buyer. Most of my buyers are vvere very happy to get the item they bought from me - I have e-mails telling me so. Same with me - I only bid on items I particularly want, and sometimes am willing to pay higher than I should to get them. Most of the time, I have the patience to pass when the price gets too high - in my opinion. But occassionally, I’m weak too. Then the seller makes out, which is why stuff continues to be sold on eBay. If sellers didn’t do well on eBay (at least some of the time) compared to other selling venues, the great variety and quantity of items wouldn’t be there.
Buyers are going to go where the ease of shopping, selection and variety, and at least a chance at reasonable prices are. Sellers are going to go where the buyers are as long as they can realize a reasonable return.
yours in trading trains
Fred W
Another example of why Al Mayo isn’t welcome here.
Mondo,
A link might be useful to see what kind of car you saw or perhaps you can find the car on this site: http://tycotrain.tripod.com/ahmhoscaletrainscollectorsresource/
Jim
Who Knows why someone would pay that price except the person that paid it.
I would not pay it, but maybe I don’t know the value.
Yeah, who can say. But definitely popular roads generate over-high prices in my experience. It’s hard to judge as well for older stuff, where there’s no “what would it cost new” comparison to make. But a lot of prices get clearly out of control… I buy a LOT less on Ebay than I used to - the prices just aren’t what they used to be.
As for the popular roadname thing… I know it too well: almost anything PRR (which I model) tends to get bid waay up… often over what it can be had for new, retail (for items available that way). When I see current locos going for more than they cost at any of the usual places, PLUS shipping that’s usually more than a mail-order place… I just don’t get it. 10 minutes on google would have found the same item for cheaper… Who the heck knows what these people are thinking.
AHM isn’t known for prototypical accuracy - especially not with NH stuff.
I’d take a guess, not having seen this model, that it probably wasn’t right anyway.
But this just further proves, New Haven is popular and sells… Even if the model itself is a foobie - its the name that sells.
NH Rules.
You have raised a good point about the prices being higher in the past few months and certainly in the last year.
One thought on this relates to how many more people are involved in the bidding lately. Anytime four or five bidders or more bidders want the same item, you probably will have to pay a premium price to get the item.
If you consider that both Athearn and Lifelike in the past year or so have been sold and are now exclusive to only one distributor cutting out the bargain dealers without a storefront, prices are going to go up on all new products even more and the older used items will follow the general pattern.
During the 1970 to 1980 period, I was paying $1.60 each for the bluebox Athearn cars from the big dscounters. Some of the new people will find that unbelievable, but think about this…
I purchased several of the AHM cars in that period for 79 cents or so. It turns out they were not any good for running on HO track, and I filed them a basket long ago.
Even BLI and Atlas will be able to raise prices and get more for their products since all general prices compete directly against each other.
It is probably a collector. These are items that have been out of production for years. Even if there is a small demand for these items, there is an even smaller supply. This drives prices up. I doubt seriously it is someone who is the least bit concernced with the operational qualities of the rolling stock. AHM cars came with horn hook couplers and were not readily adaptable to KDs.
Who knows why collectors want to collect what they do. They have a fascination for the things they collect and that is all the explaination that is necessary. The same thing goes with stamps, rare coins, vintage automobiles, etc. What makes them valuable is there are some people who have to have them and will pay a premium price to get them.
I agree. I think Ebay prices are frequently driven up by number of bidders, and particularly by an influx of unsophisticated bidders who don’t/haven’t t
Hey Mondo welcome back,I have three of those cars I bought in the late 70’s for under $10.00,guess it was a smart buy then.
AHM did make some cars in that time frame that were only produced by them. The Thrall All Door Boxcar that was used for loading lumber/building materials was offered in 4 or 5 company names. I do not remember any other HO manufacturer making these cars. Cars of this nature would or could bring a higher price to someone who wanted these cars. I do not remember how accurately these cars were marked.
Doug
It is all relative to the desires of the person willing to pay to get the item. If a person had no mementos of his dead mother’s life, and somehow learned that her favourite thumbtack that she had used to hang her kitchen calendar each year was for sale on ebay, would you not expect that person to want to pay a “ridiculous” price for a mere thumb tack?
Recently, a person was interviewed on CBC. He had started with a paper clip, and “traded-up” on the internet to the point where he had a well-used, but very substantial RV! For a paper clip!!! Who knows what a person desires?
Similarly, if a modeler returns to his roots, for reasons of nostalgia ( a very powerful feeling), and sees an item offered that has strong ties to his childhood, I would not be surprised to find that the person had outbid everyone, almost regardless of the price.
Just my way of attempting to understand why others do what they do.
Al, you really need to finally use some descretion and stop insulting folks. Many of us have tried to be tolerant of you and reasonable on the Atlas board when you were over there, but you keep out wearing your welcome.
There is nothing wrong with the man’s question, it wasn’t “dumb” and I think any valid responses by folks on here would be interesting to hear.
Can you say, “pathology”?