Ouch

[UPBigBoy]

This roundhouse looks nice but REALLY - $979.00 when the kit has a price on it for $295.00? Talk about inflation!!!!!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SOUTH-RIVER...l_RR_Trains&hash=item3cc31fa359#ht_856wt_1059

 

[ianacole]

There are some really optimistic folks on eBay... There are folks still selling BLI CZ cars (HO) at 2 1/2 times the price that they are being re-released at in August.

 

[NYW&B]

The real problem is that over the past decade, or so, our hobby has seen an influx of highly naive and at the same time largely talentless (where building anything is concerned) individuals who are willing to spend any amount to, in their eyes, overcome their ignorance and modeling shortcomings. Not only are many eBay items being offered at excessive prices, plenty of them are ending up selling, even when the items are outright, or otherwise, misrepresented.

As an example, a while back I saw a Mantua milliary train, pulled by their little 0-4-0 switcher, offered as supposedly a unique example of an early HO model exhibited at the 1939 New York World's Fair. In fact, the set was nothing more than a commonplace Mantua millitary set from the late 1950's I recall well and nothing more. In the end and actually worth no more than $35-$45, at most, it sold for over $300. The auction had numerous bids and sold as a unique collectible. In my experience, this sort of situation is hardly unusual, nor is the excessive pricing of various older, formerly very cheap and commonplace, secondhand items...and they sell!

I guess if one is looking for gullible buyers these days, the HO trains marketplace can be THE place to make money.

NYW&B

 

[Cjcrescent]

...
I guess if one is looking for gullible buyers these days, the HO trains marketplace can be THE place to make money.

NYW&B

Remember, Barnum said it best!

I still can't get over the sale of a commonplace Tyco wrecking crane several years ago. These things normally went for $10-$20. For some reason two guys got into a bidding war over one and it sold for IIRC, over $200. Makes you wonder if some shill bidding was involved.

 

[Motley]

Oh man that really irks me these ebay rip offs trying to take advantage of us modelers. And most of them are not in the hobby, they buy acquire this stuff from hobby shops, then make a living on reselling the stuff.

It's very discouraging...

 

[MGWSY]

The worse people are the ones that inherit an old set from relatives and they see it was made in the 60's or 70's and see $$$$$$$ even though what they have is common Tyco or Lifelike crap.

 

[Gary B]

There's nothing unique about this to HO model railroading, look at plastic model kits. If it says Aurora on it everyone things it's worth alot. Most of their kits were not that great.
Other than the figure kits, many were down right poor.

 

[diburning]

The real problem is that over the past decade, or so, our hobby has seen an influx of highly naive and at the same time largely talentless (where building anything is concerned) individuals who are willing to spend any amount to, in their eyes, overcome their ignorance and modeling shortcomings. Not only are many eBay items being offered at excessive prices, plenty of them are ending up selling, even when the items are outright, or otherwise, misrepresented.

I'll admit, I'm sort of one of those people! I can build kits, and hardwire decoders, but I have fat fingers, shaky hands, and sometimes limited patience, so I can't work with small parts. But at least I'm not crazy and pay over MSRP (I've only done it once, it was for something that was REALLY hard to find)

 

[Railrunner130]

My favorite are the eBayers that sell items at full list price plus they add extra onto shipping. Thankfully, I've been interested in some of these items and my little voice said "research it more first" and I listened.

 

[Rico]

It's those people that pad shipping costs that prompted ebay to implement the "final value shipping fee", now we all pay ebay a percentage on what it costs to ship items.
another hand in our pockets!

I get a charge out of people who will ask for a high price when the original price is in the photo!

 

[Y3a]

or they say it's "Rare" when no such prototype ever existed. Mislabeled by idiots (N&W BigBoy 2-8-8-2)

 

[diburning]

Some sellers just tack on the word "vintage" and sell things for a premium!

 

[D&J RailRoad]

and to think I was just going to put some of my old stuff in the trash can.

 

[North Coast Railroad]

This thread is getting 'intense'...intensity isn't tolerated.

 

[TwrOpr 87]

Looks like someone is trying to pay for their next vacation with this sale haha. That's a ridiculous mark up. I understand there's some time invested in this round house but that's insane to try and sell it for Dan near a grand. Some people shouldn't be allowed to sell things on there


Sent from the past

 

[Cjcrescent]

As someone said earlier, do your research! When I find myself interested in an item, I first try to remember what it originally sold for, and how prolific it was. If I can't remember or am unfamiliar with it, I do an inventory search on the biggest hobby shops and see if they have one on consignment, and what that price is.

Only after all of this, do I decide whether or not to bid. Many times it results in a no bid from me.

 

[NYW&B]

Looks like someone is trying to pay for their next vacation with this sale haha. That's a ridiculous mark up. I understand there's some time invested in this round house but that's insane to try and sell it for Dan near a grand. Some people shouldn't be allowed to sell things on there

Sent from the past

Although undoubted this is meant somewhat tongue-in-cheek, the real problem exists not so much with the sellers as with the folks with more money than brains that do the actual bidding. What often results when such an item does sell for an exorbitant price is that it will establish a new assumed value for that item, or similar ones, offered up for sale in the future. This is especially true since Ebay is considered by many as the research source and basis for current item values.

Years ago, when I was often was the buyer of vintage scientific books, I saw several volumes known at the time to be worth $150-$200 at auction bid up at $350. I learned from the bookseller that these auctioned volumes were subsequently refused and returned by the buyer. Nevertheless, thereafter the set market price for these tomes was the $350 figure. I see this same sort of situation progressively evolving today in the HO marketplace, particularly in regard to high-end items (it long ago manifested itself in the Lionel tinplate field). Thus, it is much more the "money is no object" buyers that are the problem and need the curtailing!

NYW&B