My success has been about 95%. Usually I deal with others who know what they have, but there was an AF engine that I bought, claimed operable, from a supposed Lionel guy on the flea bay. Armature windings were shot, the reverse coil was chopped, and I had to locate a new brushspring. From now on engines only come from here on the forum, although my collection is on the downsizing portion of life (love my tinplate, but cars are expensive).
I've never had a problem. This may open a can of worms, but, to me part of that has to do with your expectations. If you are expecting "new" products at a greatly reduced used price, then I think you are more likely to be disappointed. That's just my opinion though. When I buy used, especially if it is old like postwar or prewar, I expect it to need some love.
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Have been fortunate by and large by using my own metric:
Absolutely no basket cases, it must run and have a quiet drive line with no cosmetic problems and no beginners "overspray" Weaver style weathering.
I buy everything used, never had an issue.
Probably have 90+% success on buying PW on eBay - and when there's been a problem, it's been clear and the seller resolved it. Sometimes take a little prodding but eBay's protection nowadays is squarely in favor of the buyer.
I perform all my own repairs, so buying second hand has never been a problem.
I have run into trains described as being in good running order that were not.
I have also run into trains that were described as being "mint" or "brand new" that were obviously not.
If you are buying at a train show, or some other form of in-person transaction, test the item.
If you are buying through the internet, look at all pictures carefully, and pay attention to the description.
Ignore seller claims of rare, factory sample, Madison Hardware creation, and the like. Lots of them are phony.
If you are uncertain, skip the item. Lionel and the other toy train companies made lots of each item. Another will come along.
I have really good luck buying used stuff. I dont usually buy a lot of used items but when I do I make sure i get photos and have some sort of recourse to get my money back if a deal goes south. And I always pay with PayPal over about $400
Postwar - 100% Success.
Modern/Everything else - 50%
It is so-so right now. Some new items out of the box with no roller marks run for about an hour, than start to take a dump.
Fortunately, through the help of this forum, I have been able to fix the easy ones. Others, have remain shelf princess until I can figure out how to fix. They are not going anywhere. And eventually I will be able to get them fixed.
There are some problem childs out there that you should avoid. Mostly my opinion but they are prone to failure.
Even if they are cheap stay away from them, or plan on replacing all the boards.
Overall, a very good experience. I buy pretty much all PW on the Bay and here on the For Sale forum. Always good results on OGR and I find on the Bay that if you read descriptions carefully, look at feedback and try to get a good “feel” for the seller(s) you’ll be OK.
And I run everything I buy. Sure beats purchasing $1700 locos and sticking them on a shelf. 
Since I want trains with a little bit of operating realism and fun to run, all my engines are command control. Of the used engines I've bought that already had command control, only one has had an electronic failure - an Atlas O Erie-Built B unit. Did the classic smoked event, but was an easy remove and replace fix. Two of the other three failures were mechanical after I had them a while, so I really can't count those.
The one engine that now makes me either buy from a known, reliable source, or thoroughly check the engine if from an unknown source, came from a TCA member in the York Silver Hall. The Lionel SR Train Master visually looked great, and the seller swore that the engine ran great. With all the room in it, I thought this would be a good first TMCC upgrade try. Anyway, since this was my first major York buy I believed him. Never again. Both gears were completely stripped.
Unless I know the source, I thoroughly check all engines now or make sure they have a good return policy. No problems since I started this policy.
I will only buy off the Forum. I see many people getting hurt buying on fleabay. I know many people have wonderful stories about the big score they made on fleabay. I , being a repair guy get many calls from the people who get screwed big time on fleabay. I have no problem buying inoperative trains if the seller declares so and prices are right for inoperative items. I get some good items from the forum that are inoperative. If it is a simple fix, I offer them back. Many are.
Like anything else in life, be careful and look at fleabay numbers if you shop there. Read feedback comments and good luck.
