WOW-- N scale Pacific auction

[u18b]

Check out this closed auction.
Milw Rd Pacific
https://www.ebay.com/itm/303515534018

This guy REALLY wanted that steamer-- and so did another guy!

Why don't bidding wars happen on my stuff?

At first I thought this was shill bidding, but the winning bid was the bid increment- which is $5 at that level.   So the winner probably bid even HIGHER.

(My apologies if the winning bidder is here on this board.)

[u18b]

Since the winning bidder bid $30 on the evening of March 30.
And then immediately made only ONE more bid of $321.00......   And NEVER bid again....

I honestly wonder if he MEANT to bid  $32.10

If so..... he's had a headache of a Sunday today.

[peteski]

Not sure what you are saying.
For all we know, the winning bidder could have placed an early bid of $1000 on this item.  Since eBay does the proxy bidding thing, it kept automatically outbidding the person who placed a series of bids trying to outbid the high bidder.  Then that person gave up at their final bid of $316, so the high bidder's proxy bids stopped at the next bit increment of $321 (of some possibly much higher amount they put in on March 20).

[u18b]

For those of you that go back to the old Atlas board.....  It reminds me of one of the last times I highlighted something like this.

There was a Kato F3 shell that was involved in a much smaller bidding war- but a war none the less.

The shell went for something like $60....... and that was when you could buy the same exact painted shell from Kato for $25!

I posted.... Hey everybody.  Look at this!

A day later, a guy on the Atlas board admitted it was him.   
He was embarrassed at what he had done.

[peteski]

Since the winning bidder bid $30 on the evening of March 30.
And then immediately made only ONE more bid of $321.00......   And NEVER bid again....

I honestly wonder if he MEANT to bid  $32.10

If so..... he's had a headache of a Sunday today.

If that is the case, then the winning bidder should have clearly seen that he accidentally bid $321. If he didn't notice that, it is on him.
Some people bid early with a very high amount and do not check in to came back and bid again.  People have various methods of  bidding. I'm a stealthy sniper.

[peteski]

For those of you that go back to the old Atlas board.....  It reminds me of one of the last times I highlighted something like this.

There was a Kato F3 shell that was involved in a much smaller bidding war- but a war none the less.

The shell went for something like $60....... and that was when you could buy the same exact painted shell from Kato for $25!

I posted.... Hey everybody.  Look at this!

A day later, a guy on the Atlas board admitted it was him.   
He was embarrassed at what he had done.

Hey, $hit happens.  We all do something embarrassing at some point in our life. The guy on the Atlas board could have stayed anonymous - nobody forced him to come out and admit it was him.  He made the choice to admit it.

[spookshow]

That's a hella lot to pay for an old 1980's Rivarossi loco that doesn't even run. But maybe that particular paint scheme is rare.

-Mark

[sd45elect2000]

Not rare, I think this may be one of the most produced locomotive in the line. I have 4 of them and they all run like they were designed to.

They are however in demand like much Milwaukee stuff is. These were sometimes sold in sets with the Rivarossi heavyweight passenger cars for the Milwaukee Chippewa Hiawatha. None of the actual Hiawatha's were heavyweight trains although some did carry heavyweight cars from time to time.

Randy

[Doug G.]

The frame has deteriorated too. It's loaded with cracks.

I got a light Chippewa Pacific in perfect condition and six Milwaukee passenger cars for 180 bucks a few years ago.

Doug

[brokemoto]

The frame has deteriorated too. It's loaded with cracks.

I did see a crack or two, from the limited views that he gave.  That, of course, suggests that there are only more. 

I did once acquire a B&O HW set with a USRA heavy Pacific.  The locomotive did not run.  I was not aware, at the time, of the frame rot of the old zirmac frames.  I figured out that the channels for the axles were what was inhibiting the movement of the drivers.  At the time, I did not know that this was actually swelling and one of the symptoms of frame rot. I attributed it to poor quality control.  I filed out the channels, put the thing back together, put it onto the track and it ran.  It ran for a little over one year until it seized.  I picked up the thing and noticed that the frame was loose and wobbly.  I took off the shell to discover that the frame had broken in two places.

After that, I did buy some more RR steam, as that was pretty much all that you could get for average sized steam for some time, until the Kato USRA heavy Mikado appeared.  I had one Pacific chassis turn to powder in my hands.  I had one from an articulated break in four places.


I have been surprised at what those old RR steam engines have fetched, over the years.  I sold a number of them on FeePay, some of which ran well (for what they are), some of which ran poorly, some of which would not run at all.  They always were bid up far beyond what I thought that they were worth.   I have sold Pacifics, Mikados, Berkshires and articulateds.  They all fetched prices higher than opening bid.  Conversely, I have tried to sell some really nice stuff and could not get even opening bid for them.

I am guessing that it does not run due to the swelling of those channels.  I am further guessing that it has that horrid old RR can motor.  That, as well, could be the problem as either it is burned out or it has just stopped working due to age.  I have seen both in those awful RR can  motors.

Still, that is quite a price to pay.  I have not seen one of those CMStP&P sets or locomotives for some time. I used to see several at shows.

[peteski]

Well, if the ending price was a typo, the high bidder might be able to back out of the deal, but even then, the 2nd highest bidder will pay almost as much. Unless the entire auction is nullified - then the loco will likely be relisted.

[Doug G.]

It must be remembered that not all of Rivarossi's frames suffered. I have several that are just fine and have been for many, many years. It's all a matter of the formulation of the various metals involved. Rivarossi did have a poor percentage, however.

It also must be remembered that the problem is not restricted to Rivarossi. Even some recently made zamac frames have been affected as evidenced in threads about it on here and other forums.

Doug

[Mark5]

It must be remembered that not all of Rivarossi's frames suffered. I have several that are just fine and have been for many, many years. It's all a matter of the formulation of the various metals involved. Rivarossi did have a poor percentage, however.

Further to this, if the frame was gonna go bad, it likely would have done so by now. I have a few RR Y6bs that are still just fine (except for those flanges  )

Mark

[Doug G.]

The first two Rivarossi locos I bought were a Santa Fe E8 and Milwaukee Road C-Liner in 1967. The E8 frame developed Zamacitis which I was able to correct over the years but the C-liner has been perfect from the start. Your Y6bs will probably outlive you.

Doug

[Maletrain]

Well, if the ending price was a typo, the high bidder might be able to back out of the deal, but even then, the 2nd highest bidder will pay almost as much. Unless the entire auction is nullified - then the loco will likely be relisted.

And therein lies a problem.  It is POSSIBLE for a seller to shill bid an item to get the price up, and, if he goes too high, to retract that bid and offer the item to the "second highest" bidder as a "second chance" at the highest price that bidder put in.  I have gotten 2 "second chances" over the years, and took them because I was willing to pay what I bid for those items.  But, I do wonder if they were actually retracted shill bids that beat me. 

Because some people who want something may put in what they consider an obviously excessive price and expect to get it for far less, they are vulnerable to schemes like that.