Life Like VM Wabash 40' gondola w load WMWKD

This is a Life Like Wabash 40' gondola with gravel load that would be a great addition to your layout. The car is made from the molds that Life Like got from Varney when they went out of business. The car is used and in very good working condition. Wearing road number #WAB 7226. It is good quality. The car comes equipped with installed Kadee couplers, metal wheelsets and is nicely weighted for better track adhesion, see pictures.

If you use buy it now, I will pay the shipping to US & Canada. Overseas there is a BIN discount on shipping. If you win via auction, buyer pays $4.50 for Mail delivery (US and Canada), actual overseas. I will also gladly combine auction wins to save on shipping (the second item ships for $2.00 and each additional item being $1.00 more). Please check out my other auctions for more quality 'HO' scale items.

Background info-

Who am I:

I am a retired person who likes to tinker with HO trains. For several years now I have been buying and refurbishing HO trains items. Then reselling them on e-bay. I do not consider myself as a store. To me it is more like a flea market, when I have stuff, it is on ebay. But I'm not in it for the business aspects, more the enjoyment of working with the trains.

Common Item traits

Unless otherwise noted, my stuff is HO scale. I thought that being in the HO subcategory would be enough, but from the many questions I get about scale I need to make the statement. Unless otherwise stated, the items are used. Generally in my opinion, “used” only has three conditions. Very good -this means the item functions as intended and has no visible damage. Good- This means the item functions as intended, but there is some damage. The Damage is usually minor, but obvious. Missing steps, ladders paint scratches, missing details, like handrails, etc. A loco the runs well with a corner or two off the shell would still be classified as good. Anything else is for parts or restoration.

Where possible the following is true:

Engines have been tuned up to run well. Because they are used how long they will run is uncertain. Each engine has passed the run test twice, during refurbishment and just before shipment. Time and corrosion can impact performance and many engines have some retuning before they go in the box.

Couplers are replaced with the appropriate KD model.

Cars, that can be, are weighted to near the NMRA recommended level. When the item has been glued together, then weighting usually would cause more damage than it is worth.

All plastic car wheels are replaced with modern metal wheelsets. Today, these are metal wheels with non metal axels. However, they may be metal axels as well, depending on the source. I find metal wheels to be more durable and have fewer derailments.

Because most of the items are used and the original boxes are not available, generally I do not include the original box in the auction. There are exceptions and these are clearly marked and I am always disgusted with myself for a clear KISS violation.

Shipping Policy:

As indicated earlier, this is me from production to shipping. Shipping is critical and each package takes 20-30 minutes to pack securely and address. I ship only via USPS. In most cases it will be first class domestic or international. I have discovered that the shipping to Canada is close to the US in cost, so for the normal small lots Canada shipping is the base domestic cost listed in the auction.

The cost of shipping that I charge is a flat fee for each item. In an auction environment, I feel that all domestic bidders should have the same shipping cost, that way there is no location advantage. Sorry, the international realities of distance do not allow a fixed rate for international shipping other than Canada.

The price is set by the item size and weight plus the cost of the shipping materials plus a token amount for handling. Generally I use mailing boxes with large bubble wrap and peanuts to pack tightly and securely. The original box is usually a very bad shipping container. So usually items coming in their original box are actually coming with their original box, but separate in another box.

I do not get tracking numbers. Generally they are an extra cost. One can argue that tracking numbers come with priority mail, but priority mail is twice the cost of first class. As it is the cost of shipping can easily be 70% of the value of the item. That level is bad enough without piling on extra fees and costs. In keeping the costs low, a certain amount of trust is required.

I do not offer insurance. This means you do not pay for insurance. Insurance adds another 40% to the cost for an amount that is likely not worth the hassle. If the total cost of the items gets large, then I may pay to insure the item. It is “may” because I do have senior moments and I may not insure the one of 30 items that I intended to.

I go to the Post office twice a week if I can. This means that there may be a few days before it actually gets shipped. I pack for a few hours each day, but I try to ship twice a week.

I know I could have the PO people come and pick it up, but that would require more time at this computer. I find myself staring at this screen more hours in a day that I like already. Twice a week, I will dust myself off and go to the PO just to blow off the stink and get my heart pumping.

Return Policy:

In the general case, I do not accept returns. I try to include multiple clear pictures of the item to help set the expectation. However, if the item really is not what you expected, I will work with you and allow it to be returned. In this case, you pay the return shipping. Upon receipt, if the item is packed appropriately, I will refund the auction cost and the first shipping total. The return shipping is on you, just like if you bought an item from the drug store and decided to take it back, you would pay for its transportation back to the store.

Feed Back Policy:

E-bay has slanted this to the point where feedback for a buyer is actually positive- transaction complete or no feedback. The only opportunity for a seller for neutral or negative is no feedback. The transaction involves much more than the initial payment. Did the buyer send multiple e-mails demanding feedback? Did the buyer go outside the normal communication avenues for some reason? Etc.

I try to leave feedback twice a month. This allows me to give equal thought to each one and stay in the KISS zone.

Feedback is important, and it is basically a gut feeling about the way the transaction went. If the transaction leaves a bad taste in my mouth, then I will not leave a feedback. If things really get uncomfortable, I will block the buyer from ever bidding on my stuff again.

What I have found is that the my number of problem items are up by a factor of five since the no negative feedback to buyers was institited. This is relative to the previous seven year average.

Payment:

E-bay has stated that paper forms of payment are not allowed. So in that case, I accept PayPal. You can use credit cards through PayPal. A few years ago I experimented with only using PayPal and found I lost 60% of my business.

If you have questions about these policies or payment, please contact me. Thanks, GGNLARS

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