Sold As Seen

This is an Airfix 1400 ex-GWR tank in BR livery.

As you can see, it's dust and rusty. The box has a badly torn window. I bought it a year or so ago for £12. Last weekend, I tried to sell it. For £12. 

Now you might reasonably conclude that for £12 there is probably something wrong with it. Ramsay's Guide values it at £30 although that's likely to drop once the Hattons/DJM version appears. 

Anyway, I did sell the loco. To someone who deals in second hand model railways. He didn't ask anything about it, just paid up and left. 

This is odd as everyone else buying a loco asked if it works and was treated to the model doing a turn on the test track we had along the back of the stand. We gave advice and sometimes talked people out of purchases if they were likely to be unsuitable. Hornby Dublo coupling fitted wagons do not work on a youngsters train set and we don't want them to be disappointed. 

Likewise, an early Triang train set might look on the face of it like a good deal but it is early, and even though the loco works you're going to have to stick to Super 4 track. 

As for DCC, forget it. I don't think anything we had was even DCC ready, although the loco model shop offers a fitting service for those scared of soldering chips in and since he had a stand, we happily pointed people in that direction if they were umming and ahhing over a purchase. 

Anyway, in the middle of the afternoon, the buyer returns and angrily tells us that the loco is faulty. He's tried it and while the motor runs, the wheels don't work.

True I say, there is a problem with the wheels . They do rotate but I have a feeling someone has taken them off at some point and not put them back on properly. I could fix it but don't need the model, hence it's appearance on the stand priced at a couple of quid more than made up static Airfix loco kits. Even the motors sell for at least a fiver.

"It's not fit for purpose!" I was told. 

"It depends what the purpose is." I reply.

Which is true. Stick it in a siding and it's perfectly good scenic feature. You'd pay for a "proper" scenic item. You'd even pay more for one of those badly cast lumps of coal sold as souvenirs. 

"Also, as the signs say, everything is Sold as Seen." I point out. 

Sadly, there is more demanding and threats to "take this further" so I took I returned the money from my wallet rather than taking it back out of the cash box. Returned in the sense of chucking the stuff at him. I'm not proud of that but nor do I like being shouted at. A complaint was duly made to the exhibition manager about me. 

To avoid this happening again, I can offer some tips to buyers on second hand stalls:

• If there is nothing to say a loco is a runner, assume initially it isn't. Most of ours were, but to varying degrees of effect. Some needed a service, others were perfect. We had customers who enjoy repairing locos and are happy to buy less than perfect - it's their hobby.
• Ask questions - "Does this run?" is the popular and pertinent one. 
• If there is a test track, ask to see the model run on it. We happily ran stuff even if someone was only half-serious about buying. If the stallholder won't try it then there is definitely something wrong and you need to adjust the amount you are willing to pay accordingly.
• Examine the model. Take it out of the box and have a good look. 
• If it's a kit, have a good look inside the box but be careful. Stallholders don't appreciate someone upending the parts all over the table.
• If a bargain looks too good, as my old friends in Trading Standards always said, it probably is

There are bargains to be had. I have an HO Shay that I knew was faulty but since it was cheap, I risked the money. Taking it to bits, the universal joint was loose on the motor shaft. A drop of superglue later, I have a working, if scruffy, Shay probably worth 3 times what I paid for it.

Caveat emptor