Selling: go single car or batch them?

[OldEastRR]

The recent PS-1 discussion made me go back and look over them and all my stuff and it's time for a sale. What with runner packs, grab bags and other multi packs maybe the scale has gotten to the point people like buying batches instead of single cars? So is it a better idea to lump together cars of merged or the same type car in a single road name? I know it can go either way, but if I can cut down the number of listings I have to make up that'd be good.

[Philip H]

Well, I think it still depends . . . . @Kisatchie often lists large lots of similar or the same car, usually Intermountain kits he's built up.  You might ask him how it goes as a sales approach.  That said I would think lots of 4-8 cars of the same type, even with multiples of the same road number, could do ok, expecially if its a lot of a car type the MTL hasn't done as a runner pack. 

[Maletrain]

I can only speak as a buyer.  I am not interested in buying a bunch of cars that I do not want in order to get one that I do want.  But, I prefer getting a bunch of cars that I do want in one mail order so that the shipping is less.  So, what I am suggesting is that you need to understand the market for what you are intending to sell.  Desireable, not-so-easy-to-find cars probably will sell best as individuals, while "runner" type assemblages of cars with some degree of association will probably sell well as a package.  The less association among the cars in a package, the fewer buyers you probably will have.  So, a group of cars from the same era with the same road name and different numbers will obviously make a good "runner pack".  I might buy that, even if it dupes a number I already have, since I have some trains that do not get switched that could be filled out with the duplicates without having car card issues.  On the other extreme, a package of cars of differrent types, that come from different eras, with different road names and some dupicate reporting marks is likely to attract very few buyers, and those will be looking for a cheap price to fill a beginner's new layout.

So, now my question to you is, "what'cha got in eastern RR, pre-1957 items, particularly B&O?"

[muktown128]

... I am not interested in buying a bunch of cars that I do not want in order to get one that I do want.  But, I prefer getting a bunch of cars that I do want in one mail order so that the shipping is less.  So, what I am suggesting is that you need to understand the market for what you are intending to sell.  Desireable, not-so-easy-to-find cars probably will sell best as individuals, while "runner" type assemblages of cars with some degree of association will probably sell well as a package.  The less association among the cars in a package, the fewer buyers you probably will have.  So, a group of cars from the same era with the same road name and different numbers will obviously make a good "runner pack".  ...  On the other extreme, a package of cars of differrent types, that come from different eras, with different road names and some dupicate reporting marks is likely to attract very few buyers, and those will be looking for a cheap price to fill a beginner's new layout. ...

I agree with the comments above.

Scott

[mu26aeh]

If you go in batches, I would limit them to 4 or less, if same roadname.  Or list them separately, and offer a discount for multiple purchases.  As was already mentioned, I am not interested buying a bunch of cars to get one.  I don't have good luck in selling the excess cars when I've done it before.

[Kisatchie]

When I sell, I sometimes try to get a good selection of roadnames for a given car style. Also, I'll list batches of one roadname but multiple road numbers. I've had some sales of each, with varying success. It seems no one wants my Intermountain assembled kits, and that's even after I've discounted the sales price dramatically. You guys are just waiting until I offer them for FREE, huh? Then you'll swoop in LOL.


Hmm... That's what I'm
planning on doing...

[OldEastRR]

I did this with Rivarossi heavyweights, sold batches of 2 or 3 (all one road name) but passenger stuff will sell like that easily. Wasn't sure about freight. About the "desirable" cars, I have no idea which ones are. I assume certain MTL/Kadee cars. Old Arnold/Rapido tank cars? But yes, I'd make the sets as compatible as possible as to both era and road name (or predecessor road name like PC to CR), not necessarily by type. "Boxcars" would be anything classified as a box car, tanks would be any tanks, etc. Yeah, I see those batches people put on eBay with road names from different eras and all over the country and wonder who would buy those.

[robert3985]

I stopped buying cars randomly, or according to my whims a few years ago.  Since I model a specific prototype, location and time period I was able to find a couple of articles written in the UP Historical Society's Quarterly "The Streamliner" about what percentage of types of cars made up UP trains out of Ogden in one of the years in my ten year time slot.  It also listed the roads the cars belonged to and whether boxcars (by far the most common car making up trains) were 40' or 50' and longer and what percentage each length of car had as far as overall train consist percentage.  Another article had a list of what cargoes were being carried for a specific day, and what cars were in each train on that day on Westbound, Eastbound, Northbound and Southbound trains out of "The Crossroads of the West".

As to getting a car I want in a "runner pack" or set, then selling the remainder...I have no qualms about doing this.  I've acquired quite a few freight and passenger cars I've needed to complete various trains by buying from folks who do this, and I am grateful to them.

I also don't really have an idea what a "desirable" freight car is, since, particularly with MTL there is a large group of collectors out there whose ideas of "desirable" may be completely different than mine is.  I just offer 'em up for sale on eBay, and if they sell, great!  And if they don't, I can trade them in for a good value at my LHS and get something else I want/need.

Truthfully, I will admit that I get a perverse pleasure out of weathering up a "collector" MTL car, and then, having a collector see what I've done.  The reaction is priceless!   

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[Blazeman]

You may be safe batching five or so hoppers (of the same era) since even the Christmas tree layout operator can relate to a "coal train." Might extend that to some of the early piggyback flats with trailers as well. For other car types, maybe batch them by merger combo's...all the lines that became Conrail, the Northern Lines that merged to be BN, ACL/SAL, B&O/C&O/WM, MP/WP/UP. You'd be safe then in so far as era for the more serious buyer.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

You may be safe batching five or so hoppers (of the same era) since even the Christmas tree layout operator can relate to a "coal train." Might extend that to some of the early piggyback flats with trailers as well. For other car types, maybe batch them by merger combo's...all the lines that became Conrail, the Northern Lines that merged to be BN, ACL/SAL, B&O/C&O/WM, MP/WP/UP. You'd be safe then in so far as era for the more serious buyer.

I'd also say modern unit trains like covered hoppers, oil/ethanol tank cars, and ballast cars.

[OldEastRR]

My camera died so I can't post any pix of them, but I'll throw some up on the trading thread once I get a replacement. And it makes sense to first try to sell like, 5 89' flats all of the same road in a bunch. I think the takeaway is trying the batch sales first, and if some don't go, break those up to sell singly.
I had a period there when I got 3 exact same cars, weathered them variously, then put Unimates to couple them together with MTLs on the end. Like what guys do with coal or ore cars, except I used box and grain hopper cars. Then the entire unit is moved and treated as one car and load.
Way back in the early 70's I made a mini unit train of PFE reefers, 8 mechs and 2 ice. Weathered in various degrees, and ran them as a block at my railroad club. This was before  people jn N modeled unit trains other than coal drags, and I got quite a few compliments on it. I even bought some castings and made one of the reefers with open hatches and brass wire for braces. Stick a SF yellow and blue loco on it and away you go.