# Used LGB price increases



## DennisB (Jan 2, 2008)

The last few all scale shows I attended, could not help but notice that the price of used LGB rolling stock is increasing in price. Does anyone know what is causing this? Or...is this normal. Regards, Dennis.


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## BigRedOne (Dec 13, 2012)

LGB had a period of low production and lack of new products, as LGB went through receivership and sale of the company (to Marklin, which itself had difficulties), probably coinciding with pent-up demand as buyers return to the market after the recession.


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## DennisB (Jan 2, 2008)

I can understand pent up demand, but...I am talking prices that rival new stock. And I don't see anyone buying it either. Am I smoking the rough stuff, lol.


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## BigRedOne (Dec 13, 2012)

Maybe there are some people thinking that the "old" LGB is either better quality, or a better "investment" now? (And probably more than a few sellers are trying to convince buyers of this!) 

In any case, I hope the company regains solid footing and adds to the diversity and depth of it's product line.


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## Jethro J. (Apr 4, 2012)

What they are asking, and what they are getting are 2 different things.









J.


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By DennisB on 21 Jan 2013 05:09 PM 
I can understand pent up demand, but...I am talking prices that rival new stock. *And I don't see anyone buying it either.* Am I smoking the rough stuff, lol. 

If no one was buying the high priced stuff, maybe the sellers were just phishing.

I see it on ebay all the time with all the brands.

Some sellers continually list used and new trains at extremely high prices.

If you want to see what LGB is really selling for, go to ebay and click the tab for (Sold Listings)

http://www.ebay.com/csc/G-Scale-/19...&rt=nc

You'll still find items that sold extremely high because two bidders just had to have that paticular item.

But Ebay is the best barometer currently available in determining what trains are worth.


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## FlagstaffLGB (Jul 15, 2012)

I do a lot of "looking" and some shopping on Ebay. Must admit that most of it is LGB items (track and rolling stock). I have noticed some interesting trends of the types of sellers and what they often do to lure a buyer in. Here are just a few of my observations: 

1. You have the "BUY IT NOW" which seems to be posted more by Hobby Shops or consignment shops that don't want to haggle or wait for the bidding to go up. Probably trying to turn over inventory by the end of the month. Some of these are listed for 25-30 days and they just let them expire or maybe they get a "bite" and then they ship it out. 

2. You have the individual who "just inherited Dad's collection" or stumbled upon these old big trains at a yard sale.....they check a couple of catalogs and look on Craigs List/Ebay and decide they have a fortune in collectibles and post a high price for the item. If you ask them a couple of questions...you usually find this is their first time listing and have no idea what they have or not. Sometimes that works in your favor and you find a good item at a reasonable price. 

3. Then you have the person that takes a good to excellent condition item at places a "reserve" price (hidden from the buyer) and tries to get you to keep bigging until you hit that magic number. Never liked that practice. If you don't want to auction an item, then don't put it on Ebay...or at least be up front and have a starting price. 

4. Love the ones that take a blurry photo or the description is so lacking that you just have to ask a question to figure out what they really have....I get nervous about those listings. 

5. Or how about the shipping cost "profit" margins. This reminds me of the items on TV that sell the wonder mop for $19.95, plus $7.95 in shipping and handling...but they will throw in a second mop for free, just pay separate shipping and handling (why?). I find some of my friends really get caught up in bidding and forget the shipping costs...adds up quickly. 

Now, after saying all that....I have done well (knock on wood) in buying certain items on Ebay. Everything ever delievered was as advertised, well wrapped or protected and was "reasonable" to me. So, it still is a viable method of finding things. To help discipline myself, I normally set up a magic "don't go above this cost and include the shipping" and post it above the computer. I have lost more bids than won...but at least I don't get caught up in the moment.... 

Ed


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## TheRoundHouseRnR (Jul 15, 2012)

Maybe someone can figure this one out. LGB 2018D sold for $730! ( Ebay listing ) I check ebay from time to time, especially the moguls. This loco usually reached a max price of $400 to $500 and a low end of $200 to $300 which is reasonable. I understand this one has low run time but railings are all bent up. There is an anniversary addition of this loco with MTS and digital sound that would reach these prices and higher. But this loco is surely not that one. 

Other have stated and I'm starting to agree. I believe that the German made LGB are starting to gain collectors value. Low production run models and trains made towards the end of the factory shut down like the mikado demand full MSRP in used condition. 

