# What is wrong with people? (ebay story)



## tworail (Apr 13, 2006)

Anyways.. I put up this LGB Limited Set, for a White Pass and Yukon loco and caboose.

It's typically in high demand especially unused. When I got it, it arrived with a broken truck frame on the caboose, possibly due to shipper. The original owner, who bought it new, apparently never even took it out of the shipping carton, so who knows what happened. But that's not a huge deal, as you can buy replacements easily even with the parts shortage. I fixed it to my liking with epoxy.

Long story short the set is in excellent condition... so I put it on eBay as I need funds for my Marklin project. By the end of the auction it had 23 watchers, a starting bid of $300.00 (very reasonable)..

AND NO ONE BID!!!

What is happening here? I was sure it would go, and for much more than $300. I think shipping it out of Canada scares people away..


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## MacDaddy55 (Aug 19, 2008)

Sets seem hard to sell on Ebay....maybe sell items individually,combine shipping on all your pieces,figure out shipping and handling.....that might work. Especially take feedback from potential customers. You might have better luck that way. Or pull the set and put it up for auction closer to Thanksgiving! Good luck Oh...nice looking set by the way!


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## Reckers (Oct 11, 2009)

I agree with the statement about sets, above. No offense, but cabooses seem to be the most common car out there, even though it is a very atttractive set. As a potential buyer, I might look at it and think that I want the engine, but have to pay extra (the caboose) just to get the engine and move on to look for a seller with just an engine. Canadian shipping wouldn't matter to me---I total the price plus shipping and make my decision---I only reject asian sources.
Another problem is probably Christmas. $300 in July is one thing, but $300 when you have to buy a dozen presents and provide a full meal for the relatives (Thanksgiving and Christmas) is a deterent. Perhaps better timing would allay the problem?
Finally...the repair. For some people, that's a killer: they want perfect and unblemished because it's potentially a collectors item, blah blah blah. I LOVE to see an engine come up on Ebay with "I'm not sure what's wrong with it" because that pretty much guarantees most people will not bid on it. As near as I can tell, there are a lot of people who buy train components that are perfect, but can't or won't try to fix anything. I recently bought an engine with E-unit problems for less than $30, including the shipping. Guys on here like yourself explained how to fix it and now it sings. An identical unit went for over $50, plus shipping, since then.


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## tworail (Apr 13, 2006)

Couple things at play. Canadian shipping. Duty and taxes. It's not rare I don't think, but I can't find out how many pieces were put together.

This is a collector item for the most part. If people want the engine, they can bid on the engine by itself as there are tons of them out there. I bought it because I wanted the set which is a numbered set of limited quantity put together by LGB of America (when they existed LOL)

I guess what I am really saying is... I was 100% convinced it would sell. That is all


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## tankist (Jun 11, 2009)

if you posted in proper section so one looking for it will find it, then there is price thing.
we all know how this stuff costs. say i see a locomotive priced fairly, i'm in no need of another loco and i skip. if it is significantly cheaper however, i might pick it up despite the fact i'm in no need for engines just because ot is cheep. if i'm looking for specific item then i'll be prepared to spend more.

so the reason yours haven't sold is pretty much the person who was looking for your set did not fin'd you...


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## tworail (Apr 13, 2006)

Yup. I will try again in the New Year and do more pictures etc on the list to tell the truth I half-assed it.

And of course I'm complaining :lol_hitting:


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

I agree just re list it. One who wants it just didn't see it.
Do it before Christmas.
Someone might just say, "Honey???? Would you get me this for Christmas?"


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## tworail (Apr 13, 2006)

Yeah. Some guy messaged me about it months ago actually... but when push came to shove, he said 'the wife said not right now'.

Who puts themselves in that situation??? LOL


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## redwine_p (Nov 5, 2009)

Thers a lot of stuff going on on ebay for some reason .people are pricing stuff near or above retail or fair market value i think. and the shipping cost are way out of control . We ship stuff every week and know what it costs to ship somthing to the other side of the country . If you do some creative packaging and buy a postal scale you can weigh it and ship it fore a reasonable price instead of ripping somebody up the back and making your bidding price plus 10 to 15 dollars 0n the shiping ! Man that pisses me off when you know somthing does not weigh what they say and it dont cost big money to ship it ! dont it you all? And dont even get me started on the FEES!!!!!


