where to go to see what is fair value to sell new engines for

Did you check 'completed auctions' on ebay??? That, to me, is todays value book. It changes all the time and is real world selling prices. If the locos you have are so rare they never show up on ebay it may be worth paying someone to give you a value......like what would be done for insurance.

I usually do check the sold listing but some I can't find on there. ones that I just looked up were a few MTH that retailed at $599.95 and $799.95 and a Gold Weaver that I found a store was selling for around $1,200. it's tough to find a buyer for those high end engines it seems

Ask what you want. A buyer will counteroffer if he wants to pay less.  Other deals aren't your deal. That's how you find the fair price for that moment.

EBay seems to bring better prices than you can get at shows.  The caveat: if you start bidding at what you think the model is worth, you probably will not get any bidders.  When I sell, I start at $1.99 with no reserve, and a promise to refund excess postage.  I always get two -three times what I expect.

 

If you want top dollar, set up a display track and enjoy them while you wait for a purchaser - it may take some time.  That is what I am doing with my live steamer.

You can also Google the product number and manufacturer to find other identical items for sale at LHS, TRAINZ, and elsewhere.

 

Selling trains, or anything else for that matter, depends a lot on presentation.  In this case, that usually means good, quality, attractive photographs; and, a knowledge of the item's history; e.g. are you the original owner; was it in your family; and, so forth.

I tried to google the numbers sometimes but mostly I can find stuff in ebay. some of the stuff is tough to find still or they make you get a membership in order to see what stuff sells for

I don't really feel that comfortable selling a $600 to $1200 engine online either because of shipping and all. even with insurance if someone drops it or the post office damages it, it's a pain to get the money back and takes like a month

But having the eBay sales numbers doesn't help.  They are different (probably higher) than local numbers, and in any case, if you start bidding with that number you are not going to sell.

 

I suppose you could get the eBay sales numbers, then put them here on the buy/sell forum for that price.  Buyers here are pretty savvy - if you overprice, they may not respond.

I often take the ebay selling price and cut it by about 30% or so and put the item on the OGR for sale. It's about what it cost to sell on ebay after selling fees, Paypal fees and the often forgotten percentage ebay takes of your shipping costs. It ads up.

ebay is worldwide so I look at the sales just to get an idea what stuff sells for overall. then I take an average and start it there usually. if it doesn't sell for a certain price you can always lower it or put a best offer. can't hurt to try

If they are mint in the box, knock off 30% of the catalog list price and put for sale on the OGR for sale forum. If no takers there then give the Bay a try at that price.

I'm not sure what the OP's question is.

 

Are you are asking if stuff has appreciated? I have found most stuff I bought ten years ago is worth about 70 cents on the dollar. After the dust settles (fees, etc) that's all I can count on. 

 

I'm sure there are exceptions, but very few.

I follow the OGR Forum Buy/Sell Boards.

The prices of new trains seems to be holding strong and if you can get 10% off of MSRP your probably in the ballpark. Used trains are a different story. From my recent experiences at shows, it seems that the market for used trains has collapsed. I've never seen so many great buys ever before. As for value, its only as good as what someone is willing to pay and what you are willing to take. Trains are a small niche market. IMO, if you get one third of what you paid you are doing very well.

most of the stuff that I know was used is already sold. it was my dads stuff as he passed away late last year due to cancer. the stuff on display and out of the boxes I sold off first. as far as I know most of the things I have now are new except for older stuff that doesn't have a box at all or the original box. I'm working on some of the engines which I'm assuming we're never used since he was mainly a buy and put away type collector. the only used stuff that sells is some pre war cars I have online and a couple of doubles of those I have yet to put up for sale yet.

Hi Darren,

First off, sorry for the loss of your dad and the situation you are in.  It is a stark reminder to me of what my family will be dealing with when I pass.  There have been many good suggestions here.  I think it comes down to how much effort and time you can invest to get optimal returns.  Train stores and auction houses may be interested to take everything off your hands, giving you the least returns but otherwise hassel free.  As others have said, it's only worth what someone will pay, at that point in time.  Supply and demand always adds smoke.  Time of year i.e. Autumn months leading to Christmas would most likely be a better time than spring/summer.  My point is that it is kind of a personal decision, which explains why on the bay you sometimes see some pretty wild price variations for the same engine in the same shape.

 

Best of Luck,

Rich 

thanks for your concern. I appreciate it. yes. in the end I will list things and maybe do a best offer in addition to a starting price. I try to be fair and am open to talking about prices on things I list. we I'll see when I list some stuff soon. thanks again.

Train magazines have been very good to me.  OGR for 3 rail and OST for 2 rail.

 

Consider taking out a small display ad.

 

I triple pad and triple box all engines after covering with soft tissue & stretch wrapping them to a full length board.  Never a claim after 40+ engine shipments.

 

I would only use Post Office for overseas.

 

If I had my dad's PW engines today I would keep them.  As I don't I have been replacing each of them with recent production models of the same item.

I have shipped out about 150 pieces and I had one or two things that someone most likely broke and wanted to complain about from ebay. I've gotten tons of feedback saying that my packing is the best they have seen, so I know it's not me if something is damaged, plus I would never try to sell something if I knew it was messed up. I always made things right if there was an issue but some people just try to get away with stuff. I don't keep anything just because the family doesn't have interest in train stuff really.