So interesting and unravels some of the mystery around auction house sales! It always seems like something that only the initiated really know and get involved with, so thank you for dispelling that myth. I might look into some local auctions now ☺
Exactly how I felt, but once you get in there it's fine. The sales team want you to spend money, so it's in their interest to make you feel welcome and to keep you coming back. We even had free tea and coffee!
I always find that auction buyers are like gamblers. They will happily bore you with the time they bid £50 and won something worth £1000 but somehow never mention the time they bid £1000 for something worth £50.
Exactly this. They also never mention the multitude of times they've bid moderately over the odds for late lots because they just didn't want to go home empty-handed.
I get the urge to buy something, even if the price is rubbish, just to say it wasn't a complete waste of time, especially if you've been there for hours.
Great video with very useful tips, I bid online on a mixed lot few years ago, comprising two 7 coach rakes of BR(SR) Bachmann MK1's (2 in replacement plain boxes), and a rake of SR Green Maunsells all boxed, so I got 14 coaches for about GBP140, I factored in saleroom commission and VAT, the total was about GBP180, however, foolish me, I had not fully researched the overseas postage and packing which came in at about GBP90, so I ended paying AUD470 (Inc conversion fees), so about GBP17 each, which at that time was still a bargain because when I unpacked them all but one (which had a window that had fallen inwards) were mint, the original boxed ones also had unopened detail bags. ...Drew
When you are bidding, and find yourself on the wrong foot moneywise, then call out a higher bid than the auctioneer is asking for which will often unsettle the other bidders. This stood me in good stead when I was an antique dealer.
larger lots can be a cheap way of buying models. You will however have to remember, unless you can attend in person you have to pay postage costs over and above the auction fees. Also, it is always better if you can attend an auction, this allows you the full inspection of any items which you're intending in bid for, this will prevent something arriving in the post that's not quite what you are were expecting. Condition Reports can sometimes be a little over optimistic on the part of the auction house. A bit like the old adage 'deceptively spacious' as used by estate agents.
I took a look into trying buying at auction based on watching the Yorkshire Auctioneer TV program and looked at pass prices for the Yorkshire auction house and for one local to me and found that Ebay was noticeably cheaper for the many train things I was after. All that and Ebay will state the running state of a model instead of the auction house "sold as seen".
I think I'd go nuts at an auction! Instead, living in the South West (Taunton) I watch FB Marketplace for job lots in Wales/Cornwall/Devon and take the odd w/e trip to go pick up effectively one person's entire collection. I then sell on individual pieces of kit around the UK via P&P. It's not hugely profit-making, but I get out & about all over the SW, get to meet lots of great people, and have a lot of stories to tell!
Well done Rob. Ive been getting into the auction scene of late, more as a seller than a buyer. I think buying on ebay is much the same do research and set limits. And like any form of gambling, leave your ego at home. Best regards.
Well you had a day out and an experience. I've sold things at auction and been moderately pleased with the results. However buying would be too much of a risk for me personally.
I went to my very first auction earlier this year. It was a Rails of Sheffield/ Hattons one and there were some stuff which was interesting. I also brought a 9v battery with me to see if any of the locos had drive and such. I did walk away with some good items. A class 08 shunter with 8 sand wagons and a brakevan for £85. However the other item was a real prize. A Kato N Gauge 8 car Eurostar set for £130. The loco does run though later on at home. I did spot a problem with one of its coaches. But ill get it repaired. There was other items aswell which looked interesting to get but i had to be careful due to the auction fees on top so i know i had to be careful on what i have to go for. Ill will keep my eyes peeled on future auctions aswell.
I would love to try doing this. But always too worried to even bother But maybe one day I’ll get onboard, just need to keep on track of it I guess and not go off the rails
Pros and cons. Viewing definitely helps. At least if the seller inaccurately describes something on eBay then you can get eBay involved, also you often get quite a few photos and can ask the seller questions.
