Are There "Better Model Train Buys" During The Holidays?

Actually, now is the era of higher prices for most train items.  You're in the middle of "train season".

I find the prices on lower end products to be lower this time of year.  I don't know about high end products as I don't tend to buy them.  Also there is much more available this time of year on the auction site and such, and that tends to drive the price down, and also many more good deals slip through the cracks, lost in the mass of items available.  You can also sometimes find starter sets in some retail stores for much less than your conventional hobby shop.  

You might be able to find an occasional bargain however how old is the item? Or on black Friday or cyber Monday you were able to get free shipping from some companies.

I don't do ebay so I don't know if they have bargains or not.

I use Choo Choo Auctions for my train trading and the OGR forum.

Lee Fritz

Way back when I did HO, Woolco (heard of them?...it was a while) dumped a lot of HO around this time....I still have engines and cars stuck in boxes.  Immediately after the holidays, all kinds of those myriads of HO starter sets were dumped.  With a train under the tree no longer a national symbol (Eisenhower does not have a Marx set under the White House tree), and demand is way down, along with supply, I would guess  the market would stay fairly level.   The slowest time, and lowest pricing,  might be in the June-Aug. summer, when many people revert to outdoor hobbies and activities.

Prices are higher but there is allot more product for sale. Its train "Crazy" out there right now! 

Gentlemen,

    It all depends on the inventory of the business you are purchasing from, especially  during the Train Crazy season.  On most new items the price is higher at this time of year, however, lots of the businesses have special sale items from their older stock, that are very nice indeed.  If you want good prices shop around, especially on the computer then don't purchase over the computer, call the store and see if you can get a better price, many times if you are a repeat customer, your price will be different than someone they do not know.  

PCRR/Dave

Tough question... Because no matter how it's answered, somebody will find an exception to any generalized statement.

HOWEVER, keep in mind we're essentially in a super-saturated market right now.  Yes... I'll admit that "some" items are sold-out when dealers receive their shipments from the importers.  But generally speaking, I can't recall a year like 2015 when dealers were essentially running sales all year long.  If not one dealer, there was another.  The sales were endless, and I passed up many a good deal because I had a few big-ticket items in the pipeline.

Some of the asking prices on eBay are a joke.  But that's always the case nowadays.  I recently saw a Lionel Legacy Polar Express tender listed for $899.    That's just the separate-sale tender folks... no locomotive.  And it's from a dealer who typically has great pricing across the board.  So that's definitely an exceptionally high price tag -- even for the height of train season.  Somebody could plead temporary insanity if they paid that price in December.  But there's absolutely no hope for them if they paid that kind of money in June!  

Generally speaking, I'd say dealers are hungry for sales revenue right now.  So the deals are out there.  Just be a smart shopper.

David