Sell it factory sealed or unwrap for pictures?

The K Line E8's are not true collector items yet, but they are quickly finding a following. If they are sealed in their factory plastic, I don't think you have anything to prove beyond that. My two cents is I would leave them sealed. Half the fun for the new owner might be unwrapping them.

The only problem with that idea is not knowing if there is damage inside the box.  I received a sealed (yep, sealed in the shipping carton) PRR Legacy T1 Duplex, and when I opened it, it was totally moisture damaged!  What a bummer, I had to send it back...

I'd try it sealed first even though I wouldn't care about it being sealed and would probably insist on seeing it open, there are some that might pay extra for it being virgin

I would leave it sealed and if listing it here or on eBay then I would take a photo of the box and also obtain a stock photo of the item to include.

If there was something wrong with it the buyer would know it is not your fault because it is sealed. Just IMHO

Dave

If TMCC and no warranty, there is no benefit to sealed. Actually, I would want to know the functions work properly.

I think its 6 one way, half dozen the other. Some people will want it sealed, others will want to know if it works. From an "it doesnt work" standpoint, you're probably better leaving it sealed, as then it cannot possibly be your fault. 

If its still sealed, I'd try and sell it sealed first. 

The problem with the "it's not your fault" is that it can still be damaged in the box.  Unless you get a very understanding buyer, when he opens the box and finds it broken, he's probably not going to be happy.  Most likely, you'll be getting it back and probably get some not so nice feedback, not to mention you're paying for at least one-way shipping for your now opened and non-functional locomotive.  For expensive stuff like locomotives, I want to know they've been inspected, I want the seller to take some responsibility.  I personally will not buy a locomotive on eBay that is "sealed in the box" again.

John brings up a good point.  But I think his scenario would be much more the exception than the rule.  If a sealed item is kept in climate-controlled locations, and it's something that is highly desirable... then I'd rather it be sealed than handled/tested by the owner.  The level of detail alone on some of the scale items is enough to be inadvertently broken by the seller while taking the item out of the box for pictures. 

I suppose the law of averages will catch up to all of us, but I still prefer taking my chances with "sealed" items remaining sealed -- especially rolling stock and non-operating accessories.

David

If I was buying, I would prefer to have it sealed/unopened.  Just a personal preference.

I would definitely sell it "sealed".

Sealed is fine if an "as is" really means anything.

I'm with John on this, under no circumstance would I buy that engine sealed. K-line engines are not collectable and most likely never will be. I want to know it looks and functions as it should. 

The only engines I buy sealed are new engines from a dealer and at least they have a warranty. 

Trucktrain7

Your comment about unrepeatable buyers is a concern I thought about relating to a sealed item. If I unseal it for pictures, at least I know it is not damaged as gunrunnerjohn mentioned. And if it is, I can mention the problem in the description. Guess I'm leaning more towards opening it to make sure there is no discrepancies. If it was a highly collectable Lionel, etc. I would probably go with keeping it sealed.

I appreciate all the responses!   

Note that my comments apply strictly to stuff I'm going to run, and also not from a major dealer where there's a warranty.  I'm talking about stuff that's been around past any warranty, so it's basically "what you see is what you get". 

I'm with Rocky Mountaineer on stuff like rolling stock, I don't mind buying that sealed, lots less to go wrong, not to mention a much smaller risk.  I've personally experienced two issues with sealed boxes, one being the moisture issue and the other being a broken truck, obviously from handling.  The moisture issue was not a storage issue, as it turns out, the Legacy T1 Duplex was one of the ones that suffered from incorrectly cured Styrofoam, and the release of moisture was from within.  Obviously, probably everyone here probably knows about the Legacy turbine issues for the same reason.