What is your take on the used train market?

bmoran4 posted:

LionelTin posted:

no one wants to pay what an item is worth. They want it for pennies on the dollar not matter how nice it is.

 

Publilius Syrus wrote: "Something is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it".

Absolutely correct....But some guys don't get that.

Personally, I am willing to pay what I think something is worth. If something is priced out of my range, then I pass it by. If it is close, I make an offer. If someone gets p.o.'d at me because they feel insulted, then so be it. Chances are you will never sell me something with that attitude.

In January, I was looking at a set of NKP Locomotives at a major train swap meet here in the area. I passed on them at the time. I chatted with the individual about them and decided to give it some thought. The following month, I went back to the same swap meet. The Locomotives were still on this Gentleman's table. I didn't want to insult him. However, I had decided to budget for them in our finances for the month. So, I offered him what I felt I could afford. He accepted my offer if I paid cash. I also took into consideration, the real possibility, that they may not have run correctly when I got them home.

End of story, I paid what I felt was a fair price for a nice Legacy Equipped Locomotive and Dummy unit. They ran beautifully when I got them home.

Woe, be unto those who overvalue the prices of their merchandise at these swap meets. They have the same stuff sitting there month after month. They sit there look mean as heck and don't talk with people. I always wonder, where is the fun in that. I was a collector at one time. From 1976 to about 1992. I sold off my collection before prices tanked completely. Since then, I have come back into the hobby as an operator and not a Collector.

No more, mint in he box, unrun shelf queens here. When I add something to my trains set-up. it is to run it and enjoy it.

GREENRAIL posted:

They sit there look mean as heck and don't talk with people. I always wonder, where is the fun in that.

What I hate the most are people at train shows who, when you offer a friendly, "Hello" or "How's it going?", just stare back and don't respond. There was a husband and wife team at York that had a flat car with a special load that I was interested in, but after hovering around their table and getting that sour reaction I just decided to move on. I have to be honest and say that some of the discussion here, accurate as it is, is giving me some of my first disillusionment with the model train hobby. I realized,  that of late, I have almost a dozen or more pieces of rolling stock (not many compared to some of you) that may never see action on my layout. I guess I just need to be thankful for what I have and figure out to what to do with my excess in rolling stock, buildings, accessories, etc. I will keep SOME of it in storage. What I'd really like to do is sell most of it (difficult and a financial loss as that might be) and get, maybe, a Proto 3 steam engine with great effects. I am rethinking all of this. One thing is sure, I will stay in the hobby and enjoy it. My strategy has to change though. On the bright side, I just had my EM-1 drive shaft drilled and pinned and it is running great. I love the big sound and watching this behemoth circle my layout. it is GREAT... Again, thanks all for your responses which have turned this thread into a very interesting and informative discussion.

Michael Hokkanen posted:

GREENRAIL posted:

They sit there look mean as heck and don't talk with people. I always wonder, where is the fun in that.

What I hate the most are people at train shows who, when you offer a friendly, "Hello" or "How's it going?", just stare back and don't respond. There was a husband and wife team at York that had a flat car with a special load that I was interested in, but after hovering around their table and getting that sour reaction I just decided to move on. I have to be honest and say that some of the discussion here, accurate as it is, is giving me some of my first disillusionment with the model train hobby. I realized,  that of late, I have almost a dozen or more pieces of rolling stock (not many compared to some of you) that may never see action on my layout. I guess I just need to be thankful for what I have and figure out to what to do with my excess in rolling stock, buildings, accessories, etc. I will keep SOME of it in storage. What I'd really like to do is sell most of it (difficult and a financial loss as that might be) and get, maybe, a Proto 3 steam engine with great effects. I am rethinking all of this. One thing is sure, I will stay in the hobby and enjoy it. My strategy has to change though. On the bright side, I just had my EM-1 drive shaft drilled and pinned and it is running great. I love the big sound and watching this behemoth circle my layout. it is GREAT... Again, thanks all for your responses which have turned this thread into a very interesting and informative discussion.

