Your opinion please, Selling one at a time or all together?

Thats a tough call to make. Sellling all at once, you probably wont get the most money for them. Chances are you wont have as many buyers willing to put out a lot of money all at one time. SElling separately will be more work on your part but you will get more for each car. You could also have a bidding war if there happens to be two or more buyers looking for the same car. The value of PW cars has dropped off through the years, especially the 6464s and the postwar celebration series hasnt helped the values at all for runners. Why would someone pay 35 for an old car thats been run when they can spend 35 for a new one that hasnt?

Giving it a shot here is a good idea Don. Even if you just try a few batches while your sorting things to get ready to list it all. Wrapping and shipping is dreaded by most people. You can use "pack and ships" where they do the packing but it is costly. It does eat up a fair amount of time no matter what path you choose, pace the sales to prevent stress on your end. 

Because the old one is original, made in the USA and will hold its value considerably better than a remake. For someone who likes post war Lionel - and that doesn't necessarily mean "collector" the real thing trumps remakes 100 times out of 100.

I stopped purchasing anything on EBay days before they went to their paypal system. I'm sure I'm not the only PW fan, still in the market, that dropped out of that scene.

No your not,I dropped out myself.

Or maybe instead of the comment being untrue, maybe it's just not consistent with yours. As a buyer of postwar Lionel and also an occasional seller, yes, I can see prices have fallen, however, this wasn't the question.

The question was - why would someone buy an old one when they can buy a new one?

Look at the Conventional Classics sets produced over the last few years. Then look at resales of these. The sets were deeply discounted to begin with, so throw those MSRP numbers out the window. People who purchased these sets and have tried to sell them literally can't give them away. Try selling a conventional classics Santa Fe freight set anywhere (and if ebay, deduct 13% from the sales price) and you won't get close to what you paid.

Put a 2343 A-A Postwar set of Santa Fe F3s in any reasonable condition on the Buy Sell Board here and they fly off the board.

I was in the hobby shop today and saw I could buy a new three car 2400 series passenger set in Santa Fe blue stripe for $149.99 and a two car add on pack for an additional $99.95.

Or I could buy an original post war set for $119.00 or so. If I buy those remakes, if I decide to sell them in the future, I can look forward to perhaps 30-40% MSRP. If I sell the original post war set - probably 85-115%. Those are numbers based on experience. If I make money reselling them, it's because I bought them right. If I recover my money, it was a wash. If I lose $15.00 I look at it as "rent."

Post war Lionel will probably never again be what it was from a dollar perspective, but so long as it is available, there will be buyers who will gladly buy it over buying higher priced remakes that won't hold half their value.

One at a time, individually.

One at a time if total $ is your goal

Batches if quick sales and convenience is your goal

all at once if you can't bear to see it split up

Consider going with one of the established real-world auction houses on the mainland, my friend.  They will be in a better position to handle things for you with a minimum of fuss, bother, and needless expense (such as shipping stuff from Hawaii).

The active market for postwar Lionel is still out there.  As it is with anything in the realm of collectibles, condition is everything.  If you have good "stuff" available, it should do pretty well.

A couple of folks posting on an operator centric board that they are no longer interested in Postwar Lionel trains is not a particularly strong indicator of the collector's market.

IMHO, prices have softened, but as Allan wrote, there is still a strong market for quality postwar. Prices on postwar in "iffy" condition certainly has sank.

If I was looking to sell a collection of 6464 boxcars, my first tendency would be to sell them individually. But buyers have to factor in shipping costs. So I think I would create groups. A "group" of high value cars might only be one piece. A group of common cars might be five.  That way the buyer wouldn't see shipping as being excessive relative to the value of the lot.

I would use the Buy/Sell board here long before I would use Ebay. Ebay/Paypal costs are getting pretty high. People know you here and would trust the transaction. You can try selling as one big lot first. If that doesn't work put things in groups. Then whatever is left goes individually.

Interesting comments here, I think showing that there are different types of buyers out there.

I think I'd sell the 6464s individually.  BTW, why not here on the forum?  Might seem like a smaller market, but at least it's targeted.  Oh, and get yourself a nice fence to take the photos on. 

