# Unloaded More Trains



## BobS (Jun 18, 2015)

Yesterday, I took another significant load of O Gauge trains and related items to Ambrose-Bauer for their online auction. This is the second time I have done this, and now I am left with a minimum amount of locomotives and trailing cars that I truly like, and like to run. It is how it should have been from the beginning. But, I got caught up in buying things I liked the look of and thought I might rotate the rolling stock and prime mover more often. But, I got lazy, and the unpacking and repacking got overwhelming, so I just bit the bullet and cut the cake, so-to-speak. 

I also dropped off all my brand new Kato N Gauge trains and related items. It had been my plan to set up a nice N Gauge layout and run it when the O Gauge got too noisy. But, that dream never came to pass, so now my load have been significantly lightened. 

Of course, in perusing the upcoming online auction, I found a nice-looking Lionel Pennsylvania T-1 that will run on O-31. I may put in a bid for this Lionmaster from 2000.


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## beachhead2 (Oct 31, 2017)

Congrats, Bob. It always feels good to get rid of things we no longer need. I've only been in the hobby for three years and I already have a pile of stuff I need to unload.


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Lol, drop off 3 and buy 1! You'll get there eventually!


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## BobS (Jun 18, 2015)

Well, it used to be, drop off one, buy four. And, here is the real deal. I ALWAYS lose money on everything I sell. But, I sell large volumes, and it seems to make up the difference somehow. I used to work for the government, and learned economics whilst there. Buy high, sell low, but do it in large quantities,'cause it always looks better.


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Lol, sounds exactly like my freinds get rich quick schemes. Always looses money but always keeps trying!


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

I have a bunch of stuff that I rarely run anymore. I sometimes think about selling them, but they are still worth more to me than I would get for them, even if I hardly ever run them.

I have sold a few things that I THOUGHT I wanted when I bought them, only to realize I made a mistake.


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## BobS (Jun 18, 2015)

Bob, "mistakes" is my middle name. For a long time, I got caught up in whatever people were talking about here and over at OGR. Lots of people would get hyped up on some new offering from Lionel or MTH and I would HAVE to have it. I got rid of all those Have-to-haves.


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## Refugee (Oct 2, 2019)

Took a couple trunkloads of trains and buildings to the local hobby shop. Got about 1/3 of what I paid for them and he will resell them maybe 1/2 price, or more. But it did feel good lighten the load and fatten my wallet even a little bit.


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## BobS (Jun 18, 2015)

When I first began to sell in earnest, I would fret over how much I had lost. Then, I took on the attitude that I had wanted these items, enjoyed the hunt for them, and enjoyed having them for awhile. Then, I changed my outlook and just enjoyed the fact that I had less clutter and some money in my pocket or checking account that I didn't have the day before. It's all about attitude and perspective.


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## KBeyer (Jun 29, 2020)

Only once in a while have I made money on selling toy trains, most times I loose. Generally, I've averaged 70% of what I paid in cost recovery.

My joke is that I only "rent" trains. So the difference in purchase and sell prices is the rent I paid to have them for a while. If I calculate it on a monthly basis, the rent is actually pretty low!


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## kilowatt62 (Aug 18, 2019)

I agree in that having a plethora of stock and not really rotating them for use. I as well have decided to, and have started seperating out items to be sold off. I really have no need for 150+ rolling stock. 43 locomotives? Maybe. Wait, no. Some gotta go as well. I'm sure a few that have been with me a long time will end up on a display shelf. You know, just look at and recall their timeline.


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## ERIE610 (Jan 19, 2015)

As of the writing of this posting. I do not plan to personally unload any of my "STUFF". I will let my heirs decide how to unload my Toy Train inheritance when the time comes. I entered the O Gauge collecting scene only about 5 years ago. So I am just getting started so to speak in this hobby. I do realize that circumstances may arise that will dictate whether I will be able to have a collection or not. I will just cross that bridge when I arrive at the bridge's entrance.


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## BobS (Jun 18, 2015)

KBeyer said:


> Only once in a while have I made money on selling toy trains, most times I loose. Generally, I've averaged 70% of what I paid in cost recovery.
> 
> My joke is that I only "rent" trains. So the difference in purchase and sell prices is the rent I paid to have them for a while. If I calculate it on a monthly basis, the rent is actually pretty low!