Michael

Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of great folks out there at the Swap Meets and in the Hobby. It's a reflection of life and society. I have a lot of fellow Model Railroaders ( not all O Gaugers), and they are some pretty good friends and folks in General.

I would encourage you to not become disillusioned. Look for the good side and the Good People! We are out here.

Enjoy the Trains and he Hobby. I know I do!

John G

I myself have had done pretty good as I buyer in the used train market.  I bought on the Bay a used MTH Railking Y6B with PS 2 for $371 in 2008 and it still runs fabulously!  I've also bought an MTH docksider on the Bay - no problem and it still runs great!  I think when buying on the Bay its wise to always check out the seller's ratings.  I will not buy from anyone with less than a 99.8% rating. Its important to ask the seller questions as well. 

I know there are those of us who have had terrible experiences with purchasing off the Bay, however, that has never been my experience. I've been buying  on the bay for almost 10 years now too.  AND there are times when I have had to send items back .... a particular passenger coach was listed as o scale ... I asked the seller if this car was definitely scale ... she replied with "definitely yes" ... I received the car and it was not scale .... I contacted the seller and she paid for this shipping back and refunded my money in full.  Hopefully she learned a lesson. 

At shows I purchase used rolling stock and never have had a problem.  Most of my rolling stock is used ... I could not afford all of what I have at brand new prices even discounted brand new prices.  Often at shows I've picked up brand new cars from vendors offering estate sales.  I've bought boxcars, passenger cars, new and never been out of the box, for great prices.  

I just purchased at the Timonium show in Maryland, a Lionel ballast tamper and a K line Plymouth industrial switcher .... both run great!  Of course I put them on the test track at the show before handing over the cash to the seller.  That same seller had an MTH AS 16 switcher with proto 2 and low run time and for a great price.  I was set to buy it and low and behold when put on the test track the switcher fired up but would not move in either direction.  Of course the seller was embarrassed and blamed it on the Lionel 90 watt transformer and of course I did not purchase the engine.  AND in all due fairness perhaps the guy had a point about the transformer for I had a strong sense that he was an honest guy.  

Bottom line when at shows - ALWAYS test anything you purchase used such as locomotives, motorized units, operating cars, and accessories ... BEFORE you buy.

You can get some great deals on used ( preowned ) trains.  You just need to be careful.  

I do not purchase postwar trains any longer.  Got enough of those still in my collection from childhood.... and they all run great too!

When I had to take down my layout to permit water pipe work over head and electrical upgrade, I did sell 11 command engines (some sets) at 50% of what I had paid for them (full retail) within a couple of days (post on buy and sell forum was only up for a couple of hours.) The market was weak for the diesels (1 sold) but 3 of my four electrics sold and the remainder were my large steamers. 

What's the point of train shows if there is no haggling? If I want to pay a high price I'll buy from a dealer. If your a collector, than I can see pay for something that you really want, but for people like me. I don't have the financial resources to pay what some guys want, but at the same time I wouldn't haggle on a one on one sale I just won't buy it. People are always going to look for the best deal in anything they want to buy. It's all about what it's worth to you.

DennyM posted:

... I wouldn't haggle on a one on one sale ... 

Don't understand that attitude.  Why wouldn't somebody want to negotiate a better price?  That may be more a rhetorical question, because I know, for example, some automobile dealers offer customers no-haggle pricing (which I interpret as a guise to maximize dealer profit at the expense of people who don't want to negotiate terms, for whatever reason).  I see others who receive their property tax bills and write a check when all they have to do is register a protest to trim the bottom line a bit.  I won't not haggle, I want to make a deal.  Doesn't hurt to ask if you do so in a respectful, personable manner and don't take rejection of an offer personally.

What, me worry?    

The price of any item will be determined by what any given individual is willing to pay for it. I am not afraid to haggle. I do so in a respective way. If someone gets upset then I will walk away. Plain and simple.

