Model Railroading > Watching Ebay

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed a fall in the amount of train stuff on Ebay? I watch Ho Brass to see if I can't live without one thing or another and the total count is down to 397 for the number of items on that list. I also look at SP and Santa Fe items and those seem to be less then usual to. The prices are still up there for brass, a Southern Pacific AM2 went for $1800 a week or so ago, so people are still buying but the available items are less then usual.
Anyone see a trend here?
Ed

I too have watched the brass section for several years now but find that overall the listings have increased and yes, prices have held. There is seasonal variation, and as might be expected, the pre-Christmas listings seem to be the largest, and summer the lowest....but the buyers are out there.
I have gotten some excellent deals that unfortunately just cannot be matched by any dealers or even swap meets. (I say "unfortunately" because the dealers do need to make money and stay in business, however at the full retail of current new brass offerings the buyers pool is becoming a puddle.)
The excellent buys include many of the latest Overland offerings that just have not moved at normal retail from the Dealers.

I have lately been selling some brass items on eBay since I am concentrating just on UP and BNSF
and unlike most hobbies, I find I can mostly make back what I bought them for, and often even more.
Mostly I collect later model Overland diesels along with some late Oriental offerings.

Regards,

Auburnrail

I have not noticed any decrease in the eBay train items I track. I have not tracked brass, but I do track a variety of plastic & sound engines in HO.

I've found that what I've been watching for has decreased in brass. My gut feel is that some guys were trimming collections and other guys were picking up what they couldn't afford before. But that is just based on a few specific types of engines I was watching for. A lot of older stuff is showing up now.

Decent plastic engines have dropped way off, again I think most of that was coming from collection adjustments, and a reflection that the new market is shifting away from DC engines and going to DCC ready and DCC installed

What I still see are a lot of stores that haven't got the message. They put on stock at a buy it now price only a few percent below retail (apparently trying to make up for over ordering) while other stores buy it now at another 10-20% below that, and some stores that put a low starting price and get a decent price while the BIN go begging. Athearn SD45T-2s are a classic example, a hobby store around where I live overbought, not badly, but most SP modelers only bought 5 or 6 instead of the expected one of every version. They put them on for bids starting at around $50 and sold all of them at around $55-60, others buy it now prices from $70, $80 and $90, even some higher. Guess who still has them? Yeah they took a hit, but at least got most of their $$ back. Model Train Stuff is now selling Athearn engines at clearance prioces and SD45T-2s are $60 IIRC, and some stores are still trying to sell on E-Bay at $80, $90 or $100 Buy It Now prices.

Structures - older craftsman kits seem to be common and at reasonable prices. Plus some smaller specialized manufacturers sem to be using E-Bay as their preferred marketing venue. Probably works well for reaching limited audience. Advertising in MR and other mags is likely to be expensive and doesn't reach their maarket anyway.

What I have seen drop out is the crap castings with crap paint jobs purporting to be the makers version of V&T or PE or similar equipments advertised as "rare". Maybe the market does work.

n6nvr Wrote:
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>> What I still see are a lot of stores that haven't
> got the message. They put on stock at a buy it
> now price only a few percent below retail
> (apparently trying to make up for over ordering)
> while other stores buy it now at another 10-20%
> below that, and some stores that put a low
> starting price and get a decent price while the
> BIN go begging. Athearn SD45T-2s are a classic
> example, a hobby store around where I live
> overbought, not badly, but most SP modelers only
> bought 5 or 6 instead of the expected one of every
> version. They put them on for bids starting at
> around $50 and sold all of them at around $55-60,
> others buy it now prices from $70, $80 and $90,
> even some higher. Guess who still has them? Yeah
> they took a hit, but at least got most of their $$
> back. Model Train Stuff is now selling Athearn
> engines at clearance prioces and SD45T-2s are $60
> IIRC, and some stores are still trying to sell on
> E-Bay at $80, $90 or $100 Buy It Now prices.

I love these type of messages. I guess by your reasoning they should all become non-organizations and give merchandise away at cost.

I personally think that Ebays excessive fees (they have had a habit of raising fees) are preventing them from having more auctions. I know I don't list as much as I did a few years back and I know that I an not the only one.

Yes, ebay has been raising their fees to the point at which is is almost gouging.

And what about pay pal? What starts out as free for the seller suddenly becomes expensive.


With both squeezing your doller, your profit dwindles. I used to think that ebay was the best thing to come along in a long time. Will they shoot themself in the foot?

