The orignal price from Con Cor was $430 for the 3 car set and $150 for the extra car.
So, $600 is more or less the right price if it is perfect.
I considered buying one when they came out. They could be had for about $480 with the extra car.
I decided I had enough passenger equipment.
Sheldon
It is getting harder to buy good trains on ebay. I am getting stuff with minor issues, sometimes not repairable, at too high a price. I am much more careful now to only buy from legitimate dealers selling brand new stuff. Too much used stuff is misrepresented.
No, the seller was just proubly on his machine, it happens. I have made offers and gotten a response faster than I can type and on other got a response a few days later and gotten counter offers too, it all depends.
So, you reject the notion that there is an Auto-Decline option for Best Offers which the seller can choose when setting up the listing? Even when the system rejected John’s offer instantly, faster than the seller could have possibly responded? [:^)]
Rich
I don’t understand this concept.
If I go to train show and someone has an item priced which isn’t moving, and says to a potential customer “make me an offer”, are you saying that said customer is expected to make an offer higher than the posted price?
You are missing the point made by me and Douglas. Your example of the train show is the equivalent of an eBay Buy It Now. The item isn’t selling, so the seller is signalling that he is willing to accept less.
So, in your example, the seller is expecting the potential buyer to make an offer less than the advertised price.
On the other hand, in an auction type listing on eBay, the seller sets a starting bid but is willing to consider ending the auction if someone is willing to buy the item at a higher price acceptable to the seller.
Rich
I guess it all depends on what you are looking for and what you expect.
I don’t buy much on Ebay anymore, or anywhere. My want list is very small, Ihave a lot of trains, and I don’t keep changing my mind about what I want.
But a few months ago I found really nice NOS Proto2000 PA and PB units - at nice prices in perfect condition. DISCLAIMER - they are undecorated DC models, perfection will depend on me, not some little girl in China.
But prices on there are up, no question.
Sheldon
Since the Zephyr didn’t really operate eastwardly much past Chicago, it really wouldn’t have fit your Atlantic Central based layout, would it, Sheldon? Course, it doesn’t fit my NYC intentions either - LOL. [(-D]
I agree with Sheldon, John. The current starting bid for the NIB 4-car set is “reasonable” given its uncommonness and stated condition. Only you (the buyer) can determine if it’s “reasonable” for you. If not, you either wait…or you move on.
Tom
If the seller sets a beginning auction price I would expect the BIN price to be higher so that the seller can dispense with the auction if his expectation is met.
However, if no one wants the item either at the beginning auction price or the BIN price, why would he not possibly accept an offer?
The whole process sounds bass-ackwards to me---------------------but then I don’t understand the krypton currency stuff either.
An auction type listing with a BIN option must set the BIN price higher than the starting bid. In fact, it must be at least 30% higher than the starting bid. Once a bid is made, the BIN option is automatically withdrawn.
Well, if you are suggesting an auction type listing with both a BIN option and a Best Offer option, eBay does not allow it. An auction type listing can include a BIN option or a Best Offer option, but not both.
In that case, you best not be a seller on eBay, or maybe not even a potential buyer for that matter.
Rich
I have followed some items listed where there is both a buy-it-now option and an auction starting price.
The way I’m familiar with and I presume eBay still does it this way is that if a bid is placed the BIN option disappears. Now the item is on the auction “block” and the BIN option is off the table.
IF there are no more bids the buyer (bidder) just got the item at a lower cost (the original listing price). I’ve seen times where the bidding gets “heated” and the final price winds up considerably more than what the buy-it-now price was in the first place.
If an item comes up that I particularly want and it has a reasonable BIN price I go ahead and buy it at that price. It avoids the risk of someone making a bid and potentially causing the final price to overshoot the original price.
There have also been times where I make a reasonable offer, if that option is available, usually 10 or 15% below BIN price. Most times my offer gets accepted.
On a few occasions my offer gets rejected and I don’t bother with a counteroffer. Then I might get an email from the seller, after the end of the listing, accepting my original offer.
It’s all a game of wait and see. These are hobby items. I don’t get too emotionally engaged in the “need” to have an item.
Good Luck, Ed
Because the seller has a minimum sale price that he/she is looking for?
As already mentioned, the unusual twist to this particular auction is the Best Offer option from the seller. And the seller can automatically set a minimum price to either accept or reject the offer of any buyer.
Every seller has their price and every buyer their price. The challenge is finding the sweet spot where both seller & buyer are happy with the transaction.
Tom
FWIW, John: There is currently a Buy It Now on a like-new, pre-owned 3-car trainset from a very reputable dealer for slightly above original MSRP. Maybe that one better fits your pocketbook…
Tom
I agree with Tom on this seller. You can buy it at the current price and be happy, or wait for that seller to lower the price which he does on a regular basis for unsold items. Of course the risk is that someone strikes before you do. By the way, from my past experience with this seller, he does not accept best offers. He knows that he will eventually sell every item that he lists because his pricing is “fair”.
Rich
You win some, you lose some. I don’t see it as much of a risk. It isn’t essential to me to get this item which is why I’m not willing to pay the minimum bid. I didn’t even know this set was available until a few weeks ago so if I end up not getting it, it’s not the end of the world. Right now the seller and I are too far apart to make a deal. If he can get his asking price from another buyer, more power to him. It doesn’t appear that either of us is overly eager to get it done.
If we are talking about the same item, it’s not a Best Offer option but a Make Offer option. Apparently the Make Offer option has a baseline in which will automatically reject offers below the baseline, including the best offer if no one makes an offer above the baseline.
This isn’t a question of what I can afford. It is a question of what I am willing to pay. Given that a stand alone fourth car is being offered for an asking price of $259, I don’t think I’d be interested in buying the 3 car set. I’d like to have the 4 car set but not at the current asking price. It’s just not worth that much to me. I think I’ve offered as much for it as I am willing to go. If the price doesn’t come down to my level, I’ll just do without this item. If the seller finds someone willing to pay his asking price, good for him.
Best Offer and Make Offer are one and the same. The official eBay terminology is Best Offer in the listing itself. When you click on a listing that includes a Best Offer option, under the Best Offer feature is a button marked Make Offer.
Rich
The seller who is asking $259 for the 4th car is notorious for listings at outrageous prices. He will never lower the price or entertain a Best Offer. Sooner or later, usually later, someone who is obsessed with acquiring that 4th car will pay the seller’s price. The seller has the patience of a saint.
But, don’t be fooled into thinking that $259 is the going price for that 4th car. The 4th car doesn’t pop up often except when offered along with the three car set, the original Pioneer Zephyr. That’s why the current listing for $599 is fair, four cars at $150 per car.
You indicated in your initial post that you offered $540 which is $135 per car. Are you going to let $15 per car keep you from buying?
Rich
Since it appears it is the only one currently being offered, I’d say that is the going price.
I never said the price wasn’t fair. It’s just more than I am willing to pay for it.
Yes.