What puts me off to auctions is that they load up all the commission on top of the selling price, it skews your maths when your bidding, I think I would be like you and come home with very little. The key as you say is to set a limit and STICK to it!
Easy to get carried away. I think a few things went for too much given the condition of it and the risk that it might not run well or at all. Quite a gamble to drop nearly £200 on a model that's sold as seen with no refunds.
@@LittleWicketRailway I think some people do get carried away and end up paying just a few pounds less than you can buy new, but with an unknown condition. Very similar to Ebay situation. Definitely a place to be wary of your limits, do your research, dont get carried away and be prepared to walk away empty handed, but not bitten!
@@TimberSurf My mental maths isn't quick enough for auctions, so I used to have a spreadsheet with me (either on my phone or printed out) that had bids in likely £5 or £10 increments next to the actual price with premium and VAT added. After a few lots you don't even need to refer to it any more.
Did you set a cumulative maximum total because if you had won several bids early on you might not have sufficient funds for anything else? Always a tricky decision in case you miss out on one you really wanted near the end. The Wrenn loco probably went to a collector rather than a runner.
I have never won a bid on those online train auctions,for a good reason,because of the postage costs & commission,it no longer makes anything a bargain,unless you can attend in person.
I found that the prices with commission at my local auction house ie zero postage were still noticeably more than Ebay with postage but I guess there is the occasional exception..
Out of curiosity, Rob, how much did the Hornby Thomas items go for? It looked like they were in the original 1980s packaging, and since Hornby don't do a Thomas range anymore (since 2018), it's starting to become more collectable.
£55, so £64.90 including fees. Probably a good deal. I didn't check the condition of the Thomas locos to see if they had buffers, steps, etc. Who knows how the Wrenn loco instructions ended up in that lot? Edit: I'm pretty sure it didn't have the 1985 scary clown face on it.
I think Wrenn are a very popular "vintage" brand of model railways. Im not sure why, but they do seem to go for daft money these days. I just think they are "rare", or something. Which is a whole other can of worms that I wont open XD
Wrenn for some reason do get some astronomical prices, a few years back before Hornby released their Brighton Belle Train Pack (and additional coach pack) the Wrenn version (which seemed more HO than OO) was selling in EBay auctions for in access of GBP200 just for the two power cars, I pulled out when it got to GBP100, haven't bothered since I got the Hornby OO release. Recently I have sold a few Wrenn locos on EBay, and what you can get , at least in the Australian market, depends on rarity, e.g. prolific locos but in particular liveries, certain classes like the Standard 2-6-4 tank in reasonable pre-owned played with condition, or genuine mint in box examples, and of course any with original boxes adds value ...Drew
It's because they were quite expensive when new. AFAIK they regularly commanded substantially higher prices than the competition in the late 1970s, which made sense since many of them were substantially diecast. They were very desirable, but sales were low and AFAIK they tended to be less reliable and more dated thanks to their reliance on old Hornby Dublo tooling they retained when spun back out of Hornby Tri-ang. They're kinda the Muscle Cars of OO.
The lot with the POLICE 37 was that £70 for the whole lot? Absolute bargain, I would have paid 4 times that amount for that. That 37 body alone is worth more than that.
So interesting and unravels some of the mystery around auction house sales! It always seems like something that only the initiated really know and get involved with, so thank you for dispelling that myth. I might look into some local auctions now ☺
Exactly how I felt, but once you get in there it's fine. The sales team want you to spend money, so it's in their interest to make you feel welcome and to keep you coming back. We even had free tea and coffee!
Know your limits and stick to them! It is all too easy to get caught up in a bidding war! Some excellent advice in there Rob. Cheers. Andy
I always find that auction buyers are like gamblers. They will happily bore you with the time they bid £50 and won something worth £1000 but somehow never mention the time they bid £1000 for something worth £50.
Exactly this. They also never mention the multitude of times they've bid moderately over the odds for late lots because they just didn't want to go home empty-handed.
