Online Auction Of My Train Goods

Bob, thank you for your openness in sharing the details of the auction of these items.  Your detailed description of the process and return of the auction should help others considering a similar route.  It certainly beats advertising individual items ir groups here or on other online sources, then packaging and mailing all of those items.  

I applaud you for making that hard decision to reduce your inventory and thank you for your insights

Makes you think

Jerry 

Mark Boyce posted:

Bob, thank you for your openness in sharing the details of the auction of these items.  Your detailed description of the process and return of the auction should help others considering a similar route.  It certainly beats advertising individual items ir groups here or on other online sources, then packaging and mailing all of those items.  

Mark, I know some of the items could have done better, but if monetary gain was not my original intent..  I had made the hard decision to just reduce my collection.  It had become a deterrent to my enjoyment of the hobby.  Originally, I had thought my layout would be more accommodating to my desires.  Space constraints and my desire to run many trains at once limited the size of my equipment.  And before I actually built it, I had  no idea of curve limitations.  It was my first and only experience of building a layout on a table(s).  Before, I had unlimited floor space and furniture to contend with.  Then, big trains with large diameter track was no problem.

And then, there was the internet, with it's unlimited possibilities of equipment, all delivered right to my door.  I just got sucked in.  But, I am out, and will stay forever cautious on my future purchases.

jpc posted:

I applaud you for making that hard decision to reduce your inventory and thank you for your insights

Makes you think

Jerry 

Thanks Jerry,

I wrestled with the decision to sell for a long time.  As I began to sort out my collection, it became clear that the things I had acquired over ten years were far too much to attempt to piece out and attempt to sell an item at a time.  I have sold here and online at other sites for a long time.  With each sale, there is the advertising, the apprehension of no interest, lowering of prices to entice buyers, then the sale, and the hopeful waiting that the buyer is happy with the purchase.  

At this point in my life, I just could not deal with it.  The process I chose was the absolute right decision for me.  I only wish there were other auctioneers that specialized with my other collections.  My glass clowns, fifties art glass and nutcrackers will have to pass to my heirs, or end up in garage sale or at Goodwill.  Someone will benefit in the future, that is a probability.

Bob Severin posted:

Mark Boyce posted:

Bob, thank you for your openness in sharing the details of the auction of these items.  Your detailed description of the process and return of the auction should help others considering a similar route.  It certainly beats advertising individual items ir groups here or on other online sources, then packaging and mailing all of those items.  

Mark, I know some of the items could have done better, but if monetary gain was not my original intent..  I had made the hard decision to just reduce my collection.  It had become a deterrent to my enjoyment of the hobby.  Originally, I had thought my layout would be more accommodating to my desires.  Space constraints and my desire to run many trains at once limited the size of my equipment.  And before I actually built it, I had  no idea of curve limitations.  It was my first and only experience of building a layout on a table(s).  Before, I had unlimited floor space and furniture to contend with.  Then, big trains with large diameter track was no problem.

And then, there was the internet, with it's unlimited possibilities of equipment, all delivered right to my door.  I just got sucked in.  But, I am out, and will stay forever cautious on my future purchases.

I hear you Bob, and feel your pain, too. I can hardly move in my small extra-bedroom train room for all the stacked containers. Finding a specific item to run is murder, even though I have some order to the thing. It gets crazy just one purchase at a time.

I have been toying with this idea myself but haven’t pulled the trigger yet. So difficult.

I understand completely, Bob!  During the three years I had a little more extra cash than ever before and now since, I bought items I couldn’t even run, my primary interest is running trains.  So when the I hit That retirement earlier than planned state, I sold some items here.  If I get to the point of not being able to run them I’ll probably go your route or leave my wife and daughters instruction to do it.

Thanks for sharing the thought process and the details of the outcome.

Like too many other things in life, we're sometimes afraid or reluctant to share information that would help others.  When we feel alone or embarrassed about something and share anyway, it can help someone else who is in the same boat.

We're all in this together.

Good luck with your future in the train hobby.

I have never heard of a online auction other than eBay, is this auction a secret?

Dennis Rempel posted:

I have never heard of a online auction other than eBay, is this auction a secret?

No Dennis, it's open to the general public.  Just search AmbroseBauer train auctions, and you will find them.  You need to register, (there is no fee to do this) and you will get a bidder number and emails for upcoming auctions.  There are other train auctions, Stout Auctions is one and there are others.  You just need to do a Google search for them (Model Train Online Auctions).

  Dennis, If we told YOU of all the oneline auctions, your wife would likely put a hit out on us 😯

  From stores with consignment auctions to ebay alternatives there are a lot out there.

Interesting sounding collections Bob. If you ever want to show off, please blow up my in-box. 

 I'm glad to hear you're at least content with it 😊

Bob Severin posted:

Dennis Rempel posted:

I have never heard of a online auction other than eBay, is this auction a secret?

No Dennis, it's open to the general public.  Just search AmbroseBauer train auctions, and you will find them.  You need to register, (there is no fee to do this) and you will get a bidder number and emails for upcoming auctions.  There are other train auctions, Stout Auctions is one and there are others.  You just need to do a Google search for them (Model Train Online Auctions).

