# Selling trains on eBay?



## San Juan (Jan 3, 2008)

I'm thinning down our layout to just 1:22.5 rolling stock and locomotives, meaning some 1:20.3 items are now surplus. So I suppose rather then let them sit in a box, I'll try and sell them on eBay. But I have never sold anything on eBay before, so I was hoping someone who visits this forum and has sold trains on eBay may have some good suggestions. What I plan to sell are two Bachmann 2-8-0 locomotives, and possibly my Accucraft C-16.


My questions are as follows:

*1* How do I calculate shipping for such a large item like 1:20.3 locomotives? (I assume that it would have to be UPS only for large locomotives)

*2 *Does the addition of installed radio control and or sound increase or decrease the value of a locomotive?

*3* I know pictures are a must, but what type of pictures and what type of background should be used?

*4* One of my locomotives has been customized and is no longer in original condition. It is likely more fragile now. How should I go about informing potential bidders on this? As is?

*5* My two Bachmann locos have been converted to Kadee couplers and I no longer have the couplers they originally came with. How does this effect things?


*6* I pretty much know the going price for a Silverton Northern Bachmann 2-8-0, but I'm not sure about the other Rio Grande modified Bachmann 2-8-0. Anyone have a clue what to expect for a custom modified and decaled Bachmann 2-8-0?




Any other tips are greatly appreciated.


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## Madstang (Jan 4, 2008)

Posted By San Juan on 04 Oct 2009 12:36 PM 
I'm thinning down our layout to just 1:22.5 rolling stock and locomotives, meaning some 1:20.3 items are now surplus. So I suppose rather then let them sit in a box, I'll try and sell them on eBay. But I have never sold anything on eBay before, so I was hoping someone who visits this forum and has sold trains on eBay may have some good suggestions. What I plan to sell are two Bachmann 2-8-0 locomotives, and possibly my Accucraft C-16.


My questions are as follows:

*1* How do I calculate shipping for such a large item like 1:20.3 locomotives? (I assume that it would have to be UPS only for large locomotives)

*Charge a flat fee say $20-25..with the prices of today that is totally fair as dealers get a disscount on the shipping..OR you could get it boxed up and take it to a shipper have them weigh it and then ammend the auction, as you van at anytime since it will be yours...I prefurr the first method, less work! I like Fed Ex but I think the USPS is getting cheaper!*

*2 *Does the addition of installed radio control and or sound increase or decrease the value of a locomotive?

*It increases it! Don't forget it!!!! Add the price of both ie AW $150 P-5 $$150..approx.= an additional $300..but you hav to take off alittle for it being a little used..but not much.*

*3* I know pictures are a must, but what type of pictures and what type of background should be used?

*I take mine on my kitchen counter..OR you can get fancy with a background, doesn't matter as long as it sells and if it is what people want it can be photographed on a plain cardboard box!*

*4* One of my locomotives has been customized and is no longer in original condition. It is likely more fragile now. How should I go about informing potential bidders on this? As is?

*State it with pics...the more the better..list what you think is important for any potential byer to know..but if there is any imperfections take a pic of it and do not explain ..let them make it a point to check the pics out VERY well, not a trick but you shouldn't have to spoon feed the buyer! MOST IMPORTANT SINCE IT IS USED...STATE THAT THERE ARE NO GARANTEES..no refunds...returns....I have been burned with that one! I have heard of people doing bad things to the item when they get it and then wanting to return a perfectly good engine with no falt of the seller, but the byer!*

*5* My two Bachmann locos have been converted to Kadee couplers and I no longer have the couplers they originally came with. How does this effect things?

*Kaydees are more expensive so should add to the price of the engine, as most everyone in G scale usually has Kaydees on their stuff if the are seasoned! *


*6* I pretty much know the going price for a Silverton Northern Bachmann 2-8-0, but I'm not sure about the other Rio Grande modified Bachmann 2-8-0. Anyone have a clue what to expect for a custom modified and decaled Bachmann 2-8-0?