Given the fact that many of the newer pieces cost an arm, leg and torso I have been buying used for years. Never had an ebay fail but I don't buy there all that often. Every transaction on the OGR forum has been top shelf. My way of thinking is this is a toy and I have other obligations that get funded first so if used works used it is.
I actually to a degree prefer "slightly" used. By slightly I mean by someone that takes care of their stuff. There are a couple of reasons. The cost is always less than brand new. And someone else has opened, inspected and run it to get the bugs worked out. How many of us have ordered, waited and waited for something we really wanted only to get it with problems?
I have had 100% good luck with everything I've purchased from members of this forum.
I've also had 100% success with stuff I've purchased from my local dealer. Everything he sells is checked out, has maintenance performed and comes with a warranty.
Ebay is the only place I've had any issue and it has always been for reasons other than the seller trying to get something over on me. One example, I purchase a Lionel Chessie SD40 freight set ('89 vintage I believe) that was new and unopened. That's what I got. It was a Christmas present for my son and I didn't have the opportunity to test it before I set it on the rails late Christmas Eve. It lit up but didn't move at all. It had sat in the box for over 10 years and needed to be completely disassembled and lubed. In hind site, I should have expected something like that but when it's midnight and the kid is only about 6 hours from waking up to see what Santa left for him it's a bit frustrating. But you could also argue that is was new old stock, not really used (goes back to someone else testing it). Also for stuff with traction tires, you should know when the last time something was run and expect that the tires will need to be replaced if the unit is more than a few years old. I once bought a set of Lionel F3's that ran about 3" before they had 4 flat tires...
Regarding Ebay, if you expect something and it is not specifically called out in the ad, ask the seller about it. Also, I always purchase stuff from folks on Ebay that have a ton of positive feedback.
Tony
All of my locomotives are MTH Rail King with PS2 & PS3.
About 2/3 of my roster of 30 locomotives are previously owned. So far, I have had 2 problematic 2nd hand locomotives that George G fixed. My budget does not always allow purchasing new locomotives, so I buy what strikes my fancy from the OGR Forum, local train shows and eBay.
One locomotive, CNJ Berkshire with a satanic red paint job I called my Jinx Engine. Following a repair of its electronics twice, the Jinx took a dive to floor. As you would expect, the Jinx did not run well after the wreck. So I sent it to George G again. Luckily, while George G was fixing the Jinx, I found and bought a Nickle Plate Berk body on this forum. Now the Jinx runs like a charm with No. 765's body.
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I've had better luck buying used than I have new, a lot better.
Len Carparelli posted:I have made my living selling used trains for over 45 years, mostly, as many know, post-war restorations. If you are a SELLER, I recommend you adopt this philosophy which has served me well:
GUARANTEE everything you sell. Period. Tell your customer EVERYTHING that's right [or wrong] with their potential purchase. If there are problems with the piece LET YOUR CUSTOMER KNOW what they are- all of them!
Give your customer your contact information and OFFER a full refund for 30 days if not satisfied. As a seller, always remember, a happy customer WILL come back and spend more money with you!
If shipping, always DOUBLE BOX heavy items. If the outer box is smashed by one of our wonderful shipping companies, chances are the inner one will protect the item.
DON'T tell your customer "uhh....well, that's the way I got it" or "I don't know if it's original- it could be" and if you are selling AS IS items, TELL THEM - it may not work, it could have major problems, etc., and BE UP FRONT - point out ALL the cracks, dings, dents and rust because eventually your customer will find them all on his own - and won't be very happy about spending more money with you if you weren't fair and honest. As a customer myself I hate unpleasant surprises. As a seller, you'll get a good reputation - or a bad one for that matter-and fast -depending on how honest you are.
AND AS a buyer, insist on these conditions- or go elsewhere.
And for both buyers and sellers - especially on E-Bay- communicate! The more information you have, the more satisfied you'll both be. As a buyer, you'll have the item you want; as a seller, you won't risk negative feedback or the possibility of a returned item- and no sale!
Good luck!
