Im always looking out for good deals on kalamazoo trains and today this one come up. Is this person nuts.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/G-SCALE-CUSTOM-KALAMAZOO-PASSENGER-DINING-CAR-CONTEST-WINNER-WORKS-WITH-LGB-/180921317057?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item2a1fc036c1
Over $200 for starting bid. Really.
DOUBLE AWARD WINNING G SCALE DINING CAR. THIS CAR WON FIRST PLACE, PLUS, THE HARDER TO GET MMR MERIT AWARD, FROM THE NATIONAL MODEL RAILROAD ASSOCIATION (NMRA) AND, HAD TO BEAT OUT FINE SCALE HO MODELS TO DO SO. YOU WILL RECEIVE THE FRAMED MMR AWARD AND THE FIRST PLACE PLAQUE WITH THE CAR.
It’s not stock. That is worth something to someone.
Nice job on the interior details.
But, I think I’ve seen much more spectacular work right here on LSC 
78 hours and over $350 invested. Even with half of that invested in time and money, $215 is still a big loss.
I think the “nuts” part is putting that much effort into a Kalamazoo, not the asking price 
Ralph
Shucks, Ralph, we’re all nuts one way or another. This hobby is all abut being nuts. I couldn’t begin to tell you how much time I’ve put into projects that ended up going South altogether. It may be unfashionable, but I confess to a certain fondness for Kalamazoo stuff. All the same in my not so humble opinion this prizewinning car is billious… No prob, tho’, she won’t ship to Canada. Love them Xenophobes.
Good point John.
However, custom work on inexpensive items rarely brings about a large increase in monetary value.
My custom work may be priceless to me, worthless to others 
Ralph
I just would like to know if it really won awards. It looks very toylike to me still especially at that price. I would think award winning, it would look like something Ringle makes or kevin. I guess everyone sees things differently.
Might have been the only entry in his class that day. I agree, it doesn’t come close to what I’ve seen take prizes.
I dont find it all that interesting. No real interior detaling for all that time and money? Look at the walls. As to the money invested seem that he just bought a bunch of doll house overpriced parts and stuck them in.
Want to see real award winning modeling in LS check this out http://www.mylargescale.com/Community/Forums/tabid/56/aff/8/aft/17792/afv/topic/Default.aspx
Its Doc Watsons private car build. Started as a Hartford kit with some breaks between. Seeing it in person under construction at a steamup in VA it is amazing.
Well, the awards in the picture look legit. And the NMRA doesn’t generally award in a class with less than three entries. It was also in 1992, and LS didn’t have the quality of modelers it does now. Still, very odd.
Le Bec Fin is/was a 5 star restaurant in Philadelphia. Having had the opportunity to dine there once, I can assure you all that $240 is less than what it cost per person to eat there!! That’s a bargain! Now, where is the dessert and cheese tray?
I figured I would never get what I put into kitbashes when I sold them, so I always just let the market decide. Like Ralph said, whats priceless to you is worthless to others.
Yeah, what Victor wrote. I have a business car that I built from a gutted Delton shorty coach. It has 1:24 dollhouse furnishings plus the Pola desk inside. It’s priceless to me, but I’d probably not want to hold my breath once I put it up for sale.
The car that is the subject of this thread is nice, but not $$$ nice to other modelers, many of whom are capable of better work.
Yours,
David Meashey
No bidders yet.
If anyone needs proof that Ebay is full of loonies who think their old LGB stuff is worth its weight in gold bullion:
I am really getting tired of sifting thru the dilusional on Ebay these days, even with sound this is on the moon.
Victor Smith said:
If anyone needs proof that Ebay is full of loonies who think their old LGB stuff is worth its weight in gold bullion:I am really getting tired of sifting thru the dilusional on Ebay these days, even with sound this is on the moon.
Jason Kovac said:
I dont find it all that interesting. No real interior detaling for all that time and money? Look at the walls. As to the money invested seem that he just bought a bunch of doll house overpriced parts and stuck them in.Want to see real award winning modeling in LS check this out http://www.mylargescale.com/Community/Forums/tabid/56/aff/8/aft/17792/afv/topic/Default.aspx
Its Doc Watsons private car build. Started as a Hartford kit with some breaks between. Seeing it in person under construction at a steamup in VA it is amazing.
Victor Smith said:
If anyone needs proof that Ebay is full of loonies who think their old LGB stuff is worth its weight in gold bullion:I am really getting tired of sifting thru the dilusional on Ebay these days, even with sound this is on the moon.
Problem with these unreasonable asking prices is ebay’s change in their listing policy. It costs nothing for these people to list their item. So they can throw “excrament” on the wall and see if it sticks and it costs them nothing.
We will get more and more of this type of listings they we serious modelers will have to wade through.
Jake, that is the real problem…Not asking too much, but having to wade through the sea of goods to find what you want. What ebay needs in my opinion is a “blocked sellers” option. I would love to “ban” all the doll-house jerks and re-sellers of Lemax junk. Oddly, I can block a buyer but not a seller.
There is an impression that all ebay Buy-It-Now trains are over priced, that is simply not true. You never see the low cost B-I-N because they are gone shortly after listing. All that remains is the “silly price” stuff. Last months examples were an Aristo Wisc. Cent. SD-45 for $95.00 (wow!), a SF Spectrum side-rod deisel for $120.00, and a pair of LGB SF F7’s for $450.00. I got two of the three examples. Of course I’ve paid more than street price for hard to find items too!
I search the first page or two of ‘newly listed’ BIN, and the last page or two of ‘ending soonest’ auctions. Saves a lot of time that way.
Mark, sure there are BIN deals but when 70%+ of Ebay sellers using BIN are asking msrp or above, it says alot, it also says alot about the situation on Ebay when you click off the BIN tab and 2/3 of the total listings disappears. Ebay has gotten far more tricky to navigate when it appears to be overrun with professional sellers and folks set on squeezing the turnip as much as they can and not people just selling their excess stuff like when it started.
Simply stated, Ebay has turned into big business. There is little room for the small seller. They are making that perfectly clear in their policies and charges.
Bob C.
Edit: Sooner or later the hobby people why used to use and trust Ebay will find another venue to market and purchase hobby items.