Buying Model Trains on eBay

Introduction

For the past fourteen years I have bought and sold model trains on eBay as a hobby. I go to a lot of effort to accurately describe the items I sell and to take clear photos. What occurs frequently is that someone buys my item and is unhappy, but doesn't contact and ask for some type of fix to the issues. They leave positive feedback but with negative comments. As the seller, it is not my responsibility to chase after each buyer and ask them if they are satisfied; it is the buyer's responsibility to contact me and ask to alter the terms of the transaction. I have had a handful of buyers do this and I have done this when I have been a buyer.

Since everything involves around bidding, I will look at what you should do before bidding, during bidding, and after bidding. All of this sounds like a lot to think about and do, but you need to be an informed and wise shopper.

Before Bidding

Figure out what you want. Do you want something new in the box? Can it be lightly used, or do you only want the item for parts? Decide from the beginning so you only focus on items that are what you want.
Don't be fooled by pricing. Mass produced products often never sell for the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP). You can find this price by going to the manufacturer's website. You may find the MSRP is $225.00 but it is being sold at $169.00 by most stores and websites. Another way to discover this is to look for listings of the item on the internet and you will see "MSRP $225.00, Our Price $169.00." Following this is usually something like, "Lowest Price Guaranteed." The reason it is guaranteed is that this is the price everyone is selling the item for. I see this occuring with model trains and also with guitars. The best strategy, especially on items that are at the higher range of your budget, is to find the common selling price first and then decide how much you are willing to pay.
Used items. Buying something currently being manufacturered that is shrink wrapped is different from buying something used and/or is no longer being made, and may be in questionable condition. What makes buying used model train items on ebay difficult is the lack of information the seller gives you. This is where the whole transaction can go wrong. Often a seller claims no knowledge of the item and cannot vouch for its condition. The photos are blurry and don't show any detail. The actual text description is not there. In this case, you are on your own. If you want something new, don't buy this item. From my experience, I automatically assume an item listed in this manner does not work and is in poor condition. I have found exceptions. The seller may not know anything about the item but have clear pictures that show it to be in great condition.
Most locomotives have wires connected to an electrical pickup at the wheels and connecting to the motor. Often these wires break where they are soldered onto the pickup or the motor. Because the wire is now unattached, the engine won't run. A quick soldering will fix the problem.

Athearn locos have been made in four ways over the decades: 1) Hi F drive in which the axles have a drum on them on which a rubber band is looped with the other end of the rubber band slipping onto a steel rod on the chassis. 2) gear towers on the trucks connecting to the motor. 3) gear tower with flywheels. The flywheels keep the motor turning once the power is shut off and makes the operation of the loco smoother. These flywheels are gray. 4) gear tower/flywheels with brass flywheels, an improved motor, and axle bearings between the wheel and gear houseing instead of on the outside of the wheel as in the three earlier models. Versions three and four run great, but I was never a fan of the Hi F drive. I have seen old beat up Hi F drive versions on ebay selling for almost twice as much as version 4 items.

Athearn locos don't have wires for power routing, they use a contact method where power is transferred through on part contacting the other. There is a steel bar on top of the motor which connects to one motor power lead and this bar touches each truck. People think this system is not reliable and attempt to solder a wire in place of the bar.