A joke, perhaps, or a very astute analogy. The latter is very apropos to my way of thinking. And, think of this, you have been a Steward of those trains whilst they were in your care. Ahhh, now I feel even better. I have been a Steward all the time. Could it work that way with a Wife?


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## Spence (Oct 15, 2015)

Boy does this post sound familiar. I have so many extra stock that I’ve never even opened the boxes on some of them.
EBay is such a pain to sell now and I have no hobby shop’s locally so instead of doing anything I do nothing. 😀


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## BobS (Jun 18, 2015)

eBay sure has become a nightmare to sell stuff. After getting back into it recently, it took awhile to get familiar with their new format. I am lucky to have a local online auctioneer that is great to work with.


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## KBeyer (Jun 29, 2020)

With 80+ engines and over 400 cars, I've got my share of trains.  However, interests change some over the years. I "try" stuff that I don't have experience with, but looks interesting. If I'm not satisfied, it gets sold, and I chalk it up to a learning experience - again, "renting" the trains. I've actually "owned" the same item (not the exact same one, but same model/type) more than once. For modern/new items, I find train stores are not thrilled to take items back for refund, especially when you've "used" it (how else are you supposed to know if you like it?) So, I've had to sell those kind of items also when they ended up being not to my liking. Such is the hobby...


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## KBeyer (Jun 29, 2020)

BobS said:


> eBay sure has become a nightmare to sell stuff. After getting back into it recently, it took awhile to get familiar with their new format. I am lucky to have a local online auctioneer that is great to work with.


You mentioned selling through Ambrose-Bauer. If you are willing to share, how was your experience? What is your typical return compared to what you paid? 

I now exclusively sell on e-bay. My last couple of experiences selling through TCA were not good, so I won't list items for sale there any more. The 70% number I mentioned on return compared to cost is after all fees are paid, and that's an average over a year of selling. Some items I net 100%, other items 40%, but it averages out to about 70%.


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## BobS (Jun 18, 2015)

I think the "return" is probably averages 50%of what I paid. That said, much of what I have or have had, is less than desirable for most collectors. All conventional, not much high end stuff. I have seen things, especially early post war Lionel go for BIG bucks, all the time on their auctions. They take 20%, but eBay and PayPal take almost 15%, and you have to ALL the work. All I had to do was take my stuff to AB and they do EVERYTHING. It's certainly worth the extra 5% to have someone else do the work. On my last venture, I collected $4500 and had virtually no work involved. Perhaps, I could have netted a few more dollars had there been any interest in what I owned, but that was a long shot. I am very pleased with my decision.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

I’ve always said that if you’re buying toys as an investment, don’t be disappointed that you are going to be surprised when you try to sell them for profit......maybe some will go up in value (usually after 40 or 50 years, like some toys did from the 1950’s and 1960’s), but mostly they will be worth next to nothing.....at least, not enough to retire on.....


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## BobS (Jun 18, 2015)

I was going to re-tire, but then I found out they just needed some new air.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

I guess old air wouldn’t have worked.....


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## KBeyer (Jun 29, 2020)

Old_Hobo said:


> I’ve always said that if you’re buying toys as an investment, don’t be disappointed that you are going to be surprised when you try to sell them for profit......maybe some will go up in value (usually after 40 or 50 years, like some toys did from the 1950’s and 1960’s), but mostly they will be worth next to nothing.....at least, not enough to retire on.....


I think this was a more common attitude in the 1990s and early 2000s when postwar/prewar Lionel train prices were on the rise. They've been on the decline since that time. I'm sure there were collectors who bought a lot of stuff in the 70s that really cashed in during that high period, but that's just not going to happen now. It does seem high end and truly scarce items are still rising in price, but not everything else. And items in VG or worse condition have really tanked.


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## Millstonemike (Aug 9, 2018)

You have to ask yourself; "Am I operating, collecting or investing"? Perhaps a little of all three. But there's much better choices for investing.


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## BobS (Jun 18, 2015)

Once upon a time, many years ago, I happened upon a store selling Union Carbide Anti-freeze for a dollar a gallon. I bought 50 gallons, all they had. The next year, the price went through the roof to about $8 a gallon. I sold about 45 galloons at $5 per gallon. I thought I was the best deal maker of all time, way back then.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

So did you retire on the money you made then? 

You would have to be lucky.....I read that the first issue of a Batman comic (really in a Detective Comics -#27), recently sold for 1.5 MILLION dollars.....that’s a 1.5 BILLION percent return on a 10 cent comic book....so if you have any old comics laying around.....


