Market report - shows, sales, and people.

[Terry]

Here's a thread for show reports and comments on the toy train marketplace.

Here in AZ we are having shows, but the buyers aren't back. Before the pandemic, there would be lines of 50-200 people waiting to get into the show at the opening time. Now there are no lines and the shows are letting people in early to hide the fact.

Sales are terrible. I have 5 tables at this weekend's show and at a show in March, and then I'm done. I will never do 5-10 tables of trains again.

I had 3 tables in Sun City last weekend and sold $89 worth of trains. The tables cost $60, so with the gas and time I lost money. I bought a Hubley cast iron auto for the layout and visited with some people on the west side after the show so the day was OK. But I am thinking I could have went over in the car and saved the effort of taking trains to sell. Just split a table with a friend so I can get in early.

My friend and I host First Saturday parking lot shows. These run from 7-9.30 AM. A grocery store lets us use their lot as long as we're gone by 10 am. There's a restaurant there too. We get 10-15 sellers and about 30-40 tables worth of trains a month. The people who show up to these shows are buyers. There is no charge for buyers or sellers. We are getting people who never sold at a show bringing trains down. These are fun because I put no effort into them, and I'm home by 10.15 in the morning.

I think we're caught in a downward spiral. The buyers don't show up so sellers decide not to do the work of hauling in lots of trains. Then the buyers see the empty tables and think twice about coming out next time.

Most of the AZ shows used to have lots of items that were donated to the clubs for sale. During the pandemic the shows started selling on eBay. Now it's just the junk at the shows. That also hurts. Everyone used to stack up near the club tables in a feeding frenzy. Now there is no reason to even look.

One last point. I'm seeing a lot of HO brass. The market is gone for it. I sold my brass when I bought the house. It's down a lot from what I got 3 years ago. Same thing for the Fine Scale Miniatures kits. I'm seeing tables covered with this stuff. I think the sellers are hoping some unaware modeller will come out and grab them at last decade's prices. This is also hurting because it's the same trains on offer at every show.

[starfire700]

Wow, I had no idea it had gotten that bad. Ebay was already hurting shows, then covid seems to dealt the death blow. I don't think I have been to a show since my last trip to York about 2011.
It does seem that the small Saturday shows that you are hosting is one positive point.
You are right about the downward cycle of big shows, but maybe the smaller ones san save the Train Show.

[Terry]

The big Phoenix  show was today. 120 tables sold. The door was about 380 paid attendees. Prior to the pandemic they'd have 520-550 attendees and 150 tables. Last July they had 400 people. So it's down from the summer heat even with the snowbirds.

This is allowing the club to use a smaller area so might save on the hall rental. It's a giant church activity room.

My friend commented that there was almost no postwar there.  Prewar was even more sparse.

I was thinking that when I went to train meets in the 1970s, the majority of the trains for sale were 20-50 years old.  I don't know the ages of the new trains well enough to say for certain, but today, it's close - about 10-50 years old.

I bought trains to resell. And. . .

I got a 38 loco I  didn't have! - black with strap headlight and correct lettering on both sides. I have one with reversed lettering on one side, but otherwise my black 38s have pedestal headlights. Only $70.

So I had a good day.

[starfire700]

Good to know that there is still some life in train shows.
Not sure if I will ever get to one again, but hope it does continue as shows are the social side of this hobby. The internet has taken that away.

[Terry]

We had 15 sellers this morning at our parking lot sale. A guy showed up with a clean 1915 era AF set in the setbox, and one of the guys bought the set for his collection.

I didn't count the buyers but we had one from Rochester NY.

I guess we're famous.

These parkinbg lot affairs are laid back so there is lots of socializing. I'm amazed at how many people are sharing their trains and projects with their phones.

The Western Div. (TCA in Calif. ) and a TTOS or ex-TTOS group are doing a one day show in Boulder NV in April. Sounds like fun, but too far for a day trip.

The next show here is in two weeks and is the big outdoor show at a RR park with livesteamers. Mostly HO and N scale, but some tinplate The tables sales are increasing, but the interesting (to me) trains are decreasing as more and more new trains crowd out the tinplale.
 

[Terry]

I did an outdoor show at the west side RR park today. This used to be one of the biggest shows in AZ.

My friend and I along with one crazy guy who thinks he can get 1990s auction prices were the only ones with lots of tinplate.

Sales were terrible.

Big crowds, but few buyers. Brian Miller told me an Ohio show last weekend was the same thing.

I bought some stuff to resell on eBay and met a guy with some Marklin who I'll trade a transformer for some caternary masts. I also got to spend a few hours with the guys.  So it was worth it.

A friend said the shoppers act like us.. . .  During set up, we go around and buy anything that we can find that is under-priced enough to resell for a worthwhile profit. So when items don't have a price we ask and then most of the time quickly out it down.

Here's an example, I must have had ten people looking in my dealer cartons of HO and N Flex track. It's four dollars a section. It's 6-8 dollars a section retail so $4 is a killer deal. One man bought 15 sections, everyone else put it down and moved on.

I pay for the next show's tables on the way out. My sales today were about twice what I do at the free and easy parking lot meets. I'm doing fewer tables at the show in the fall.

I've decided that some of the shows like the big club show last month I'll continue to support by getting a bunch of tables and hauling weight. They let us set up Friday afternoon so it's easier.

I didn't specifically count, but again it seems that 75% or more of the trains at teh show were made in the last 25-30 years.

[Terry]

The big summer show was yesterday. They had 120 tables - before the pandemic they would have had 180+

My freinds said they think there were more shoppers, but there was no crush. They do the National Anthem and then throw open the doors. Yesterday there was a line, but no frenzy at the tables.

I covered two tables with AF S gauge and sold maybe 4 or 5 cars. I don't think I sold any Lionel except one cheap postwar loco.

I had a guy offer me 5 dollars for a dark gray 318 loco with bad wheels. I gave the loco to my freind who bought me breakfast last weekend instead. He wants to fix it and run it around his Christmas tree.

I dragged in three boxes of tinplate for parts and restoration. Maybe 30-40 pounds.I sold a 38 loco shell and two doors for a 813 cattle car for $5.

I bought a postwar Lionel Virginian rectifier for $50. I've never had one. I had an HO one decades ago, but not the O guage one. I figured for $50, I could play with it on the layout for a while and then sell it and get my money back.

I did 5 tables. Next time I'll do three tables.

There's a show in two weeks in Prescott. It's about 2 hours north and 4500 feet higher so it's 20 degrees cooler. It used to be a big show, but this year everyone says they won't go because of gas prices. My freind and I have 5 tables between us. I'll take  the Honda and 8 or 10 boxers of trains.