One observation I've noticed, as soon as a 'plastic' model is announced, the brass ones start showing up real fast on E-Bay. But I guess that is to be expected.

mcdeo Wrote:
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> One observation I've noticed, as soon as a
> 'plastic' model is announced, the brass ones start
> showing up real fast on E-Bay. But I guess that is
> to be expected.


I always notice this too a plastic manufacture announces a "SD what ever or a MP..." and next thing you know there are a bunch of people trying to get rid of there brass one...............

I am a regular on Ebay. Yes it is slower than normal. Things should pickup soon. You should notice a rise in listings within the next month. Ebay is typically slow during the summer months. Then some idiot at Ebay decides to give the Ebay stores a ramming in the lower orface. I closed my store down, which is exactly what Ebay wanted all store owners to do. Currently, I pay approx. 20% between fees and pay pal if the item sells. If it doesn't sell, I am only out the listing fees. I decided to sell around Christmas mostly.
Good Luck, Bear in Arizona

AmericanLines Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> n6nvr Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >> What I still see are a lot of stores that
> haven't
> > got the message. They put on stock at a buy it
> > now price only a few percent below retail
> > (apparently trying to make up for over
> ordering)
> > while other stores buy it now at another 10-20%
> > below that, and some stores that put a low
> > starting price and get a decent price while the
> > BIN go begging. Athearn SD45T-2s are a classic
> > example, a hobby store around where I live
> > overbought, not badly, but most SP modelers
> only
> > bought 5 or 6 instead of the expected one of
> every
> > version. They put them on for bids starting at
> > around $50 and sold all of them at around
> $55-60,
> > others buy it now prices from $70, $80 and $90,
> > even some higher. Guess who still has them?
> Yeah
> > they took a hit, but at least got most of their
> $$
> > back. Model Train Stuff is now selling Athearn
> > engines at clearance prioces and SD45T-2s are
> $60
> > IIRC, and some stores are still trying to sell
> on
> > E-Bay at $80, $90 or $100 Buy It Now prices.
>
> I love these type of messages. I guess by your
> reasoning they should all become non-organizations
> and give merchandise away at cost.
>
> I personally think that Ebays excessive fees (they
> have had a habit of raising fees) are preventing
> them from having more auctions. I know I don't
> list as much as I did a few years back and I know
> that I an not the only one.


No you gather wrong, not surprising since I clearly said nothing of the sort. What I said was (and you are allowed to move your lips while reading it this time) is that some of the sellers apparently never look to see what their offerings are going for. A store putting a common item on the board for a Buy It Now price 20-40% higher than other stores isn't going to have many sales, until all the other stores have sold out. It means that if they have merchandise sitting around (and especially if they overbought) they better price it at the going price or close to it or they are wasting their time. What you paid for an item is no indication of what the current market price is. Too many business owners expect to make at least what they paid for items. And it don't work that way. E-bay is a good way to find out what the current market price is for an item. Market price for an item is determined by what the customer is willing to p[ay for it. Market price is not determined by what the seller wants to get for it in most cases, and especially so when other sellers have a significantly lower Buy It Now price or actually start with a reasonable opening bid.

You can go on there and find items at close to list or list and in some cases higher than list. And when somebody is willing to sell for lower, those that are trying to sell for more should neither be surprised be upset.

UPED Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Is it just me or has anyone else noticed a fall in
> the amount of train stuff on Ebay?
> Ed


I think you are right. Check out this guy's auctions:

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZthe_reverse_mirrorQQhtZ-1

They are supposed to be railroad manuals. At least he is trying to list train stuff on ebay.

He already has a bid on one item. Seems like a bargain at only one cent. I wonder how much shipping will be?

Larry

larry020 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think you are right. Check out this guy's auctions:
>
> http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZthe_reverse_mirrorQQhtZ-1
>
> They are supposed to be railroad manuals. At
> least he is trying to list train stuff on ebay.
>
> He already has a bid on one item. Seems like a
> bargain at only one cent. I wonder how much shipping will be?

Heh, shipping on a non-existant product? A couple of his auctions (which he said he'll add
the item when he "returns Monday night", are up later today, with nothing added yet.

Semi-smart guy maybe. He posts an advertisement for what he will be selling in advance and only gets changed the lsiting fees on auctions that start at 1 cent. Cheap advertising. People bring it up on boards like this and then he'll list the actual thing in another auction. I haven;t seen this method before, but it makes sense.