I get the urge to buy something, even if the price is rubbish, just to say it wasn't a complete waste of time, especially if you've been there for hours.
Great video with very useful tips, I bid online on a mixed lot few years ago, comprising two 7 coach rakes of BR(SR) Bachmann MK1's (2 in replacement plain boxes), and a rake of SR Green Maunsells all boxed, so I got 14 coaches for about GBP140, I factored in saleroom commission and VAT, the total was about GBP180, however, foolish me, I had not fully researched the overseas postage and packing which came in at about GBP90, so I ended paying AUD470 (Inc conversion fees), so about GBP17 each, which at that time was still a bargain because when I unpacked them all but one (which had a window that had fallen inwards) were mint, the original boxed ones also had unopened detail bags. ...Drew
When you are bidding, and find yourself on the wrong foot moneywise, then call out a higher bid than the auctioneer is asking for which will often unsettle the other bidders. This stood me in good stead when I was an antique dealer.
You're braver than me. The room was like a library, really quiet, there was no way I was going to call out.
That's sneaky. I love it!
larger lots can be a cheap way of buying models. You will however have to remember, unless you can attend in person you have to pay postage costs over and above the auction fees. Also, it is always better if you can attend an auction, this allows you the full inspection of any items which you're intending in bid for, this will prevent something arriving in the post that's not quite what you are were expecting. Condition Reports can sometimes be a little over optimistic on the part of the auction house. A bit like the old adage 'deceptively spacious' as used by estate agents.
I took a look into trying buying at auction based on watching the Yorkshire Auctioneer TV program and looked at pass prices for the Yorkshire auction house and for one local to me and found that Ebay was noticeably cheaper for the many train things I was after.
All that and Ebay will state the running state of a model instead of the auction house "sold as seen".
I think I'd go nuts at an auction!
Instead, living in the South West (Taunton) I watch FB Marketplace for job lots in Wales/Cornwall/Devon and take the odd w/e trip to go pick up effectively one person's entire collection. I then sell on individual pieces of kit around the UK via P&P. It's not hugely profit-making, but I get out & about all over the SW, get to meet lots of great people, and have a lot of stories to tell!
Well done Rob. Ive been getting into the auction scene of late, more as a seller than a buyer. I think buying on ebay is much the same do research and set limits. And like any form of gambling, leave your ego at home. Best regards.
Well you had a day out and an experience. I've sold things at auction and been moderately pleased with the results. However buying would be too much of a risk for me personally.
I went to my very first auction earlier this year. It was a Rails of Sheffield/ Hattons one and there were some stuff which was interesting. I also brought a 9v battery with me to see if any of the locos had drive and such. I did walk away with some good items. A class 08 shunter with 8 sand wagons and a brakevan for £85. However the other item was a real prize. A Kato N Gauge 8 car Eurostar set for £130. The loco does run though later on at home. I did spot a problem with one of its coaches. But ill get it repaired. There was other items aswell which looked interesting to get but i had to be careful due to the auction fees on top so i know i had to be careful on what i have to go for. Ill will keep my eyes peeled on future auctions aswell.
I bet that was a great auction.
I would love to try doing this. But always too worried to even bother
But maybe one day I’ll get onboard, just need to keep on track of it I guess and not go off the rails
The advantage of an auction house as against ebay is the chance to view " in the flesh" if not located too far away.
Pros and cons. Viewing definitely helps. At least if the seller inaccurately describes something on eBay then you can get eBay involved, also you often get quite a few photos and can ask the seller questions.
What puts me off to auctions is that they load up all the commission on top of the selling price, it skews your maths when your bidding, I think I would be like you and come home with very little. The key as you say is to set a limit and STICK to it!
Easy to get carried away. I think a few things went for too much given the condition of it and the risk that it might not run well or at all. Quite a gamble to drop nearly £200 on a model that's sold as seen with no refunds.
@@LittleWicketRailway I think some people do get carried away and end up paying just a few pounds less than you can buy new, but with an unknown condition. Very similar to Ebay situation. Definitely a place to be wary of your limits, do your research, dont get carried away and be prepared to walk away empty handed, but not bitten!
