Sell Lionel sealed in box, or open for photos?

I  have bought a number of cars over the net and in most cases there where no out of the box pictures. Just the item in the box and I took the sellers word for condition.

To this day I have never been disappointed.  

You could show a picture of the box and also show a picture of the item taken from the manufacturer's website.

That way, the buyer would know exactly what the item was and also know that it was sealed at the factory. If he unpacks it and finds a defect, it's not your fault.

Here is what I'd do:  first try to sell them with the boxes sealed. If you don't get a taker, then open the boxes and take pictures.

Pictures of the boxes will indicate whether they were stored properly.

Some one mentioned using stock photos. If you do, please mention this in your ad.

I am in the same position as you with two Conrail legacy SD38. I will open one-up for my own collection but will take photos of the other sealed box unit as well as the unit I have kept. You are better off trying to sell it still sealed rather than opening the item up to try to show the item.

My only caveat would be an engine or other operating piece of rolling stock.  In that case I'd much rather have the seller be able to indicate they've tested all functions and everything is operating as it should.  In fact, given the lack of a warranty when buying an item like this, I would ONLY buy it that way - again with the caveat that I'm talking about something like an engine or an operating crane car.  

If common items, it won't matter.... actually it won't matter anyway....

Thanks gang.  I think I will open the two-pack for photos, and sell the four pack sealed.  These are ATSF "California Limited," and I am thinking they will bring maybe fifty or so each.  They were a gift from a buddy who has passed on - he thought they were ideal candidates for 2-railing.  They are a little short and a lot plastic for my tastes.  I gave away the talking diner a long time ago.

This is not an offer - I have not decided to sell them yet.  I just wanted to know how Lionel folks felt about boxes and seals.  We 2-railers do not care much about boxes.

If these are 18" aluminum cars then they should be worth at least double what you think they are worth especially if they are mint in the box.

In this case the fact they are mint means they should likely have no scratches broken parts. While not particularly rare, the fact that Lionel no longer produces metal cars with detailed interiors makes them desirable to a lot of 3 railers.

Pete