Best wishes to all
Len Carparelli
Len has a lot of sound advice here. I have bought and sold on eBay for a number of years. When I sold I always posted at least 6 pictures of the item and a description that left nothing to chance along with payment and return policy. This was before PayPal came into being. I also knew how to package things and double boxed when needed. I never had an item arrive broken. Probably 90% of my O scale collection was purchased used from eBay and, for the exception of 1 or 2 pieces, I can't complain. On the one occasion that I got something that wasn't as described I emailed the seller with a few detailed pictures and got a quick replacement with no questions asked. One of my rules when buying off eBay is to check the seller's feedback. Even good sellers can get negative feedback from buyers whose intentions may not be above board. In my opinion they are easy to spot. Also, if it doesn't feel right don't buy it. Often, if items seems to be priced too low, the seller often tries to make it up with a high shipping charge. You just have to use some common sense, be careful and trust your instincts.
I only buy used trains. The new stuff is too expensive. Rarely do I have a problem.
To add to my post above about my luck being about 50-50, some items were actually a good deal. And for the ones that were not, I was able to fix most of the items that had problems that were not reported by the sellers. However, by the time I bought the parts and made the repairs I could have just purchased a new item that worked. If the item did not work it would have had a warranty.
Some of these items were ebay purchases and some were purchased here on the forum. I have not yet purchased anything from one of our few local train shows as they have very little in the way of O gauge. They are all mostly HO with some N and very little O. Most of the O gauge is postwar, in pretty poor condition, and I only run command control and mostly scale sized.
I don't usually buy anything used unless I can see it first. The only exception is when I buy something from www.choochooauction.com I don't do Ebay anymore because I find too many people don't know what they have or think because the name Lionel is on it the item is worth many, many thousands of dollars.
Lee Fritz
I have narrowed my used train purchases to this forum. My experience is that thru these purchases I have met some really wonderful people. In all but 1 case my expectations were exceeded in that the item was better than advertised. In just one case was I just slightly disappointed but nothing to get excited about.
I have backed off buying used trains on the big auction site. Too many absurd prices from people who think if it's a model train it is worth thousands.
Thanks,
Ed
Fortunately, for a while now, I have arrived at a point where there are no additional train items needed.
Each engine on my long term shopping list has been acquired and to an excess there are all the cars in each category that I need.
Some additional wiring, install one more TT and then I'll hit the scenery. It's a great feeling to go to a train show and realize the only thing you need to score is some decent food, and that is usually not in the train show building.
50/50 For me too. Most problematic purchases have been engines with early PS-2 5 volt boards. Believe it or not, if the engine was used regularly and has several hours logged on it, your pretty much guaranteed it will run when you get it. But most that I have purchased that are NIB (new in box, never run old stock), your pretty much guaranteed one of those defected caps, that were sadly used by MTH, will blow as soon as you power it up. For some reason years of sitting in storage, without use, will surely guarantee one will blow. I purchased a "never run" premier New Haven, A-B-A, early PS-2 at this past York show along with a beautiful matching set of black passenger cars. First thing I did was replace the battery. Powered it up and "BANG" blown cap. Replaced the cap, powered it up, and more smoke. The temptation of new old stock got me again. Lesson learned the hard way.
Marty Fitzhenry posted:I will only buy off the Forum. I see many people getting hurt buying on fleabay. I know many people have wonderful stories about the big score they made on fleabay. I , being a repair guy get many calls from the people who get screwed big time on fleabay. I have no problem buying inoperative trains if the seller declares so and prices are right for inoperative items. I get some good items from the forum that are inoperative. If it is a simple fix, I offer them back. Many are.
Like anything else in life, be careful and look at fleabay numbers if you shop there. Read feedback comments and good luck.
