the word "retail" implies you can find it somewhere to buy it at that price. At least that is how i take it.
These cabooses are out of production and out of stock at all major vendor locations in the industry...in my book that makes it a canidate for "what will the market bear". Show me where you can find it for $20... heck... show me where you can find it for $40 or $50...
I am definitley not taking Ryan to task on grammear...just pointing out that these cars have not been available @ retail for some time now and that there are obviously some people out there (not me) who are willing to pay the cost the market sets. Do i agree with fellow model railroaders selling at that price? Yes i do. There are plenty of people on this forum and others that would gladly sell a surplus car they had on the Bay for a quick buck...
I agree... "A fool is born every minute" however who is the buyer foolish if they ultimatley possess something they desire?
i dont know much about the collector market.. but i think it is no different than the NSC cars that obsessive people "must have"... in this case, a LOT more cabooses were produced than those special collector runs and the value has gone up on them. that is what baffles me.....there are thousands of these things floating around... and yet we have only seen five show up online. that tells me no one is willing to part with their's, b/c they dont have a surplus of them.
from how i see it ...whether the value remains high on these cabooses depends on if Atlas (or anyone for that matter) releases another run of nkp cabooses (regardless of type/style/number) that can satisfy the casual (or cannabilistic) appetite the market seems to have at this time for NKP cabooses...if everyone started putting them online... i am sure the value would come down... how much, is anyone's guess...
I for one thought Atlas would have re-released these cars with different road numbers by now...given the release of the walthers 0-8-0 as well as the LL engines (both in NKP)... it may have made sense to time a release then....or at least do it and claim dumb luck...then again...Atlas doesnt call me and ask me what they should release ;D and manufacturers surely do not time releases together... so i will put down the bottle and come back to reality....
in any event, a free market will do what it is designed to do...reward both the seller and buyer
like someone said previously "It's not robbery when the buyer willingly opens their wallet and hands over the dough..."
i do not think it is highway robbery...i think of it as the toll on the highway... ;D
now please don't flame me.
