Model Railway Forum banner
Cancel

Unwanted collection

Jump to Latest Follow
1 - 20 of 26 Posts
F

· Registered
Joined
·
5 Posts
Discussion Starter · #1 ·
Hi,
My father recently died and had quite a collection of OO/HO model railway items. I want to sell these and was wondering what the best way to go about it was. I think ebay would give me a wider market but have no idea what prices to expect. Can anyone offer me advice? Im new to this forum and any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
John Webb

· Registered
Joined
·
4,549 Posts
#6 ·
Welcome to the Forum. I would strongly recommend you have a look at 'British Railway Modelling', the current May 2008 issue. On Page 52/3 there is an article "Disposing of your model railway items" which looks at the various ways in which you can get rid of unwated equipment, whether it be because you're changing scale/gauge, have a surplus or as in your case. I think you will find it very helpful in sorting out the several ways in which it can be done.

Regards,
John Webb
 
J

· Registered
Joined
·
2 Posts
#10 ·
QUOTE (followthereaper @ 27 Apr 2008, 07:35) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Hi,
My father recently died and had quite a collection of OO/HO model railway items. I want to sell these and was wondering what the best way to go about it was. I think ebay would give me a wider market but have no idea what prices to expect. Can anyone offer me advice? Im new to this forum and any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Hi,
Ebay is a great way to move stuff on. Suggest that you start to watch items similar to those that you have. This will then give you a clue to how much you can get. But more importantly how and in what category to advertise you fathers items. Prices will reach what they are worth if you follow these simple rules.

Do not go overboard with too many costs to advertise your items, sometimes things do not always make what you expect. However as with all auctions, you need to look at the complete picture to appreciate how good ebay can be.
Good Luck,
JonD
 
G

·
#11 ·
Hi Everyone,

I have just joined M.R.F.

I live and work in Macau, China, I am also a member of E-bay and have never had any problem with the Post be it normal, registered or signed for, coming in or going out.

I would recommend E-bay for selling your items, at least you have some security with bthem.

Best of Luck.

Dick
 
H

· Registered
Joined
·
894 Posts
#12 ·
Welcome Dick,

I have to say that my only real bad experience with ebay was buying a model from America where I think the owner had two accounts and bumped his price up whenever someone bid, and then put the paperwork through wrong, costing me an extra £15.

Sometimes when there is no other of the type around or if it is a model with limited appeal they don't sell well. I sold two Lima 20s in DRS livery, before Bachmann made theirs, and they only fetched £70, but when you consider there were no wagons for them to pull being made RTR, it makes sense.

Now, of course, I wish I hadn't sold them as I have a small fleet of DRS locos and 2 FNAs!
 
Save Share
Reply Quote
B

· No Longer Active.
Joined
·
13,704 Posts
#13 ·
QUOTE (hairyhandedfool @ 2 May 2008, 07:35) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I sold two Lima 20s in DRS livery, before Bachmann made theirs, and they only fetched £70, but when you consider there were no wagons for them to pull being made RTR, it makes sense.

Now, of course, I wish I hadn't sold them as I have a small fleet of DRS locos and 2 FNAs!
I know that feeling only too well - just over two years ago I sold all my SNCB locomotives & rolling stock during some thinning out & a couple of months later aquired St.Laurent, triggering off a hunt for SNCB stock, it was then I realised why the SNCB stock I sold on fleabay raised so much !

We live & learn.
 
F

· Registered
Joined
·
37 Posts
#14 ·
I part exchanged some N continental locos for a 00 .The first lot was reasonable , the second lot the dealer put on ebay and made three times what i accepted. The moral here , try ebay yourself first. put a reserve on and try.
 
B

· No Longer Active.
Joined
·
13,704 Posts
#15 ·
QUOTE (f2paul @ 2 May 2008, 08:14) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>try ebay yourself first. put a reserve on and try.
Problem with putting a reserve on is that it has to be a minimum of £50 & if you start the bidding high to avoid the reserve charge it's diffecult to get the bidding going.
If you were not happy with the price the dealer paid then why sell ?
 
B

· Registered
Joined
·
189 Posts
#16 · (Edited by Moderator)
As an ardent e-bayer, I collect lots of old and interesting locos on e bay. I ma currently on a Bachmann phase and tend to buy things that I can fix up. In terms of buying, I agree that the reserve prevents me from making a bid so best to trust to faith or if you can establish the real value then hold out for that by going to a dealer. However, the dealer will want their mark up.

As with the other replies, you may regret selling the items and I would hold on to some of them if only for the nostalgic value. I assume your dad had many happy years with them.

Join us in the fascinating world of the model railway and the anorak.

Happy modelling

Basil
 
John

· Registered
Joined
·
193 Posts
#17 ·
Dear All,

Another way to establish value for items in a large collection is to get the British Model Trains Catalogue, now in its 5th edition. It could save you a lot of time researching each item on eBay.

Boxed items are worth more to collectors than unboxed and the condition of the box is just as important as the condition of the model. I have carefully saved all my boxes and explained this to my wife and children, so they can maximize the value of these assets. I am still in the test layout stage, so most of my stock in still in boxes waiting for the real layout to be built.

Of course, once I start cutting down the tenders to fit sound decoders and add Kadee couplings, you can forget this idea! But, I would expect that the locos would have some value to someone who does not want to fit their own sound decoders and the sound decoders add quit a bit of value to anyone who knows.
 
B

· No Longer Active.
Joined
·
13,704 Posts
#18 ·
Just to add a couple of observations,

IMHO there are two entirely separate values/markets.

One is the absolute collector market whereby, as John says the condition of the box is as important as the condition of the contents. Even better to some that the item has never been outside the box from when it was packed at the factory. Some of these collectors regard it as sacralige to even consider running the model, let alone take it out of the box - they will examine to box ends to establish this. These are the models that fetch the real "money".

Then we have the people (like myself) who will run the models, whilst I do like to have a decent box the model itself is far more important. Because I am lucky enough to have a reasonably large collection they are split between those on St.Laurent, those in the showcase & those in the cuboard (the latter two are rotated & get a decent run a couple of times a year.

On all models there are two valuations,

The value of what it is worth to replace or for insurance or

The value of what someone would be prepared to pay for it, & this may vary depending on how many are available at the same time.

I have sold stuff on fleabay & been amazed at the prices reached (the sort I would not have the cheek to ask on the sales stand) & likewise been disappointed with other items.

All things that make life interesting.

Just a small point to those who have "reduced" prices put onto boxes before they take them home - does leave the partner left behind no idea of the true cost over the years spent !
 
7

· Chief mouser
Joined
·
11,779 Posts
#19 ·
QUOTE (Brian Considine @ 3 May 2008, 18:27) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I have sold stuff on fleabay & been amazed at the prices reached (the sort I would not have the cheek to ask on the sales stand) & likewise been disappointed with other items.

Having said that we still manage to get some good prices from "stuff" in the rummage box - one mans meat etc.

Regards
 
Save Share
Reply Quote
1 - 20 of 26 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
About this Discussion
25 Replies
15 Participants
Last post:
Rayden500
Model Railway Forum
A forum community dedicated to Model train and railway owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about collections, displays, models, styles, scales, motors, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
OO Gauge & 4mm Scale DCC On My Layout Tracks, Layouts & Scenery HO & International
Top