*This next one is subjective at best...take the average price of a new one..add the price of the sound, R/C, Kaydees and anything else you have put extra into it...then ask 3/4s to 1/2 of the final sum...most people will not want it to be weathered or modified, not sure about that one. set a reserve what you think you have to have for it..list it then if the bid doesn't reach your reserve, you still have a chance to sell to the highest bidder..called sending a second chance offer...if you want to...but you don't have to do that...the reserve is a failsafe so you won't have to take less then what you want if you don't set a reserve, the higest bidder will get it...possible at a lower price then you want to sell if for! Never set the price at say the max of what you want for the engine...with using a reserve.....that is pointless!* *If the modification is done nice and neatly I am sure the buyer will want it if it is not then it will detract from the final outcome*

Any other tips are greatly appreciated.

*Never post a blurred, substandard pic as I for one right away think the seller is trying to hide something!*
*Always post at least 4 good pics..or more if there is imperfections...you don't have to state what is wrong with it, that is not disshonest, because you took the time to post and pay for many pics..more then one is approx. .15 cents per additional pic! The buyer has to have some responsibility when buying an item!*
*Always state no returns, refunds, most important NO GARANTEES, if it is a used engine..then they cannot come back on you if something is wrong, NOR will Ebay or PayPal if you state "No garantees"! *
*That one is totally up to you but I have been burned on not saying that!*

*If you are listing a BRAND new item OR never used then the "No garantee" doesn't apply...it is up to you about that one..I new or old will always use the no garantee statement!*

*Never ship before the money has change hands, or the check clearing...always use Paypal..yes you pay the charge, but they protect you also..up to I think $1,000..or is that the buyer...anyway there are your bargaing unit, so-to-speak, so if there is any problems be the first one to contact them..that works out in your favor also!* 
*People will always ask what your reserve is...never post that in the response so everyone can read it..because you can post all responses if you want to..I always ask also..but some people do not like statimng that..I don't think it is a bid deal..lets you know right off if you are going to be able to compete, wasting time if you can't!*


*Watch out for unscrupulous buyers...they are out there!*

*This is what works for me as i sell stuff on the bay, and never really have any bad problems!* 
Hope thsi helps

Bubba


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

Do a search for the items you want to sell under the completed listings. This way you'll see what they have actually sold for. Regarding the 2-8-0 Bachmann, these have been listed lately for $219.00 buy it now new in the box. Right now I don't see any used 2-8-0s that have sold recently. They have all been new. As far as getting more for your loco because it has RC and sound? I think that is a crap shoot. Most people are not going to give you more for your used loco with sound and RC if they can buy new for less, even if they have to add sound and RC. Regarding your custom mods, be very specific as to what you've done and show pics. Also, be very careful when packing. You need to pack the loco so it will survive the box being dropped on it's end. Remember, a loco that weighs 10-15 lbs is not going to be protected with just bubble wrap. As far as shipping, the seller selling all the ones at $219.00 is charging $26.75 and he is in Cal. That should cover any thing in continental USA 

Good Luck 

Randy


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## Nicholas Savatgy (Dec 17, 2008)

I sell from time to time on Ebay and to be honest its getting to be a pain in the butt anymore with all there stupid changes in listing policys and payment and now you cant charge for shipping as they what you to eat that.
My sugestion would be to start to try to sell on the MLS forum and LSC, as the bolth have classifieds.. Just a suggestion? or you could call Jerry hanson he could sell the socks off your feet for a good price HE HE HE


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## altterrain (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Madstang on 04 Oct 2009 01:14 PM 

*5* My two Bachmann locos have been converted to Kadee couplers and I no longer have the couplers they originally came with. How does this effect things?

*Kaydees are more expensive so should add to the price of the engine, as most everyone in G scale usually has Kaydees on their stuff if the are seasoned! *



Bubba





Hardly! Kadees are a small minority in my neck of the woods. As long as the buyer is aware it is not an issue but I have not bid on stuff that is Kadee equipped.

