No way I can defend paying that kind of money, but that particular version sells a little higher. List $174.99. Street $150.+
http://www.mikes-hobbyshop.com/Products_i6712032.html?catId=276325
As I recall it was a 2007 item and it may show up in the expected shipments.
Jack-
Any insight into the pricing at Mike’s Train House (Texas) for a “Bachmann G-scale Loco with tender” - a 2-6-0 with a weight of 10 lbs. The description also stated "Yellow Pine Lumber Co.
Price: $2000.00 plus.
Something new? A collector item?
I have not seen a Bachmann “G” loco listed for more than $700.00 including the new Shay.
Thanks,
Wendell
Tim Brien said:
Vic, it is all down to testosterone levels. When I was building up my Lehmann LCE set, I was after a 'Bord' Restaurant car. A particular bidder was showing an intense interest in the same car. I checked his feedback and in the last week he had spent over $2500.00 on eight tickets to two baseball matches. I reasoned that this guy had more money than I, so I stopped bidding around $70.00. The guy won the car for $180.00. This is a car that would normally sell around $65 - $75 in new condition.When you get two testosterone charged males refusing to back away then we have a contest. There is no way that a Zillertalbahn keg car is worth more than $120.00, so any more than this is simply ego. The chances of a similar contest again, are negligible, so trying to cash in is pointless. Every now and then there is a 'contest' with Union Pacific cars and White Pass cars. It seems cyclic, but trying to predict this phenomenon is beyond my capabilities.</blockquote>Well there was another one yesterday with a $400 “buy it now” surprisingly no one “bought it now” or even bid on it, theres another one right now as well, low activity so far also, we’ll see how it goes…
This is a Texas dealer’s offer. Is Texas harboring a cadre of crazed large scalers who would think of paying $2000 plus for a Bachmann locomotive?
Collectible? Rare? Prototype? Photo on the dealer’s website - among other loco choices.
Wendell
Wendell Hanks said:
This is a Texas dealer’s offer. Is Texas harboring a cadre of crazed large scalers who would think of paying $2000 plus for a Bachmann locomotive? Collectible? Rare? Prototype? Photo on the dealer’s website - among other loco choices. Wendell
Hey I should get in contact with them, I gotta “rare” mint condition Bachmann 1st edition Big Hauler, ya know the very first year ones, its already battery/RC controlled (very ‘in’ today) so you never have to worry about cleaning track. Thats gotta met the definition of “rare and collectable” I’ll part with it for a paltry Grand! Whattaya think my chances are?
Victor Smith said:
When there’s pigs on the wing, carry a large umbrella.
Victor Smith said:Tim Brien said:
Vic, it is all down to testosterone levels. When I was building up my Lehmann LCE set, I was after a 'Bord' Restaurant car. A particular bidder was showing an intense interest in the same car. I checked his feedback and in the last week he had spent over $2500.00 on eight tickets to two baseball matches. I reasoned that this guy had more money than I, so I stopped bidding around $70.00. The guy won the car for $180.00. This is a car that would normally sell around $65 - $75 in new condition.When you get two testosterone charged males refusing to back away then we have a contest. There is no way that a Zillertalbahn keg car is worth more than $120.00, so any more than this is simply ego. The chances of a similar contest again, are negligible, so trying to cash in is pointless. Every now and then there is a 'contest' with Union Pacific cars and White Pass cars. It seems cyclic, but trying to predict this phenomenon is beyond my capabilities.</blockquote>Well there was another one yesterday with a $400 “buy it now” surprisingly no one “bought it now” or even bid on it, theres another one right now as well, low activity so far also, we’ll see how it goes…
Addendum;Well that Zilleral Keg bar sold for a whoping…$49.00 US, dam! I would have bid on it, but I was no where near a computer at the end of auction. Maybe the fact that it was loose, no box, and had a few scratches (Oh My they took it out of the box? the Horror!) “affected” its value
But I really really wonder now about that $500 dollar Kegger sale, I really wonder if the winning bidder wasnt bidding against the seller himself, or a proxy for the seller jacking up the price. Lot of dirty pool happens on E-bay these days…
Vic,
the seller in question is legitimate. I have had several dealings with Brian and his descriptions and listings are excellent. Even the slightest mark is described. Definately not a case of ‘shill’ bidding. After several years of bidding/watching on eBay I have seen some unbelieveably high and low prices paid for LGB products.The low prices are generally associated with sellers limiting their shipping to the ‘lower 48 states’, negating the rest of the world. The market for LGB, outside of the States, is larger than within the ‘lower 48 states’. Unfortunately it seems that many sellers are not prepared to expose their listing to real competition.
