What's the Biggest Price Difference You've Found at a Train Show Between Two Identical Items?

Sure have Mike. It follows the philosophy of charge whatever the market will bear. In all likelihood, the seller of the item you passed on went home with it. Serves him right.

Lionel 6-18010 PRR Turbines. One, $425. A second (and the dealer pulled out his "pricing guide book"), $1200. Both used.

Gilly

Pretty much it's any case where one dealer can't shift away from original catalog prices and recognize trends in current value, and another can where I'll see a good example of such a difference in pricing.

Good examples:

Lionel 11334 Legacy Alton Limited (both new): one priced at $1049, another at $599.

MTH Proto 1 Premier Big Boy (both like-new): one at $1299, another at $749.

Lionel 18064 New York Central Mohawk (both like new): one at $1199, another at $499.

I notice a lot of 2015 volume One MTH catalogs priced between two and three dollars and if you walked over to the MTH Booth they were free.  I also bought a MTH Premier UP Gondola for $19.00 in the Blue Hall.  One isle over the same car was $35.00

One year I got really lucky. I would buy something that looked like a good value. In the next isle, there would be the same thing, in worse condition, for more money.

That happened two or three time that year. It was great.

    Mike I had A yard light that I bought for $10.00 that was used and saw another one for $100.00 that was used. Choo Choo Kenny

Both in the orange hall. Lionel NS interstate caboose, one for $99 the other for $50, both new. Guess which one I bought and he is a forum sponsor. 

Mike I saw one seller with a Railking PS1 Big Boy for 600.00 !

I bought this one from another seller N.O.S. for 325.00...I put a BCR in it. The original battery was of course shot.

Next was this item...right before I leave to go home I always stop in the Orange Hall to see a guy named Greg (he is from San Diego and has that Teardrop trailer that is always in the parking lot) I saw 4 examples of this Proto 1 loco at York priced between 250.00 and 145.00....I bought this one from Greg for 100.00 ! Last year I bought the same version of this loco in EL livery for a 100.00 also ....both like new with new green batteries.

Saw 2 Alaska RR sets from 1959. Both excellent condition.....not a mark or blemish on the engine or cars. Both had the track and transformer. One had the insert; the other, didn't. $495 vs $2900 for the one with the insert......

Yes, not exactly the same, but quite a premium for the insert!

Peter

Weaver Reading Crusader w/5 cars, $1,595 in the Brown hall, $900 in the Blue hall.

Proto-Sound 1.0 engines seems to be where the major differences are in my experience, they have dropped a great deal from their MSRP over the past 15 years since PS 2.0 and PS 3.0 came along, but some sellers are sitting tight at their original sale prices.

Once even had a dealer tell me, very early in my return to trains, that the only difference between PS 1.0 and 2.0 was the number....guess he forgot about that whole command control thing.

Glad you got the better end of the deal on the engine.

I saw original Flying Yankees going from $350 to $500 in similar condition.

Of course, I'm referring to the regular version, not the black top or red top versions.

There were so many Postwar F3s, both SP and NYC and they were all priced all over the place.  Of course condition would make a difference and boxes.  I bet every third vendor had a set of F3s for sale.  I am surprised the prices were as high as they were.  I wasn't looking to buy so I did not write down prices to compare.  

Last year I got a RDG Crusader Proto1 for $135 at York.  Like new in the box.  Upgraded it to PS2, great engine and a good deal.

I also see Proto-1 as the biggest area for price variations. There are still dealers around who price Proto-1 engines at MSRP, and they will tell you all day how rare and valuable Proto-1 engines are. Differences of 2 to 1 are common, and I've seen 3 to 1 or even more. 

Hello pennsydave.......

Were the Lionel #2383 F-3's expensive there ?

the woman who loves the S.F.5011,2678,2003,200

Tiffany

I can't help but wonder how people can still ask MSRP for Proto 1 engines & locomotives. I'm thinking of a particular Forum seller who posts all his older MTH and Lionel stuff at exorbitant prices with detailed and confusing descriptions. Is he hoping that the newcomer will be sucked in with fancy terminology and pay way over the market for these older modern trains?

I have to bite my lip and resist from posting...

