I have an old Lionel set that I was going to put up on eBay. My question is whether to include the transformers. I have 2 and they would greatly add to the weight of the shipping. Do the transformers have any value, or should I just sell the tracks and train?
well, to someone who owns nothing and is looking for a complete set, the transformers would be invaluable. to someone just collecting the trains, they probably wouldn't care... question is...do you have a use for the transformers without the trains and track?
i'm sure it wouldn't add that much to the cost of shipping.
UPS has a cost & time estimator online... and as an example... to ship 5lbs from Buffalo to Los Angles by ground to a commercial address
- the cost is $11.38... it's a few bucks more for residential.
This is a great tool to see if an Ebay seller is making $$$ of the shipping. ;)
IMO... if you want to get the most money - it's sometimes better to sell the items separately (especially vintage stuff) unless you have a full set all in the orginal box(es). A lot of the time collectors are not looking for a set, they are looking for those pieces that will fill the set they already have part of, and as such are not apt to bid as high on a whole set just to get 1 piece, but will pay more for example that one car that fit's their collection. In fact, if you have the original (vinatge) box of some collectibles, someone may pay more for just that, than what was in it. Reason being is that most people threw the boxes out so there aren't many left. Actually this holds true for instructions & hang tags for some collectibles as well.
Anyhow, I think you're more likely to find buyers that want the engines/cars than the transformers... a quick search of Ebay is showing some Lionel transfomers up for bid so there are buyers for them as well. I would at least sell the transformers separate, and if a buyer wants those too they can bid on those as well... in fact make a note in your description that you're also selling the transformers. I think this way you'll maximize the bids.
On Sat, 16 Feb 2008 23:01:46 -0800 (PST), I said, "Pick a card, any card" and stealthboogie instead replied:
The easy answer is to quote the postage both with and without the transformers and leave it up to the winner. They pay the freight anyway so let them decide. If there are bids, that may be too late but they can still decide after they win.
If the transformer was part of a set as cataloged, then the set would be incomplete without the correct transformer, so the transformer shuld be included with the set. Otherwise most, but not all, set sized transformers have little value as they are common. Higher wattage transformers, usually purchased seperately, are not as common and would demand a higher price, and would be easier to sell seperately. I hope this helps. H.
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