@@TimberSurf My mental maths isn't quick enough for auctions, so I used to have a spreadsheet with me (either on my phone or printed out) that had bids in likely £5 or £10 increments next to the actual price with premium and VAT added. After a few lots you don't even need to refer to it any more.
@@jamfjord Good idea
Did you set a cumulative maximum total because if you had won several bids early on you might not have sufficient funds for anything else? Always a tricky decision in case you miss out on one you really wanted near the end.
The Wrenn loco probably went to a collector rather than a runner.
Like a kid in a sweet shop 😂
Very easy to get carried away.
I have never won a bid on those online train auctions,for a good reason,because of the postage costs & commission,it no longer makes anything a bargain,unless you can attend in person.
Do you have a local auction place? I didn't know about this one until my friend told me about it.
I found that the prices with commission at my local auction house ie zero postage were still noticeably more than Ebay with postage but I guess there is the occasional exception..
Out of curiosity, Rob, how much did the Hornby Thomas items go for?
It looked like they were in the original 1980s packaging, and since Hornby don't do a Thomas range anymore (since 2018), it's starting to become more collectable.
£55, so £64.90 including fees. Probably a good deal. I didn't check the condition of the Thomas locos to see if they had buffers, steps, etc. Who knows how the Wrenn loco instructions ended up in that lot?
Edit: I'm pretty sure it didn't have the 1985 scary clown face on it.
@LittleWicketRailway That's not bad, especially if they were in reasonable condition 👍.
I think Wrenn are a very popular "vintage" brand of model railways. Im not sure why, but they do seem to go for daft money these days. I just think they are "rare", or something. Which is a whole other can of worms that I wont open XD
I couldn't believe it. Smashed the estimate.
Wrenn for some reason do get some astronomical prices, a few years back before Hornby released their Brighton Belle Train Pack (and additional coach pack) the Wrenn version (which seemed more HO than OO) was selling in EBay auctions for in access of GBP200 just for the two power cars, I pulled out when it got to GBP100, haven't bothered since I got the Hornby OO release. Recently I have sold a few Wrenn locos on EBay, and what you can get , at least in the Australian market, depends on rarity, e.g. prolific locos but in particular liveries, certain classes like the Standard 2-6-4 tank in reasonable pre-owned played with condition, or genuine mint in box examples, and of course any with original boxes adds value ...Drew
It's because they were quite expensive when new. AFAIK they regularly commanded substantially higher prices than the competition in the late 1970s, which made sense since many of them were substantially diecast. They were very desirable, but sales were low and AFAIK they tended to be less reliable and more dated thanks to their reliance on old Hornby Dublo tooling they retained when spun back out of Hornby Tri-ang. They're kinda the Muscle Cars of OO.
The lot with the POLICE 37 was that £70 for the whole lot? Absolute bargain, I would have paid 4 times that amount for that. That 37 body alone is worth more than that.
It's definitely a novelty livery and it'd be fun to run it on a layout.
I just spent £350 on 3 auction lots on an online auction. 76 wagons, 15 coaches and 3 locos all in all makes it cheap
Sounds good. Did you collect or get it delivered?
@LittleWicketRailway pending delivery, it's only a fiver and I'm over half the country from them.
@ethmister that's really good.
@LittleWicketRailway I use vectis and we order on stuff that is cool or usable so to me as long as it's not insane value is thier
@@ethmister That's good, I was quoted a minimum of £15 postage for 1 small item when I enquired with Vectis, same quote as their website postage cost.
Bet that £75 internet bid on the DS64s was from Charlie 😂
Yeah, I had a similar thought 🤣
Actually, it wasn’t me!
@@ChadwickModelRailway 🤣
@@ChadwickModelRailway would have you bought them for that price?
Trouble with auctions to win anything you have to bit one bid higher than its worth. Plus the tax and commission.