Just looked on ebay… things are going at a little higher price these days…5 digit two tone Northwestern Refer car with the box going higher and higher. Sometimes I put these on watch just to see how high will they go! Anyone else do the same?
I find myself doing that quite often… I haven’t turned on my TV yet this year, eBay is an entertainment program in itself…watching a flatcar with Allis Chalmers dozer go for $2,075, an empty set box from the 60’S go for $5,300; well you get the picture…
Sure, all the time. Amazing what people will pay, justified or not.
LOL! Your right, its a great reality show…5 grand for an empty set box! Yikes…
One thing that is annoying is the unavailability of S… seems everytime you buy something its 50 bucks! and if its hard to find then 100 to 200… then you do see a must want and its 1000 dollars…begs the question of good investments made in trains? I have purchased GM and Ford stock that is not worth a #$ right now, but the O and S gauge trains I bought 10 to 40 years ago are still worth thier value and then some?
I heard that there aren’t that many S guage / scale people out there, however seems there is still a high demand?.. sounds like a topic for another thread…
Most of my collection came from Ebay. I am a regular and I’ve not been skunked yet. The thing I keep in mind is how much I am willing to spend and hold to it. There are a few things I am currently activly seeking, and just yesterday lost by $2 on an item, but I’m ok with it. I don’t want it to become competative bidding. As long as I’m not buying my budget is growing.
Sometimes when I see what to stuff is going for, I think they are crazy. But I figure their percentage of disposable income must be a lot more than mine! Some of my friends think I’m crazy to bid over $100 for printed cardboard cut outs (Trainaroma 790), but to me it would be worth it.
Jim
Do you think it would be against this email forum to list the things people are looking for? Sort of like a wish list? Would be kind of cool to swap items people have two of or shed some light the location of some items… you could list the items that you have willing to trade/sell, and then list the items you are looking for… then at the next train show meet up and exchange… just a thought… Just the other day I talked to a guy here in Mich. looking for a Lionel American flyer silver flash mail combo car… well I had two in the box so I traded him for a new walking brakeman car and lighted caboose. Worked out great…
Sturgeon,
Disposable income? Is that any different than what happens to all of my income?[(-D] One of the things that I learned about bidding on ebay is that there will always be another item later on just like the one I am bidding on. Flyer may not be as plentiful as Lionel but it was still massed produced and there seems to be no end to what comes out of closets, attics and estate sales. I have my wants list and I watch for those items, I set my limit and I let it go when I don’t win. Someone else is happy, I only hope that their mortgage is paid and thier children have food.
I purchased my Trainorama years ago in its original carton and I think I paid more for it than $100. I have never looked back. I enjoy it, and I don’t worry about whether I can sell it for a profit. If I wanted to do that I would play the stock market.
I am at the point of wanting some of those items in S that are regularly going for far more than I will ever be able to spend. That is when I rely on the old fashioned way of buying trains. I go to estate sales or garage sales and hope that some treasure jumps out at me. I still enjoy the thrill of the hunt as much as the actual owning of the item.
I agree with you point. I’ve been looking for the Trainarama for a while and like you say they do show up and I will find one at some point. I can’t remember the last time I sold anything so the profit motive is not there.
The other item on my wish list is a Circus Set, that will be >$$$$.
Jim