I don't begrudge anyone for wanting to get top dollar for any given item. I do however, think some folks have inflated senses of values many times. Bottom line for me is patience. If I am unable to meet my price point, at some point in time, I know I will.

Case in point was my long time (over a year) search for a K-Line Berkshire. When I started searching for one, they were pretty high. Over $600. I waited quite a while, and eventually found one in an online auction, that I was able to buy for around $325. Which to me was right where I felt it should be. It was worth the wait.

I always haggle on used train at train shows.  I can only think of twice where I paid the asking price ... and these were rare pieces and I felt ok about paying the sellers asking price ( after I gave a good go at haggling ).  Over the last 13 years I have never paid asking price - I always worked out a deal with the seller.  When we haggle and feel we got a deal it gives us a good feeling   Sellers expect haggling.

When i sell train at shows, I figure haggling is just part of the experience.  I'm happy to get rid of something thats been sitting in my train room collecting dust and the buyer is happy he/she got a deal.  Its a win win!!

My take on the used market is: (1) that it is weak due to the shift away from collecting and towards operating; and (2) there is often a disconnect between what sellers ask and reality of what people will pay. I have no dog on that fight other than to observe that at meets such as York, it has the effect of reducing my expectations as to what I may find in the member halls as much of it will be the same meet to meet.

decoynh posted:

I've been going to train shows since the early 90's to search for used trains & parts.  I enjoy the wheeling & dealing, BUT rarely will offer less than 25% of a dealers asking price.  Most often, only 10%.  But I also know a lot of the dealers by sight and have friends who stand behind their stuff, even offering to send an engine out to Lionel for repairs.  If it's priced fairly it sells.  Being new to buying here on the forum, the biggest killer that I see are the shipping charges.  Even if a seller was willing to take something back, you're are still out $$$.  I recently made a small purchase on the Forum and shipping was 25% of the items value.  

I won't buy on the forum - unless it's to bundle several items - this is exactly why.  Spending $15-20 per item to ship is outrageous - but that's exactly what it costs.  I try not to buy unless there are 3-4 items at once from the same seller - bundling saves on the shipping costs.  When I sell onl online, I always offer bundling as an option - or offer items in a bundle.

 Over the last 13 years I have never paid asking price - I always worked out a deal with the seller.  When we haggle and feel we got a deal it gives us a good feeling   Sellers expect haggling.

Patrick W.'s comment rings true for me.

For a while I was putting my stuff out at my rock bottom prices in the hope of just moving the stuff out. No matter how good the price was, a significant number of people wouldn't buy. They wanted me to knock something off the price.

So I raised my prices to give myself a little room to haggle. Some folks just paid the higher prices, putting a little more in my pocket. Other folks haggled, and probably got the trains at the prices that they would have seen if I didn't put it a "haggle cushion".

Personally, if I see something I want, and the price is good, I buy it. I don't see the need to beat people up on their prices.

Ray Lombardo posted:

My take on the used market is: (1) that it is weak due to the shift away from collecting and towards operating; and (2) there is often a disconnect between what sellers ask and reality of what people will pay. 

Yep. Exactly. I would add  (3). Depreciation.  Items have a limited shelf life before they begin to depreciate - that's why good-dealers have clearance / close-outs.  When you buy an item from a dealer, thats base. The purchase immediatly devalues the item 10-50% depending on the market. Every day after, it depreciates.  Just because you have an item that is as-sold in-box does not mean it's worth what it was the day it was delivered to a dealer.  

Alfred E Neuman posted:

DennyM posted:

... I wouldn't haggle on a one on one sale ... 

Don't understand that attitude.  Why wouldn't somebody want to negotiate a better price?  That may be more a rhetorical question, because I know, for example, some automobile dealers offer customers no-haggle pricing (which I interpret as a guise to maximize dealer profit at the expense of people who don't want to negotiate terms, for whatever reason).  I see others who receive their property tax bills and write a check when all they have to do is register a protest to trim the bottom line a bit.  I won't not haggle, I want to make a deal.  Doesn't hurt to ask if you do so in a respectful, personable manner and don't take rejection of an offer personally.