Sam, this whole thing was prompted by my visit to a table in one of the member halls where this one seller was listing a Proto 1 engine for more than some of the new Proto 3.0 diesels in the 2015 MTH catalog!!!  This person comes hundreds of miles to sell at York each year, brings a lot of stuff, and nearly all of it is priced way over its original MSRP.  I guess he figures he carries rare and precious gems and there are people out there who truly want these items and are willing to pay any price!   

Two DuPage shows ago when a person sold me Atlas switches for $12 when other were selling them for closer to $100 each.  And Atlas 40' rigid for $1.83 each instead of $22.

Art

Saw a Marx 999 once at a train show for like $30 or $40 dollars. A few aisles over I found one in about the same condition bundled with a nice 3/16" scale tin boxcar and three rusty scale tin cars with salvageable trucks all for $20.

The latter deal came home with me!  LOL

An item that comes to mind is the new Lionel Legacy system 990. I talked to 3 different dealers(forum sponsors) at York on Thursday. 1st was priced at 350.00,2nd was priced at 330.00 due to the fact He sold all his from Lionel and claimed He had to buy from a distributor for more money and the 3rd was Charles Ro who was selling them for 270.00 with no tax and no shipping. I jumped all over that.

Mike,

I'd bet my last dollar he took most of 'em home with him!  

I would be interested in which engine you looked at.  $300 MORE for a proto 1 is crazy unless it was soothing special.  I have never sold a proto 1 for more than $200 and I have sold quite a few.

I saw most of these same engines on his table last April so you're probably right on the money!

E-mail me offline and I'll tell you about it. 

Lionel C & O yellow belly scale hudson from 1996 or 1997 in the Orange hall for $1299.95 and $300 in the silver hall

Lionel Scale Erie pacific in the Orange hall for $1099.95 and much less in the blue hall. Can't remember the price.

Same dealer in the Orange hall had everything at list prices. He was just sitting there doing nothing for 3 days. Wonder if he had a clue why his stuff was not selling.

About the only time I see a large price difference is right after I buy the more expensive item.

I often find that if I don't jump at the first time I see something it is gone by the time I have toured the entire show looking for a better deal.  Train shows on the West coast don't have the variety that York does.  You are unlikely to find more than one of a particular item at a show.  This is why it is important to make a decision when you see something you really want. 

One reason there may be large price differences between sellers is that one seller is selling an estate, etc., and just wants to dump the item.  The other seller may have a significant investment in the item or does not know the market value.  Sellers probably price stuff too low just as often as they price stuff too high.  

Joe

Two types of sellers: one with sky high prices, won't negotiate, seen at all the shows waiting for that one guy who will buy his story and ends up at the next show with the same stuff, same prices, and still waiting for that guy. The second seller actually wants to sell his trains that day and prices them accordingly and has the "no reasonable offer refused" mentality.

There is one guy in the philly area who a bunch of PW 6464 cars that are priced well beyond what they are worth. He has had them for sale at least 8-10 years that I have seen him. He has never sold any of those cars according to him and others who has attended the same meets as him. 

He refuses to lower the prices so he carries them from show to show. Sad so sad. 

Most of the time prices will be higher in the Orange Hall than in the Blue or Silver Halls

Al

A AF Std. gauge Hamiltonian set, on my table 800.00 and right next to me 3900.00.

I would hope that's it. But couldn't they socialize like the rest of us? Their presence really only keeps another seller from attending or sets a false example of value, right? Im assuming the table room is mostly "sold out" each year.

A year ago I saw a guy with a beat up 313 bascule bridge.  He was asking $395.  I don't know why he bothered especially since the bridge takes up so much space in the car.  Saw  an excellent one for $350.

Al

quote:

Could be with some items they really don't want to sell them but if they get what they are asking then they'll take it.  From what I see it appears several folks attend for the social aspects with no intention of selling.

I think there are some people who do this. I cannot understand it. Their goods get degraded just a little bit each time they transport, unpack and repack, and have people handle their trains. 

When I put something out, its because I decided I can do without it, and want it gone!

I think there are people who cannot accept that the prices on many items, especially those in lesser condition, have dropped (and will probably continue to do so), and continue to ask yesterday's higher prices.

This reminds me of a shop I liked to visit a ways back. He had some nice stuff at hefty prices. Prices were rising back then, so eventually the market would catch up to his asking prices. Then he'd raise them.  Still, I liked visiting, and I did manage to make some purchases over the years.