-Brian


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## San Juan (Jan 3, 2008)

Great advice,

Thanks all


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## lkydvl (Jan 2, 2008)

send me an email....I would be interested in your items and may have some stuff to trade you if you are so inclined. I'd love to post a classified but am not a "1st Class"member any longer. My ad is posted on several other train sites tho. 

Andre`


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## Madstang (Jan 4, 2008)

Posted By altterrain on 04 Oct 2009 02:57 PM 
Posted By Madstang on 04 Oct 2009 01:14 PM 

*5* My two Bachmann locos have been converted to Kadee couplers and I no longer have the couplers they originally came with. How does this effect things?

*Kaydees are more expensive so should add to the price of the engine, as most everyone in G scale usually has Kaydees on their stuff if the are seasoned! *



Bubba





Hardly! Kadees are a small minority in my neck of the woods. As long as the buyer is aware it is not an issue but I have not bid on stuff that is Kadee equipped.

-Brian 
where I live threy are prevelent..whenever I bid and get something with KayDee..I think...SCORE!
Different strokes for different folks..isn't life great with al;l the differences!

Bubba


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## blueregal (Jan 3, 2008)

BEST ADVICE IS "DON'T" EVIL BAY IS NOT A GOOD PLACE TO SELL, UNLESS YOU WANT TO TAKE A LOSS!! EVERYONE ON EBAY WHO IS BUYING THINKS YOU SHOULD SELL CHEAP OR BELOW WHAT IT IS WORTH BARGAIN BIN PRICING!! I SUPPORTED MYSELF ON EVIL BAY THROUGH 10+ MONTHS OF UN-EMPLOYMENT. NEW RULES AND POLICY CHANGES HAVE PRETTY MUCH DISCOURAGED ME FROM SELLING. I STILL LOOK FOR A BARGAIN NOW AND THEN, BUT I WAS LUCKY OVER THE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS I SOLD I LOST $500 TOTAL AND I FELT LUCKY AT THAT!! YUP NICK IS RIGHT GIVE ME AN EMAIL I WILL HELP YOU OUT WE COULD LIST ON MY OR NOEL'S LIVE CHANNEL TOO. I WILL HELP YOU IF I CAN GIVE ME AN EMAIL I WILL CALL YOU IF YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR THE LONG DISTANCE. ALSO I CAN HELP YOU WITH THE FIGURING OUT HOW TO SELL IF YOU CHOOSE TO! OH BY THE WAY NICK OVER 200+ SELLS AND I STILL HAVE A 100% CUSTOMER FEEDBACK RATING. AND YES I AM A SALESMAN AT HEART I BELIEVE IN THE ART OF THE DEAL I ALSO BELIEVE IN FAIRNESS, AND HONESTY WHICH IS ALOT OF TIMES LOST IN THIS DAY AND AGE. I EVEN BOUGHT SOMETHING FROM NICK HEE HEE !! "MARK OF A TRUE SALESMAN IS TO CREATE A NEED WHERE NONE EXISTS" REALLY!! BUT THEN AGAIN THAT'S LIFE BUY LOW AND SELL HIGH HAH LOL THE REGAL


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## Nicholas Savatgy (Dec 17, 2008)

You mean you stole it from me HA HA HA but not my socks....... YOU CAUGHT ME ON A GOOD NITE THAT NITE JERRY.....


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## bottino (Feb 7, 2008)

The others have provided you with very good advice, I would encourage you to use that advice, and go for it. I only have one piece of advice that has never failed me. BE HONEST in your descriptions. Don't hide anything, and you will get what you want for your things.
Paul


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## blueregal (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By Nicholas Savatgy on 04 Oct 2009 05:43 PM 
You mean you stole it from me HA HA HA but not my socks....... YOU CAUGHT ME ON A GOOD NITE THAT NITE JERRY.....

























the only thing though nick is i should have slammed in a bid on ebay on it, and saved another $50 bucko's eh ??????????????? hee heeI think nick and i have way too much time on our hands what do you guy's think??????? hee hee the regal


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## Spule 4 (Jan 2, 2008)

Been buying and selling on eBay for over ten years, it has changed a lot recently as the others have posted. I have recently done better selling and buying here and on GSM, and fewer pockets dipping into my money. 

