Get Good "Deals"

[Larry]

On one of the other threads we were talking about cost's. Now lets talk about how we get these great deals. When I started layouts in 1961 things were not cheap. Almost all running stock & loco's were in kit form.
I've still got 1 loco from those years that still runs.
When you start hitting the train shows be real careful of what you buy. Ya gotta know your prices & anything that is electrically controlled ya gotta test it out right there in that building. I got stung a few times & learned from my experiences.
I advertise in my local shopping guides when I want to add something that's going to take a lot of money to do. I've gotten a lot of stuff for practically free in scenery, NS track, etc. from individuals that use to have a train layout.
Also, traded about $175.00 in Hot Wheels for $4000.00 in HO scale engines, freight & passenger, scenery, books, etc. that were brand new in the boxes that had never been on a track.
I always try to wait for a "Sale" from my E net suppliers.
I'm sorry, but, I don't buy from EBay. Have to touch it if it's used before I buy unless they are giving it away.
Anyway, You learn from other people, from this forum, & from yourself.
Happy Hunting!!!!!!!!!!!

Larry

 

[Selector]

I have no interest in spending more time at the computer than I already do, and I worry about too many aspects about ebay, so I won't go there....ever.

I do my shopping exclusively by googling an item of interest and scrolling down through the pages looking for blow-outs. M. B. Klein, for example, has some truly great prices on HO stuff right now, and I got the Spectrum J Class with aux. tender for USD$69 plus shipping. They even agreed to send it via USPS so that I didn't have to pay any of the couriers their outrageous brokerage fees which, in my case would have added 70% (!!!!!) to the cost of the item. I get the freight version, my installer, a good bud, installs a Tsunami for nothing except the decoder's cost, and I get an auxiliary tender for my PCM Y6b that would have cost, on a deal $18-22 all by itself.

About once a week I go through Factory Direct Trains, trainworld, modeltrainstuff, Caboose Hobbies, Toy Train Heaven, Discount Rail, Discount Trains Online, Wholesale trains, Hog Trainz, Micro Mark, and some others just to see if they are moving some things that I'd like to have, but nowhere near retail or the usual 30% discount.

I agree about train shows. So far I have bought two very nice paintings from a hogger operating the Alberni Pacific 2-8-2 tank engine who is also a very gifted painter. The only other item I have ever purchased, a skeletion car for logging, turned out to be a dog. My installer bud and I agree that train shows are really only for looking, or for finding in-the-box deals from people who are reputable...everyone else is trying to exchange junk for dollars.

 

[CBCNSfan]

I guess when I get good deals, it's that I'm in the right place at the right time. Ebay is a thing of the past, even if I got a good deal the shipping charges would nullify it. I believe the hobby shops in our Atlantic region are fair. It's a tough go for them and they have to work at it. Most things I just order if I'm in a hurry and grimace at the shipping (Canada Post). When I first started building the C630's, eBay was the only place to get the Tyco locos. I had a lot of fun but I can't say it was all that great a deal but I did get the models I needed. Along with the Tyco's I needed Athearn U33C's. I got one off ebay but it was the older type with the steel flywheels and large motor. It wasn't a good match with the Tyco shells. Then I won one on eBay newer type brass flywheels perfect fit. Then I looked on Yahoo found one and won that only to find out that I already got it on eBay. But the fellow said he could give me a better deal on some new ones, I think it was $13 each so I ordered 12 from him. That was all I needed so ends eBay. Back in the late 60's I stopped at a shopping center in Sydney NS. The hobby shop there was closing out and they were selling the freight cars at $5 each, I don't know how many I got but I was broke when leaving. I've had some good buys and some decent ones at train shows. Another time I was in Maine (looked up a little HS that advertised in MR mag) all they advertised was they had some good deals on track. Finally found them in a log cabin way out in the middle of no where. Then found out that the price of their track wasn't any different than other places. Well the turnouts were cheaper than what I could get in Canada so I bought as many as I could with funds available. When they totaled my bill it didn't come any wheres close to my funds (big surprise there) then they told me that the more I bought the bigger the discount. Well hallelujah! I got enough track and turnouts to complete my layout. Geez I think I even come out of there with some change (not much though )
Depending on what I do with the rebuild I may not have do any looking for deals but that's for the future. One time in a Woolworth store, a "ninny" thought the train sets they had (2 of them) would sell better if he split them up and sold each piece for $5 I bought the two GP30's
So for me it's being at the right place at the right time, or just call it luck of the draw.

Cheers
Willis

Ah! yes almost forgot, I don't buy cork roadbed. They sell sheet cork at the hardware stores. It's on a roll about 3 ft wide, I buy it in 2 ft lengths. I made a little jig for cutting it into strips. Heck of a lot cheaper that way.

 

[UP2CSX]

Even with some of the issues about e-bay, I don't think the idea of buying from there should dismissed out of hand. I have gotten some very good deals off e-bay you have to know what the fair price is and not get caught up in bidding wars. It's also a good idea to check for listing where the seller has misspelled something in the title, like "deisel" instead of "diesel" and "Athern" instgead of "Athearn". Those won't get very many hits and I've snatched up a few nice deals from those when they are a no reserve auction. With the economy declining, I'm also seeing more things being sold and prices being generally lower.

The one hard and fast rule I always follow is to only pay through paypal with my credit card. If the seller wants a check or money order, forget it. I can always dispute a sale with my credit card company and win but good luck getting your money back after you've paid a seller cash through e-bay or paypal.

 

[ICG/SOU]

Since getting back in this year, I've gone to e-Bay a couple of times when I couldn't find things in the store. Illinois Central Gulf is one of the railroads I grew up with, and isn't a widely modeled road. Being in Texas, most of the dealers and stores here get UP, MP, TP, BN, BNSF, SF, SP, SSW, MKT and maybe some IGN, because midwestern and southeast and east coast roads just don't sell.

There is a lot of stuff there that doesn't interest me, like some of the older and questionable Tyco engines. However, there will be an occasional Atlas, Walthers, or Athearn car that I'd like to add to my rolling stock, and nothing I've gotten so far has been bad or broken.

I think you have to know, too, whom your buying from. I watch a lot of the e-Bay stores. But, as with everything online or mail order, caveat emptor.

 

[MRLdave]

The key to shopping ANYWHERE is knowing what you're shopping for. I've seen some great deals on ebay and some big ripoffs. As someone said though.....even a great deal gets nullified by the shipping. I try to watch for sellers with multiple items I'm interested in and who do combined shipping so that the shipping doesn't jack the prices up so badly. For me, the biggest plus for ebay is finding out of stock/out of production items. I don't always get a great deal, but for those items you have to pay "market value" if you want them......some of the out of production Walthers structure kits go for 2 or 3 times what they cost new. I also watch the sales on some of the internet sellers.....I just got a deal from MB Klein on an A B set of E8's......MSLP is $200, got mine for $50....you see them on ebay for $60. I've gotten similar deals from Walthers. My favorite local (if you can call 150 miles away local) store gives me 20% of Walthers list prices, so that's where I buy most of my "new" items. I prefer to support my local dealers when possible.

 

[hokkmike]

I am 100% on Ebay and prefer to work with others that are. I buy NIB or as new with manufacturer's warranty. That being said, I like to keep the "mom & pop" stores in business. The only true bargains are somebody's mistake or desperation. Bothers me a little. You get what you pay for generally.