On Athearn loco auctions always make sure that the body is removed and you see a picture of the chassis, or at least a clear picture of the bottom of the engine. Just by looking at the wheels to see which bearings it has will clue you into the version of the engine. Also look to see if you can see the flywheels between the gas tank and the trucks. If a pic shows the chassis, look to see if someone has attempted to solder a wire from the motor to the trucks. People get the idea that the bar is not sufficient and they try to fix it. Problem is since the truck pivots any wire soldered on will be flexing and will break. Also the contact on the truck is steel not brass so a successful soldering has to have high heat. I have purchased engines where this wire has been installed and usually the soldering joints are cold (they look gray instead of silver). I decided I wouldn't buy any more where this has been attempted because it just leaves the engine good for nothing but parts. since the chassis is diecast, it can't be soldered as the heat from the gun causes the metal to break apart.
Use the Watch List feature. Use this feature to store all of the auctions you are interested in. You can store similar listings and watch them all at one time. Listings can be added and removed easily. Don't bid small amounts on auctions in order to form a collection. Don't commit any money to something you are not sure you want, as the winner may default, and you will be stuck paying for it.
Look for similar listings. I have seen bidders bid up the price of one listing while there are three or four other listings for the exact same item not being bid on. Sometimes the other auctions are Fixed Price listings and are less than the bid amount of the first listing. Being aware of this as it could save you a lot of frustration. Use the Watch List.
Your standards for locomotive performance. Maybe you don't have any standards but you should. Poorly running engines take away all the fun and turn the experience of running trains into frustration and stress. I decided I only wanted engines that ran fantastic and those I had that didn't, I sold. If you've had experience with model trains by running them and working on them, you are better able to make choices right for you when bidding and buying items. All model trains are not of the same quality and prices on eBay may not be a clue to helping you find better items. I go to Google and type in the name of the product and see if any bulletin board discussions exist. Often these provide insight into the quality of current models. You could also ask at a local model train club or hobby store. But if you are on your own, buy something that is currently being made, not used. I suggest you only consider these manufacturers: Athearn, Atlas, Kato, MTH, Walthers, Paragon/BMI. Bachmann Premier can also be included but I have had mixed results with this brand. Some models run great while others have all sorts of issues.
Shop by manufacturer. See my comments above in the "Your standards for locomotive performance." The most important consideration when buying trains is the manufacturer. While the quality of most HO trains has risen in the past 5-10 years, I still only buy products from a few manufacturers that I know have good running products. Another issue is that manufacturers often have a high priced line and a lower priced line of products. You will need to research to find the differences in the two.
Ask questions. Every listing has a link on it so you can ask the seller questions about the item(s). Do this early in the listing period so the seller can give you an answer before the listing ends.

During Bidding

Set up email folders. Create a folder in your email for every listing you bid on. Put all email concerning the listing in this folder, including any questions you send to the seller. Keep these folders until both you and the seller have left feedback for each other.
How much should you pay for an item. This depends on how much it is worth to you. Don't bid more than you want to pay for it. You should decide your limit before the listing enters its closing minutes. It is also best to bid your limit and not watch the listing end as you could get caught up in a bid war and end up paying more than you wanted.
Last minute bid wars. These are exciting to watch! The listing is in the last few seconds and bids appear out of nowhere. The price increases. There is a great possbility someone will pay more than the item is worth. You can see the obvious trap if you are one of the bidders: you will be asking yourself, "can I bid just $1 more and win the auction?"
If you really want an item. If you really want an item and there is no Buy-It-Now feature activated or it is not a Fixed Price listing, then you have a couple of options. But before you decide on an option, check for similar listings. You may find a Buy-It-Now at or near the bid price or you may find an item in better condition.
First is to watch the auction end and enter into a bid war. If you do enter the bid war, do it in the last few seconds of auction and put in a high bid. Note that someone else may be doing the same thing, but most times buyers bid only small increments. eBay does not recommend bidding in the last few seconds, but you know others probably will and if you want to keep the high bid, you may have to also.

Second is to put in one very large bid. Your strategy is to always have the high bid. A problem can occur when an other buyer tries the same thing. Let's say there is a $150 engine you must have, so you bid $400. If the auction price was $130 when you bid, it now goes to $131. This means the next bid has to be at least $132 but that bidder will not be high bidder. Someone tries to get sneaky and does what you did by entering $200. The price jumps $201 and you're still winning. This strategy can backfire on you, but remember if you end up overpaying for the item, that you bid that amount, so don't find an excuse not to pay the seller.
Study other bids. You may not have any competition in bidding or you may find that one bidder is putting in numerous bids. Or there may be several bidders. In my experience, the member who puts in the first bid usually doesn't end up bidding towards the end because the price has increased. Compare the day and time of the end of the auction with the day and time the bids are made. I have found that certain bidders are only watching during business hours and when an auction ends at 11 pm they won't be present to attempt to capture the bid. Then there is that surprise bid that comes in the last few seconds that you don't expect.
Be willing to let go of a listing. You have to be willing to let the auction end and you not win it. Otherwise, you may drive the price higher than you really wanted.
Retracting your bid. So you have bid on something and a few hours later you change your mind. eBay allows you to retract your bid but this affects your feedback. A message shows up on your feedback page. What this means to sellers is that you may not be a reliable bidder. Most of the time, I just let the auction run its course and I get outbid. But there are times when I get stressed because I bid on something and it is then that I retract my bid. eBay recommends that you contact the seller and have them cancel your bid. I have done this twice and the seller tells me to do it myself. Why would the seller want to lower the price of the listing? Maybe the seller doesn't know how to do this or won't be bothered, or she/he might be thinking that more bids will come in and continue to raise the price.