Quick question What do you think the price of a inoperative Railking scale diesel would be or a Premier Steamer ( Bad boards)
I have great luck about 95% of the time. I used to mostly buy on Ebay but I find it better to buy here off the forum and I have had a 100% satisfaction rate here on the forum and at my local shops. I bought a really nice MTH Protosound 2 N&W Steamer for 70.00 and it is in perfect condition but no box. The worst experience I had was with another web based company. They sent me something different than the photo they used to represent the item.
Looks like I'm in the minority here, and I'm thankful for that. While the forum has been a great place of community and help for me, purchasing from the forum members has been rather problematic. Long standing persons with plenty of helpful posts, obvious knowledge... and I get used stuff that was listed as new, "original box" apparently didn't mean "original packaging" to the person so the item didn't survive the trip well, things packaged so poorly they are destroyed in shipping...
My experience on fleabay has been rather good, people with a lot of positive feedback can at least be counted on to do a decent packing job and when I've had an issue - fleabay or paypal quickly remedy the situation. On the forum there is no recourse if the seller doesn't want to work with you. Again, I'm encouraged to hear all the positive reports about buying from the forum.
As a note of advice for all you sellers - newspaper is a terrible packing material! The heavy items crush the paper and then the items bounce themselves to death. Even light boxcars quickly make themselves plenty of room to move around. Please, please do not use crumpled newspaper.
BEWARE of anybody who will not except pay pal , buy checking the feed back on ebay i have found some great sellars ,which offer money back returns , the dealers i have bought from will take make an offer , an posting they are members of clubs is not a positive bet , pay as soon as you win , when you do that they want your return business.IT is a two way street . i have never been burned and have made hundreds of purchases . the forum i have bought 6or 7 times , and got burned twice , and one was a former sponsor ,ebay got my money back plus interest . All ways be honest and up front with the seller ,pay on time you will be amazed at what you can get when sellers get to know you . Remember there are a lot of bad buyers out there to , ripping off sellers. in life i find you get as good as you give 99% of the time . just my opinion , techman
I have purchased many items here and sold items here and have been very pleased. But I feel its the people you meet that are selling and buying is for me is the best part were you may have a issue sometimes, Its how the people on here are about that, For the most part they are great I have one person I have been buying from for over 2 years Eliot Scher and have nothing but the great things to say about him, So if it wasn't for this forum I would have never met him and added wonderful things to my collection, Good luck with search for items, Were I feel ebay is ok I just think you get more then just buying and selling you get long lasting friendships
Dave Zucal posted:50/50 For me too. Most problematic purchases have been engines with early PS-2 5 volt boards. Believe it or not, if the engine was used regularly and has several hours logged on it, your pretty much guaranteed it will run when you get it. But most that I have purchased that are NIB (new in box, never run old stock), your pretty much guaranteed one of those defected caps, that were sadly used by MTH, will blow as soon as you power it up. For some reason years of sitting in storage, without use, will surely guarantee one will blow. I purchased a "never run" premier New Haven, A-B-A, early PS-2 at this past York show along with a beautiful matching set of black passenger cars. First thing I did was replace the battery. Powered it up and "BANG" blown cap. Replaced the cap, powered it up, and more smoke. The temptation of new old stock got me again. Lesson learned the hard way.
I have not yet purchased a used engine, but several experienced forum members here have stated they would allow for the cost of new electronics upgrades in the prices they would offer for a used engine, unless they really knew the person and the engine. That sounds like a very good idea to me. They all do their own upgrades so the allowances would be less for them than someone having the work done. Probably hard to do with new old stock, but still a very good idea, IMO. Especially with the old PS2 5v boards. Now being retired and old enough to know better, I am still learning things the hard way, but just not quite as often as it used to be.
Dave Zucal posted:50/50 For me too. Most problematic purchases have been engines with early PS-2 5 volt boards. Believe it or not, if the engine was used regularly and has several hours logged on it, your pretty much guaranteed it will run when you get it.