 

What, me worry?    

I agree Alfred, I was responding to some of the post that were negative about haggling. I noticed that attitude at York and those people were taking home almost as much as they brought there because they wouldn't deal. 

Jacobpaul81 posted:

Ray Lombardo posted:

My take on the used market is: (1) that it is weak due to the shift away from collecting and towards operating; and (2) there is often a disconnect between what sellers ask and reality of what people will pay. 

Yep. Exactly. I would add  (3). Depreciation.  Items have a limited shelf life before they begin to depreciate - that's why good-dealers have clearance / close-outs.  When you buy an item from a dealer, thats base. The purchase immediatly devalues the item 10-50% depending on the market. Every day after, it depreciates.  Just because you have an item that is as-sold in-box does not mean it's worth what it was the day it was delivered to a dealer.  

What you're saying is largely true... except for the unpredictable (and hard to explain) draw to certain items like die-cast ES44's, Milwaukee Road S-3's, and black VisionLine Hudsons.  Folks are still willing to pay WELL above MSRP for those jewels.  And not for collectible reasons either.  Folks wanna run them.

David

Our take on the used market is that we have observed many of our buildings going for 50% to double what we originally sold them for on "the bay." We think our customers are doing very well.

For example, the Camaraderie Bar & Grill, which is no longer in production and completely sold out, ranges from $125-$159 in the used market. I'd say these buildings have pretty good collectability!

-Mark the Menards Train Guy

Many collectable hobby's or markets has been effected by the internet sites such as CL and ebay. Prior to the internet, if you wanted something that was rare and hard to find, a person had to go to the meets or know some one who knows some one that has what they were looking for and pay their price. Since the internet, all the rare and hard to find pieces all of a sudden became plentiful. The supply and demand was reversed.

As for me, I do most of my buying on ebay. I treat ebay sellers like I'm dealing with some one at a meet. If it doesn't sell or even if they have a buy it now price, I'll contact them on the side and politely ask if they'll take a certain amount w/ shipping included. Suprisingly, many of the sellers except. They know if I don't buy it off them, I'll buy it off some one else.

One time at a train show, I picked up a postwar Lionel 6464-25 GN boxcar for the marked price of $5. It was moderately used, missing one door guide, otherwise presentable. I had a friend with repair parts and it would be an easy fix. A short time later at another table I see the same boxcar, average condition, and the vendor gives me a spiel, "that's half price, only $40" ... made me smile !

Far and few between if you ever get at least what you paid, even if the item is still NIB.

PAUL ROMANO posted:

Far and few between if you ever get at least what you paid, even if the item is still NIB.

Check out "sold" auctions for the Lionel vision 3-pack of tankers with sounds.   $995 on the buy it now!

PAUL ROMANO posted:

Far and few between if you ever get at least what you paid, even if the item is still NIB.

I've only had a problem w/ about four purchases. I contacted the sellers and explained what was wrong, each case the seller made good w/ either a full refund w/return shipping or reduced sale price giving a partial refund.

Here's some example of a few of what I've purchased in the last yr and a half.  I purchased three nib northerns, 18001 RI, 18003 Lackawanna, 18007 SP prices approx. $200-$225 shipped each. Both CN budd sets 18506 & 18512, all four budd cars, LN, lightly used w/ boxes and papers for $260. shipped. These are just a few to mention that I've purchased.

I, myself, am guilty of over haggling. I was at the York train show looking at flatcars with military loads. One gentleman had a fat car with a helicopter on it. He only wanted $15. I said I would give him 13. He looked at  me and said, "I'm not making any money on this thing anyway. Why do you do that?" Part of the game I guess – but maybe too far?? Well, I ended up paying the $15 and I feel like I still got a bargain.

If he bought it for more than $13, that's his problem.  ALL OF US have sold stuff at a loss at some point.   

