Chrom Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 I have noticed a annoying trend on eBay recently where the seller splits a perfectly good item in two, and attempts to sell the item over two different auctions. I was looking a Class 37 nose end on eBay knowing that Bachmann doesn't sell the item unless it is part of the complete body, (I tried it myself recently). Thinking that another one could possibly surface in the future and I could have a set for spares, I continued to search and noticed a Class 37 body with a missing nose end, Yes you guessed, it is the same seller. At a price of £5 plus £4 postage it isn't cheap. Nor is the body at £15 plus pp. Maybe the seller is trying to increase the price by involving several buyers. However, there is only one bidder for the two pieces, maybe the one with the body bid hasn't noticed a missing nose end so far. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alastairq Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 Should splitting be a problem? It could save someone having to deal with wastage? It's not new.....I recently scrapped [EOL] a small car.....only got 20 quid for it, such is the price of scrap at the moment. Had I stripped it to its essential components, then advertised, I could probably have got more than that for the starter motor alone! If a split item is such a problem, why not contact the seller, see if a deal could be struck for the complete item? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrom Posted November 10, 2016 Author Share Posted November 10, 2016 Isn't a problem for me, I am thinking of the buyer. In your example it makes sense to split into component parts and usually that makes sense. On the hand a loco deliberately split so that one half is useless without the other is completely different. Especially if the buyer is unaware. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny Emily Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 Not new. Ebay was always awash with listings from the same seller that invariably all put together would put back in one piece a locomotive. Chassis here, body there, buffers over here, tender there, wheels here and even a listing for the empty box. Going back even further, I remember seeing much the same in some shops often with secondhand stuff that probably wasn't selling in its whole form. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady_Ava_Hay Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 Isn't a problem for me, I am thinking of the buyer. In your example it makes sense to split into component parts and usually that makes sense. On the hand a loco deliberately split so that one half is useless without the other is completely different. Especially if the buyer is unaware. Auctions only work if there is demand. There is not much point in separating an item if only one piece has any real value. I doubt that this particular seller mentioned will acheive his prices anyway and will be left with the valueless item as a result. Far better to start at 99p for the whole unsplit item and watch the item climb through the roof because people will compete for the yellow end and regard the body as a bonus plus there is the one bidder who actually wants both. I have frequently bundled items together so that the postage charge is justified and the variety of items attracts bidders who may well only want one item but see the value in the others. This is called marketing. At the same time and for this particular exercise I would await a seller who has no idea of the value of the item and you are then bidding on a complete but valueless locomotive that has the yellow end(s) that you desire. If you really don't want the rest of it, a working chassis has a value. Looking for specialist items narrows the field too much and attracts sellers who are trying to ramp things up. There is safety in numbers in this case. That is called supply and demand Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crosland Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 I was looking a Class 37 nose end on eBay knowing that Bachmann doesn't sell the item unless it is part of the complete body, (I tried it myself recently). Thinking that another one could possibly surface in the future and I could have a set for spares, I continued to search and noticed a Class 37 body with a missing nose end, Yes you guessed, it is the same seller. At a price of £5 plus £4 postage it isn't cheap. Nor is the body at £15 plus pp. You want a nose end. You found a seller selling one. What's the problem? You are in danger of cutting off your own nose to spite your face. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrom Posted November 10, 2016 Author Share Posted November 10, 2016 Not yet Andrew, I went down a different route and got a better deal elsewhere. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 Ah, yes, a 'trick' favoured by some dealers in 'antique' locos, who sell loco and tender separately, even though they've clearly been together for donkeys yonks, sometimes citing as justification that Hornby sold things that way in the 1930s. True, Hornby did, but others didn't. No law against it, but how would people react if dealers started to dismantle old clocks, selling the cases separately from the works? People have a living to earn, that I understand, but........ Kevin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted November 18, 2016 Share Posted November 18, 2016 ....This is called marketing..... ....That is called supply and demand The only question remaining is: who are the mugs? Sellers or buyers? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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