Crazy Auctions / Prices Thread

[Welshbloke]

Equally oddly, there's someone in the USA listing Kato items on Amazon UK's Marketplace at ridiculous prices. £40 for a double track 248mm truss bridge, for example. The same item from a Japanese seller is £12...

[cteno4]

I've actually contacted a few of these sellers and the other day this chap with the $100 green max accessory set ( currently in stock for $8 at HS), but it's still there, but price is now $99. Others are like 4-5x off so not just a decimal slip. Others are at just over retail. Seems quite odd. I can see when a shop just jacks everything up 3x across the board to see if someone will bite or a few jacked way up if oop/oos (couple of the kato busses here could be like this), but a mix of mostly in stock stuff jacked up varying amounts just seems weird. Like I said I see this every couple of months by various sellers in japan.

 

No biggie just keeps poking my curiosity.

 

Jeff

[Welshbloke]

The danger is that it'll create a new standard price for items, as other sellers jack their prices up not wanting to lose out.

 

I've seen that with camera gear, where one particularly greedy seller managed for force the price of some lenses up by £50+ over a few months. As they listed several, other sellers would see said listings and assume that was the going rate.

[katoftw]

No danger.  This practice has been going on since the dawn of time.  Only out of production models fetch a good price.

[cteno4]

Its just so odd the few items that will get overpriced with these sellers. Not trains you could pass off as being oop, but things that blatantly seem way overpriced and not all that important to spend $100 on for a few strucutre accessory bits or some ground foam!

 

There are some like newhall station just raise their prices up across the board and have quite a bit of harder to find stuff and a slick website so the idea is to make it seem that these are all rarer items and exporting stuff from japan hard and expensive,mbut easy in English off their site, but very expensive (usually 2-3x retail!). It captures those that don't know better and those with plenty of money who want something easy (I think most of their rarer stuff could be had for less thru yahoo.jp, fees included) This I totally get as its a taught business practice in business school. At least it has not seemed to affect other retailers, but not many in the U.S.! Maybe that's why Walters thought they could double the price of the tomytec stuff they are importing?

 

The above with a few off items really high and the rest near retail just seems strange!

 

I wonder if it's a way to avoid ebay relishing fees by having to change price now and then?

 

Jeff

Edited September 7, 2015 by cteno4

[katoftw]

I'm doubtful it has anything to do with fees.  Ebay gives private sellers and shops a lot of free listings.  It is a squid said.  People trying to make a extra buck from the ignorant.

[cteno4]

Just does not figure with the bits jacked up in price though, it's the silliest bits to try that angle with, so it would be more the seller being the ignorant one.

 

Jeff

[katoftw]

Sure it doesn't make sense.  Nor does it need to.  They do what they do.  You do what you do.  You buy elsewhere.

[cteno4]

While you or I may not have an idea, some one else may! It's curiosity as I've seen this several times on ebay with a few odd items of a sellers store being absurdly high, not the ones that would make sense to sell to a newbie or as rare...

 

Jeff

Edited September 7, 2015 by cteno4

[Pauljag900]

I I ve noticed this also,in particular on eBay,I was looking yesterday,not for anything in particular just having a nosey,and I noticed Kato 10-1273 was being sold in certain places for £130,with one place selling for £135,I looked at this in modeltrainplus last week for less than £70,surely anyone with an ounce of sense will just look elsewhere? But I suppose they just prey on the ignorant and desperate,if it were me I d look for an alternative item rather than let them take the p..s! If we all did that and it was left on there shelf they would soon drop there prices. I agree with katoftw,let them do it,and we ll just look elsewhere.

[kvp]

Actually some sellers take the purchase price, add a profit and list it at that. So if a seller got their item at a slightly higher price (like in an europe local hobby shop), then they will be listing at that price + their profit. After a few steps, it can get quite high without anyone realising it. Also the seller is not willing to part with the set at a lower price, so they keep it until someone takes it. I've seen many sets pop up at various sellers who buy up old stock from closed shops.

[JR 500系]

Yap.. Sometimes they just list them there and wait for eons and no one (with some sourcing mind to look elsewhere first before buying) buys them because they are so very expensive.  

 

Then the item is left there to 'rot', until it becomes a rare commodity, like say the Arigato 300 series for example. Then there is a frantic search for a rare set like that and viola it appears and someone will take it even at that kind of pricing since they think it is now super hard to get and might as well just get it now that it is available.

 

That's not me of course, as I don't have that kinda dough to spend... But there are people out there with and will go to these extends when need arises or when the wanting mind takes over the logical mind (happens to me many times)...

[railsquid]

I'd better stock up on Kato/Woodland Scenic turf then :D

[cteno4]

Yeah I can totally understand all this for trains, and it does work as some trains do get scarce and unless you are willing to go onto Yahoo.jp the inflated ebay might be the only place, or unless you search out some retailers that may still have it and will export or use a device. Also works for those that just don't know better on buying Japanese trains.

 

But in these cases these sellers have trains near retail but a few items like the ground foam and a few structures at the 4-10x price!

 

Like squid I'm now hoarding ground foam as an investment! I'll be rich!! Ha ha ha ha ha all the way to the bank he says!

 

Jeff

[bikkuri bahn]

This also happens on ebay auctions for old, presumably antique watches.  Absolute junk (typically not even working and cruddy with scratches and embedded wrist cheese), continuously listed for hundreds of dollars, that in a regular auction may fetch 15~25 usd, to be used as a parts mule perhaps.  Typical practice by a few (well-known) dealers, knowledgeable collectors stay well away.

Edited September 8, 2015 by bikkuri bahn

[Densha]

I merged Jeff's "Why?" thread with this one, to keep all ridiculous Ebay prices at one place.

[railsquid]

The case is MicroAce... but the contents look suspisciously Kato Kokuden-ish: W8 MICROACE クハ103系 8両セット カナリアイエロー　うぐいす色.

[Davo Dentetsu]

As the recipient of many ridiculously cheap unboxed-but-otherwise working perfectly locomotives somewhere in the $10 range of value, it's possible I suppose.

[railsquid]

Yeah, well the description implies it's Microace but I think not. Caveat emptor I s'pose.

 

Not exactly short on unboxed 2nd-hand locos here myself btw ;).

[kvp]

Maybe it could be, that the box contains two of the old 4 car kato 103 sets in a single box. Not the kokuden ones, but the original 10-060 models. (imho the similarly old microace models had a full motor car, with non see through windows)

[railsquid]

You might be right there, would explain the 4-car sets.

[katoftw]

The lack of silver edging around the window frames points me towards Kokudens.

 

The running numbers for the "real" Kato Yellow Kokuden (actually all Kokuden colours) are 103-102, 102-227 and 103-566.  Take note of the running numbers in the auction photos.

Edited October 30, 2015 by katoftw

[kvp]

Actually the running numbers were the same for the 4 car older sets, but the motors were slightly larger and less hidden. (still below the windows tough) The kokudens are a re release of these ancient models, just in a 3 car configuration.

[Welshbloke]

I don't think these are Kokudens for two reasons:

 

One, they're four car sets rather than three car.

 

Two, they don't have KuMoHas, but the later MoHa pairs with KuHas on the ends.

 

I have seen a lone MoHa from the original tooling for sale, it also lacked the chrome/grey windowframes of the prototype (and the current production 103 Series models).

[JR 500系]

Hhmm... And I thought Japanese are very particular with brands and possible lies? I often see in descriptions that the seller will write 'unknown' if he isn't a 100% sure of what it is...