This is one of many examples on this thread of why I realize attending train shows, in terms of looking to buy, is a waste of time.  The sellers are not businessmen, just unreasonable old men with a jaded view of the world.

GREENRAIL posted:

The price of any item will be determined by what any given individual is willing to pay for it. I am not afraid to haggle. I do so in a respective way. If someone gets upset then I will walk away. Plain and simple.

We encounter those who have a very optimistic sense of worth at York but if you really want to know what the price is "on the street" look on eBay and at the few large local shows that remain.  The prices of used trains are VERY soft. Those items that do sell, are sold at bargain basement prices. Every day more and more train collections are hitting the market. The supply FAR outnumbers the demand.I buy only at the cheapest possible prices, never fail to find what I am looking for and it keeps getting better by the day. The days of high value toy trains are over.

I love the used market. The discounts on new old stock and like new stuff just keep getting better.I bought a legacy equiped jlc big boy 850 new. Vision line bigboy best price bto 1800. 9 years from now will you be able to get a vision line bigboy new for 900?  I would bet yes. John

If it weren't for used trains, I'd have no trains at all. Like others have said you can get what you want at the price you want if you are patient 

Menards posted:

Our take on the used market is that we have observed many of our buildings going for 50% to double what we originally sold them for on "the bay." We think our customers are doing very well.

For example, the Camaraderie Bar & Grill, which is no longer in production and completely sold out, ranges from $125-$159 in the used market. I'd say these buildings have pretty good collectability!

-Mark the Menards Train Guy

From the Eagles 1976 album, "Hotel California," there's a "New Kid In Town," definitely applies to music, love, and especially trains.

enjoy your trains...

I noticed someone mentioning that they are afraid to buy on ebay.

Don't be afraid to buy items on ebay as ebay is very strict on maintaining a happy buyer.  About a year ago, I started buying trains on ebay and have probably bought about 20 items. 

Two items I had trouble with.  The seller never sent the item so ebay refunded my money.   The other item was a PFM sound system that said 'as is'.  Bids were low so I got it for a good price and figured it was working as I have bought about 5 already for my layout.  It didn't work but figured that was my lost but I thought I'd put in an evaluation on the seller in that even though it said 'as is' he should have checked it out.  Ebay saw my evaluation and told me; unless it says for 'parts only', it better work.  Ebay gave me about a week to resolve it with the seller.  The seller wanted me to send it out and have it repaired at my expense.   In the end, ebay refunded my money, plus they paid for the return shipping.  

Some sellers put in 'no refunds, no returns' but ebay guarantees everything you buy.

For me ebay is top notch in protecting the buyer. 

I find auction houses are also great.  Initially, I thought, since the buyer pays 19-22% on the item, the items are going to be very costly.  I adjust for the 20% markup and make my bid, accordingly.  Also, since so many items are sold in just a day, a lot of stuff goes at a very good price.  I put my bids in before the auction starts as, since each item sells in 45 seconds or less, unless you are at the auction, there's no way to bid quickly, online.

Two that I like are Stout's and Morphy.  They have just 'train' auctions.

My view is, I put in a bid on what I think it is worth, if I get it, great, if not, there's more out there that will be for sale.

I'm in multiple hobbies and I was cleaning up my 'hobby shop' and found a lot of stuff that I'll never use and have had for 10 years.  Most of it I mark at 25-50% of what I bought it for or present going price.  In the last month, out of about 40 items, all but 6 so far, have sold in a few days.  I view this as a hobby, not a business.  I got my 'fun' out of it.  If I really don't want it anymore, I put a price on it so it sells quickly.  When I buy something, it's because I want it, not 'can I make a buck on it in the future',  it's easier to sell things later.    Remember, we really don't own anything, we're just caretakers of them, as, sooner or later, you will be gone!

PAUL ROMANO posted:

Far and few between if you ever get at least what you paid, even if the item is still NIB.

