I've recently been watching a few auctions on postwar steam locomotives and a few in pretty good shape have gone for "reasonable" prices. eBay to me is pretty hit or miss. What kind of luck has anyone here had???
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When buying on the bay, always, always look closely at the pictures. Use a magnifying glass if necessary. Not sure? Ask the seller a question.
Be sure of what you are buying; post war, MPC, etc. and look at the price. I keep a Greenberg guide close by to make sure it's in the ballpark. AND DON'T FORGET SHIPPING. This can either make or break a sale.
Then again, our forum members may have just what you're looking for....and for less!
Gook luck, and happy hunting.
cc
I've found that Ebay is a great venue for buying Postwar. It's like Chief said though, really know what you're buying and what it's worth. Expect to get "fair" deals. It's hard to get a steal there unless other bidders are truly snoozing.
Most of my postwar came from there.Its a learning process but ive got alot of nice stuff cheap.I only buy C7 or better and hope for the best now. Plus all kinds of original parts.I have so much stuff now to keep me tinkering for years to come.My dad also is into post war and new release .I built him a layout and we spend alot of time there. Between Harleys,old Allis Challmers and a boat we have plenty to keep busy.He is 73 and still rides a full dresser.He has had a harley since he was 18 in the Marines. Back to ebay,I would say check feedback and find a bunch of sellers you trust and save the good sellers .There have been a few things that were not what i was hoping for but not many.Cleaning and fixing postwar is the best part of it to me anyway.Oh and ask questions if you have any,A good seller will answer.
I've had really good luck buying postwar on Ebay. Never did I buy a train that was misrepresented, so it's all been a positive experience.
I've only bought a few postwar items on Ebay, but I have been satisfied with what I got. The prices I paid were reasonable for the condition of the pieces. I try to buy from sellers with satisfied buyers-- don't just look at the feedback numbers, READ the feedback, especially the negative ones(if the seller has any).
I've gotten a bunch of stuff from ebay.
A Lione PW 2055, Lionel Mikado Jr, Lionel SP&S dockside switcher and a bachmann G scale shay. I've had good experiences so far. It's been awhile since I've gotten anything though, so things may have changed.
I've had generally good luck buying PW and modern stuff on eBay, but there have been a few clinkers. I've always been able to either agree to a price adjustment or send the item back. That's only happened a few times in several hundred transactions.
The previous advice is certainly good. If the description is poor, and there are no decent pictures, I'll very likely pass it by without a thought.
Most of my post war trains came from Ebay. As has been said, look VERY carefully at the pics! If there is any little bit of doubt ASK questions and ask for more pics. I have seen where a seller said "well, you didn't ask" so beware. I had the worst experience right here on the buy sell forum. Ebay snipers can make it hard to win at times.
Rob
Like others, the majority of my postwar has come from eBay. I've only gotten burned a few times. In those cases, I returned the item & got a refund. I've gotten great deals on postwar stuff from the bay. But ALWAYS ask as many questions as you need to before you buy the item. Pictures also help a lot too. I do feel in some ways that eBay has taken the fun out of collecting. When I was younger, my Dad & I would make a "want list" and go to a bunch of train shows each year looking for those items. Sometimes we would find them, sometimes not. Now for example, If I was looking for a 6464-X car, I could just log on to eBay & oh look, there are 50 of them. Not that it's bad, it just is what it is 
E-bay can be a great place to make post-war and even modern era purchases. I have very good fortune to date but I always keep my fingers crossed. I always thoroughly review photos and always ask questions. I always review feedback closely and always check to see what kind of merchandise the seller has been offering to ensure they have been dealing mostly in train and train related items. If there are no pictures I stay away. If the feedback is less than 99% I stay away. If the answers to my inquiries are not satisfactory I stay away. If the seller is not train savvy I stay away. Lastly if the seller states that the item has not been tested I stay away.
most of my postwar steamers came from ebay.i've been pretty lucky so far and havent gotten any locos that didnt work.
a few of them needed some TLC and a few of them showed their age with nicks etc etc.
they sure run good after they're properly serviced and all of mine smoke very well.i've probably overpaid on a few of mine but thats ok with me as i got what i wanted at a price i can live with.
terry...
l've gotten trains and parts for my road runner from e bay. haven't had any bad deals. as others have stated....buyer beware. do your homework. l do like l do for a show. l set a price l'll pay and go withlt. l had been after a 656 Cattle car. all the ones l bld on went for $100 or more. l got one before Chritmas for $15. beautiful shape. don't get caught up ln a blddlng war. lf you don't wln thls one...there will be another one.
The best thing to say about my feelings on purchasing Postwar on eBay is "MIXED".
Most of the best postwar I have I did purchase on eBay and also most of the worst.
E-bay has been way better for me than the train shows, only one bad item in 15 years and the guy took it back, as others say ask condition questions.
Your best bet for buying post war is on the Buy/Sell Board on this forum. You basically know the seller better than an ebay seller, other than a couple of well known bad apples, the sellers are fair minded and honest.
I have been extremely lucky on ebay when purchasing trains. There may have been 1 or 2 locos that didn't run as well as they should, but I fixed them with no problem. I've had great luck buying from sellers I've been warned to stay away from, as well as ones with good reputations. Ebay has made purchasing trains more affordable by making them more accessible. I can pretty much find what ever I want when ever I want there.
I've also been very fortunate when buying trains on OGR's forum. I can't recall ever having a bad experience here buying or selling.
I obtained at least 90% of my PW peices on the bay. I was most active doing that between about 1998 and 2005. There were deals to be had back then! Not so much anymore except for the occasional item lited in the wrong catagory.
