[375ultramag]

Folks,

I have a train set that is rather large from a family estate that I am interested in selling.

I am somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 cars & Engines. Most are 20 - 40 years old and are different brands. A lot of them are Arhearn . I have boxes of track some small buildings.

How would a guy that knows nothing about HO Trains go about selling.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks
Sam

 

[tkruger]

A good place to start would be look what they are selling for on EBay. The price per car will depend more on the type of car and quality of it than the age. Also I have sseen well weathered cars go for more than non-weathered ones. On average common stock cars such as tanks, flats, gons and boxes seem to go for a few dollars each. Passenger cars go for more. Locos really can very in price based on style, condition etc. An Bachmann F3 Santa Fe #307 will go for only a few dollars, a Bachmann 2-6-2 Parrie will go for $40. Buildings depend once again on what they are and their size. Track is a dime a dozen used unless it is flex track.

As for selling you have found an excellent location to do so. Post a pic and a price in the For Sale forum on this page. It is free to do so. The people hear are honest. If you are unsure that the price you posted is fair just place or best offer. EBay fees will eat away at profits when running multiple auctions. Pay Pal is a very good method of accepting payment. They smooth out and speed up transactions. Also if you want to make things easier you can group like items together for sale, i.e. 6 box cars. Hope this helps.

 

[T-Man]

First let me say, I HATE selling. I do have some pointers. How much time is it worth to you? Time is money. No price list exist for HO, there is value there but that come with experience. HO trains can be made for many years, so catalogs may have the same piece today. Engines are expensive because of the advanced electronics. An auction would be the easiest way for you.An add in a paper or on the net will attract dealers. Naturally you will not get full value. Around me, there are plenty of resalers. These guys are on ebay and will buy as much as they can get. Will you get a good deal? Maybe.
You can sell yourself and deal with the fees and clientel. It requires more and pays more.
The most fun is rent a table at a local train show and sell. You can research prices till then. As the show progress reduces prices. All your good pieces will sell. What's left, then call the ebayers and take the offer.
If you want snap some pictures. The guys like to drool.
Plastic is common, cast is better, brass and steam are big money.
Reseach, Walters,hobby shop, ebay, craigslist or your favorite classified.
The closer the price is to the actual value the harder it will be to sell.That's were you loose the edge and your prices compete with more established sellers. I am not a dealer amd frown upon appraisals. From time to time we do reseach pieces for information.Sites do exist for some collectors of Tyco and atlas. These are nostly used to id when they were made. Good Luck

 

[tankist]

have i cought a bug? i think i have more stuff then i need but i found myself on ebay looking for more green boxcars and center flows (BN) to complete a train as i have 2 green cars already. slapped my own hands and didn't bid on the very nicely priced lot of 9...

sooo, OP , what do you have?

 

[stationmaster]

It would be nice for you to sell it as a lot. Shipping is always a drawback. However, the higher price selling the items as a lot, may deter some bidders on eBay. Guys like me that have large numbers of cars already. I have bought lots for a few cars, then turned around and resold on eBay or at train shows.

Without a list of cars and engines, it would be very hard to appraise the value. Being older cars, my collection contains 60% older kits, the market may be better,or it may be worse, depending on the buyer. Also road names will contribute to the value and their favor.

Buildings, for the most part, are a dime a dozen.

Athearn is one of the staples of the hobby. Most do not command much on the market. At train shows, I rarely pay over $3 per car and maybe $10-$15 per engine. Again, it has to do with the number of units manufactured and sold. As well as the popularity and rarity of the road name.

I dare say that the collection is NOT what you may think it is worth, but MUCH lower.

Bob

 

[375ultramag]

Thanks guys I appreciate all the help. Sorry for the slow reply. I will snap a few pictures and post them on here.

 

[375ultramag]

Here is a link to some pictures I took

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157620930035402/

 

[stationmaster]

I would be interested in a few of the pieces if the price were right. Pretty common stuff from what I can see. Although some may be old and the road numbers different, the pieces themselves are pretty common.

My interest would be the steam engines, particularly the what looks to be a 2-8-2, the SP passenger cars, the stock cars, and maybe a couple of other pieces. I don't need them, and I'll hear it from the better half for getting any new stock, but that just means she loves me, right?

Bob

 

[tankist]

nice.

i'd be interested in BN engines (anyone can help identify make/model?). and probably some of the BN cars. and perhaps something else. if the price is right as well

EDIT:
looks like i will need to invest in couplers. everything here is horn-hook

 

[B.C.RAIL]

Nice collection! I'm kinda almost drooling here...

Those Burlington Northern engines are GE U30B's
My U30B is a Athearn, but I can't tell what his are..They might be as well, cause I can see a bell on the top of the hood behind the horn. But they could have beeen added on..

Last month I bought 10 packs of kadee #5 couplers (two different Ebay listings), because I knew I needed to upgrade some engines and rolling stock and some didn't have any couplers. Which was a good deal considering how much it would cost at a hobby shop.

 

[DreamingTree1027]

How much are you looking to get from say 10 freight cars? Also where are you located? I would be interested in the great northern and some of the hopper cars.

Thanks
A PM or a reply would work for me.

Edit: It looks like on ebay you can get about a dollar or 2 for a lot of cars. Then a few bucks for shipping.