Need opinions about an auction

[RockGp40]

As much as I love the bankruptcy blue of the Rock Island RR, is this guy crazy for asking this price?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120648155320&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

$118 dollars for a little bit of styrene and paint seem to be the only modifications made.

The handrails are incomplete, its not numbered like the prototype, rapidos, no DCC, old Kato tooling.

[Mark5]

Grade = I for INCOMPLETE
Price = R for RIDICULOUS

[wm3798]

With only three hours and change left, there are no bids on the item.  If the seller is wise, he'll re-list at a more realistic (as in much lower) price.

I assume the Rock rostered such a beastie as this?

[CBQ Fan]

I would pay extra for the rapido couplers myself!!!

[Subwayaz]

He's probably going off the pricing that the SP & CSX Kato GP 35's have been priced at.  And I wouldn't buy one of those either at that price. And I'm an SP fan.
Relist at a reasonable price would be the best bet

[RockGp40]

I know they harvested SW1s for their yard slugs, but I am not 100% sure what was gutted for the road slugs. I will look tomorrow in my Rock Bible.

[Pete Steinmetz]

Very high prices.  Inaccurate descriptions on multiple auctions.  Wrong categories for others.  Not a very good seller.

I would not buy from them.

Pete S

[FloridaBoy]

Hey guys,

I think it is a very fair price!!!!!.....and I have a 28" waistline....hahahahaha

Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

[cv_acr]

Looking at the model photo you can still see alignment holes in the walkway for the cab and battery boxes. And the railing just ends there where the cab was. Totally not a spectacular job of finishing it up.

[RockGp40]

Alright, now I am certainly glad I didn't bid on this auction. The Rock harvested U25b locos for their road slugs. The RS1 this guy used is a complete foob.

[Hyperion]

FWIW, I've bought from the seller in question many, many times over the past decade or so.  I've had nothing but great service from him.  I'm fairly certain that he's not in the business of making these 'custom' units himself, as I've never noticed any regularity with their appearance, he likely just had a customer offer them up on consignment and he's just throwing 'em up on the 'bay at the price the customer specified.

[FloridaBoy]

Even though you may have a good conscientious well intended seller, he may not know a lot about model railroading or N scale.  Perhaps the source told him it was a total kitbash, with a lot of hours devoted to the final product, albeit a lousy job, it probably took some work.

So he put a value on the rarity, the extra cost of the resin aftermarket on top of the loco price and factored in the labor and came up with what he felt was a good price.

Even worse than this, there is a seller who has put up a Sekisuki Hudson in SRR colors so far twice at $299.00.  Even once when I was guffawing about it when looking at it, it was listed right next to an identical unit which was almost expired for $40, plus this jamoke didn't say if it worked.  Even if it did, my experience with this particular model is that it won't work for long. 

The worst one I ever saw was a Lima PRR N scale passenger coach, worth then about $5, listed for $1500.  And it sold, and when people on the bay questioned him via email including me, he replied that it was his money and he could do with it what he wanted. 

It takes all kinds to make this world go around.

At least for now, I am thankful I have my head on straight.

Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

[RockGp40]

Its relisted at $98 now.

[davefoxx]

Its relisted at $98 now.

Oh, that's a much better price for a locomotive that's been ruined by incomplete customization.  :  By the way, how do you get away with offering a guarantee for being "factory new" when it's been customized?

[FloridaBoy]

Not even $15.

Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman