Who buys complete inventory of Lionel O guage stuff?
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
MAJ trains, Train Z, then you have the auction houses,
Stout and Cabin Fever
Both OGR forum Sponsors
Expect cents on the dollar when attempting to sell the collection as a whole. Expect more $$, then look into selling it yourself on this forum or da bay.
@prrhorseshoecurve posted:Expect cents on the dollar when attempting to sell the collection as a whole. Expect more $$, then look into selling it yourself on this forum or da bay.
O.F.,
We have a tendency to exaggerate wildly here.
You will not receive cents on the dollar if you sell the whole thing at once. Sellers will charge you cents on the dollar. Their typical cut is anywhere from 12 to 20% depending on who you go with. It is not the other way around.
If this sounds too high for your taste by all means consider selling it yourself on eBay or similar, however there you'll have fees too, and you'll also have to manage the logistics for each piece you sell and each buyer you sell to.
How do I know this? I did my homework before selling. Late last year a large portion of my stuff was turned over to one of the auction houses that sponsor this forum.
Mike
I humbly bow to the person that had the foresight to pick user name 'Old Fart'.
The answer depends on what you have, how quickly you want to get your money, and how much you are willing to do in order to get top dollar.
If you have desirable items (rare or mint postwar, recent production in mint condition with original boxes, or unusual older stuff), then IMO an auction house is the way to go. Minimal effort and a decent payout. Look at forum sponsors.
If your items don't meet the previous description, there are buyers who will buy your entire collection - pay cash and pick it up - but you'll probably net about 15-20% of what you originally paid. Quick, easy, no cherry picking, but at a cost - remember, they're buying to resell. You can find these folks by asking at local train stores or at meets. Several people who buy collections advertise in the TCA newsletter.
Selling pieces one-by-one via the forum or ebay is time consuming and tedious, but will yield more money.
First step is to create an inventory with an honest assessment of condition.
@Mallard4468 posted:... an honest assessment of condition.
That's the part a lot of people get wrong - especially spouses/relatives of deceased collectors.
If you are in Utah I would try the Colorado Toy Train Group or the Rocky Mountain TCA.
@RoyBoy posted:That's the part a lot of people get wrong - especially spouses/relatives of deceased collectors.
Most of my collection is from spouses/relatives of deceased collectors selling items for what they were told was spent on them 
when I down sized I had an open house for train collectors and operators. I only invited people I knew so there was no stealing to worry about. I sold most items at 50 cents on the dollar which is much higher than a dealer would offer. The only thing is you must have an idea of the current value so you can be fair. good luck. Lenny
@prrhorseshoecurve posted:.....Stout and Cabin Fever
Both OGR forum Sponsors
I'm not sure that's correct; neither are listed on the OGR Sponsor page. I checked earlier today [ and rechecked 'just now' ] after I noticed their absence from the Whack-a-mole page headers.
SZ
If u sell them yourself, be prepared for some complaints, which as I get older I can live without.
@Old Fart since your in SLC area why not contact the local O Gauge club members, that I am a member of?
Utah Train Collectors (utca.club)
Jim
Honest descriptions and realistic pricing are paramount in selling anything. You will NEVER get that "collector's price", so just grin and remember the pleasure you've gotten from having it. Good luck with your sales.
There are companies that would sell everything for you. Expect less than 15% of initial purchase price. You can do a forum search Ambrose Bauer, Pittsburgh, South hills.
@Hot Water sold his collection on Stout. Maybe he can shed some light on how much he got on the dollar. How much Stout takes, etc, etc.
@Mike CT posted:There are companies that would sell everything for you. Expect less than 15% of initial purchase price.
Define "initial purchase price". Do you really mean MSRP instead?
The quotes I received for my stuff last year were nowhere near that low, even if I used MSRP.
Yes you will lose value if you use MSRP because full MSRP is rarely paid for the initial purchase. Then, for things bought, new or used, over most of the last 30 years you won't surely get what you paid, even if you bought it new and got a good discount off MSRP when you did.
But prices are up since 2019 because people are coming back into the hobby. Now is the best time to sell.
Check your figures carefully.
Mike
@prrhorseshoecurve posted:Stout and Cabin Fever
Both OGR forum Sponsors
Both Stout and Cabin Fever are OGR magazine advertisers. Needless to say, I do my best to support all businesses that advertise with us, and recommend that others consider supporting them as well.
@prrhorseshoecurve posted:MAJ trains, Train Z,
That’s Trainz, not Train Z.
@superwarp1 posted:@Hot Water sold his collection on Stout. Maybe he can shed some light on how much he got on the dollar. How much Stout takes, etc, etc.
Yes, I went with Stout Auctions. They were reasonably close by (Indiana) and wanted my stuff bad enough to drive to the house and take EVERYTHING back with them. I don't remember what their "cut" was, but I didn't care anyway, since I never considered anything as an "investment" anyway. I wanted the stuff GONE, and Stout did a fantastic job of selling everything, and periodically mailed me checks. I would NEVER have considered attempting to sell everything my self, what with all the headaches and having to package and ship each & every item.
Stout did a fantastic job!
A friend of mine used Stout and has spoken very highly of them. I had only one encounter with Cabin Fever, and not wanting to be scolded or worse from the censors, I will only say,"no comment". I have purchased from TrainZ - definitely a first class operation.