I last sold on ebay back in Feb of last year right when my mother was hospitalized and then passed away. Amazingly, the winners of my auction were understanding on the delay!


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## Nicholas Savatgy (Dec 17, 2008)

Posted By blueregal on 04 Oct 2009 06:25 PM 
Posted By Nicholas Savatgy on 04 Oct 2009 05:43 PM 
You mean you stole it from me HA HA HA but not my socks....... YOU CAUGHT ME ON A GOOD NITE THAT NITE JERRY.....

























the only thing though nick is i should have slammed in a bid on ebay on it, and saved another $50 bucko's eh ??????????????? hee heeI think nick and i have way too much time on our hands what do you guy's think??????? hee hee the regal




OOOOOOOOOOOO Dam.....HE HE HE


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

but not my socks......





Must have been mine. "New, never worn!"


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

I have my own scale, and I box and weight the item before I list it. Buyers appreciate an honest seller so giving them a correct shipping price is appreciated, I even worked with one buyer to ship UPS (I use USPS all the time) due to his being in Canada. Smaller engines and cars are fine with bubble wrap, just dont be thin with it, use a bigger box and pack it in there well, I've shipped ceramics with no breakage. Larger engines get some foam from Micheals to pack around the engine, you can cut the foam to shape around a large engine and just state in the description if your adding a couple bucks to the shipping to cover packing materials. I'm also completely candid about condition, usage, and any other pertanant information regarding running condition.


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## Steve Stockham (Jan 2, 2008)

This may be controversial but I will no longer sell on ebay outside the continental US! The reason is the exhorbant shipping costs associated with International mailing. I had a Bachmann coach that a gentleman overseas _begged_ me to sell him and I informed him that I would be using UPS _only_ for shipping as I have had good results with them. He agreed but when he won the bid he b*tched about the price insinuating that he could get it shipped at half the cost. Bottom line: in order to keep the customer happy and _not _get a negative feedback, I matched his shipping price which essentially meant that I payed $4.00 to send a coach overseas. That is, _I netted a negative $4.00 for that blasted transaction!!_ Never again. Period.

The way ebay is now set up it's not worth selling much. Oh, it's still good for some things but the high dollar items (i.e. Accucraft brass locomotives etc...) are risky! There are con men targeting the high dollar market so the _caveat emptor_ phrase actually goes both ways (no, I'm not sure what the latin phrase is for seller beware..) That is why it's so critical to have a sterling reputation when buying and selling! If you _don't_ give a thorough and complete disclosure you risk offending the buyer and ebay will side with them nearly every time now! Also, communication is key to a good transaction!! It will pay dividends in the future.

I wouldn't sell an engine with r/c and digital sound added. Take the time to properly remove them because you will _never_ get their value out of the transaction! Here's a case in point: I saw a Bachmann 36 ton Shay for sale on ebay for $275. This Shay had the original plastic power trucks so the locomotive would probably need the metal truck upgrade relatively soon which would add another $175 making the total $450! I didn't think that I wanted it _that_ badly so I almost went on when I read the description: _The locomotive comes with an RCS r/c system and a Sierra sound board that were never installed._ (Hmmm!) That changes things considerably!