Something to keep in mind is the kind of transformer that was used by a prior owner. All of my MTH Proto 1 and 2 locos lost their minds because I was using an MRC Dual Power O27 transformer on my layout back in the late 90's to early 2000's. Even though the trains ran quite often, I was unaware that the Protosound boards weren't compatible with that power source. (I went so far as to have the boards hacked by a very high tech lab at a company who's name I won't mention and they couldn't straighten out the mess either.) It wasn't MTH's fault that the boards quit, I just want to make that clear. I doubt it was MRC's or QSI's fault either for that matter. It was just new tech. Anyhoo I ended up stripping mine of electronics and hotwired them to run on DC instead of being a gaggle of shelf queens.
But you may want to ask if the seller knows whether the loco was run using that particular brick.
Becky
All but 1 used purchases were fine. I bought a used Lionel 2036 that was listed as a decent repaint. Was hard to see in the picture. It looked like it was painted with a broom! I still have it in all of it's "original" glory! 
All positive with me. Both, the forum and on eBay. For many years.
I'm sure there are scoundrels out there, but I've sensed honesty in dealing with model train folks. More honesty than in buying/selling other products.
Maybe its just been good Karma for me, since I strive to be completely honest and fair with folks. 
I remember one gentleman here on the forum, a non-contributor, was scared to use PayPal, but sent me a $650 USPS Money Order instead. That was putting a lot of trust into me, a complete stranger.
andy b posted:...... As a note of advice for all you sellers - newspaper is a terrible packing material! The heavy items crush the paper and then the items bounce themselves to death. Even light boxcars quickly make themselves plenty of room to move around. Please, please do not use crumpled newspaper.
Andy .... its how well you use the newspaper.
When I was a kid, I worked in the shipping department of an industrial parts supplier. Everything was packed using newspaper .... a heavy hunk of iron, or an electronic component. The parts just have to be packed tightly, heavy items extremely tightly.
However, I sure do get stuff in the mail that has just a few pieces of newspaper in there, and people seem to think that is all that is needed.
How about Amazon? Everything I get from them, they just throw a few air-bubble-cushions in the box, and everything is just bouncing around the box freely. lol
I've had the misfortune of two items. One was a post-war S-2 turbine. Was sold for 200$, I talked them down to 140$. Come to find out, the pulmor in it had been improperly serviced. All of the bearings on the main shaft were missing. It was destroyed in 3 laps around the layout.
On the other hand, I've come across some folks that were at a recent show. They were estate sellers and I'm terribly sorry to say they were clueless to what they had. Also I think they really liked the fact I paid cash.
For 220$ total, I bought:
Lionel Transfer Table 350 Reproduction [New and sealed] Retail would fetch an easy 200+ alone.
Lionel sawmill 80's-90's Reproduction [Used, box in poor condition but works far better than expected].
Lionel coaling tower 497 [So new the protective foam was still wrapped around the legs].
For an additional 80$ I picked up a 350-50 Transfer table extension plate. Also new.
I tend to look at broken things and junk bin stuff. Many times I'll find a gold nugget or two, with the occasional pair of engines (or three in my HHP-8's case) that can be cobbled together for on the cheap.
Fleabay has yet to burn me on quality items, but I tend to look at sellers who've sold a LOT of trains.
I've had no problems buying one the secondary market. Used equipment does not matter to me. Going to run the stuff anyway. Had 1 problem here with an engine that was packed properly but the seller did not disclose some imperfections. The seller does not post here any longer and it was about 15 years ago. With that being said, the folks here on OGR that sell are more than excellent to deal with.
Regardless, with the prices of new stuff going into the clouds, particularly with 1 company that I use to support much, I have not bought anything new there in many, many years. The secondary market has filled my needs and wants.
For me it's been quite good....if not excellent.
But after a few years of following the threads in this forum re internet auction, show, meet, parking lot, back alley, basement, trench coat lining purchases, etc., I may not be the average Joe.
Although I prefer hitting the lottery...even modestly...I also enjoy making lemonade.
(Attention, attention! The above sentence is metaphorical.)
Speaking of joe.....time for another cup!...
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