Who here regularly goes to train shows? I went to one this past weekend which is held every month (except July) at the Dupage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL.
I always like going to the shows to get new ideas for my layout, and I can see so much more there than at my LHS just because of the sheer size of these things.
I like going to try and find deals too. Usually with freight cars I can get them between $10 - $15 below the hobby shop price at the shows, which saves me a bit and lets me get things I normally wouldn't get.
I have found that there are two types of sellers at the train shows, those who are willing to make a deal and those who are not. I always try and ask for a discount or try and "bundle" if I can to get a better price. Sometimes this works well, other times I get a few bucks off, then sometimes I don't have any luck.
This past weekend at the show there was a seller there who I tried to bargain with and he wasn't having any of it. He said he drove for 4 hours to get to the show! Considering that the show makes you set up between 7 and 9 AM for that day, he either stayed in a hotel overnight or woke up at 3 AM to drive to the show. I ended up getting a Walthers autorack from him for $25 which had an original price of $45 on the box.
Once in a while you get really lucky at the shows. I once bought from someone who owned a hobby shop and was basically dumping his excess stock at the show. I ended up getting a few Walthers wood chip cars that retail for $20 each for $5 each, which was a great find!
Anyone else go to train shows? What was the best thing you ever found there? What was the best bargain you ever got?
I always like going to the shows to get new ideas for my layout, and I can see so much more there than at my LHS just because of the sheer size of these things.
I like going to try and find deals too. Usually with freight cars I can get them between $10 - $15 below the hobby shop price at the shows, which saves me a bit and lets me get things I normally wouldn't get.
I have found that there are two types of sellers at the train shows, those who are willing to make a deal and those who are not. I always try and ask for a discount or try and "bundle" if I can to get a better price. Sometimes this works well, other times I get a few bucks off, then sometimes I don't have any luck.
This past weekend at the show there was a seller there who I tried to bargain with and he wasn't having any of it. He said he drove for 4 hours to get to the show! Considering that the show makes you set up between 7 and 9 AM for that day, he either stayed in a hotel overnight or woke up at 3 AM to drive to the show. I ended up getting a Walthers autorack from him for $25 which had an original price of $45 on the box.
Once in a while you get really lucky at the shows. I once bought from someone who owned a hobby shop and was basically dumping his excess stock at the show. I ended up getting a few Walthers wood chip cars that retail for $20 each for $5 each, which was a great find!
Anyone else go to train shows? What was the best thing you ever found there? What was the best bargain you ever got?