I am sorry to read that you are aggravated and irritated about those sort of sellers. Folks can ask anything they wish, nobody has to buy.
There are few pieces that are actually rare, they made plenty of each item.

 

The odds of those sellers actually selling those items are slim. They'll just carry the items back and forth to train shows. Eventually they'll be part of an estate, where that $3,000 item will probably be sold for $30 or just thrown out

This at least for me too. Is one of the biggest aggravating part of the hobby, thats why I do my best to just look in junk bins and if I see something and make a offer if it's to high then normally I just walk away. No use arguing with a seller over a beat up locomotive or car. Still crazy that the price jumped to $350 even after it got damaged.

J Daddy,

I hear what you're saying.  Sometimes it can be very frustrating.  Especially when you want the item and it is hard to find.

 

You did the right thing, just walk away.  Your 4 yr old will think more of you for being a bigger man some day when he looks back on life.

 

As Burfle stated, no one has to buy it and guys like this will haul it around for a long time because no one else will buy it.  Kind of like those ProtoSound engines at full MSRP-yeah, good luck with selling those.

here here! at this point, when i go to shows, I spend most of my time looking at layouts.

Let me guess:  Did both of these guys have a Greenberg price guide in their pockets or out on the table, front and center?

 

I see the same thing at car shows.  I've nicknamed them "junk haulers".  They very rarely sell anything.  They carry the same items from meet to meet or show to show.  They are WAY overpriced so their inventory never moves.  But they are absolutely positive that their prices are correct....no matter how much "evidence" may prove to the contrary.  They have somehow attached some of their own self-worth the to the overpriced items that they are peddling.....and somehow have planned to retire by using such a winning resale model. 

 

In a way it's rather sad.  Somewhat perplexing but mostly sad.

Here's a story from this past York meet....

 

I'm primarily a Lionel collector but I also do some Marklin. There as a table at the show with some Marklin One Gauge. There were no prices on anything at the table. (I've since learned that apparently that in itself is a violation of TCA guidelines for the show.) I'm the type of person who won't even bother to ask about something that doesn't have a price but my wife is a bit more tenacious. She asked for the prices and the dealer asked us which locomotive we were interested in. I pointed to a couple of electrics. He replied that we had good taste; those were some of the most expensive. When we again asked how much, he handed me a flyer to the Allentown show and said we should visit them there, that they'd have much more at that show. So we walked away without even getting a price. 

 

You guys have definitely hit it on the head that there are just certain people that are happy to tote the same items back and forth to shows again and again and again until they get some crazy value number they come up with in their head.

 

Because we have a physical store we don't get to many shows during the year (Saturday is our biggest day of the week so it's hard to get enough coverage to give that up.) But whether I'm selling an item out of the store or at a show I always peg my price to current values on the web. I look at only completed sales, not just asking prices. I figure why else would someone buy from me if I can't be competitive. And although the books are good (very) general guides, there no better valuation than the open market itself. I tell people it's like buying a house, the best way to get a value is to look at what else has sold in the market.

 

On a lighter note I will leave you with one of my theories about these guys at shows: They really don't want to sell anything. They just drag everything to the show so they can tell their wife: "Honestly, I tried to sell everything but no one wanted to buy anything. I guess we have to keep it for now."

I find that some O Gauge electric train pricing. whether at a show or in a store falls in the category of PT Barnum's theory.

I think this point makes me even more angrier. There is a good chance that the person that purchases it will be someone with good intentions, as a gift, to a family member...

These shiesters I would really like to call someone to the "floor" on.

I see these folks at shows I attend every year. They don't really bother me. After my first encounter I just pass them by when seen again.  PLENTY of good guys out there.....the old grumpy sellers just get a polite nod as I walk off and spend elsewhere. Easy to deal with.

This thread and the experiences at the last York of a good friend of mine that has had his layout featured in magazines and who used to go every year, but will no longer; has made me re-think ever going.

I am happy to just buy my stuff online.

You have to look at this as pure entertainment value.

 

quote:

This thread and the experiences at the last York of a good friend of mine that has had his layout featured in magazines and who used to go every year, but will no longer; has made me re-think ever going.

I am happy to just buy my stuff online.

 

Why? This thread has nothing to do with the TCA, Eastern Division, or York.
Do you attend local shows?

 

Sure, I guess there are some of these sort of sellers at York. There are bound to be a few at almost any show. But there are many friendly folks too, and plenty of folks who actually want to sell their trains.

 

That written, no matter what the venue, including online sales, it is up to the buyer to know what they are buying, and what they are willing to pay.

I just laugh and move on.

 

Pete

This is a two way street as well. I am trying to sell my stuff off in anticipation for retirement. I did fairly well at shows because I priced below guide values, always have my stuff cleaned, serviced, complete, correct and ready to go. I am also willing to bargain. But we only had two shows a year here, and it has ended forever as the person who held them needed to give it up after many years.