All of this sounds like the never-settled debate on the type of car to buy.  New or used? If used, a Honda or Toyota which sell as premiums to Fords and GMs in the used market? 

In the end, a lot depends on what the buyer is trying to accomplish.  Except for a few purchases that didn't fit my theme and primary roadnames, I sell very little and plan to keep what I've got 'til I'm toes-up. Based on that, and based on the fact that I inherited 5 post war sets and have enough old stuff, my buys have been 99% modern era.

Another avenue to consider is to look for local buyers.  If there are any flea markets or swap meets in your area, it might be worth a try (plus you could take other unwanted odds and ends to get rid of).  And a newspaper ad might find another collector who might be very interested in aquiring some stuff that he won't have to pay to ship in from the mainland.

Andy

Don, Do you have a list? I know someone looking for 6464's he might be interested in the lot. 

One thing to consider is selling in lots of three or four.  If you group them, say by road name, sometimes there are buyers that want them.  I can't see selling as one huge chunk, that would seem a recipe for getting the minimum return.

Not likely to work in Don's case, Andy...he lives on Maui, and is probably one of perhaps two or three O gaugers on that island.  More than likely he's the only one.  Hawaii is a gorgeous place to live, but it ain't exactly a hotbed of O gauge railroading activity.

I wouldn't sell 6464's in lots and here is why. When I was buying 6464's, I poked around for a long time looking for certain cars. If I only wanted a Rutland, I wouldn't want to have to buy a B&O and a State of Maine in order to get it. Thinking like a buyer, you want to buy what you want to buy. Only being able to get it if you buy something you don't need or want is going to limit your opportunities. 

Since posting on this forum is free you could post them as a lot and see if it goes anywhere. If not then explore other options. There are still few folks new to the hobby that might be interested in the lot.

Pete

It really depends on what you have, 6464 cars generally will sell, however if you are trying to sell the more common cars I might group them.  I sell on ebay, the forum board, craigslist and local shows

For a guy who can retire in Maui, sell all to go.  Let someone else make a buck off you.

I think you'll see that the current pool of buyers there do not put so much value on something older just because you can categorize it as " postwar".

You may want sign in to one of Ambrose / Bauer online Postwar train auctions and follow the bidding prices of Postwar. Postwar in excellent or better condition still sells for premium prices with lots of bidders.

The answer is there are probably many reasons. Sometimes it is nostalgia for something actually produced in a given era , whether the person ever owned one or not. For a 'true collectible' authenticity is obviously everything.Maybe they owned these as part of a set and are trying to 'put it back together' To someone who doesn't like the fact that modern trains are made in China, it could be a way to own something that isn't made there. Maybe the modern units are made more cheaply (not talking about the items in question, in general)......it is like anything else, it is like asking the conventional guys on here why they insist on running units with conventional block control rather then command control, it is personal preference...

HI Don, I too think in your case the best option would be to send photos to one of the auction companies and see it they will take all of your items.

I know auction houses charge a twenty-five to thirty percent charge, but when you figure the time, energy and cost of a individual sale it may be the best way to go.

Good luck buddy, let us know what you decide on and how it goes.

I agree with you, all of my postwar is original. I wont buy any of the remakes but there are a lot of operators who dont care if its original, some dont even care that its postwar. To them its just a neat train. I was merely pointing out how some will think.

Rather than settle for some ridiculous bid on Ebay (or other forums), you might want to consider a donation to charity.  If you can't find one interested in trains, create your own. Better yet, solicit others on this board to join together to form a national organization for charitable giving specializing in toy trains. Put together sets as suggested above and make an event out of giving these away.  Grow the hobby from the ground up!  Such donations are still very much deductible and I'll bet you at least come out even compared to selling them.

I'm not sure that two negative comments about paypal really mean much.  Personally, my wife and I buy and (ocassionally sell) as much as ever with ebay.  Paypal both gets our money to buyers in a quick and efficient manner and likewise I get money quickly after a sale.