As I look around , I am seeing a trend in LGB sales. I understand some people are asking A LOT for things and they are just asking prices. Most of the time these don't sell. In general though it is safe to say the German LGB locos are rising in prices. I doubt it will stay that way. Just look at Lionel. You can pick up Pre War trains for next to nothing compared to what they used to sell for. This is for numerous reasons. One of the main reason is the people that have the nostalgia for these trains are becoming less and less. Time will tell as they say. 

The Roundhouse RnR


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## kormsen (Oct 27, 2009)

on german ebay the trend is downwards. 
the stainzes, that sold for about 100 to 120($130 to 160) euro before christmas, are now back to 60 to 70 euros($80 to 90) 

half a week ago i bought a anniversary version of the 2018 for 180 euro ($ 235). 

http://kormsen.info/locos/bilder/lok-jan13.jpg


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## Scottychaos (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By TheRoundHouseRnR on 26 Jan 2013 09:55 AM 
Maybe someone can figure this one out. LGB 2018D sold for $730! ( Ebay listing ) I check ebay from time to time, especially the moguls. This loco usually reached a max price of $400 to $500 and a low end of $200 to $300 which is reasonable. I understand this one has low run time but railings are all bent up. There is an anniversary addition of this loco with MTS and digital sound that would reach these prices and higher. But this loco is surely not that one. 





I have a theory.. 
looking at the bidding history on that one, it looks only three people bid on it at all..
then in the final days and hours, it was only two guys bidding against each other.
Did that seller perhaps really luck out and find two rich clueless guys? 

(or..perhaps just one rich clueless guy, and a shill, hoping the clueless guy would take the final bite.
but lets give them the benefit of the doubt and assume its two genuine clueless buyers..)

it can happen!
its possible..and its the only thing I can think of to explain the selling price! 
it doesn't happen often that the selling price goes way beyond actual value, because most buyers are well educated..
but it stands to reason that not everyone is well educated about what they are bidding on..
and every once in awhile a seller really hits the jackpot and finds some not very well educated buyers, with money to burn..
I think this could be one of those rare times..

Scot


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By kormsen on 26 Jan 2013 03:27 PM 
on german ebay the trend is downwards. 
the stainzes, that sold for about 100 to 120($130 to 160) euro before christmas, are now back to 60 to 70 euros($80 to 90) 

half a week ago i bought a anniversary version of the 2018 for 180 euro ($ 235). 

http://kormsen.info/locos/bilder/lok-jan13.jpg 
Korm

Not sure where you are located, but while the prices may be lower in Germany, the shipping cost to get stuff from Germany is down roght rediculas. At least it has been everytime I tried buying something from Germany.


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Randy, I think. That Korm may be our only member from South America. At the risk of being wrong, which happens occasionally I will not say Paraguary, whopps. Chuck


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## Ltotis (Jan 3, 2008)

In regards to this thread a Mogul with sound sold for $90.00 at the Springfield Show. One dealer had downright pennies on the dollar for used LGB. 
lao


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

Larry, that sound was a strange looking board (definately not LGB), however the mogul (LGB for $90) had no marks on the wheels or sliders and must have been a repainted shelf queen. I will test it out today.


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## TheRoundHouseRnR (Jul 15, 2012)

So i take it you ( Dan ) bought the mogul. I dont think I could turn my nose up at that kind of price for any mogul , unless it was just a boiler. If it had no marks on the wheels or sliders , thats even more impressive at that price. I wish I was close to this show. Does the guy selling them come to York? 

Scott.... I think your right on this one but if you look at the sold items on ebay , one brought 500 also. As for now though I would agree it was a bidding war for the item. Dont get me wrong, it is in great shape with paper work and box. I am interested to see if others fetch this price. 

The Roundhouse RnR


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## stevedenver (Jan 6, 2008)

well as another that often looks at ebay 
i agree, askingprices are very high, 

imho, it is to "get" those buyers that are either unaware of where else to shop, unable to shop due to time, or simply want the item 

i have been most put off by 'mixing apples and oranges', ie asking very high prices for very used items (and these prices really reflect almost new and unsed values) , items with missing or broken parts, no boxes etc. 
or, those items which have 'been improved' , ie painted, cut up, or otherwise damaged or wrecked in whole or in part 

if i am representative of a non-collector mindset , but one who is also aware , generally, of the market, i imagine many things do not sell 

having never been a seller on ebay, i dont understand that aspect 

i see things, especially parts, listed at simply ludicrous prices, over and over- 
i would think at some point listing charges have to eat away any reasonable potential of sale by rising 'investment' via those charges 

also ive noticed an increase in the shipping charges, as mentioned, as an added margin, i presume 

if the new LGB ever gets on the market and becomes more readily available, and not subject to walthers and the, imho, very high pricing, 
i suspect things will settle


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

If and when Marklin starts making a lot more LGB items for the US market, I doubt the price of original LGB items will suffer much. 

