Model Railroading > Selling a Collection?

Has anyone out there had any experience selling their collection of model trains? I am pondering a change in scales and operations, and need to figure out how to unload my 25+ Locos and 300+ freight and passenger cars in N Scale. IF I decide to make a change. Even though I know I won't get as much for it all, I would really like to just sell it all in one big bundle if possible.

Thanks for any advice..

Jamie Miller

There are several possibilities. One, you could buy a table at a local show. Two, advertise it for sale on eBay. Three, sell it on consignment at a local hobby shop. I have had decent luck selling some older equipment on consignment at my local hobby shop. You could approach your local hobby shop about buying the collection outright for store credit, but they may try to cut a deal much sweeter for them than you. As an alternative to eBay, there is an HOYardsale. Is there an N scale equivalent?

To move something that big all at once will necessitate a discount you wouldn't want to absorb. I like the previous guy's suggestion of doing a table at a meet. Alternatively, join the yahoogroup "HOYardSale".

Rick

A few places advertise buying complete collections small & large. You can find these online and in magazines. Just do a little research, but some are fairly well known.

Mike

There are several people who sell stuff on E-bay and generally take 50% of the selling price, there might be one in your town. There are also many people who buy collections. But you are only going to get 30-50% of market value if you have someone else do all the work. If you sell it on E-bay yourself, you're going to get a better return, but E-bay and Paypal costs will still take 20% of the sale price. You can sell on N scale yard sale, but most things won't sell without a 50% discount.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

Definitely start out by selling at the local shows. You will be surprised at how close to break even you can come out with on some items, maybe even make a little profit on stuff you got at cut rate pricing to start with and of course you'll see other stuff walk away for seemingly almost nothing. Most importantly because you are selling face to face you can have a lot of fun. Don't be upset if there are lookers and not buyers and people who seam upset that you even acknowledge that they are there because you'll get to deal with a lot more people who are totally way cool. My dad and I have set up at, I think, four or five shows now and we have had a lot of fun each time. We weren't even getting rid of a complete collection, just thinning out and getting rid of some stuff while in between layouts. I was able to make enough at one show for most of my down payment I put on my Honda I bought last year after the show. Of course I got rid of some stuff that I really didn't want to see go but knowing it went home with a face and not just a check lessened the pain.

In your case, switching from N to HO scale you may even be able to trade your way to what you want with other dealers and even attendees. At least you will be present to give your reason for getting rid of all stuff.

Have Fun!

Jim

I just sold my FEC and modern day collection on Ebay and HO Yard sale, over 70 locos and 300+ cars, sold everything, took almost a year to go through and list everything, now I am modeling the Erie Lackawanna in the mid 70s.

Jamie

It's the same old dilemma whether you are trying to sell a house,
boat, car, or model train collection, the faster (and least trouble
ie work) you want the money, the less you will receive.

Trying to sell the whole collection to one buyer would be most
difficult. Would you be able to buy 25 engines and 300 cars
at one time? Even if you could find that buyer, would they
also have your exact same desires for road names and types?

Expect a dealer to offer about forty cents or less on the dollar.

I think a swap meet might garner the most money if you sell
everything in one weekend. Of course table cost, gasoline
(petrol), lodging, meals, breakage, theft, and a bad check will work
against you.

Some people donate their collection to a non profit model railroad
museum (like the one I belong too) and end up with a tax write
off.

Expect a hobby shop to ask for 20% to 25%, or more. They take
all the risk and are able to take checks and credit cards. If you
have a choice, choose the busiest shop in your area. If I wanted
to unload a lot of brass I would consider Caboose Hobbies to
receive maximum exposure.

When all the good stuff sells, bring the rest to the non profit. I've
processed many donations that I could tell had been picked very
clean before they brought what was left to the club. I've always
found the proper place for every item donated to us.

Good luck.

Larry

I participated in an online auction from an auction company that had someone's trains as part of an estate. There was a huge amount and when it came out in the wash, it appeared some things went for around 50% of retail and some for more.

Actually, I told my wife that if she didn't want to mess with it, or couldn't find someone to dispose of it for her to just call a cleanout company, let them tear it all out and haul it to a dump. That way she won't have to deal with people waiting to make a bundle off of someone else's loss.

Too often, when I am on tour, I get those who want to know how I will dispose of the layout (dumpster) and all the cars and engines, etc. And I see there are those who make a living off someone elses's death. So, when I am gone, the railroad is gone. I will have had my enjoyment with it, and my wife wouldn't want it sitting around to remind her of better days.

Bob

Bob Miller
Kansas City, KS

Hi have to agree with you, making a living off someone's death is sort of a slimy profession.

atsfmodeler Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Actually, I told my wife that if she didn't want
> to mess with it, or couldn't find someone to
> dispose of it for her to just call a cleanout
> company, let them tear it all out and haul it to a
> dump. That way she won't have to deal with people
> waiting to make a bundle off of someone else's
> loss.
>
> Too often, when I am on tour, I get those who want
> to know how I will dispose of the layout
> (dumpster) and all the cars and engines, etc. And
> I see there are those who make a living off
> someone elses's death. So, when I am gone, the
> railroad is gone. I will have had my enjoyment
> with it, and my wife wouldn't want it sitting
> around to remind her of better days.
>
> Bob

A while back I needed to unload my N scale collection (had switched to HO) so I got a table two years running at the Boeing Employees Model Railroad Club. I did not try to get any more than original price that the hobby shops had sold the stuff to me at. You should have seen the feeding frenzy guys were reaching from opposite ends of the 8 ft table to get cars under the other persons nose. I unloaded about 600 KD cars total, got my money out of them and made a bunch of my N Scale friends very happy.

atsfmodeler Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Actually, I told my wife that if she didn't want
> to mess with it, or couldn't find someone to
> dispose of it for her to just call a cleanout
> company, let them tear it all out and haul it to a
> dump. That way she won't have to deal with people
> waiting to make a bundle off of someone else's
> loss.
>
> Too often, when I am on tour, I get those who want
> to know how I will dispose of the layout
> (dumpster) and all the cars and engines, etc. And
> I see there are those who make a living off
> someone elses's death. So, when I am gone, the
> railroad is gone. I will have had my enjoyment
> with it, and my wife wouldn't want it sitting
> around to remind her of better days.
>
> Bob

A very good friend of mine already made provisions for this eventuality. He has identified two of his friends that will come to his home (when his wife is ready to allow it) to come and dismantle his model railroad. They are modelers as well, and it was agreed that they would be allowed to keep whatever they wanted from the layout/collection and were free to sell or otherwise dispose of the rest.

Gives him the peace of mind that his creation is arranged for after his passing, and that his wife (who has zero interest in his hobby) won't have to deal with it.