Hello from Hertfordshire

[HugoChooChoo]

Hello G Scale enthusiasts. My name is Hugo, I live in Hertfordshire and I have inherited an amazing collection of G Scale trains. True things of beauty! Sadly my family and I don't have space for it all, so I am slowly selling the collection to people who will love and care for these trains, the way they have been cared for already. I have never been on a forum like this but I saw that this site has sections for private sales and Ebay listings, and I hope you guys like what you see.

 

[andyspencer]

Welcome aboard!

 

[maxi-model]

Wellcome to you Hugo. You can always sell them to Andy Max

 

[playmofire]

Welcome from the North Yorkshire coast. May I suggest that you should choose a couple of locos and a few pieces of rolling stock together with track and controller to keep for your own use and entertainment. G Scale items are large compared with N and OO and HO and the new TT scales, but, though it may seem strange ,a 7ft by 6ft space will let you have an enjoyable layout in any of these scales.

 

[pugwash]

Hi @HugoChooChoo and good to see you. Please be aware that there is a limit to the number of listings you can place in the 'for sale' section at any one time so it could take you a while to sell off your collection. I would suggest you also look for a club in your area, members there may be interested too.
Good luck.

 

[Zerogee]

Welcome Hugo - thanks for the introduction post; we're (mostly) a pretty sociable bunch on here, the G Scale hobby is like that, and we like to get to know people who join up! Even if you're only joining in order to sell the collection you've inherited, you can still get a lot of help and advice from the folks on here. Posting links to your eBay listings is fine, but if you want to stick around a for a little while and chat to us all, then you'll also be able to put things up on the "For Sale" threads (as Pugs says above, there are limits to the amount of items the moderators allow to be listed in that section at any one time, but if you're moving the collection over a period of time then that shouldn't be a problem); just be aware that there ARE some simple rules in the For Sale section, they are all listed there - they are pretty common-sense stuff, intended to help smooth transactions between buyers and sellers - but be aware that it is NOT a substitute for eBay and the like - it's really more like a card in a newsagent's window, purely to make the first introduction - from there on it's all done with (hopefully) trust and honesty on both sides.

I don't think anyone here would have any objection if you just gave us a rough idea of what sort of stuff you have in the collection.... is it mostly Swiss outline (like the two locos you've had up on eBay)? Do you also have rolling stock, track, control systems etc?

Best,
Jon.

 

[dunnyrail]

Welcome to the forum, as Z said said above please read the rules for selling on the Forum.

 

[Northsider]

Welcome to the Forum, Hugo. I don't know if you intend to sell everything, or to keep some and build a line of your own? Either way, you'll find help and advice here. A few of us even live in Hertfordshire!

 

[Paul M]

Welcome to the forum. Whereabouts, roughly are you in Hertfordshire, theres a few of us in the rough area

 

[David1226]

Welcome to the forum. Whereabouts, roughly are you in Hertfordshire, theres a few of us in the rough area

I hope for his sake, he lives in the nice area.

David

 

[pugwash]

Good news @HugoChooChoo the limit of ten items at a time on the sales section has been lifted. I still wouldn't list everything at once though.

 

[PhilP]

Good news @HugoChooChoo the limit of ten items at a time on the sales section has been lifted. I still wouldn't list everything at once though.

Also remember we are a relatively small crowd, so you will reach a lot larger audience via EvilBay.
But will have the aggro (and commission) that entails.

PhilP.

 

[dunnyrail]

Also remember we are a relatively small crowd, so you will reach a lot larger audience via EvilBay.
But will have the aggro (and commission) that entails.

PhilP.

Erm for now and a while Ebay selling is free with post paid by the buyer, so no costs available for packaging but I ensure that except for tape I use all recycled packing. Buyer pays post and you can just go to PO (if you have one) and they print the label item gone “just like that”. Though I think it may be different for Commercial sellers?

 

[Zerogee]

Perhaps the most important thing to remember if you do start posting on the "For Sale" section on here, is that unlike evilBay there is no bidding on items, or asking for "offers" - you list what you want to sell (WITH PHOTOS!), and give the price you want for it; if anyone is interested, they can either pay the price you ask or haggle privately with you; basically that's it. Treat the For Sale board as an advert only, there is NO protection for either buyer or seller, it's all done on trust - that's why I suggested spending just a little time on here so folks get to know you a bit before potentially sending large amounts of money off into the aether! As Phil mentioned above, it's a small(ish) group on here, but it does have the advantage that almost everyone who sees it will at least be seriously interested in G scale stuff, even if they are not into exactly what you are selling.

I've moved quite a bit of surplus stuff on here over the years, including several "excess" locos last year (we all buy stuff on spec when we see it, and only later realise we didn't REALLY need it...!), I've been happy with the sales and I hope the buyers have been too; I've also bought quite a bit from other members! I've found that the key to it is to ask for reasonable prices; you're unlikely to get absolute top whack for anything unless it's something REALLY rare and sought after, but if you price things fairly then they will usually sell; if you don't get any response, then it's probably priced too high - it's then up to you whether you drop the price a little, take it down from sale, or hang on and wait - I've had people come back to me weeks or months after I've posted something, long after I've given up on it selling...

In short, if you want things to go to a good home, and you're prepared to accept a sensible price for them, then they will more than likely find a buyer on here!

Jon.

 

[maxi-model]

If you choose to market the items yourself, e.g. here or on a platform like Ebay, you need to factor in the time you will need to manage sales. From my experience of using the latter you need to allow a minimum of 8 hours per 20 items. This covers the work to do good photo shots, writing descriptions, listing, packing and posting calculation, labelling, physically taking to shipper (Royal Mail and others will collect small consignments now) and most importantly communication with buyer. And that is with a slick operation, gained from experience. Like here, when using Ebay you need to create a profile that buyers will trust, hence their buyers' rating system.

If that is too daunting there are specialist auction houses that will manage the whole operation for you, at a price - Premiums charged on the sale price that is achieved, levied on you and the buyer sometimes (that in itself suppressing bid prices). Swings and roundabouts, take your pick. Max