I used the "buy it now" feature to insure I would win the transaction. When the item arrived I took out the box with the Sierrra and the RCS and then boxed up the Shay and put it back on ebay. I ended up taking a $50 loss on the Shay but I received not one but _two_ Sierra sound boards! When they were available they retailed at $175 each! I was happy. Now for the caveat: I received a TX-8 transmiter which I can use but the RCS system, if it _is_ an RCS system is so unlike anything that is currently displayed as to be completely useless to me! So, no RCS r/c (at least none that I can use) but two Sierra units rather than one.....I'm happy but getting back to the point, if I had wanted the Shay I'm not sure I would have bought the older one even if the RCS unit and the Sierra were installed if the price had reflected the value of the Sierra unit and the RCS components. RCS $139, Sierra $175, Interface $35, Batteries $100, TX transmitter $75, Labor to install $50, Shipping $26 and then the $275 for the Shay......total: $875 Remember, this Shay is an older 36 ton version that has the plastic trucks that disintegrate and must be replaced sooner or later for _another_ $175! We are now looking at a perceived value of $875!! Do you still think that anyone will pay you that kind of price _especially _when they can get a new one for half that? Sure, it won't have sound and it won't be r/c controled but in also won't need new trucks and in this economy you sometimes have to make choices....


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

I don't think you'd ever sell a customized, sound and control-equipped locomotive for anywhere near what you've put into it--even less so if you've done an lot of customizing on it. It takes a buyer who knows exactly what went into the locomotive to understand why you're asking twice, three, even four times the cost of a "new in box" version of the same. That buyer isn't looking on ebay. You find that buyer through forums like this, club meets, or through historical and modeling groups. If you do list something like that on ebay, be very up front about what's been added and how it's a significant improvement over "out of the box." Then set a high enough reserve price. 

Later, 

K


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

I also agree with Steve about international, even to Canada its simply not worth it, way too much hastles, also while the USPS postage calculator is very accurate I got burned by UPS recently when I used their calculator to figure a shipping cost to Canada, sent the seller an invoice based on that calc, got the payment went to ship it and got hit with a "fuel Surcharge" that UPS hadnt botherd to include on there postage calculator, the guy at the UPS shop even admitted it wasnt on their website yet, so if I ever have to use UPS again I will not send an invoice until I can get a quote direct from the shipping office, I suggest the same for you.


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## blueregal (Jan 3, 2008)

I have sold/shipped to New Zealand, Austria, Germany, Canada from ebay have never had a problem usually they will contact me first to see if I will sell to them. I tell them that if they win the auction, I will get and exact quote after I pack up the item with they're address and take to the post office and have weighed for exact shipping and then give them the final price including shipping. Has always worked for me. The Regal 

p.s. oh yeah then they send the money FIRST, and then I ship to em!!


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## Spule 4 (Jan 2, 2008)

I have sent a lot of LGB, car and other train stuff over to Europe without problems, had more BS here stateside honestly. Shipping will have to be figured out afterwards, and many were understanding.


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## up9018 (Jan 4, 2008)

I quit selling and buying on E-bay all together, I just don't like some of the changes that have come about.


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## rreiffer (Jan 14, 2009)

I would suggest spending the $20 and become a 1st class member and first try posting them on this forum. The $20 is a small fraction of what you would spend on eBay and so far all of the folks I have met on this forum seem to be very fair and honest. If you want to please send me a list of what you have and what you might want for it. 

Bubba is right on with his comments and suggestions. You need to watch eBay VERY closely and if you have not done it before it can be very dangerous. 

Good luck, 
Rich


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## Spule 4 (Jan 2, 2008)

Another thought..... 

I have bought a bit of LGB off of Craigslist. Both locally and via the mail. Locally was easier (and better position to haggle and no shipping involved) but the stuff I got shipped out of Floriduh was fine too. 

The last thing I sold on Craigslist (boat) sold in under three hours one Sunday evening. The irony? The deal went down while listening to a re-broadcast of "This American Life's" _Classifieds_ on NPR, but a twist of the classifides of how Craigslist has hurt the newspaper industry. 

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Rad...sched=1299


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## rreiffer (Jan 14, 2009)

Garrett has brought up a great way to sell stuff. It also does not cost you a penny to try it! Check with others here on the prices to ask for some of your items or check in the sold column of eBay and start at the highest price sold. 

Rich


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