 

I sell on ebay as well. I again have my items, cleaned, serviced, complete and ready to go, and priced below current guides. I get tons of lookers, a few watchers and no one ever bids. Why put it in the watch list of your not thinking about bidding??? I also get insulting offers from cheapskates. For example: I had an American Flyer 787 Log Loader. An original not the new reissue. Book has it at $150, I listed at $125 and got nothing. I had insulting offers of $50 for it. I'd rather part it out for that much, I'd make more from the parts. Another, Lionel 2035 steam loco with whistle tender. Serviced and ready to go. It was a runner, not a collector piece. Guide value around $190, my price $125. Nothing. I got insulting offers of $65, and $40. I think my prices are more than fair and I would still entertain reasonable offers. As I said, my items are fully serviced and ready to go. I see tons of as found junk out there for a lot more, and amazingly they are getting bids and I am not. There are always those who want to play the horse hockey game at shows and on line.

 

Dave

When you are a seller, the buyers all seem to be skinflints.  When you are a buyer, the sellers all seem to be robber-barons.  This is how I view the collectible market place, for whatever goods are being considered.

I always thank them for bringing in their collection for folks to look at. with 3000.00 prices on it I am positive they do not want to sell the trains.  Next time try it and watch their expression, it is good for a chuckle or two.

LionelTin,

 

Do you negotiate with these low ball offers?

 

I buy brass locos  and other things I need off EBay and will begin with a low offer, but expect to negotiate for something I want.

 

The seller and I conclude on a happy note.

 

Ron

LionelTin,

I have a friend who sells for me on ebay and does quite well. He sets the starting price low and lets the market take it where it wants to go. I sell the things I don't think I will use much and feel that it's really worth-less sitting on the shelf unused or taking up room for something that I would want to see every day. The value of something is really just what someone is willing to pay, not what we think it's value to be. And that value varies from week to week depending on the audience. I don't give much credit to the pricing guides which are really just a historical price and may not be valid the week you are trying to sell it.

One thing I would say about your examples of junk getting bids and you not is to review your presentation, many pictures, and starting price. You may find a formula that works better for you.

I find there are three types of sellers at most train/collectible/comic shows:

 

1. Business vendors - it's their livelihood, they've got relatively new products, most are priced close to retail without much room to move. Helpful and informative, trying to move their product.

 

2. Good old boys - not much product, usually dusty loose postwar and MPC, but occasionally a gem to be found. Great for a chat and tons of knowledge they're willing to share if you'll take the time to listen.

 

3. Show and tell - they've got the widest variety of product, most of it absurdly priced, and you'll be aggressively talked-down-to. Everything is "SUPER RARE!!" (even when it's not) and they have exactly the same stock they had at the last show.

 

I spend most of my money with type 2 and some with type 1, but I stop by type 3 for a laugh.  It's frustrating when they have something you want, but I'd go without a hundred times over rather than give those guys a nickel.

Much like the Buy/Sell Board here, I refrain from commenting on what one asks.  I either buy it for the price they ask, ask if they can do better (via email for the Buy/Sell board) if I feel the price is a bit high for me, or just move on without commentary.

If something is hard to find, then there is no reason that you shouldn't ask top dollar. You are under no obligation to cut price to what a potential buyer thinks they want to pay for it

 

As for those who price high and haul back and forth, that's their problem, all you can do is smile and walk away, there is is no reason to get upset about it

At times like this I think it's important to remember that this hobby is, at least for me, supposed to be about having fun and relaxing. My life is stressful enough, and trains are my escape...so I would never allow someone or something to make the trains a cause of stress and anger. For this reason I never get too upset about any problems that come up in the hobby. It's just not worth it. If I was to get stressed out about any aspect of the hobby, I would feel as if I was betraying the the aspect of the hobby that I find most dear to myself...it's ability to help me unwind and relax. 

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

Thanks,

Eric Siegel

 

 

Very good perspective, Eric.

I agree with Eric, also.  There are plenty of things that may aggravate me, maybe even make me angry; but, buying and selling toy trains isn't one of them.

I have sold trains and related train items at a lot of shows. Some big shows that are two days, and some small.

 

Most non dealers have a lower cost already in place just ask them, what's your best price? just like most collectors and operators do. I know that I always ask when I am the buyer

 

If you do not like the lower cost  just walk away and seller will either sell it or end up taking it home.

 

Remember, trains are only worth what people will pay for them!