Don, I know that when we shipped a couple of boxes home, after the holidays, that parcel post to the east coast was at least three weeks.  Don't know if many buyers would be happy with this time, thus any items you sell likely need to be sent Priority Mail - don't know if this might have an impact on your decision?  Maybe from a shipping perspective, it might make more sense to sell in small lots?

Jim

Do yourself a favor, Don, and go with one of the toy train auction houses.  Maurer's is a respected one:  http://www.maurerail.com/selling.asp

It will leave you a whole lot more time to keep working on that new layout and a bunch of articles for the magazine.  

Don, if you want to get the most bang for the buck, I would list you cars separately!

I would start here first and see what happens.

Then go on to ebay if you are not getting the results you thought!

You say you do ebay anyway. You then are all set up w/ Paypal.

Do it in your spare time.

As for shipping, just use USPS Priority mail.

Priority boxes are free!

You can get a discount on postage when purchased online.

They will pick up packages right at your door.

They also have flat rate boxes also!

Good Luck!

My first question would be: Who pays the tariff to get the stuff from Hawaii to Phoenixville, PA? The auction would likely be the quickest method of disposal, but what is the real cost?

Is the seller really in that big of a hurry?

Considering the location of the seller, it might be prudent to pass the shipping cost to the buyer.

A lot of factors to look at in my opinion.

Simon

Why stop buying off ebay??? Stop SELLING I fully understand....it's a no win situation.

You sell following ebay rules 100% and you are still open to charge backs.

But BUYING!!! You are in the drivers seat. I bought a 1/43 die cast car off ebay. Not high dollar but seller sent it registered. USPS lost it and fully admitted that it was stolen by an un-named employee. So I submitted a claim to ebay/PP and within hours I had 100% of my money back.  Seller had to fight the USPS for his cash. As a buyer you can get a refund FOR ANY REASON....why would you not buy??? I get a better guarantee from ebay than many a retailer I have dealt with. 

PS.....I liked ebay a LOT better in the 90's when it was a different place. BUT it still works for buyers.

For a small number of items, I just use this forum to sell them and have had a 100% success rate.

But if I had a large number of items to sell, and didn't want to be bothered with listing, correspondence, packing, etc., individual items or even small lots, I would turn everything over to someone who I could trust to dispose of the stuff for me.  Getting top dollar at this point in my life would not be a concern; gaining some additional space in my home would be the motivating factor.

I have about a half dozen new and like new Southern RR engines that I plan to sell in the very near future, and with that small number will likely list them on this forum.  It's just the fastest, easiest, and less expensive way to get them into the hands of someone who can make good use of them.

But if/when I decide to sell my collection of Marklin HO, I'll likely go through an auction house because (1) I have not kept up with the potential market and/or values for Marklin, and (2) I'm too lazy to handle all the hassle of trying to sell a large number of items.

quote:

 Such donations are still very much deductible and I'll bet you at least come out even compared to selling them.

Giving to charity is great. But I don't see how someone could make out financially by donating trains to charity, unless they grossly over reported the value of the trains donated, and were in an extremely high tax bracket.

To actually answer the original question, I would go one at a time. Selling a whole pile of them would likely eliminate some bidders because of the (presumably) higher price and shipping costs. The person that wanted that one particular piece would likely be left out of a bulk sale. It is also (my opinion) harder to pack LARGE packages, and there are extra shipping costs for oversize packages. Figuring here the cheaper the overall cost, the quicker the sale.

Simon

Having gone this route, one at a time is better.

If you have items which generally are listed for sale as MIB, then by all means I would value them near the MSRP, but for arguments sake I would use Greensberg Like New value.  Per the income bracket, the recent tax changes have pushed the highest bracket up without significantly affecting the charitable donation deduction, so yes, someone in the 39% bracket could benefit from this just as someone with a 20-25% effective rate.  take a look at the Sell Trade forum here on this site.  Stuff that is selling is going for a fraction of the original value.  Ebay will take 13-15% up front and even then you guys brag all the time about the deals you got, which just means the seller got screwed.  But there's more... the dividend you get from doing something NICE for someone else.  Think about it.