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## BobS (Jun 18, 2015)

When I was into Comic Books, I mostly read Archie, Donald Duck, and Beetle Bailey. A couple years later, Mad Magazine came out and I never picked up another Archie or other Comic Book.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

I have heard that some of those old Mag magazines can go for big money, if they are in decent shape.....


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## KBeyer (Jun 29, 2020)

Toy trains are a hobby for me, first, foremost and almost exclusively. The fact that I can sell trains I no longer want and get some money for them is a total bonus. Not many hobbies can say that. My parents' hobby was sports. My Dad played baseball and softball, and they attended a lot of NFL football games and NASCAR races. They spent a lot of money on all of that, a LOT. I know they enjoyed all of it (except when my Dad would get mad and yell at the football team for making "mistakes" as he saw it.  ) However, all of that money is gone. With toy trains, I enjoy myself, relax, and have met a lot of interesting people over the years. At the end, either I or my heirs will also have some financial return from selling everything. So, that's just a bonus as I see it.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

That’s a good way to look at it, I suppose.....I know that when we go pick up a train collection, we usually get it for 10 to 20 cents on the dollar......train person passes away, and the family has no interest in trains and wants it gone....so we oblige.....we can sell the items for less than retail to other train people, so we profit, and they’re happy......most of the stuff we have come across lately has been brand new, never taken out of the box, but has been out of production for quite some time....have seen some real gems....


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## Eilif (Nov 6, 2017)

I'm only a few years into this hobby. I've already done a few purges of my stuff and broken up a few lots to get pieces I've wanted. 

I'm averaging more than I paid for items I sell. However this is because I try to only buy things at uber bargain prices. When you figure in the time to hunt/sort/list/pack it's not really business-worthy but I don't view it as a business and I enjoy the hunt so it works for me.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

That’s the key, this hobby needs to work for you.....nobody else.....it’s the enjoyment you get that makes it worthwhile.....


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## MacDaddy55 (Aug 19, 2008)

BobS or anybody tried selling on Face Book Market Place or Craigs List...I've had great success buying and selling for Local pickup and you can get more bang for your buck...I've found bartering with Resale Shops can be a real hassle as they want too much of a cut...you want to be fair and honest in your sales but c'mon !! Ebay has become the Land of the Lost with their issues!!


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## BobS (Jun 18, 2015)

I looked at FaceBook. In my local market (greater Pittsburgh), there is a lot of junk trains stuff and most other equipment that has any quality is overpriced in my opinion. Anyway, I have some things up for sale (non train items). I have sold about half of what I posted, but it's a hassle trying to get a meet-up scheduled, and then most folks want to bargain the price down to where it isn't a palatable sale for me any longer. I think the FaceBook Marketplace is vastly different depending upon where you live. I have sold some stuff on eBay, but you need to have something that is VERY desirable and price it below what everyone else has priced it. The market is dwindling from what I can see.


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

I'm just in it for the enjoyment. I have no inclination to try and make money from stuff I no longer want. I probably couldn't even sell it on this side of the Pond. Though there are a lot of Euro modelers out there, many are very specific railroads tied to an era, an area, and even a local location where specific equipment is, or was used, and have no need for most stuff outside of their modeling location.


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## Millstonemike (Aug 9, 2018)




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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

I still have unopened boxes i bought on ebay and elsewhere 5 years ago. Lol. They could have sent me rocks for all i know. But i had to have them. Eventually, as someone said , my kids will go through them and say what a load of junk. So.e will buy it all for 50$ or they will go in the dumpster. No one wants our junk. Even if it isnt junk to us.


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## BobS (Jun 18, 2015)

Our heirs will have their own junk to contend with. And, much of it will have been given to them from us. I am perpetuating the American economy. Doing meh part, enhancing my carbon footprint, leaving my mark on humanity, and having fun doing it all.


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Deleted


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Crap, how did thos end up here sorry.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

sjm9911 said:


> I still have unopened boxes i bought on ebay and elsewhere 5 years ago. Lol. They could have sent me rocks for all i know. But i had to have them. Eventually, as someone said , my kids will go through them and say what a load of junk. So.e will buy it all for 50$ or they will go in the dumpster. No one wants our junk. Even if it isnt junk to us.


Unopened?
Why? 
Kid >S? 😇


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## Chops (Dec 6, 2018)

My stock broker is driving the car of my dreams.


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