After Winning the Item

Promptly pay for what you win. If you bought something and did not read the auction or bid too high, that is not the seller's problem, it is yours for not paying attention to what you are doing. I sometimes write to the seller and beg for a reduced shipping cost and sometimes get it. If I won several items I wait for a combined shipping invoice. I always try to pay within 24 hours of the end of the listing or the receiving of the invoice. After all, when my listings end and someone has bought items, I want my money.
Encountering problems. If you have a problem with the item, contact the seller and tell him/her what the problem is, why the problem violates the auction and what you as a buyer want the seller to do. If you don't get a response or the seller says nothing will be done you can open a dispute with eBay. Do something and do it as soon as you find there is a problem. Print out a or save a copy of the listing, keep all emails relating to the sale, and anything else that supports your case. Even the package the item(s) came in. When you open the package, don't destroy the addresses or the amount of postage.
Damaged items. You open the package and find the item is damaged. You must first determine if the cause was the Postal Service or that the seller didn't pack the item well enough to endure shipping. Most of the problems I have had have been due to poor packing, not the Postal Service.
Filing insurance claims. You opted to have the seller pay for USPS insurance and your item does not arrive or the package is crushed. Arrival time: if it was sent "Standard Shipping" which is parcel post, depending on your distance from the seller and the size of the item, waiting 30 days is not unrealistic. Here is a link to the USPS site index page: USPS.com Site Index. Check out their page on filing insurance claims Info on USPS filing insurance claims. This will answer your questions about how to handle lost or damaged items. I try not to buy from sellers who post in their auction, "Not responsible for item once it is in the mail." As a seller myself, it is my responsibility to see that the buyer gets the item and I do what I have to make sure that happens. The seller has no power to go and get a package once it is in the mail, but that doesn't mean his/her involvement in the transaction should end.
Decide what you want. I once received an email from a buyer who was not happy with the item. I wrote back and asked him what he wanted me to do about the situation and he wrote back and said he hadn't thought about it. He did not write back again. The moral is: don't whine. Know what you want to do before you contact the seller. If you are not happy and you don't want the seller to do anything, don't voice your discontent to him/her.
Leaving feedback. As a buyer, you should not leave feedback until you get the item and are satisfied with the transaction. Once you leave feedback, you signal the seller that you have received the item and the transaction has ended. When I sell items, I don't leave feedback until the buyer does. If I don't do this, I find that I leave a lot of feedback and don't get any in return. Sometimes the buyer doesn't leave me feedback. If you had a bad transaction, wait until all dispute resolutions are over and then leave feedback. I have had transactions start out bad but end up good because the seller and I worked through the issues I had.
Time limits exist for leaving feedback. Leaving feedback is not required, but if the transaction went well it is an insult to the seller not to post a positive feedback telling others that this is the case.

Never call the seller names as this only looks bad on you. You have very limited space so only state facts.

Bad: "seller was sloppy in packing item and caused it to shatter."

Good: "poor packing, item shattered, no followup from seller."

You want to tell potential buyers what happened to you during the transaction. They do not need to know your opinion of the seller.

Conclusion

Buying model trains on eBay is fun and interesting, but you as a buyer need to be alert to the specific details of a listing and know what to expect of yourself.