I disagree with this statement on higher end items look at what David said about Lionel items selling well above what they were originally purchased for. It depends on what you are talking about not everything falls into this statement. I have not lost anything on the Lionel Vision line or Scale locomotives I bought in the last six or seven years. Look at what the higher end things sell for on auction. Maybe you are speaking of RK items or RTR items or just common things I can see that being true. I think it really depends on what you are selling. 

I agree with Sam on the Evilbay thing.  I've been buying and selling trains on Ebay for years.  Mostly large scale up till now.  The very few issues I have had, both as a seller were easily resolved to my and the buyers satisfaction.  While I am not thrilled about the fees Ebay charges for selling, it's still far better than the old days of placing ads in the newspaper.  

Dennis LaGrua posted:

...  Every day more and more train collections are hitting the market. The supply FAR outnumbers the demand.I buy only at the cheapest possible prices, never fail to find what I am looking for and it keeps getting better by the day. The days of high value toy trains are over.

Except of course for the new stuff Lionel pumps out year after year.   Which is precisely why I'm so puzzled that as many folks as we hear are tripping over themselves pre-ordering new stuff.    I was part of that crowd too up until recently, but this year I really cut back on pre-ordering considerably.  There's just too much of a premium to be paid when buying brand new product arriving off the boats nowadays.

Just last night I was back on Sidetrack Hobbies' website, and I'm forever amazed at the GREAT deals they continue to have on brand new trains that have sat in inventory for more than a year or two.  It's like going on a shopping spree.  Don't get me wrong... You can still spend lots of money, but your money stretches so much further there.  These are the kinds of deals folks thought would be history in the BTO era, but that hasn't been the case at all. 

Case in point:  Want a Lionel Heavy Mikado (BTO)?  Sidetrack has 'em for $806.  Those little gems retailed for $1299 MSRP (which we knew was a joke even on a good day), and some of the big dealers still have them for $940 (2014 models) and $1100 (2015 models).  So either way, $806 is a great deal.  Certainly not chump change for a locomotive, but it's the best price I've seen thus far.

There's a small contingent of folks here who get all up in arms when I come down on Lionel so harshly for their current pricing of new stuff.  But let's get something perfectly straight here.  Nobody -- and I mean nobody -- is criticizing enthusiasts for spending their money however they want.  What folks spend is their own personal business.  But I have absolutely no problem taking Lionel to task on their latest pricing, because the newly catalog'd stuff is so  over-priced compared to items that are -- in some cases -- not even two years old yet.  I think those Heavy Mikados that Sidetrack has for $806 were in one of the 2014 catalogs, but they arrived Stateside more recently than that.  

The next group of locomotives that we'll likely see some downward price movement on in coming months will be the ES44's (in ABS) currently above $550 and the non-articulated steamers currently above $1250 (like the ESE Hudsons) as they collect dust on dealer shelves.  Yet one dealer (a forum sponsor) is pushing his prices upward  toward MSRP on these locomotives , and he's also telling us that the newly catalog'd GS-4 Daylights ($1699 MSRP, $1400 street-price) were some of the more popular 2016 pre-orders.  Just crazy!    Nonetheless, I think I'll take my chances on what happens AFTER delivery of those GS-4's, since Lionel is making 4 of them.  I'll try not to be too picky in 9-12 months.    And if they sell out, I still have my Daylight Cab-Forward (that I paid much  less for just two Decembers ago) to head-up a nice string of Lionel 18" aluminum Daylight passenger cars.

I realize this thread is about the "used train market".  But I think a lot of what's been said here about haggling can be applied equally to "negotiating" the purchase of some of the newer items, since their prices are so volatile after products arrive Stateside. 

The line between "new" and "slightly used" is also becoming much harder to ignore.  For whatever reason, we're seeing stuff pop up on the secondary market fairly quickly these days with 15- to 30-minutes of run-time on a locomotive.  Last week we saw a Legacy Cab-Forward (black) sell on the forum for $950.    And I was doing everything I could to NOT buy it!    That's a GREAT price for an articulated locomotive, when we consider the latest round of pre-order pricing... which makes Lionel's new pricing even tougher to understand (and stomach).