 

Rich in NH

and it's not just the train hobby. anytime I get to a car show, I spend most of my time looking in the swap meet for parts. there are always the guys with the same parts, year after year, and they can't figure out why their parts don't sell. Like trains, there are some 40+ year old parts that are hard to find, and in most cases better than the repop parts from China. But for the most part the over priced stuff isn't hard to find, and I've never not found a better deal. Then there are the guys that literally dump their rusty crap off the back of their truck.

I attend most of the train shows in my area.

One particular dealer sets up at nearly all the shows.

He is quite rude to most all of his customers and after they walk away he berates them for their stupidity loudly enough for others to hear.

Most of his stuff is marginal quality at best.

Often he is heard to say that he is "Tired of all this **** and I'm going to get out of this $#)*^!/# hobby!"

If only that were true.

I just can't figure out how someone can have such a miserable time and yet consistently come back for more and more.

Talk about needing a new hobby.....

Mark

I used to be a gun show dealer. We had a saying about guys with overpriced guns, "He must really love that gun; at that price he's going to have it for a long time."

 

It's not worth getting aggravated about. Some vendors are there to do business and some are there to complain about the buyers who don't appreciate the wonderfulness of what they are selling. That's especially true in postwar; there's a lot of product out there and nobody wants it any more unless it's mint and cheap. I'm glad I got rid of my excess postwar a while back. 

Hi JD,

 

You are right in pointing this out, but when I saw; 

"The Most Aggravating and Irritating Aspect of this Hobby"

I was all set to say- tethers!  And I hate tethers so much, I still gotta say it

 

Stack

 

I see it at every train show I go to- the same vendors trying to sell the same overpriced junk, every time.  Some of them have had the same stuff for 10-15 years, no joke.  I just laugh and move on.  Apparently they don't mind packing it up and hauling it back and forth...

I generally have not found any "deals" at train shows.  If I see an item I want and the price is more than I want to pay, I just keep on moving on. 

Prices asked by another are none of our business.  We recently experienced this here on our sale board. Comments of this nature just chased a SPONSOR away. There is a lotta envy on here as this is a pricey and competitive hobby not suited for all.  All I can suggest is buy whatever will not compromise your family and or finances, and do not get consumed by what others charge.  We do live in a whatever-the market-will bear economy.  If you were the one selling the EVO Hybrid, you would not be quite so iirritated.  Ron B.

If you get angry at what someone asks for a train item, you're in the wrong hobby.

 

Why get angry?    Just don't buy.    So you wanted to go off on the guy for asking what you thought was a ridiculous price?

You're the one who'd have been in the wrong.

 

I agree that the price was probably too high.  So what?  If he sells it for what he wants, good for him.  If not, then he'll just have to figure it out for himself. 

 

No need to read anyone the riot act for how they price their wares for sale.

 

Just let it go.

 

 

 

These folks aren't business people, regardless of what they think of themselves, because they never sell anything: unrealistic pricing is not what business people do.  Mostly they are in it just to have something to do.  I avoid them not just because of their prices, but because folks like them are often just as unreasonable about service - or honesty.  

 

 

Some say that the sellers who haul their treasures back and forth repeatedly are just going to the shows for socializing anyway.

Walking around the TCA show yesterday was fun. Saw some items that were way overpriced so I laughed and moved on. I don't like it when something doesn't have a price on it, I often ignore it unless I am really interested in it. Try not to show that. My wife and I did a lot of antique collecting and we ran in to the same thing.  Goes with guns and a lot of other things.  Supposed to be a fun hobby.

I know what you are saying Daddy.Every where I go I see it.And I have to admit,it IS aggravating even though I can say no just like EscapeRocks says,and he is RIGHT.People think we are here to bail them out of financial hardship.They think they deserve what they paid AND a handsome profit to go along with it.I tell them straight out KEEP IT.Nick

If a seller with pricing you don't agree with is the most aggravating thing about the hobby for you, then you never:

 

1. Tried to find an intermittent short in one piece of tubular track after you've just screwed down about 100' of it.

 

2. Tested the limits of your soldering skills with a command installation only to find the brand new board was defective.

 

3. Discovered that new glue you used to assemble that whole village of kits lets loose after a year or so.

 

4. Had to remove about 45' of finished layout to get at that plumbing that needed work.

 

5. Watched the paint blister and peel almost overnight on that set of C-9 original Irvington cars on your shelf.

 

6. Experimented with a new product that had unforeseen side effects. (See...I didn't mention Simple Green by name, Lee! )

 

7. Discovered that the new engine does take O54 curves - just not your O54 curves just because of that slightest of kinks in that curve under the mountain.

 

.....I could go on!

 

But, still it's all fun...well, almost always. A well-known model railroad magazine once, in a burst of honesty, briefly changed it's slogan from "Model Railroading is Fun" to "Enjoyment with Everlasting Challenge" for a few issues.

 

But, other people in the hobby - not a source of aggravation IMO.

 

Jim