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Post by trainman9 on Sept 21, 2024 18:31:12 GMT
I look at some of the prices for some of the high end Lionel sets and am trying to come up with the pricing logic if there is one. Take for example the Legacy M1b coal hauler set from a couple of years ago. MSRP was $1799 and street price at the time was around $1400. Now the price for that set is over $1700, if you can find one.
So, if you break down the set, what is the value of the engine versus the value of the rolling stock. Is there any logic or did Lionel just add up the pricing of similar engines and freight cars and add some type of scarcity factor.
From time to time I’ve had a couple of premium Lionel sets and only wanted the engine. When I tried to sell off the freight or passenger cars it came nearly impossible to sell the cars. Case in point are the Lionel Legacy H10 coal hauler sets. I had a set and just wanted to sell off the cars and I practically had to give them away even though several of the cars were only available in the set. Now those sets sell for two grand and are very hard to find.
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Post by rockymountaineer on Sept 22, 2024 2:48:10 GMT
Perception is everything. And that's what most sellers are counting on these days. Generally speaking, there are very few "bargains" these days.
OTOH, I feel like a dinosaur sometimes, when I sell at Allentown ATMA. But I don't care, because my prices represent such a fair value. Folks often can't believe the prices, but I just want these trains to have a good home without taking a bath on them. Contrast that to many sellers who have prices so high, the stratosphere would look like a bargain.
When you stick around long enough, you know who the good sellers/dealers are... and who you should avoid. There are a couple of well-known eBay shysters who I wouldn't buy from even if they're the only seller that has something I might be interested in. There's just no way I'm gonna fund their greed.
Lionel high-end sets are an interesting topic. And in the past couple of years, Lionel has been pushing the "superset" concept with Big Boy and Triplex locomotives. Recently, Steve Nelson (aka Mr. Muffins Trains) has been breaking up the Big Boy supersets. So perhaps Lionel has pushed the superset concept beyond what even the deep-pockets buyer is willing to spend.
Then again... the Rocket Booster set was priced "reasonably"... and enthusiasts found that to be a desirable set. The upcoming glow-in-the-dark AEC set which already has a couple of add-on cars in a subsequent catalog will likely be another good seller. I've pre-ordered that one... along with the optional SuperBass B-unit as well. In addition, I've also been quietly picking up Lionel's older radio-active waste cars (NIB) that have blinking canisters on the secondary market. But there again, eBay shysters are coming out of the woodwork with ridiculous prices for a car that once sold for at most $65. So you need to buy carefully.
At the end of the day, there are ALWAYS gonna be products that are billed as "hot". And seriously, they're really no hotter than anything else. But the fast-talking sales folks want you to believe that you NEED to have something that everyone else "reportedly wants". It's the seedier side of this hobby. And its always been like that to one degree or another. I recall a dealer -- who shall remain nameless because he's no longer with us -- who would immediately increase his prices for newly shipped products from Lionel that were short of his order quantity... the rational being those items must be in short supply (i.e., "rare") and therefore will support a premium price. Even that's a bunch of BS, because one day I walked into Madison Hardware looking for the infamously rare Lionel woodside reefer #5712, and they took me back into their stocking area... opened a cabinet door... and they must have had a couple of hundred of them!!!! So sure... they might have been rare for several dealers... but it turns out Lionel shipped most of the production of that particular SKU to Madison Hardware. But I digress....
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Post by david1 on Sept 22, 2024 2:58:45 GMT
Inflation is causing price increases on almost everything. But increases on our Trains are another thing. Increases can be caused by inflation, rarity of the sets or cars or just plain greed.
I have never bought a premium set just to get the engine or the cars. Price wise it was never in my best interest.
For me premium sets were never of interest to me, I always liked making up my own trains then and now.
To be honest I don't care what the prices are today of the items I bought years ago. If they have gone up, good for me if not I don't care! I have had fun with them.
Never buy trains as investment, buy them to enjoy, I have and never regretted it.
Dave
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Post by trainman9 on Sept 22, 2024 13:17:44 GMT
I think I know of one of the e-bay sellers who have ridiculous prices but he seems to do OK. I did buy a ZW-L from him for a good price when I made him an offer and he took it.
I kind of agree that there seem to be fewer bargains these days partly do to the BTO programs for most of the high end stuff. Mostly if you don’t preorder, unless the dealer orders extras, you need to rely on the secondary market.
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Post by josef on Sept 22, 2024 19:48:17 GMT
Whats odd is if you do try to sell at a reasonable price, they come out of the woodworks asking what is wrong with the item and then offer to buy it for part use only.
Example- My understanding is that K Lines Hudson is a desirable item. I had 2 with thoughts of changing numbers. I know what I paid for it, it even had added ERR Sound and control. I had my neighbor put it up at 275.00 free shipping. Questions by the ton came up,"What's wrong, whats broken, does it run, etc.". Questions answered, no buyers. Took item off for 45 days while on vacation, came back and put it at auction starting at 350.00 plus 22.00 postage. Sold for 529.70. Same engine, go figure.
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