A friend of mine used Ambrose Bauer and had serious problems with them, such as items disappearing and good items being sold in large groups which reduces the average income for each piece. He had to spend a lot of time monitoring the process

There are a number of good auction houses such as Ted Maurer auction and Cabin Fever.

Al, they did the same on my stuff.  They are very astute as to what will sell and what will not.   They group things together so that they will have some appealing things with those that may not be as sought after.  This way, everything gets sold.  

My appreciation is that I did not have the apprehension and anxiety of selling it all myself.

Dennis Rempel posted:

I have never heard of a online auction other than eBay, is this auction a secret?

Ambrose Bauer

Stout ( one of my favorites)

Maurer

Cabin Fever 

These are the one I can think of off the top of my head.  Trainz is an auction site as well, the run all the time, not just by event.

There's another one in Pittsburgh area that requires you to be a train club member 

ChooChoo auctions is another.  I've gotten some really good buys there.  TRAINZauctions, holds weekly auctions, but you must know what you are buying.

Your post got me motivated to pull a ton of items for my wife to sell on Ebay. She loves selling on that site, so who am I to deprive her of the fun?

Plus, she loves getting rid of my trains so that is a pleasant bonus all around. 

Really, I needed a little nudge to go do this because it is a lot of work rummaging through all the boxes and hard on my aged back, too. But periodically, this needs to be done. 

Maybe I’ll be able to walk in my train room without tripping before long.

Good for you Dave.  Dare I say it, something about two birds and one stone?  LOL.  I hope you do well with your sales.  Of course, you are going to cut her in on the proceeds, right?  A 50/50 split?

I have never sold any of my trains, and I have more than enough trains to satisfy my desire for them for the rest of my life. However, I believe that to do this hobby, even at a very high level, all one needs is just a few good trains.

One can then put more time, energy and money into building the model railroad, building or acquiring accessories and/or structures, and acquiring or making scenery, figures, the backdrop, etc., and photographing and making videos of the trains running on the layout. One can also put one's time and resources into changing/improving the model railroad over a very long time.

Another very creative aspect of our hobby is for those of us who are mechanical geniuses (I'm not), to acquire train junk for very little money, and repair and restore it so it becomes train treasure. 

Yet another very creative activity is to write and submit articles to magazines like OGR, and, of course, to contribute to this Forum.

It is a remarkably multi-faceted hobby.

Arnold

Thank You, good information. That is what I told my wife to do with my collection.

Try as I will, I still can't figure out how to bring it with me.

Thankyou for sharing your experience, in real life I am a math teacher. As a 50 year old guy, I can really relate to the over buying on internet.  It’s not a lot of money piece by piece, but it adds up. Depreciation seems less to be like automobiles. 

As I get ready to expand my ping pong table layout, I will keep this lesson in the train section of my mind (just made that Phrase up).

Catdaddy posted:

Thankyou for sharing your experience, in real life I am a math teacher. As a 50 year old guy, I can really relate to the over buying on internet.  It’s not a lot of money piece by piece, but it adds up. Depreciation seems less to be like automobiles. 

As I get ready to expand my ping pong table layout, I will keep this lesson in the train section of my mind (just made that Phrase up).

That is a good phrase.  We all use compartments in our minds.  Having one for just trains makes a lot of sense.  

Thanks for the information on these auctions. I should sell a bunch but may not get around to it.

Bob Severin posted:

Drew Bauer and his group of people have done a fine job for me, and they deserve their commission on my sales.

Bob, glad to hear that you were pleased with your results, especially when having to deal with what can often become a complicated and often worrying endeavor.  I have won items from Bauer that I was both pleased and every once in a while sometimes disappointed.  That said and at the risk of subsequent censorship or deletion; after viewing AmbroseBauer's online auctions for many years and receiving and reading his letters touting both their experience and expertise to "know toy trains better than any Auction House or other firms..."  I have great reservations to what A-Bauer writes in the description of many of their auction lots; where on one hand they state an item is "mint" or "excellent" and on the other hand they attempt to absolve their written description (and I believe the claim of expertise) with:

"We neither test nor warrant the mechanical operation of any item. As per the Terms and Conditions, we do not warrant our Opinions as to the Condition and expect each Bidder to review all of the photos to determine their own opinion as to the condition of an item."

and the respective photos show items that are damaged, broken or have visible rust.

Moreover and without malice towards the general legal profession, but their solicitation letter's suggestion of better safety or security for seller clients due to a lawyer's ethical obligation to the administration of client trust accounts is... for a lack of a better word IMHO, fluff.  Has there ever been a legal representative that failed this or similar obligation (sarcasm)?

The lesson I came away with is to read the description BUT put much effort into carefully examining EVERY photo; never assume operation and when in doubt of the physical condition: pass on the lot.

Lastly, can someone explain why sales to Pennsylvanians outside Allegheny County are charged 7% sales tax, not the otherwise PA standard 6% (other exception Philadelphia 8%) or the 6% PA out of state PA Use Tax since: