EBay madness

[Ruffnut Thorston]

21 hours ago, TinTracks said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/353715577816?hash=item525b1763d8:g:rwMAAOSw2HBg9yHJ

 

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/393622394713?hash=item5ba5b91759:g:LgcAAOSwnzBhYzhV

 

>Snipped
 

Regards, Rich

 

The second one…

 

When is a train set not a train set?

 

Possibly when there is no train in the set?  

[Paul H Vigor]

7 hours ago, MrWolf said:

A friend of mine who is an antique dealer, picked up one of those steampunk lamps as part of a job lot in auction. It cost him £20 and he asked me to have a look at it.

It was one of those modern bricks with three holes in it, to which was attached a motorcycle carburettor complete with its air filter with e bulb holder glued to the top.

The carburettor was for a prewar 250 Villiers engine. I took it off, replaced the drilled out top cover with one from my junk box and sold it on eBay for £85. A nice little earner for us both.

 

I think that Steve still has the brick if anyone is interested?

 

 

Were you wearing your Steampunk goggles and pith helmet when you sold it??

[MrWolf]

Most likely slightly oil stained Levi's and a BSA motorcycles T shirt.

[Paul H Vigor]

28 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

Most likely slightly oil stained Levi's and a BSA motorcycles T shirt.

Coolio! 

[MrWolf]

I'm just grateful that they still fit me after thirty odd years!

[Hal Nail]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/372186907113?hash=item56a81181e9:g:seIAAOSwu6taUVVV

 

For around 3 times the price of the Heljan 50, you can have this admittedly inaccurate looking version, in one of the less popular liveries but the unashamed distinction of buying the 15th most expensive O gauge item!

[SteveyDee68]

25 minutes ago, Hal Nail said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/372186907113?hash=item56a81181e9:g:seIAAOSwu6taUVVV

 

For around 3 times the price of the Heljan 50, you can have this admittedly inaccurate looking version, in one of the less popular liveries but the unashamed distinction of buying the 15th most expensive O gauge item!

 

Check out the seller's name ...

 

Why don't we all send the seller the exact same message ... "You're joking, Karen Ann?!"

 

Nothing more, nothing less...

 

 

[TinTracks]

16 hours ago, Ruffnut Thorston said:

The second one…

 

When is a train set not a train set?

 

Possibly when there is no train in the set?  

He must have twigged that there's no loco or rolling stock because he's sent me a special offer of a £4.50 reduction . Am I tempted? . No not at all.

 

Regards, Rich.

[sandwich station]

11 hours ago, SteveyDee68 said:

 

Check out the seller's name ...

 

Why don't we all send the seller the exact same message ... "You're joking, Karen Ann?!"

 

Nothing more, nothing less...

 

 

 

I would suggest that the price is a mistake, as that seller usually has fair prices to start with.

[Andy WD]

I don't think this one has been mentioned?

Another advocate of 'impressionistic' weathering.... using by the look of it Dulux tester pots

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/403219681250

[tubs01]

Rocket Railways strikes again...

 

Of course if they bothered to flip the loco over they'd see it in was Lima. Oh well, at least all the parts are there. Great value too!

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OO-Gauge-Hornby-EWS-Class-67-Night-Mail-67-001-/115046145324?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

[NickL2008]

14 minutes ago, tubs01 said:

Rocket Railways strikes again...

 

Of course if they bothered to flip the loco over they'd see it in was Lima. Oh well, at least all the parts are there. Great value too!

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OO-Gauge-Hornby-EWS-Class-67-Night-Mail-67-001-/115046145324?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

 

Its not even the Hornby 67, its the original Lima one 

 

Perhaps there motto could be "Rocket railways, our prices are so sky high theyre in orbit!"

 

NL

[SteveyDee68]

1 hour ago, NickL2008 said:

 

Its not even the Hornby 67, its the original Lima one 

 

Perhaps there motto could be "Rocket railways, our prices are so sky high they're in orbit!"

 

NL

 

There is a "rolling advert" at the bottom of their listing...

 

VISIT OUR SHOP AT COALVILLE

 

OVER 1500 ITEMS IN STOCK

 

LET YOUR IMAGINATION RUN WILD ...

 

I feel that the last message is missing some further exposition ... "like our's do with our prices"

 

From a review on their website ... "They are absolutely amazing, friendly, helpful and knowledgeable" [emphasis added] which most here would disagree with, although the reviewer does then inadvertently reveal their own level of expertise by revealing "My 7yr old absolutely loved trying out the different trains on the big display tables." [Again, emphasis added - do you think the reviewer might have been talking about a model railway layout by any chance?!] 

 

Steve S

 

 

[tubs01]

5 hours ago, SteveyDee68 said:

 

There is a "rolling advert" at the bottom of their listing...

 

VISIT OUR SHOP AT COALVILLE

 

OVER 1500 ITEMS IN STOCK

 

LET YOUR IMAGINATION RUN WILD ...

 

I feel that the last message is missing some further exposition ... "like our's do with our prices"

 

From a review on their website ... "They are absolutely amazing, friendly, helpful and knowledgeable" [emphasis added] which most here would disagree with, although the reviewer does then inadvertently reveal their own level of expertise by revealing "My 7yr old absolutely loved trying out the different trains on the big display tables." [Again, emphasis added - do you think the reviewer might have been talking about a model railway layout by any chance?!] 

 

Steve S

 

 

I've been there, the shop is just a load of shelves with stuff on them, usually not placed neatly, with a very bare 6x4 layout that usually has a loco going round at 300 mph, all okay until you get to the desk, just a man with a laptop who then overcharges you. Was happy to see a Hornby Tom Moore 66 in there but then when I realised how they price things I soon realized that it would sit on the shelf for quite a while

[Waverley47708]

Is it time for a new topic Hattons Madness.

 

£140 for a non runner!  Mind you has a very good box right enough.

 

 

https://www.hattons.co.uk/754685/hornby_r2846_po13_clan_class_4_6_2_72000_clan_buchanan_in_br_green_with_early_emblem_pre_owned_s/stockdetail.aspx

Edited October 15, 2021 by Waverley47708

[The Johnster]

Hattons 'pre-owned', and especially pre-owned so-called 'bargains', listings should prove fruitful as a field for a 'madness' thread; many of their items are only a very few beer vouchers below new rrp, and are frequently damaged or non-runners.  Example; 44-117-PO02, Bachmann Great Central Booking Office & Canopy, broken canopy, detached and broken parts, imperfect box, new rrp £46, Hats are knocking this out as a Bargain, their bold, at only £43.  One wonders who is so desparately short of £3 that they would consider buying this item, and what Hats' thinking in pegging the price of this pre-owned damged goods in a rough box is based on, if anything.

 

I don't know, but would guess that they have a formula that they use to decide second hand prices, both paid and asked, but if this is typical it needs rethinking.  I browse the 'bargains' occasionally, but have never been tempted to buy anything from them, usually because it is overpriced and often imperfect, the imperfection being IMHO inadequately recognised in the price.  £43 is extortionate in my view for a 2h £46 new item in perfect condition, never mind a damaged one. 

 

The rrp for the Clan mentioned above is £197, and if reason for it's non-running is a simple fix and there are no other issues, looks like a not unreasonable buy, but one would want to know a) if it 's a simple fix, why haven't Hats simply fixed it, and b) what the prolem is; it is IMHO a bit of a cheek to expect us to take a punt on it at £140.  If repairs or replacement parts come to over £50, and they easily could with postage from Margate, then it is clearly better to buy a new one under warranty, especially if you can get one discounted.  Hats don't do new Hornby so we can't directly compare.

 

But it sounds like madder than a bag of badgers to me!

[The Johnster]

And another one, definitely redolent of bags of badgers. RTR102-PO101, a Samhongsa brass 4575 for £156 BARGAIN (Hats' bold).  Now, Samhogsa brass RTR (handbuilt IRRC) are very desirable items, their detail and running being legendary, but this one is, by Hats' own description a poor runner and will not run in reverse at all.  Now have a closer look; there are no buffers or drawgear, the cylinders are sitting at an angle more reasonable on a 9F, and the balance weights show that the wheels have been removed and put back in the wrong order with the coupling rods upside down.  Clearly, this poor beast has had a difficult life with a previous owner who messed about with it and messed it up.  Again. we are being asked what I would consider an unreasonable price to take a punt on the loco.  At around £100 I might be tempted; the chassis can probably be rebuilt correctly and new motor and gears might well sort out the running problems, but £156 is too salty for me!

[SteveyDee68]

The only "bargains" worthy of the name I have seen from Hattons are their own brand locomotives such as the cute P class 0-6-0 or their Andrew Barclay 0-4-0s, where a chunk has been knocked off the RRP because, let's face it, they have shelves full of old stock!

 

Their "Katie" AB has been discounted for a looooong time (directly after I paid full RRP for it, of course!), I am guessing because that was the least popular of all their AB models.

 

Whenever I look at their second hand prices for items requiring "repair" or "attention", I find myself immediately doing a search on eBay for the same item and invariably find it cheaper in a better condition!

 

Steve S

[Martin S-C]

The mention of "good box" shows you that the advert is aimed at collectors and if its going to sit on a shelf then whether it runs or not is irrelevant. A "proper" collector wouldn't even try to run it anyway, so this is not aimed at people who build and operate model railways.

I have a conspiracy theory that prices are being falsely pushed up because they are aimed at the collector market while the model railway builder and operator market is just left scratching its collective head and thinking what are all these stupid prices about?

And this collector market has arisen due to stupid auctions and BINS on e-Bay and nowhere else.

 

[Northmoor]

4 minutes ago, Martin S-C said:

The mention of "good box" shows you that the advert is aimed at collectors and if its going to sit on a shelf then whether it runs or not is irrelevant. A "proper" collector wouldn't even try to run it anyway, so this is not aimed at people who build and operate model railways.

I have a conspiracy theory that prices are being falsely pushed up because they are aimed at the collector market while the model railway builder and operator market is just left scratching its collective head and thinking what are all these stupid prices about?

And this collector market has arisen due to stupid auctions and BINS on e-Bay and nowhere else.

I think the collector market for model trains is the same one that in the last ten years or so has driven up values of houses (esp. second homes in attractive parts of the country), classic cars/bikes, wine, arts and treasures; there are more.

 

Long-term low interest rates and for a long period, stagnant performance of share markets (not for those who know what they're doing, it's just that most people don't) means a lot of middle-class households have paid off their mortgages and have spare cash.  These are the same generation with index-linked final salary pensions.  Their money loses value sitting in banks so they "invest" it in anything that might bring them a return; it is why much of the FTSE100 is so overvalued, because there is too much money chasing too little real, inherent value. 

[NJC92]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/313712090473?hash=item490ab29d69:g:TN4AAOSw8N9haVqk

Sure these are a tired cliché by now but at least the description states these ex Gresley. 

[Martin S-C]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hornby-R4449-00-GAUGE-Ex-LMS-CORRIDOR-3rd-BRAKE-CLASS-COACH-IN-BR-CRIMSON-CREAM-/115001613773?

How tickled I was to find this. However clicking to enlarge was not a good experience.

[Northmoor]

6 minutes ago, Martin S-C said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hornby-R4449-00-GAUGE-Ex-LMS-CORRIDOR-3rd-BRAKE-CLASS-COACH-IN-BR-CRIMSON-CREAM-/115001613773?

How tickled I was to find this. However clicking to enlarge was not a good experience.

By Jove Missus! It's a Doddidor Brake Third, cheap at half the price!

[Jol Wilkinson]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174979098465?mkevt=1&mkpid=0&emsid=e11021.m43.l1120&mkcid=7&ch=osgood&euid=76e7db6904a94c3b9e9e014360a8cbea&bu=43007734306&ut=RU&exe=99323&ext=234174&osub=-1~1&crd=20211016012842&segname=11021&sojTags=ch%3Dch%2Cbu%3Dbu%2Cut%3Dut%2Cnqt%3Dnqt%2Cnqc%3Dnqc%2Cmdbreftime%3Dmdbreftime%2Ces%3Des%2Cec%3Dec%2Cexe%3Dexe%2Cext%3Dext%2Cexe%3Dexe%2Cext%3Dext%2Cosub%3Dosub%2Ccrd%3Dcrd%2Csegname%3Dsegname%2Cchnl%3Dmkcid

 

About the same price as you would pay Dave at LMS for a pack of five LNWR buffer stops, including postage. You would think the seller would research what an currently available item costs, but then this is eBay with no apparent shortage of misguided buyers.

[ruggedpeak]

10 hours ago, Northmoor said:

I think the collector market for model trains is the same one that in the last ten years or so has driven up values of houses (esp. second homes in attractive parts of the country), classic cars/bikes, wine, arts and treasures; there are more.

 

Long-term low interest rates and for a long period, stagnant performance of share markets (not for those who know what they're doing, it's just that most people don't) means a lot of middle-class households have paid off their mortgages and have spare cash.  These are the same generation with index-linked final salary pensions.  Their money loses value sitting in banks so they "invest" it in anything that might bring them a return; it is why much of the FTSE100 is so overvalued, because there is too much money chasing too little real, inherent value. 

Indeed, that and government pouring large quantities of quantitative easing into the system that simply transfers through into asset prices, be that dubious model trains on Ebay or other things that the middle classes think they can "invest" like wine or Lego. Come the inevitable correction it will be a game of musical chairs as to who is holding genuinely valuable assets and who is holding overpriced tat.