David

i think that there is a lot of product on the market, especially as the older stuff becomes more difficult to work on. but I also think that there is wide fluctuation in the prices of the same item. i recently bought two identical trollies (Lionel 60) both worked, no box and had instructions. One was 70 and the other was 30-. However the price for good well cared and boxed stuff is pretty solid. However I've never been to a train show and I only buy three times a year.

The line between "new" and "slightly used" is also becoming much harder to ignore.  For whatever reason, we're seeing stuff pop up on the secondary market fairly quickly these days with 15- to 30-minutes of run-time on a locomotive.  Last week we saw a Legacy Cab-Forward (black) sell on the forum for $950.    And I was doing everything I could to NOT buy it!    That's a GREAT price for an articulated locomotive, when we consider the latest round of pre-order pricing... which makes the new pricing even tougher to understand (and stomach).

Are you forgetting that the slightly used stuff has no warrantee?

C W Burfle posted:

...

Are you forgetting that the slightly used stuff has no warrantee?

No.  Did you see who the seller was?  I would buy from him without thinking twice about it.

There are still some good deals at the train meets, you hafta really scan the tables and not just be looking for a specific item. Back in Jan the first time in about 15 yrs I went to a train meet. I bought these lightly used excl condition Lionel Madison cars 19011, 15, 16, 17, & 18 for $225.

Trussman posted:

... I bought these lightly used excl condition Lionel Madison cars 19011, 15, 16, 17, & 18 for $225.

Those are really nice 15" Madison cars -- reminiscent of the cars that ran on the "subway lines" of Lionel's legendary 1949 Showroom Layout behind GG-1's (traditional size -- not the larger scale-size).  When Lionel re-issued the Lionel Lines Madison cars in the 1990's, the add-on baggage car was new to the re-issue and was reportedly not produced in the same quantities as the other 4 cars.  So it's great that you acquired a 5-car set in one shot.

Those Madision cars, along with the semi-scale phenolic body freight cars, and the Lackawanna 4-car MU set -- all circa 1990-ish -- are some of the last remaining Lionel cars from that era still on my roster.  They are sentimental favorites.

David

It is not the "take";   it is to "not get taken"....

Rocky Mountaineer posted:

Trussman posted:

... I bought these lightly used excl condition Lionel Madison cars 19011, 15, 16, 17, & 18 for $225.

Those are really nice 15" Madison cars -- reminiscent of the cars that ran on the "subway lines" of Lionel's legendary 1949 Showroom Layout behind GG-1's (traditional size -- not the larger scale-size).  When Lionel re-issued the Lionel Lines Madison cars in the 1990's, the add-on baggage car was new to the re-issue and was reportedly not produced in the same quantities as the other 4 cars.  So it's great that you acquired a 5-car set in one shot.

Those Madision cars, along with the semi-scale phenolic body freight cars, and the Lackawanna 4-car MU set -- all circa 1990-ish -- are some of the last remaining Lionel cars from that era still on my roster.  They are sentimental favorites.

David

Thanks Dave,

I also have the SP Madison cars 19019, 23, 24, 25 & 26, I have 2 of 19019 baggage cars.

I remember when the 19011 baggage car came out. I don't know if it's true, but I heard that there were a lot of the 19011 baggage cars sent back because the phenolic bodies cracked. If that's true, then that could be the reason there's not as many.  

Menards posted:

Our take on the used market is that we have observed many of our buildings going for 50% to double what we originally sold them for on "the bay." We think our customers are doing very well.

For example, the Camaraderie Bar & Grill, which is no longer in production and completely sold out, ranges from $125-$159 in the used market. I'd say these buildings have pretty good collectability!

-Mark the Menards Train Guy

Hard to believe but I have no reason to doubt you. Every other building, even the most detailed, that I have is worth, at best 40% or so of its the value. What makes these so special? Not being sarcastic, just asking.