Keep the boxes?

Keep the boxes, parts, and instructions, because you might have to send something back or trade something.

Andrew

boxes are a curse for sure.... but for me , sometimes if you have not run a certain piece of equipment in a while, opening the box and taking out the model, well its almost as good as a new train. its a whole lot less expensive and sometimes I enjoy it more! just a thought!

It seems to me, after reading all the posts on this thread, that it is a matter of personal preference what you do with the boxes.  I could have informed you of this in the first posting.  There is no right or wrong here, it's up to the individual.......like so many facets of this hobby.  But at least another train box thread wasted some time.

Steve, Lady and Tex

Ditto.  Keep the box!  Go into eBay and compare auctions of the common #25000

Marx set with the box (important because the set # is on the box lid, and the box

is a perfect container to store all components of the set)....lots of these sets out there..but the ones that bring more money are in that original box.  Loose sets, not so much.  Throw away money, throw away the box.

Save whatever you can.  A few years back I bought a Lionel 18056 in great shape with the individual boxes and the set box too.  Very pleased with my purchase I returned to the seller's table a half hour later since he had a lot of good stuff, but he had packed up and gone. The table was cleaned and the trash put in a cardboard box underneath. Hey wait a second! That trash box is the shipping carton for the 18056 I just bought. No way I'm leaving it there. It's coming with me. It completes my set.  Rich

Boxes can become a pian but what I did was in my train room I have a drop ceiling I pulled a tile put the boxes up there and put the tile back stored out of the way .

My executor is going to be unhappy - boxes routinely get recycled, and I am a box freak.

There are two different kinds of boxes - boxes, and Lionel boxes.  As I understand it there is a very good market for Lionel boxes, but a Lobaugh box is not worth the paper it is made of.  I have recycled USH boxes without a wince.

with the exception of perhaps the starter set box you mentioned, keep um all, when the day comes to sell them, it'll make all the difference

There are Lionel starter set boxes on e bay for $45.  Not sure how often they sell but I doubt someone would repeatedly put them up if it was a waste of time.  You could sell yours for $15 just to upset them! 

OR,

I'm thinking of cutting the front cover off my super chief set box and framing if for train room art.  

Holy crap what are they going to do when they find out I weathered my trains!?

quote:

Holy crap what are they going to do when they find out I weathered my trains!?

"They" don't care what you do with your trains.

This was started by someone seeking opinions and advice.

So far there are two pages worth of replies.

Correct. If you ever happen to sell what you have, and "they" (the majority that desires factory originality and completeness) are looking for it, "they" will likely skip right over your listings.

On my Polar Express and El Capitan set boxes I cut the covers out and framed them and hung them up in the train room!!

I keep the boxes for the engines, cars, and some accessories.

Sometimes I get tired of my engines/ rolling stock and sell some off and get new.I don't care if I buy without the boxes but people moan and groan if you try to sell and tell them you don't have the boxes.It's a deal breaker for many,so I keep them.Nick.

If it wasn't modified by Madison Hardware back in the day or if it wasn't some electronic upgrade, it will most likely be worth less than an unaltered item.

quote:

If it wasn't modified by Madison Hardware back in the day or if it wasn't some electronic upgrade, it will most likely be worth less than an unaltered item

Unfortunately, it seems that some folks immediately try to attribute the work to Madison Hardware when ever they come in to the possession of a modified item. Some of their custom work is well known. As for the rest..... how does one really tell?

One thing I remember seeing in the store was an accessory that consisted of a 151 semaphore head mounted to an LTC illuminated lock-on (static piece). I never bought one. I wish I had.

I keep the boxes, unfortunately.  I keep them because my understanding is that for re-sale it increases the value.  That may or may not be true.  However, it is a pain in the rear to keep these boxes and I know that I don't have a fraction of stuff that others do but I may need another house just to store empty train boxes in.

This could prove to be a prime example of box value:

Lionel 18063 Commodore Vanderbilt

This is a fairly scarce Lionel Commodore Vanderbilt Hudson release. Was a limited run that was painted the correct dark gunmetal grey as opposed to the original wrong silver color. New or like new in the box these things are still fetching a pretty penny, mostly between $600 and $1,000 depending on how bad someone wants one at that time. This one though, with no box, probably won't fair nearly as well. I'm guessing final bid will be in the $300 range. 

I keep all original packing, styrofoam and outer boxes whenever possible.  In addition every individual item is photographed, catalogued and enclosed in a protective outer dustproof box which is clearly labelled and inventoried. If a car or engine is not being operated it goes back in the box.  All cars and engines are placed in a protective clear plastic sleeve before repacking.

I create a catalog page for each item that includes multiple photos and a complete description and manufacturer data.

People who appreciate the quality of your craftsmanship will pay a premium for such items.

I had no idea the empty boxes were on "the bay" for these starter sets.  I guess they "box the box" (put it in a shipping box) and send it out.  It looks like many of them which are similar era/size on there now have a buy-it now price ~$30-$45 and the seller assumes the shipping cost.

I think for now the big old box in question will go in a plastic bag and stuffed in the rafters of my garage, out of the way until who knows when.

Thanks again all for the posts...Rich

I only keep mine to protect the trains, when not in use.  

A nice side bonus is being able to resell them with the boxes, though I never plan on doing that.  

Never know what fate might bring!

A tale about the importance attributed to boxes......

With the release of the Conventional Classic series there was an outcry of disappointment when purchasers discovered the set boxes (and, at the time, the bag in which the set box were packaged) had cut marks across the flaps. I might be somewhat "fuzzy' on the details but as I understood it Lionel's one contractor  performed a final packaging operation on CC set boxes, and shippers, which were then opened by another contractor to replace, or include an element of the sets not available, or packaged, by the initial contractor. Whether this is actually the case is, at this time, immaterial. What was important to the purchaser was that the set box was damaged.

Lionel responded swiftly by initiating a program in which purchasers could secure replacement set boxes by filling out a form and cutting out the section of the set box with the P/N, etc. and submitting same to Lionel for a new set box.

Having purchased two sets at the time I figured "why not" and submitted the necessary paperwork and received new set boxes, Velcro closures, and even new plastic bags.

I had noticed that a couple Styrofoam blocks used in bracing the set boxes into the shippers were missing, most likely lost in the haste to reopen the boxes to address the errant  element. Having the name of an individual from their logistics department on the "mailer" sleeve of the replacement boxes I contacted same and quickly received replacement sets of these Styrofoam blocks!!

About 18 months later, maybe longer, I picked up a couple more early release CC sets which also had been identified earlier in the program as being eligible for set box  replacement. I was somewhat reluctant to cut up the set boxes and submit the paperwork unless I was sure Lionel still had the boxes so I first contacted the same person in logistics.  He said I was lucky as there were just a couple left!!

What I'm conveying here is that the company recognized that this was an unacceptable situation and wanted to make things right because they knew their clients valued the packaging. Furthermore the company went beyond just replacing the boxes. They replaced the set bags and to my surprise even stocked and made the missing Styrofoam blocks available.....Furthermore, well into the program the stocks of replacement boxes had been depleted to the point where I was even lucky in getting a couple of the final replacement boxes.

That's a tremendous amount of logistical work and expense by one company just to make a situation with a "cosmetically" damaged box right again....guess those boxes must be important.............         

I can't believe I just read 68 replys about empty boxes!