If Marklin were to start making repair parts for the original LGB stuff, then the price of the current parts might well drop, but I sure wouldn't hold my breath for that to happen. 

My biggest irritation with sellers on Ebay is the lack of condition information or plain mis-information. This seems to be mainly caused by these list and sell for you consignment companies. It may not really be their fault either as in many cases they are selling for people that have inherited the items through a realatives death and the current owner has no idea what they have for sale. 

So it all comes back to the buyer needing to know what they are buying. 

One thing to keep in mind when following auction bids and values. 

A caboose that sells today for $100.00, got there because two people wanted it bad enough to push the price to the $100.00 winning price. 

If the exact same caboose ends the following day, it may sell for $50.00 because there were not two bidders willing to push the selling price all the way to the $100.00. 

So, then what is the caboose's value? 

Well it was worth $100.00 to the buyer of the first caboose. 

And you have to think the second buyer, if he is the one that helped boost the first caboose to $100.00 thinks the caboose is worth the $99.00 price he bid, even if he won the second caboose for $50.00 

Now I see this all the time, an item is bid to $50.00 when a "buy it now" is listed at $35.00 plus $10.00 shipping. Once again, people need to check things out more closely.


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## kormsen (Oct 27, 2009)

Posted By rlvette on 26 Jan 2013 03:48 PM 


Korm
Not sure where you are located, but while the prices may be lower in Germany, the shipping cost to get stuff from Germany is down roght rediculas. At least it has been everytime I tried buying something from Germany.



Chuck is right, i live in Paraguay - Southamerica. so if i buy in north america or in europe an additional 30 to 50 $s for shipping is normal for me.

but very often i notice, that the northamerican ebay has a much higher pricing average than the german ebay - concerning modelrailroad stuff.
(only the brits beat even the high northamerican price levels)

about what are the "just" prices... i observe often for weeks the sold-prices, where possible i inform myself about the prices for new items, then i bid my max price and prepare myself for not getting the thing.
sooner or later i win what i want at the price i want.


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## tom p (Jan 30, 2009)

Just got back from the Amherst show. There were about a dozen vendors selling used or old stock LGB. I thought the prices wih the exception of one dealerwere reasonable.--McD boxcar $45, mogul $225, Mallet $525NIB, etc. One thing to be noted about Ebay is many large volume vendors like "the Favorite spot" use robo bidders to get their price up and catch the novice. Thus, what may be an apparent sale is just them purchasing their own equipment. I saw similar prices at the show in a Buffalo, NY show
Also other than LGB there were many other good sales on G scale at the show. Charlie RO had great sales such as 4 reefers for $200 and was willing to negotiate. I bought 4 for $190 -no tax no shipping cost. He was offering 4 fers on many rolling stock such as box cars etc.There was an almost new Aristro Rogers, power supply, long caboose and two drop end gondalas that I purchsed for $95 for a friend.


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

Update.. the $90 mogul I bought had 2 shorted/burnt/cracked input diodes on the control board. I removed the board and installed a decoder. 

Engine works great, smoke and lights all work, only thing I had to do is add a decoder and speaker. 

PS, I did expect something to be bad with this purchase, but I lucked out in that nothing major was bad. 

So, to date this is my best purchase for value ever!!!!


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Way to go Dan, I doubt I could have passed up that deal either. Randy is correct, you really need to search around Ebay to find stuff at non-ludicrous pricing. It tedious but its the only way to separate the wheat from the chaff.


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## Ltotis (Jan 3, 2008)

There was a dealer from FLorida with Blowout prices on G, HO, and N. I managed to score an USA Docksider for $300 and a Delton Pennsy Combine for $20. A dealer from CT was selling some old Aristo and LGB. Tom P I believe that is the dealer that had the Rogers set. For any of you that remeber New England G Scale (LAst part of name could be wrong.) the owner now does HO craft kits but still has old stock. I will be reaching out to him voia email to see what he has. 
Regards, 
LAO


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