01-12-2015, 12:05 AM
I think it depends on the awareness of the seller as well as the item.
This is the pattern I notice- "Cheap" things and "rare/unusual" items are almost always more expensive on Ebay. Clearly valuable and expensive items are almost always cheaper on Ebay.
I also notice that sellers at train shows and swap meets tend to sell based on "what they paid for it" or "what it looks like its worth", while Ebay sellers will tend to price things in a similar range (and the bidders will often bid predictably as well).
You'll probably never get that sound and DCC equipped diesel for a better price at a train show than you will on Ebay. Such a model has an "intuitive" value, and a person selling such a model at a train show may not even bother looking up the prevailing prices even if they are cheaper on Ebay. I found an Intermountain NJT F7 with DCC and Sound for $150 on Ebay, a way better price than I'd ever get with a hobby shop or train show.
That said, many "cheap" items such as freight cars and truck trailers without boxes or identifying marks will almost always be cheaper at a trainshow than on Ebay, since most sellers just want to move these items. Shipping comes into play here as well.
By the same pattern, rare or unusual items tend to be more expensive on Ebay than at trainshows, since ebay sellers are generally savvy enough to know how to search for something. Swap-meet sellers tend to be less savvy and don't always recognize a valuable item if it doesn't clearly look valuable.
For instance, I manged to purchase a completely built and painted IHP Jersey Arrow I EMU for $20. The original kit, minus the pantograph, was already $100 unfinished. The model is also extremely rare, being out of production for over a decade. The pantograph added about $40 to that price, I believe, and could really only be obtained by ordering online. I have found similar details for things like SEPTA and NJ Transit Commuter coaches. Online, they go for insane prices from $50-$70. However, the car's MSRPs were only ever in the $25-$30 price range, and I've picked them up for half that price at shows.
So in the end, I think it depends on what you're looking for. If its new, popular, and expensive, Stick to Ebay. If its a little older, a little less known, check the swap meets.
This is the pattern I notice- "Cheap" things and "rare/unusual" items are almost always more expensive on Ebay. Clearly valuable and expensive items are almost always cheaper on Ebay.
I also notice that sellers at train shows and swap meets tend to sell based on "what they paid for it" or "what it looks like its worth", while Ebay sellers will tend to price things in a similar range (and the bidders will often bid predictably as well).
You'll probably never get that sound and DCC equipped diesel for a better price at a train show than you will on Ebay. Such a model has an "intuitive" value, and a person selling such a model at a train show may not even bother looking up the prevailing prices even if they are cheaper on Ebay. I found an Intermountain NJT F7 with DCC and Sound for $150 on Ebay, a way better price than I'd ever get with a hobby shop or train show.
That said, many "cheap" items such as freight cars and truck trailers without boxes or identifying marks will almost always be cheaper at a trainshow than on Ebay, since most sellers just want to move these items. Shipping comes into play here as well.
By the same pattern, rare or unusual items tend to be more expensive on Ebay than at trainshows, since ebay sellers are generally savvy enough to know how to search for something. Swap-meet sellers tend to be less savvy and don't always recognize a valuable item if it doesn't clearly look valuable.
For instance, I manged to purchase a completely built and painted IHP Jersey Arrow I EMU for $20. The original kit, minus the pantograph, was already $100 unfinished. The model is also extremely rare, being out of production for over a decade. The pantograph added about $40 to that price, I believe, and could really only be obtained by ordering online. I have found similar details for things like SEPTA and NJ Transit Commuter coaches. Online, they go for insane prices from $50-$70. However, the car's MSRPs were only ever in the $25-$30 price range, and I've picked them up for half that price at shows.
So in the end, I think it depends on what you're looking for. If its new, popular, and expensive, Stick to Ebay. If its a little older, a little less known, check the swap meets.
Modeling New Jersey Under the Wire 1978-1979.
![[Image: logosmall.png]](http://i543.photobucket.com/albums/gg445/CAB_IV/Model%20Trains%202013/logosmall.png)