Collection to sell

Trainz.com buys collections at about 50% of value so you might be better off selling it item by item. Post some pictures here and you may get a better idea of what the value is and where to sell.

This is a very large collection and it has been donated to an organization that has no expertise in toy trains.

Better suggestion: make use of them.

Really depends on if they want to liquidate quickly or take their time and get more money. I would guess even 50% value selling to trainz is on the high end.

I think Texassp is right, it seems like most around here say it's more like 30% when you sell to a buyer of collections. If you don't want to sell each piece individually here or on ebay or something like that then having an auction might yield a better return? Of course you would need an auction house that knows something about trains, but they are out there. Good luck with which ever route you choose.

Try more like 25 to 30%. You get far less than you expect. I would consider a few option;

1. Make a list and get to most recent Lionel price guide to get an idea of what you have and a decent idea of the value.

2. Look for a good auction house - contact the TCA or LCCA for reputable ones. They will point you in the right direction. Auction houses will take it on consignment but you pay a price.

3. Do item 1, then sell it off piece by piece.

It's a time vs cash situation.  An organization that knows nothing of trains runs a HUGE risk selling them themselves on ebay.......one little error and buyers want all their money back and then you pray the item comes back.  I plan about 30 minutes time to create each listing....on items I am well informed on. double or triple if you are uninformed. 

Call Trainz and get a quote......then if not happy go another route. 

There's an outfit here in Texas (Texas Trains & Diecast). They are supposedly one of the largest buyers of model train collections.  I've spoken with them a few times and they seem like really nice folks.  Might want to give them a try.

The first step would be to catalog everything.  If the person that donated it, had an inventory, that would be a great starting point.  The main issue you will have is that you need to acquire some knowledge about what is in the collection and then be able to find a source that would provide an accurate value assessment.  The train auction sites listed above are a good starting point but you should have the collection inventoried first.  The auction sites listed above are good and another one is Stout Auctions.  Spend the effort to compare what they offer.  One thing to be aware of is that although age and condition are determining factors in value, the rarity of an item can also make a huge impact.  Occasionally on this forum you see a post of someone who found something rare at a garage sale or flea market for next to nothing of what it was worth. 

Also, if you post the inventory for sale here on the forum, you will be connecting with a good group of O-gauge train enthusiast and most of the members here will take care of any items purchased.  Sometimes that is important to the those who have donated.

Good luck

This come up regularly, it boils down to the more EFFORT put into selling a collection the more MONEY will be gotten for it.

Probably the best way to maximize the return, is to start by selling at a swap meet, then offer the remainder here and on ebay on an individual piece basis.

Next would probably be directly to ebay.

For more convenience and less return, I would expect an auction house, which I believe sells "AS IS"only, so no concern about defective returns.

For the simplest, likely LOWEST return I would expect it to be a collection buyer, who resells, as has been said above, here you are likely to get 30% MAYBE 40% (if you are LUCKY) of actual value.

Someone who is going to buy a LARGE collection, is likely going to be someone who is going to break it up and sell it off themselves, and they are (rightly so) going to expect to make money for the effort the collection seller didn't want to put forth.

  It is VERY RARE, to find a collector that has the same interests and wants the complete collection for themselves, and even then, if the collection is that large, they are going to expect a volume discount for taking the whole collection intact.

The more effort put into selling the collection, the greater the return you can expect, no way around that. The seller just has to decide where the EFFORT/RETURN balance point is for them, and choose the option that best fits that balance point.

Doug

My friend Ed and I buy collections and will travel. No collection too small or large.

Please email me with more information.

Thank You

There are Tons of un-answered Questions, could be Pre-War, Post War, Modern, Whatever, it's a Gift... For folks with less knowledge on Values to these trains, it's time to get Greenbergs Book on current values.. Also, ZWPOWER 13 sounds like a traveling appraiser....Good Luck...Congratulations on receiving this Gift of Trains.

Don't put any faith in the values listed in the price guides - you'll just end up being disappointed.  Price guides are good for identifying desirable and/or rare items, but that's it.

Putting them on this forum will probably net the most money, but will take the longest.  Selling items one by one is very time consuming.  

My friends are all getting old.  When one croaks, I am often asked by the family - what to do?  I always say " get a reputable buyer, and expect 30%.  Way too much work for a non- hobbyist to fool with this stuff.  Lionel is easier, but not much.

I would love for my Cab Forwards to go to a museum, but in the end they will just sell them.  I will let my family do what they want - including a huge dumpster.

The missionary organization may want to investigate eBay's valet service.  Basically, eBay sends a shipping label or the merchandise is dropped off.  The valet service does the rest of the work to list the item and ship it to a buyer.  As each item sells, the organization would collect about 70% of the selling price.  If an item doesn't sell, they can choose to have the item returned for a fee.

What, me worry?

Alfred E Neuman posted:

The missionary organization may want to investigate eBay's valet service.  Basically, eBay sends a shipping label or the merchandise is dropped off.  The valet service does the rest of the work to list the item and ship it to a buyer.  As each item sells, the organization would collect about 70% of the selling price.  If an item doesn't sell, they can choose to have the item returned for a fee.

What, me worry?

That is new to me, sounds interesting in a case like this. Sounds like it would be worth looking into.

Doug

leapinlarry posted:

There are Tons of un-answered Questions, could be Pre-War, Post War, Modern, Whatever, it's a Gift... For folks with less knowledge on Values to these trains, it's time to get Greenbergs Book on current values.. Also, ZWPOWER 13 sounds like a traveling appraiser....Good Luck...Congratulations on receiving this Gift of Trains.

I do not place too much faith in the Greenberg book on current train  values. I view those as "feel good" values perhaps good for insurance purposes but not as something that reflects the "street price". Also condition, vintage and item commonality or rarity will affect the desirability and value

Are there any photos of the collection?

Colorado Toy Train Group (CTTG) buys collections and also conducts auctions of consigned and CTTG-owned inventories.  We have done over 25 auctions in the past 5 years.  We also do fee inventoried appraisals on-site depending on your location.  If you are interested in discussing our services, please call or text our president, Dr. John Cullen, 303-877-6799.

TrainGroupGuyBear

Send me a full inventory list by MFG product number and I will make you an offer.Nick