The keg car high price is down to testosterone-charged ego bidding. I have seen it many times. My favourite was the bidder who paid $187.00 USD for the plastic accessory ramp set that came with the 'Wilson Bros.' Caterpillar 2-ton tractor flatcar. This price was just for the little package of plastic ramps and ramp supports. The seller told me that the high-bidder simply got 'carried away with the bidding'.Tim if you’ve delt with the guy before then I guess that wasnt the case. Lucky seller, of course the high bidder could just as easily cheese out on the deal and not pay.
I kinda hope the guy who got this last kegger was the loser on the $500 bidding war, I can almost hear him laughing histericly after bidding closed and he finds he got the same bloody stupid car for only $50 !!! hahahaa!
Tim,
Don’t forget about all the extra shipping/customs paper work the folks that live in the US have to do to ship packages out of the US.
That is one of a couple reasons that I only ship to the US 48 states.
Ken,
I have heard of several sellers who have had ‘problems’ with international sales, but as a seller as well, I do not restrict myself to just my own country. For me, shipping overseas (usually to the States) is little more than showing my driver’s licence and filling out a custom’s declaration (takes all of 30 seconds). The main difference is that, in Australia, our shipping choice is restricted to Australia Post. This requires us to front personally at the post office to ship items. For many Americans, USPS is not an alternative, due having to que at the post office. Americans are spoilt rotten with the domestic pickup/packaging services provided by UPS, FedEx and DHL. However, for us the use of such freight forwarders is horrendously expensive as they not only charge an arm and a leg, but as many Canadians have found out, they treat an international border as an excuse to charge unnecessary custom’s levies as well.
I only use the USPS when I want something broken when it arrives, not honor the insurance that was purchased, then honor it when they hear that you are going to the news media. It’s not a matter of being spoiled it’s a matter that they are great for letters but problematic for packages.
LAO
Hmmm … that’s interesting, for all orders out of the US I request USPS, nothing ever broken so far - except due to faulty factory packaging design! - nothing ever got lost, either. Sheesh I sure wish I could say the same for UPS and FedEx.
As Tim mentioned, shipping by courier to TGWN is a very expensive proposition and UPS is by far the worst.
Larry Otis said:As a (very) frequent user of USPS I would never ever consider anything else. Either shipping to or from the USA.
I only use the USPS when I want something broken when it arrives, not honor the insurance that was purchased, then honor it when they hear that you are going to the news media. It's not a matter of being spoiled it's a matter that they are great for letters but problematic for packages. LAO
In the 20 years I have been using them, I know of only one parcel/packet that has gone missing, which turned up later after a lot of mucking around at US Customs, and NEVER ever had a breakage.
I absolutely refuse to deal with either UPS, FedEx or DHL due to the outrageous handling charges they make for clearing through customs here in OZ.
I’d like to hear more about international shipping experience from and to the US.
I’ve shipped a few packages to Canada. Now I always use USPS because of high customs fees charged by UPS/Fed Ex. USPS has privilege with Canadian Customs… the commercial carriers have to pay for a customs broker.
I sold a Marklin kit to a Canadian buyer. Shipped it UPS so we could track it. But they added a huge Customs Brokerage fee. Live and learn. He refused the package and UPS returned it to me without additional charge. Then, I shipped it to him USPS and he got it OK. He agreed to pay the second shipping and still saved, compared with the excess fee. Good thing we were both reasonable characters about this or it could have turned ugly. But there is no international tracking through USPS and the insurance coverage is almost worthless.
I sent a package via USPS to Germany, registered and insured. Buyer never received it. We tried to trace it through the USPS insurance registered number, a lengthy process. I heard from USPS after several months that German postal service had not/would not respond.
