Model Railroading > Head scratcher for sure.

We have all seen the occasional head scratcher for one item that is ridiculously priced. But this one takes the cake. The entire store is like this.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Athearn-White-Mack-B-Tractor-Truck-New-Unopened-Package-HO-SCALE/142731289449?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649

Yeah I was really bored today. Did find 5 Boley vehicles all new for 35 bucks, Not to bad.
Has anybody else noticed ebay has been having technical issues? I got 3 undec covered hoppers. for 3 days they showed up in the purchase list as such. Then suddenly it shows 3 wood boxcars purchased and the hoppers disappeared. But click on the boxcars then on the details of purchase link and they hoppers reappear. I found ebay used the same item number for two different items. The seller had more than one of each and both were still listed for the remainder left under the same item number. I have had other technical issues recently with ebay. I did get the hoppers BTW.

60 bucks for a Bev-Bel Athearn boxcar? All righty, then.

I buy and sell on eBay... Some of the asking prices have gotten ridiculous and the best remedy is for eBay to again charge per listing... That is the only way they are going to end the absolute glut of items listed time after time at well-above-market starting bids. (Like the $1,500 Athearn John Deere Challenger listed week after week for several years).

My idea would be a 5% listing fee on starting price (dropped to 1% if the item gets a bid and sells) plus 7% final value fee (instead of no listing fee and 10-13% final value fee). That way eBay can actually make money off of all the likely-never-going-to-sell-at-that-price items and in turn make the fees more reasonable for those who list items at reasonable starting amounts that will and do get bids.

Don't give them any more ideas on how to screw us. They use enough already.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/18/18 07:48 by tomstp.

tomstp Wrote:
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> Don't give them any more ideas on how to screw us.
> They us enough already.

Nothing personal against the OP, but I don't follow the ebay links in these kinds of posts. The seller might get the wrong idea that people are interested, due to the view counter going up. THAT might encourage him (and others) to continue listing these "ridiculous" prices.

eBay won't be going back to good ol' days when the buyers and sellers had more integrity, which was about 10+ years ago. When you scale a business and it becomes successful, you attract the seedy elements.

Ebay has changed, so sellers have changed strategy, they list this stuff because it does sell in the long run. I have seen it first hand, it is what Ebay encourages and works on today's Ebay. You are not a buy at these prices, I'm not a buyer at these prices but people do buy this stuff...

I peruse Ebay regularly for various rolling stock that is generally sold out and I am trying treasure hunt. For the most part I am able to find what I need at prices reasonable to me (i.e. significantly lower than MSRP).

As I scroll through different searches, I see stuff priced at insane prices. Example: Athearn RTR Thrall coal gondola 5-pack for $180 (original MSRP $90, and typical discount price I bought them for in the $60-$70 range). I see other stuff similarly priced. Quite simply I just keep scrolling. I don't honestly know if those insanely priced things ever sell at those prices but apparently with Ebay's pricing, they can advertise those items until they are dead and some may still be there. I suppose a fraction of them do sell at those prices so someone with way more money than I have. *shrugs*.

I guess these kind of listings are fodder for forum venting. All you can do is regularly checking your categories and over time you tend to find what you need; as the old Rolling Stone song goes: "you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you get what you need."

Cheers, Jim Fitch

From what I understand, the agreement btw Athearn & Mack expired and has not been re-newed. The last announced run of anything Mack related was May 2011.

Russ

Have had trouble finding things for about the last year. Simply putting in a road name and style of passenger car will not always give every thing for sale. I have tried several ways of doing it and still nothing. Only way I found them was at the bottom of another item for sale. It was by the way Walters Northern Pacific dome car. I also agree about high list prices, oh another one no reserve but yet they have a starting price..........isn't that a form of reserve? Several other gripes VTG, Vintage and such by mostly non model railroad sellers who think we don't know how old or rare an item is.

Thankfully for this vendor, there's a sucker born every minute, and once in a while one of those suckers might find his store.

I looked at his feedback comments and apparently there are a lot of "suckers" that are happy to pay high prices. Hey nobody says you have to buy from him.............

Peter

Money laundering?

The mentality that some people have with these "great" deals is that, "They'll save themselves into bankruptcy".

I like the use of ‘RARE’ in many of the items. That will for sure sell it!

Atlas Norfolk & Western Standard Cupola Caboose-#518595 for $100?

Something weird is going on.

He has athearn blue box. Boxcars for almost. 200. I find great deals on ebay but it is getting tough. As somebody said, searching is becoming pointless. So many of these estate sellers can not even post by what is written on the box. Nor even do any research. It is getting frustrated to hunt there any more. But good for a laugh. I find a lot of mack stuff there for 9 and 10 bucks. Not the insane 100+ that guy is selling at. I do find sometimes there are people that make unique details. That are worth getting. Like the guy that makes refridgerator boxes You get a bunch for like 5 bucks iirc great for a delivery scene or cross dock scene or something. And the occassional scratch built item. Ebay has it uses but not like it did

EL-SD45-3632 Wrote:
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> I like the use of ‘RARE’ in many of the items.
> That will for sure sell it!

Or try to justify it's overly inflated price. I've found that what is "rare" can usually be found for decent price if you are patient.

Cheers, Jim

People, just because they list it doesn’t mean you have to buy it. Caveat emptor, remember?