This guide is intended for the seller who does not have a lot of knowledge about trains, but is looking to sell the "old trains that were stored in the basement."

When selling model railroad equipment, the most important thing to include in your listing is the scale, such as N, HO, O, etc.  Sellers who have little experience with model trains sometimes make the mistake of listing their locomotives and cars under the wrong scale; if a potential buyer is looking for an HO scale locomotive, that buyer will be looking for HO scale only... an HO scale locomotive listed as N scale will not get many (if any) bids.  The seller should pay close attention to the scale of the model being sold, and list it correctly.

The type of rolling stock (locomotives and cars) being listed is also important to note in the auction heading.  Many times, sellers with little knowledge of trains or model railroads will list their auctions with generic titles like "train," "trains," "train car," and the like.  This will not generally get the attention of the average buyer; most of the time, a person seeking a caboose will search under the word "caboose," and so forth.  Try to determine the type of railroad equipment you are selling.  Is it a steam locomotive or a diesel?  Steam locomotives are usually black and cylindrical, with various domes and piping on the body, and driving rods and other moving parts near the wheels... the "choo-choo" sort of locomotive.  Steam engines will rarely have any markings besides a number on the cab and/or a railroad name on the tender (the "coal car" which is usually attached to the locomotive).  Diesels have no visible moving parts besides the wheels, and are generally boxy or streamlined in appearance; they can be in a variety of color schemes.  If you are selling a freight car, is it a tank car, or a boxcar, or a hopper?  Please keep in mind that NOT every railroad car is a "boxcar."  Boxcars are just that... cars shaped like boxes, with doors on their sides.  Tank cars look like cans on a set of wheels.  Hoppers are open-topped cars with chutes on the bottom, while covered hoppers have a roof.  Gondolas are basically low, open-topped cars with flat bottoms.  Flatcars... well, they need no explanation.  Cabooses are usually short, boxy cars with a few windows (they are NOT "passenger cars").

The name of the railroad that is printed on the car or locomotive is also important to include in your auction heading, such as "Pennsylvania," "Great Northern," or "Santa Fe."  Reporting marks (railroad initials) can be listed instead, such as "PRR," "GN," or "ATSF."  There are lists of reporting marks which can be found online; simply search under "railroad reporting marks" and a number of websites are available which will show the name of a railroad and its reporting mark.

If you have a locomotive that you wish to sell, but don't know if it works, SAY SO in your listing.  Sometimes, bidders are not necessarily looking for a working locomotive; they may just want the body of the locomotive for a modeling project, or may want to use your old junker for spare parts.  For the same reason, if your car or locomotive appears damaged in any way, make sure you include a description in your listing.  Does your boxcar have a missing door?  Are the little step-ladders at the end broken off?  Is there a coupler (the "connector" at each end) missing?  Are there any scratches, cracks or dents?  Post a good, clear photo with your listing if you can; eBay will host one photo for free.

One last thing to avoid: titles with words like "RARE" and "WOW."  A good honest title and description will get more attention than flashy phrases that lack any substance.  More often than not, buyers looking for model trains are not seeking collectors' pieces; they're looking for models to build or operate.  Give them a good accurate description, and they may be very interested in what you've got to offer.