I sent a package via USPS to Hong Kong. Buyer claimed some product damage but the USPS insurance he had paid for would not cover the loss.
So now I sell some things on EBay and ship only to USA and Canada unless someone down under emails and says he’s interested. Then no problems at all, but with knowledge going in that there is no tracking, no insurance and risk is all on buyer.
I have bought several items from Germany. They have been shipped DHL and have always arrived in good time and at reasonable cost without any hassle.
There must be a better way to trade our great trains internationally. Can someone say why it seems so hard to reliably and safely ship model trains out of the USA?
Jim,
I swear by USPS. apart from the items that I know were never sent by the unfortunate conmen who frequent eBay with emphasis on international customers, all but one item has made it to me. This is out of approximately 2,500 items. USPS insurance will not cover any loss, so effectively is a waste of money. It does however, provide some degree of ‘tracking’ when an item arrives on our shores. The one item that did not arrive was a LGB collector ‘beer’ set. The seller sent me a second set by airmail, even though I only had originally paid economy (surface) rate. Not only that but he added a ‘new’ LGB Lowenbrau boxcar as well, complete with original invoice from nearly 20 years previously. I advised the seller that should the set turn up then I would remit a payment for the additional set. Unfortunately, the original collector set never arrived and the seller was many hundreds of dollars out of pocket. The seller was a commodity broker (from memory) and a collector of Marklin products and traded on eBay under the name ‘mikeseurotoys’. Mike was indeed a gentleman.
In summing up, the items that received most damage were in fact shipped by UPS. An eBay seller in Atlanta (trainz) will only ship by UPS. I got sick of the high shipping cost, customs charges (usually not required due the import price being less than $500.00 Aud) and the inevitable damage sustained. Shipping time was also around 14 days, which for a freight forwarder was a ridiculouly long time, considering that USPS could ship an item sent on a Thursday or Friday in L.A. and I would receive it on the following Monday or Tuesday morning at 0830 hours.Jim,
“Can someone say why it seems so hard to reliably and safely ship model trains out of the USA?”
Living in Carlyle, Illinois, USA - it seems to be a very simple process to send something, out of town, out of State or out of Country. I go 11 blocks from my house to the Post Office and they take care of it. Cost is sometimes a factor, but still handled without problems or concerns.
I have shipped things overseas and it does take a while. Shipping to and from Canada, doesn’t seem to be a big deal. Shipments to the troops on the front is about 7 days. Longer, if a big package. I can’t say I’ve never had a claim, but they certainly aren’t many. UPS, FedEx seem to be acceptable and are used quite often. DHL hardly exists in this part of the USA.
I shipped a transformer to New Jersey on Tuesday. Most people around here consider that a foreign country. Sister-in-law lives there and even her Dad calls her the “Wicked Witch of the East”. Anyway, I expect the transformer to be there by the beginning of next week. It was rather heavy. With insurance the cost was right at $16.00.
I shipped a 7/8 scale triple combine down to NZ this Spring…I made a crate out of pink foam wrapped it in duct tape (note correct spelling!) then put on some luan outer cladding then wrapped it with MORE Duct tape…Caost about $50 toship but the sucker WAS 36" long and heavy! Got there safe and sound via the USPS…
I will say this, I live right on a state line, we have our local PO then just right across the river, not even a mile away is the adjoining town’s. The other town’s is a 3 minute walk from the office…and its an older ‘more established’ facility…but their service SUCKS!!! I will not mail anything from there…I have had bills go late even though they were posted with time to spare…When I actually lived over there, mail would get lost and packages would arrive befrigged…So I went back across the River and got a PO BOX! But since then…USPS works for me…
I think, as Bart attested to, the type of service you receive depends on where you live. Here UPS sucks outrageously. Fedex and DHL are ok. I’ve never had a problem with a package shipped USPS, but regular mail to Seattle (286 miles) takes 3 days and to Portland (the same distance) is 5 days. Yet I can send a letter to Florida and have it arrive in 2 days. 
Warren, I’m sure you are right. We’re less than 50 miles from a majpr UPS center and our service is great. So is USPS. Now if we could only get good DSL service, but that’s too much to ask!