Model Railway Forum

Buffer Stop wrote: ↑Fri Sep 03, 2021 1:09 pm
I recall seeing a James May programme some years ago where he purchased a Tri-ang train set in an auction. The first thing that he did was to throw away the box, which was in perfect condition. I thought that stupid at the time, and still do. Then again, the man has so much brass at his disposal that something like is clearly of no importance to him.

To be fair, most of us are railway modellers, not collectors, so we buy for ourselves not giving much thought to selling it on at a later date. But having seen so many TV antiques and the like programs where the "expert valuer" says something like "If you only had the original box" etc, I always keep them safe now. Besides,there will almost certainly come a time when we, or our relatives after we pass, need to sell them on.

I keep boxes for a lot of stuff that I buy -- a/v gear, model railways, and so forth. Not only does it make storage easier, when it comes to sell something having the original box definitely adds value, and makes sending stuff more straightforward. Of course, you need space to store boxes. Luckily my garage loft has a bit of space where I can keep the boxes for the stuff that I have and that I want to keep boxes for.

Buffer Stop wrote: ↑Fri Sep 03, 2021 2:31 pm I keep boxes for a lot of stuff that I buy -- a/v gear, model railways, and so forth. Not only does it make storage easier, when it comes to sell something having the original box definitely adds value, and makes sending stuff more straightforward. Of course, you need space to store boxes. Luckily my garage loft has a bit of space where I can keep the boxes for the stuff that I have and that I want to keep boxes for.

I do the same but usually intending to cover the warranty period. Trouble is every time I go into the loft (which isnt often these days) I see retail boxes for stuff I don't even own any more I keep promising myself to have a clear out but.........

Yes, true. I do have a purge every now and then though. Trouble is, with so many boxes, I've found on more than one occasion that I can't find something that I'm looking for.

teedoubleudee wrote: ↑Fri Sep 03, 2021 8:18 am

dtb wrote: ↑Fri Sep 03, 2021 1:02 am

Walkingthedog wrote: ↑Thu Sep 02, 2021 2:52 pm I’ve had some incredible bargains on eBay.

Me too
got a brand new Drummond 700 for 64 quid recently, though I do chuckle sometimes when a seller states 'please see all the pictures as they form part of the description' blah blah blah, only to see 1 pic of a boxed loco with the sleeve still on!!

The reason for including a picture of the box is for the collector market, some of whom are more interested in the state of the retail packackaging than in the contents!

I personally take a lot of time and effort in creating the offer on ebay. Here is a sample of my 100% feedback:

you misunderstood me, I agree a pic of the box is essential, what I said was only including 1 pic of the item in a box then saying the pics form part of the sale, hence no pics of the actual item for sale.

My Ebay feedback, also 100%
As described, prompt despatch and very well packed.

Great ebayer. Thanks again Duncan

great service very pleased

Parcel received-brilliant service-many thanks

Great Ebayer. Fast delivery. Excellent Communication. Recommended.

very pleased thanks dunc, regards, Terence

Quick Delivery! Top Ebayer!

A1

Very fast delivery and excellent service provided throughout.

Excellent, fast delivery thanks *******

Great item super seller item packed well many thanks

Lovely item, many thanks...highly recommended seller 5*

Quick delivery. Many thanks.

Great item, great price. Great ebayer. Excellent communication. 10/10 thank you.

Perfect transaction from start to finish, superb packaging. 5* Thank you

Great ebayer..Highly Recommended. Item arrived today all OK & well packed...Very quick delivery.. Really pleased & Cheers !

Great ebayer, excellent communication, fast delivery, well packed , highly recommend, many thanks, A*****

Excellent items. Excellent E-Bayer. A++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Very nice wagon, many thanks.

Lovely models thank you

Item received, exactly as described, superb thanks

All 4 wagons purchased arrived very well packaged and exactly as described - excellent e-bayer - great comms & service.

Excellent seller

excellent ebayer, item as described.

Good E-Bayer - Recommend

Sorry for misunderstanding.
Great to see more confirmation that there are genuine eBay sellers like ourselves out there.

Describing something on eBay and brand new and unused and in its original packaging, then opening said packaging in order to exhibit it seems a grey area to me. Either it’s brand new and unused, or it’s only new. There is, to me, a subtle difference there, and one that might affect the sale price. You might not have used the said item, but getting it out of its box does suggest a degree of being used, if that makes sense. That said, I suffer with OCD, so my viewpoint probably differs from others here.

Those new bits that I’ve bought on eBay seem to be 100% new, in that there’s no evidence of their boxes having been previously opened. If they have been opened, then I can’t tell. Interestingly, those items that I have bought have only shown one picture, that of the item in its box.

I suppose it comes down to whether or not you mind someone’s greasy fingerprints over something brand new that you’re planning on buying, All bets are off with second hand of course, and I do recognise that buying something new from somewhere other than eBay isn’t a guarantee. I’ve had a couple of bits from Amazon in the past that although supposedly new, were customer returns, and I duly returned them too.

I think its time we got back to the original topic now Chaps.

Yes, sorry for the drift, but there is a degree of relevance, I think, although perhaps tenuous. Like a lot of threads, the original subject often gets subsumed as the thread morphs into something else.

teedoubleudee wrote: ↑Sat Sep 04, 2021 8:25 am Sorry for misunderstanding.
Great to see more confirmation that there are genuine eBay sellers like ourselves out there.

we should start an ebay honest sellers thread TDD

but, yes prices Brian the new Bachmann Deluxe Class 47 is due, it maybe all new tooled but at RRP £369 (£314.46 The Model Centre) is a hefty price imo. Even though it's new tooled that is a massive increase on the last Sound Class 47 for just for engine room lighting, rotating fan and tinted glazing.

I got a Class 117 3 car DMU recently, that set me back £323 and I thought that was over priced for what it is but I did want it to add to my blue era stock. Apart from the DMU I usually wait and keep checking the web for the retailers to shift stock. Purchased a Hornby Rebuilt Merchant Navy last week for £127 from Bure Valley Models. They currently have a Hornby LMS Patriot at £115 and that is down from £130 recently. Basically it's what you want and when you want it or if you can hang on.