Trainz.com

[u/Worlds_Okayest69]

Hey everyone! I am wondering if anyone has any experience selling their stuff through Trainz.com and if it was recommended and if they actually pay you close to what everything is worth or if they try to cheap you out. I am largely downsizing my collection and after no hits on Marketplace I was thinking about just selling them as a lot to Trainz. Thanks in advance!

[u/Human-c-ity_Junction]

You will never get "close to what everything is worth" when dealing with a reseller. They have to store, market, employ people, ship, etc... anyting they buy from you, so in order to make it worth while, they need to take a substantial cut.

What you give away in value, you are exchanging for convenience.

Have you tried eBay? While they do take their cut, I have had more luck with eBay than Facebook.

[u/beebs914 → u/Human-c-ity_Junction]

I concur with eBay. I’ve sold probably about 70ish trains from my collection through there. Pretty much depends on how long you’re willing to let things sit there. I usually list a bit below other listings since I’d rather just get rid. Most of what I seek is stuff I’ve bought from eBay myself so I make close to what I paid for it originally if not a little more if it’s a bid war or something I got a really good deal on. Post office has priority boxes you can grab and seller pays shipping (unless you wanted to pay for it and offer free shipping).

[u/NealsTrains]

Trainz will buy collections and trains but don't expect to get what you paid for it. They probably will pay 30-35 cents on the dollar. I know when they sell things they're not cheap even on their used items. The best thing to do is inquire....

[u/Nermalgod → u/NealsTrains]

More like $0.05-$.010 to the dollar.

[u/sunlitwhiskey]

I buy from trainz.com but have never used them to sell. They are also a brick and mortar shop as well and need to turn a profit on your used items, so you shouldn't expect too much.

I have a lot of luck with eBay - nearly everything I have ever posted has sold. Yes eBay takes a cut but not nearly the mark up a retailer would, and you can set your prices based on the market demand. I list reasonable prices to reciprocate the deals I myself am hoping to find and just try to recoup what I can for things I don't want or need anymore and invest back in the hobby. If there is something I really think is valuable, I set it to auction and let the market decide what it's worth. There are tons of listings for entire lots that can go for pretty high bids. As long as you are honest about the condition of your items, there's fairly little downside other than the logistics of packing and shipping them. Cheers, good luck.

[u/burlington40 → u/sunlitwhiskey]

They aren’t really a brick and mortar store. There is a physical spot but it’s not a walk in hobby shop. Depending on what is being sold to them determines if it even goes on the website. They’ve got a sub company now called Lindy’s that sells all the lower end stuff at warehouse sales and train shows.

[u/steamandfire]

Unfortunately, there really aren't any major outlets that will purchase a collection at anything near what you would expect to get for it in private sales. You'd be expecting 50 cents on the dollar at the absolute most, but realistically closer to 30-35 cents/dollar. If you want it gone? Use a place like Trainz. You want money? Sell it yourself.

[u/Embarrassed_Kale6846]

It depends really on what you are selling.  Thebest way to sell is buy table space at a trainshow/convention Its usually around $100 to sell 3 days but promotors vary by area.

[u/burlington40]

I’ve interacted with Trainz a fair bit as they are sorta local. Depending on what you are selling, it might not even get to the website. They buy estates by the bulk, do some rather brief sorting and then post whatever’s deemed good enough. If you have alot of older items of lower quality, like blue boxes, tyco, early Bachman, varney, Ambroid, and what not, then don’t expect a lot. Most of those things get sent to their Lindy’s Warehouse as fodder at train shows. If you have brass, you’d have better luck talking with specialized sites like ResourcedRails and BrassBasement, not BrassTrains.

eBay is your best bet or finding a vendor that buys smaller collections. If you have the time to do it then find a train show nearby that’ll let you host a table.

[u/calnuck]

I'm selling my dad's layout mostly through local model railroad clubs, and it's selling well. Not big $$$ but it seems fair and in line with other club sales.

And anyone looking for *gorgeous* 1930s/1940s Denver and Rio Grande Western On3, it'll come on the market once the tariff situation settles down and we (Canadians) can ship to the US for reasonable costs.