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## tworail (Apr 13, 2006)

Yeah.. these recent round of ebay purchases has astounded me as far as shipping goes. Long story short, I'm spending hundreds on shipping.

Maybe I should just move to the USA temporarily, sell my collection, then move back home


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## modeltrainhead (Nov 15, 2009)

my mom always nags about people not buying her stuff same here no one will buy my autographed football cards and im angry 20 bucks for 2 thats no rip off


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## tankist (Jun 11, 2009)

modeltrainhead, punctuation marks are your good friends , use them


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## MacDaddy55 (Aug 19, 2008)

*Full Agreement!*



redwine_p said:


> Thers a lot of stuff going on on ebay for some reason .people are pricing stuff near or above retail or fair market value i think. and the shipping cost are way out of control . We ship stuff every week and know what it costs to ship somthing to the other side of the country . If you do some creative packaging and buy a postal scale you can weigh it and ship it fore a reasonable price instead of ripping somebody up the back and making your bidding price plus 10 to 15 dollars 0n the shiping ! Man that pisses me off when you know somthing does not weigh what they say and it dont cost big money to ship it ! dont it you all? And dont even get me started on the FEES!!!!!


Over the last year and a half since the Bay went to PayPal prices have taken a hike for the worse. I actually won a dispute with a seller who said his weight on a DDGW SD40 at 6# when it came in at 4#. thats not much but the old saying goes if one person does it....then so is everyone else. what has happened to honesty!


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## redwine_p (Nov 5, 2009)

This what i am talking about on Evil bay . Asked this guy to check into maybe getting this shipping a little cheaper on something i wanted and this was the response i got . I cut and pasted this from the email GEEEEZZZ!!!!!

If you think that is too much? Please don't bid...

The bidders are 0 on this item and i think they will stay that way for me!!!!


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

tworail said:


> Yeah.. these recent round of ebay purchases has astounded me as far as shipping goes. Long story short, I'm spending hundreds on shipping.
> 
> Maybe I should just move to the USA temporarily, sell my collection, then move back home


If you do that, whatever you do, don't come to Jersey.

What you save you will end up paying to some kind of tax!


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## tankist (Jun 11, 2009)

cmon, not "wa wa wa, shipping charges!" discussion again. i can' guarantee i'm not going to flame again .


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## tworail (Apr 13, 2006)

Well, some guy just sprung a $10 handling charge on me.  For a transformer that fits in a small box.

That is pretty bold actually, and there was no word of it in the list or shipping information.


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## Reckers (Oct 11, 2009)

tankist said:


> cmon, not "wa wa wa, shipping charges!" discussion again. i can' guarantee i'm not going to flame again .


*laughing* Down, boy! Don't bite the nice people!

I think there are two kinds of ebay buyers: purists and pragmatists. Purists believe sellers should limit shipping charges to what it actually costs them to ship the item. Pragmatists see shipping as a way fin which sellers not only recover shipping expense, but have a padded charge that enable them to sell for a minimum acceptable price while appearing to sell at a much lower price. In doing this, they offend the purists and reduce the pool of potential buyers. To me, it's simply a marketing strategy that has questionable value. The items I've sold were all noted as "I'll charge you what it costs me" and I'd just bill them for the postage. Tape and corrugated are cheap; I think the good will it engenders makes for increased future business. I end up with friends that began as customers.
I'd like to add that the generosity I see on this site does the same thing---can't count the times someone would say, "Oh, just give me your address and I'll send it" or something similar. It makes you want to look here, first, when you get that buying itch.


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## Boston&Maine (Dec 19, 2007)

I do not know about you all, but when I buy something on eBay I do not think of shipping as a seperate charge... Given that the market value for an item is say, $20, then to me there is no difference (nor do I care) between paying $15 for the item and $5 for shipping versus paying $5 for the item and $15 for shipping :dunno:




tworail said:


> Well, some guy just sprung a $10 handling charge on me.  For a transformer that fits in a small box.
> 
> That is pretty bold actually, and there was no word of it in the list or shipping information.


Now this is wrong in my eyes... IMO all charges should be expressed somewhere in the ad...


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## tankist (Jun 11, 2009)

boston&maine said:


> i do not know about you all, but when i buy something on ebay i do not think of shipping as a seperate charge... Given that the market value for an item is say, $20, then to me there is no difference (nor do i care) between paying $15 for the item and $5 for shipping versus paying $5 for the item and $15 for shipping :dunno:


exactly!


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